The Can-Do Spirit

Mariska Hargitay, Jimmy Fallon, Rachael Ray, Mario Batali, Rocco DiSpirito and Helena Christensen were among the notables who turned out for the Can-Do awards dinner to raise money for the Food Bank of New York City last night. The evening's special honoree, Jon Bon Jovi, also got to bask in the adulation of President Bill Clinton and U2's Bono. The presence of master of ceremonies Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M, further enhanced the rock royalty quotient. On the red carpet, I asked arriving celebrities about their favorite Bon Jovi song. The most enthusiastic answer by far came from Batali, who without skipping a beat went into  air-guitar mode, belting out "WANTED....dead or alive!!" For all of the fun and games, the night was really about raising crucial funds for this organization, which helps see to it that the 1.3 million New Yorkers in peril of going hungry do not lack places to turn to find sustenance for their families. At present, the charity's reserves are at critically low levels and the organization is doing everything it can to get the word out about the work it can do with even $1—a donation that will supply five meals for a person who might otherwise go hungry. It kind of gives new meaning to the Bon Jovi song "I'll Be There for You."

The Lads from Dublin Hit Fordham

Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen, Jr., and Adam Clayton capped their week of performances on David Letterman with a surprise Friday appearance today on the campus of Fordham University, in the Bronx. News of the visit was so highly guarded that not even the school's newspaper, The Ram, was able to confirm the appearance before its press time. The early a.m. concert, aired on ABC's Good Morning America, took place on the steps of Keating Hall, a hallowed place on campus known as the Terrace of the Presidents. Performing from their just-released album, No Line on the Horizon, the rock world's most enduring and relevant band performed tracks "Magnificent," "Crazy Tonight" and lead single "Get on Your Boots," in addition to perennial crowd-pleasers "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day." "It’s great to be here in the Bronx among our peers," yelled The Edge to the receptive crowd. "We may not be the same age, but we’re the same age group." To which one Jesuit-educated undergraduate yelled back: "What age group is that? Eighteen to fifty?" Fortunately, his clever comment was never heard by the Irishmen, lost as it was in a sea of cheering.