SamboraBlog

By William Keck, USA TODAY
HOLLYWOOD — Three funny ladies of the tube turned up Sunday night at the old Henry Fonda Theatre to help raise money for tuberous sclerosis (TS), a genetic disorder that causes tumors.

Teri Hatcher, Calista Flockhart and Patricia Heaton provided much-needed intentional laughs. One unintentional chuckle came courtesy of a techie who accidentally played a DVD of Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War in place of a taped acceptance speech by absent honoree Billy Bush, the president's cousin. (The Access Hollywood host was out of town celebrating his wedding anniversary.)

The red-carpet photographers were most snap-happy for Hatcher, who said she attended a fundraiser at the same venue a year ago (before her Desperate Housewives resurgence) and no press came.

Despite being one of the most sought-after celebs of the moment, Hatcher has made the unique decision to not hire a publicist to shield her from the media.

"It was with a lot of thought," explained Hatcher, who has been courted by every PR firm in town. "I feel like when you embrace that, you're sort of subconsciously saying you want to be part of this 'no comment' game that goes on. And I don't want to be. I don't feel like I have anything to protect myself from. I'm a person who tries to do everything right. I treat people nicely and I behave well.

"If someone's wondering something, they can call and ask me and I can tell them. I mean, if I need a publicist to protect me from Hollywood, how can we figure out the Middle East?"

Plus, that's one fewer person to eat away at Hatcher's new supersized salary. Hatcher came dressed in a kelly green Dolce & Gabbana top — very similar to the one her character wore on Sunday's Desperate Housewives. On her arm was a diamond bracelet by Martin Katz that was auctioned off later for $10,000.

Heaton shelled out $8,000 in the live auction for a guitar signed by Jackson Browne. At last year's fundraiser, Heaton got into a heated bidding war with Jennifer Love Hewitt for a guitar signed by Richie Sambora. Heaton planned on presenting the instrument to her son, who is taking guitar lessons.

Flockhart made one of her few public appearances to raise money for a disease that has made her extra-appreciative to be the mother of a healthy son. The actress said she's lucky to be able to take 4-year-old Liam to the park while mothers of TS kids are stuck in hospitals for treatment of their children's tumors and seizures.

"Now that I'm a mother, I have a tremendous amount of empathy for children," the former Ally McBeal star said.

Liam, she said, "is brilliant and beautiful. He's in preschool, and I think he's going to be fairly athletic. But we don't do any sports yet. He's still running around on the furniture. I want to work, but I'm really enjoying being a mom. And you can never get this time back."