Celebrities With Spines
Two of the classiest Oscar winners will be attending this year's Ball for Life May 11 at the Racquet and Tennis Club, 52nd Street and Park Avenue. Equally impressive will be the appearance of two young warriors in the battle to restore morality to our culture. According to Chris Slattery, director and founder of Expectant Mother Care, actresses Patricia Neal and Celeste Holm will be on hand for this benefit fund-raiser for EMC and Good Counsel Homes, which provide excellent services for women in crisis pregnancies.
Both of these marvelous women come from an era when our entertainment culture still retained an element of propriety and good taste sorely absent among today's celebrities. Taking on the battle for the heart and soul of America now requires a Herculean ability to wage war within the venue of pop culture. Dawn Eden and Eduardo Verįstegui are very capable combatants in this just war.
Ms. Eden, an award-winning writer and author of "The Thrill of the Chaste," which is in its fifth printing, says bluntly, "We may not all be virgins, but we can all be chaste." Surprisingly, this message is being greeted very favorably on the college campuses throughout the country where Ms. Eden has been on tour speaking about this topic. Her book is brutally honest about today's sexually charged environment, and she minces no words while frankly writing of her own experiences.
At a recent fund-raiser for Senator Brownback, Ms. Eden was introduced to the senator as the author of a book on chastity. "I have a 13-year-old daughter," the senator said, "Perhaps I should get a copy for her." Ms. Eden had to explain that this was not a book for young adolescents. Rather, it's a book for the "Sex and the City" crowd.
Anyone familiar with that popular television show has to admit that the four female protagonists were perfect examples of how sexual freedom rarely resulted in good relationships. The sad truth is that in this orgasm-centered culture, love ends up as collateral damage. "The Thrill of the Chaste" offers sound advice for those who have discovered that a hedonistic lifestyle isn't worth pursuing and that chastity is a rewarding virtue, not a restriction to happiness and can be the foundation for building a solid relationship.
Ms. Eden's writing style is breezy and refreshing and reflects her wonderful sense of humor. "The Thrill of the Chaste" is easy to read, yet amazingly profound. Besides the Ball for Life, Ms. Eden will also be a guest speaker at the New York Young Republican's Club on May 10th (www.nyyrc.org).
Mr. Verįstegui is internationally known as the Mexican Brad Pitt because of his stunning good looks. But how many young actors are willing to appear at pro-life events? He is, in fact, more than an actor. He's a singer and musician who's played to sold-out international concerts and a Mexican soap opera star. American television viewers might also recognize him as Mr. Right, the perfect man, in one of the "Charmed" series episodes.
In spite of his growing popularity, Mr. Verįstegui has said that he didn't feel whole and happy inside. This forced him to change his life, "in favor of human rights and God's love."
Because the jobs he was being offered weren't consistent with his values, he decided to enter a monastery and to dedicate his life to God. But a priest there, Father Juan Rivas, advised him to instead use his talent to achieve that change he was looking for.
Mr. Verįstegui took that advice and created with friends a film production company, Metanoia Films, to make movies that offer and promote human values. Its first film. "Bella," which stars Mr. Verįstegui and is scheduled to make its debut in the United States this August, won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival last year and has received unanimous praise.
Like Dawn Eden, Mr. Verįstegui is convinced he had taken the wrong path, but they both appear headed in the right direction and couldn't have chosen two better charities to promote. Both Expectant Mother Care and Good Counsel Homes are providing life-saving measures for the unborn, the newborns, and their mothers.
So come meet and greet Patricia Neal, Best Actress for "Hud"; Celeste Holm, Best Supporting Actress for "A Gentleman's Agreement"; and Dawn Eden and Eduardo Verįstegui and other distinguished guests will be on hand. Further details and tickets are available at www.ballforlife.org.
This is my fourth time at the ball, but this time I'm bringing my camera. Google Eduardo and you'll see why.
