Comment on Amid celebrity showoffs, $30 million raised at AIDS gala

CAP D'ANTIBES, France (AP) — Amid celebrity show offs, indiscreet liaisons, and the aggressive banging of a hammer, the French Riviera's annual, star-filled amfAR gala brought in its expected share of drama — with celebrity attendees including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jake Gyllenhall, Marion Coillard, Sienna Miller and Adrien Brody. [...] importantly, Thursday's celebrity auction in Antibes raised in excess of $30 million for the fight against AIDS, a cause for which the late icon Elizabeth Taylor fought, until her death in 2011. The normal auction host, "Basic Instinct" star Sharon Stone, was nowhere to be seen, prompting some guests to comment on whether the exuberant actress' absence was due to persistently rumored bad health. A beauteous, but motley, crew of petite Eva Longoria and towering Lara Stone and Karlie Kloss burst into an a cappella version of "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, while on the cocktail carpet of the amfAR event. Ghenea, 26, a Romanian model turned actress grabbed attention at the Cannes Film Festival by featuring nude on the provocative poster for the film "Youth," with Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel. Singer Charli XCX was followed by legendary diva Mary J.