Julia Louis-Dreyfus at Les Girls 18 (all photos by MargieBarron)
Wildly-talented stars from TV, film and stage surrounded by chorus boys and girls kicked up their heels for the 18th annual Les Girls Cabaret benefit to help kick cancer. The ultra-entertaining event to support the National Breast Cancer Coalition had Julia Louis-Dreyfus there to celebrate and present the Les Girls Leadership Award to Dr. Armando Giuliano, who navigated her through her successful battle against breast cancer.
Among the stars on hand to perform and support the National Breast Cancer Coalition, under the leadership of super-activist Fran Visco, were Barrett Foa (NCIS: Los Angeles), Steven Weber (13 Reasons Why), Lea Thompson (Scorpion), Kate Flannery (The Office), Garrett Clayton (Hairspray Live!), Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue), Samantha Harris (Dancing With the Stars), Maddie Poppe (American Idol), Juan Pablo Di Pace (Mamma Mia!), Bethany Joy Lenz (One Tree Hill), Chris Mann (The Phantom of the Opera), Carly Hughes (City Island), Eric B. Anthony (Dream Girls),, Gwen Hollander (Kidding), Brit Shaw (Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension), Jonathan Lipnicki (Andover), and Brad Goreski. Les Girls’ comical emcee was Lisa Ann Walter (The Parent Trap) at the Avalon Theatre in Hollywood on October 7.
Les Girls performers: Eric B. Anthony, Chris Mann, Kate Flannery, Steven Weber, Sharon Lawrence, Bethany Joy Lenz (photos by MargieBarron)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was passionate about her support for the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) saying, “I certainly appreciate all the NBCC has done and their mission to end breast cancer and save lives. They have elevated the conversation about breast cancer from awareness to action. I personally want to thank Fran Visco for her strong leadership for 27 amazing years.”
Fran Visco & Julia Louis-Dreyfus at Les Girls 18
Louis-Dreyfus then told her personal story. “In 2017 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As shocking as it was, I also knew I was not alone in this struggle. This year alone over 260,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. Now I’m part of a club that I really never asked to be in, but here I am.”
“One of the millions of breast cancer survivors around the world, I stand here with the understanding that I am very lucky and had great access to great health insurance through my union. I have a very loving, precious family who was by my side every moment as well as many friends and members of the public. And I had an incredible, passionate and brilliant doctor to be my partner in this, along with a great medical team.”
“Tonight I’m here to honor Dr. Armando Giuliano for his tireless efforts in breast cancer care. He is also my breast cancer surgeon. He made me feel like I was going to be okay. But all of that wasn’t enough for my sister who was at my side throughout this cancer adventure. As they were rolling me into the O.R., she whispered into Dr. Giuliano’s ear, ‘Don’t f*** this up.’ And he didn’t,” revealed the 57-year-old Veep star.
Barrett Foa
All the survivors and supporters in the NBCC crowd cheered wildly, many having benefitted from Dr. Giuliano’s work as a surgeon and researcher. All acknowledged he was the real star in the room having significantly increased the quality of life and making a difference on a global scale.
Other stars provided the entertainment for the Les Girls night with many highlights, including a show-stopping performance by the ultimate crowd-pleaser Barrett Foa (tech-wiz cutie on NCIS:LA) who channeled his inner sassy Shakespeare by singing “Hard To Be The Bard.” Equally fabulous was super-cool Steven Weber (Get Shorty series, Wings) taking on a pop idol persona surrounded by the Les Girls Dancers and ended the show with “Town Without Pity” with gusto for the cause.
Steven Weber
The cause is personal for NBCC president Fran Visco, a breast cancer survivor and a strong woman who has made her mark by fighting the disease and helping others. It was impressive to hear that Visco has secured nearly $3 billion in federal funds for breast cancer research over 27 years. “We challenge business as usual and continue our call to action for policymakers, researchers, and advocates,” reports Visco.
The National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund’s Breast Cancer Deadline 2020®, is a strategic plan of action with a January 1, 2020 deadline for knowing how to end the disease. For more information, please visit: www.breastcancerdeadline2020.org.
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