Who Attends
The Dinner will be attended by 500 guests, including prominent leaders from high profile business, aerospace, manufacturing, legal and entertainment companies, local political figures, and many distinguished guests of the British and European Consulates. Past celebrity guests have included an extraordinary roster of personalities straight out of Who’s Who, from supermodels Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum to superstars Ryan Seacrest, Victoria “Posh” Beckham and Grammy winning recording artist Seal, who brought down the house with last year’s show-stopping finale. The Dinner will be preceded by an intimate VIP Champagne Reception, exclusively for high-level sponsors and our Guest of Honor. Piers Morgan | Our Honoree
Originally known to many in the US as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and as winner of Celebrity Apprentice in 2009, Piers has had a long career in journalism in the UK as a newspaper editor and television personality. He began his career as a reporter for The Wimbledon News and subsequently was a columnist at The Sun. In 1994, when Piers was just 28, Rupert Murdoch appointed him the youngest ever editor of the News of the World, and the youngest national newspaper editor in Britain for 50 years. Two years later, he moved to the Daily Mirror, where he served as editor-in-chief from 1995 until 2004. The paper won numerous journalistic awards, including Newspaper of the Year at the prestigious British Press Awards in 2002 for its coverage of 9/11. After leaving the Daily Mirror, Piers went on to become a best-selling author, a regular media columnist, and host of his own interview programs on the BBC and ITV, as well as appearing as a judge alongside Simon Cowell on the No.1-rated show Britain’s Got Talent. He began by writing a monthly column for GQ magazine, interviewing some of the biggest names in global entertainment and politics. In 2004, he moved into television, co-hosting a Channel 4 current affairs show, Morgan & Platell, and two BBC interview shows, Tabloid Tales and You Can’t Fire Me I’m Famous. In 2008, he joined ITV, where he hosted a documentary travelogue show called Piers On…, reporting from cities including Shanghai, Las Vegas and Dubai. He also developed a new talk show, Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, featuring one-on-one intimate interviews with celebrities, business and political leaders, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It has been the No. 1-rated talk show in Britain consistently for the last few years. Piers now brings his penetrating interview style and gift for unearthing the surprising detail to CNN with Piers Morgan Tonight. He also continues to write his regular column for the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Jackie Collins
Chronicling adventures of the Elite A-list from the inside looking out, Jackie offers readers an unrivaled look at Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and infamous. "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down — the truth is much more bizarre." Jackie started writing as a teenager, making up steamy stories her schoolmates paid to devour. Her first book, The World is Full of Married Men, which openly dealt with sexuality and double standards, quickly became a bestseller and launched her illustrious career. The international sensation Hollywood Wives became one of ABC’s highest-rated miniseries, and was the first of the popular "Hollywood" series, which still keeps everyone guessing the identities of her true-to-life characters. Jackie lives in Los Angeles and is working on her new novel The Power Trip, which will be released in the Spring of 2013. Her last novel, Goddess of Vengeance, featured the return of her legendary character Lucky Santangelo. She is also writing a play, Hollywood Lies, and working on her autobiography Reform School or Hollywood. Jackie is also putting together The Lucky Santangelo Cook Book and a coffee table book, Hollywood Snaps, filled with celebrity photos she has taken over the years. Ross King | Our Emcee
A prolific international television career began when Ross was chosen over 3600 hopefuls to host ITV’s Young Krypton. He has since hosted nearly thirty television series for BBC, ITV and SKY, from game shows to Children’s TV to documentaries to human interest programs. For five years he anchored the BBC’s live daily chat and entertainment show Pebble Mill, which took him around the globe presenting specials from the Oscars, Cannes and beyond. His relaxed and informal style has resulted in preeminent interviews with Prime Minister Tony Blair and some of the world’s biggest stars, including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Johnny Depp, Clint Eastwood and many more, earning him a recognition award from the Variety Club of Great Britain. Film credits include The Day After Tomorrow, among many others. Among numerous musical and theatrical credits around the UK, he had leading roles in the West End productions of Summer Holiday and the Olivier Award-nominated Dick Whittington, London’s musical for the millennium directed by Gillian Lynne (Phantom of the Opera). He also played the role of Franknfurter in The Rocky Horror Show to critical acclaim. On radio, Ross became Britain’s youngest daytime host on Scotland’s Radio Clyde. He has since hosted thousands of radio shows, including London’s Capital Radio and the Euro Chart for the UK, along with multiple programs on national Talk Radio and BBC’s National Radio 5, winning two prestigious Sony Awards and many others along the way. He also realized a lifelong ambition when he co-hosted the American Weekly Top 40 Countdown with Legendary DJ Rick Dees. His radio show The King in LA is currently syndicated across the UK. Ross is also the voice of American Express...but sadly he can't pay off your balance. Our Beneficiary
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