With an A-list guest roll that includes Elizabeth Taylor, Whoopi Goldberg and Sylvester Stallone, an annual charity fund-raiser that quietly began only last year has already emerged as one of L.A.’s hot-ticket philanthropic galas.

The second annual “A Family Celebration,” to be held April 1 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is already being compared to Marvin and Barbara Davis’ Carousel Ball, Ronald O. Perelman and Lilly Tartikoff’s Fire & Ice Ball, and other prestigious events.

The planning for A Family Celebration 2001 has not been flawless. (For example, some corporate sponsors pulled out after learning that former President Clinton would attend.) But the event is expected to come close to its goal of raising $1.5 million, to be split among 18 charitable organizations whose services help Alzheimer’s patients, seriously ill children, AIDS and breast cancer sufferers and college-bound inner-city children, among others.

“It absolutely could grow to be as prestigious as any other major (charitable) event in Hollywood,” said Julie Nathanson, an executive vice president with Rogers & Cowan, publicist for A Family Celebration. “It’s a baby. It takes time to grow that reputation. But we’re off to a good start. What we’re looking for is the name recognition so when people hear ‘Family Celebration,’ they know what the concept is behind it. Family Celebration becomes shorthand for what this event does. When you say ‘Fire & Ice,’ people know what that is.”

The event is the brainchild of event producer Aaron Tonken, who along with TV producer Gary Smith, put on the “Hollywood Gala Salute to President William Jefferson Clinton,” which raised about $1 million on the eve of the Democratic National Convention last August for Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign. The former president, who Hollywood embraced through thick and thin like no other president since John F. Kennedy, agreed to attend the Family Celebration at the request of Tonken and other organizers and celebrity presenters.

Clinton is serving as national chairman for the $1,000- and $500-per-plate gala, with producer David E. Kelley and his wife, actress Michelle Pfeiffer, serving as the dinner co-chairs. The event will also honor the artistic and charitable endeavors of numerous actors, singers and philanthropists.

This year, the Family Celebration event fell victim to unfortunate timing, resulting in the loss of $750,000 in corporate sponsorships when invitations were mailed out just as the scandal erupted over Clinton’s pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich and other controversial figures, said Tonken.

Large companies didn’t want to attract the bad publicity that the Morgan Stanley brokerage firm received after paying Clinton $100,000 to speak at its annual meeting as the scandal unfolded. (Morgan Stanley Chairman Philip Purcell, in an e-mail he reportedly sent to clients, said the invitation had “clearly been a mistake.”)

But Hollywood is more forgiving than Wall Street.

Hollywood loves Clinton

Clinton’s controversial pardons have not scared off Hollywood’s elite from attending the April 1 L.A. gala. And that comes as no surprise to publicist Lee Solters, who for 26 years represented Frank Sinatra and who counts A Family Celebration honoree and businessman/philanthropist Robert Lorsch among his current client list.

“Scandal or otherwise, people will still buy tickets to be in the same room with Clinton,” said Solters. “Every president has the same power. But Clinton has got a lot of charisma a great personality, unlike a lot of presidents. He and Kennedy were great showmen. With Kennedy and Clinton, there was always an air of excitement.”

Former President Gerald Ford and former First Lady Betty Ford are also expected to attend.

Some sponsors have stayed on, paying $100,000 to $250,000 each, said Tonken. And the 850 seats for the combined dinner and show sold out, placating the concerns of Tonken, who earlier this month had been concerned that enthusiasm around the event would fizzle.

“We didn’t do well with sponsors, but a lot of individuals came to participate,” he said. “People tend to come in at the end. They see what other people are doing and that’s how a lot of charities work. I tend to forget that and get nervous all of the time. I’ll be very happy that a lot of money will be going to many different charities.”

Choice of charities

In addition to giving attendees a chance to be in the same room with two former presidents, A Family Celebration is a draw because, unlike the other gala fund-raisers, celebrity honorees are allowed to choose the charities to which the money will be earmarked. The Cynthia Gershman Foundation is underwriting the event’s costs, which organizers did not to divulge.

Tonken, who raised $750,000 from the inaugural event, has set an ambitious goal of $5 million for next year.

“This is a hot ticket in town. It’s in the top four or five, not in terms of money but in terms of participants,” he said, comparing it to other fund-raisers. “It’s just become very popular. It’s A-list and I’d like to raise (even) more money with these caliber of people.”

Taylor is scheduled to president the Annual Award of Merit to Clinton, with Goldberg handing the Fords a Special Giving Award and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt presenting Stallone with the Outstanding Creative Achievement Award, organizers said.

Other honorees include the cast of “Ally McBeal” (Outstanding Television Drama Award), Bob Newhart (Lifetime Achievement Award), Jeffrey Bonforte (Internet Entrepreneur of the Year Award), philanthropists Loreen Arbus (Heart of Giving Award) and Lorsch (Humanitarian Award), as well as ‘N Sync (Harmony and Spirit Award).

“I certainly think that a new fund-raiser can come into town and be successful without taking away from existing events and activities,” said Adam Coyne, spokesman for the Elizabeth Glaser Foundation, which raised more than $2 million at its carnival last year. “It takes a very high level of experience and expertise to put together a major fund-raiser. It’s impressive for an organization to put together an event of this size and stature in such a relatively short period of time. Los Angeles is a very large city, and there’s a great deal of wealth here and a great deal of people who have been very successful and very kind and generous in helping the community.”

A silent, live auction is expected to raise more than $100,000 from bids on such items as a 2001 Lincoln Navigator, walk-on parts to several TV shows, shopping sprees at area retail stores and a sports package that includes VIP field seats to a Dodger game with the winner’s child serving as the day’s honorary batboy or batgirl and a pair of autographed boxing gloves donated by Sugar Ray Leonard.

A Family Celebration was originally scheduled to be held at UCLA’s 1,800-seat Royce Hall where Rod Stewart, Marc Anthony, ‘N Sync and Clint Black were scheduled to perform in a show produced by David Foster and emceed by MTV host Carson Daly, after which 400 people were going to be seated for a dinner party under an adjacent tent.

The venue was switched to the Beverly Wilshire to placate the concerns of the Secret Service.

“(They) wanted it all contained in one area,” said Bretta Nock, the event organizer. “It’s due to security reasons. Two former presidents will be attending the event.”

Although Black had to bow out because of scheduling conflicts with his soon-to-be-released record, Luther Vandross might be added to the show.

“This is a mega event,” said Lorsch. “By combining TV, film, music, politics and business, you truly show proof to the adage that different industries can work together to make a change to benefit the less fortunate and worthwhile charitable organizations.”