BETTE MIDLER'S ANNUAL 'HULAWEEN BALL' RAISES OVER A MILLION DOLLARS FOR CHARITY

FRIDAY NIGHT, AT THE STUNNING WALDORF-ASTORIA HOTEL, NEW YORK, BETTE MIDLER ENTERTAINED A PACKED BALLROOM OF GHOSTLY AND MACABRE GUESTS DRESSED IN COSTUME FOR HER ANNUAL 'HULAWEEN' BALL, RAISING OVER A MILLION DOLLARS, AND COUNTING, FOR ONE OF HER FAVORITE CHARITIES THE NEW YORK RESTORATION PROJECT. DRESSED AS A MOULIN ROUGE MADAME, MIDLER AND COMEDIENNE/GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST, JUDY GOLD WORKED THE CROWD, SHAKING PEOPLE FOR $2,500 DONATIONS. "EVERYWHERE I TURN I SEE HIPPIE BAGS AND BEADS, IT'S FANTASTIC", AS SHE CRUISED BY THE TABLE OF MICHAEL KORS, DRESSED AS A MUSICIAN HITCHHIKING TO WOODSTOCK. PEACE SIGNS, PROTESTING HIPPIES WERE IN ABUNDANCE, POSSIBLY A NOD TO THE GROWING QUAGMIRE IN AFGHANISTAN.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, WEARING BLACK FAIRY WINGS, GAVE THE OPENING REMARKS, "I LOVE ME SOME MAYOR BLOOMBERG, BUT BETTE IS CLEANING UP THE CITY." (NYRP) HAS TURNED 55 VACANT LOTS INTO COMMUNITY GARDENS AND PLANTED OVER 250,000 TREES, ON ITS WAY TO A MILLION BY 2017). "WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ONE TREE COULD MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE . . . I HAVE A CAT SO I DON'T F--- WITH TREES", SAID GOLDBERG. LATER IN THE EVENING, MAYOR BLOOMBERG, DRESSED IN ORANGE SLACKS AND A BLACK SWEATER, RECEIVED MIDLER'S "WINGS BENEATH MY WINGS" AWARD, FOR HIS SUPPORT IN TEAMING UP WITH NYRP TO GREEN NEW YORK. NOTABLE COSTUMES OF THE EVENING INCLUDED NYRP'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DREW BECHER, AS A RENAISSANCE LORD, TIGHTS AND ALL, KATIE COURIC AS KATE GOSSELIN, MARTHA STEWART AS A ROOT VEGETABLE (DON'T ASK), GLORIA GAYNOR AS A PIRATE, AND THE B52's KATE PIERSON WENT DRESSED AS ANNIE OAKLEY.