Hollywood producer and sometime-Memphian David Gest threw a fundraiser Friday in Liverpool, England, with auction items including a first-class trip to the Bluff City. Honored guests included Jimmi Harkishin of UK soap opera "Coronation Street" and singer Deniece Williams, performing her 1984 No. 1 hit "Let's Hear It for the Boy."
Gest, known for his friendship with Michael Jackson and his rocky marriage to Liza Minnelli, has become a star of sorts in Great Britain due to his recent stint on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here."
Memphians might remember Gest for his grand return to town in 2004. He threw the controversial "David Gest's All-Star Holiday Extravaganza" -- featuring a curious assortment of celebrities including Tippie Hedren, Jane Russell and Petula Clark -- and treated thousands of needy Memphians to free meals on Christmas Day. Recall that Gest's roots in Memphis run all the way back to his days working in publicity for Al Green in the 1970s.
Further reading: A bizarre 2006 profile of Gest in The Guardian featuring lots of material about Memphis, most of it fairly negative. A highlight:
Gest, known for his friendship with Michael Jackson and his rocky marriage to Liza Minnelli, has become a star of sorts in Great Britain due to his recent stint on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here." Memphians might remember Gest for his grand return to town in 2004. He threw the controversial "David Gest's All-Star Holiday Extravaganza" -- featuring a curious assortment of celebrities including Tippie Hedren, Jane Russell and Petula Clark -- and treated thousands of needy Memphians to free meals on Christmas Day. Recall that Gest's roots in Memphis run all the way back to his days working in publicity for Al Green in the 1970s.
Further reading: A bizarre 2006 profile of Gest in The Guardian featuring lots of material about Memphis, most of it fairly negative. A highlight:
We leave the buffet and go out on to the roof to survey the city. He tells me he likes its 'third world' quality, which might be one way of saying that here, at least, he glitters like a diamond in dust.
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