'Night of Too Many Stars' benefit has plenty from Hudson Valley

Monday October 22, 2012 1:05 PM By Chris Serico

Photo credit: Getty Images | Tina Fey and Amy Poehler speak onstage at Comedy Central's night of too many stars: America comes together for autism programs at The Beacon Theatre in New York City. (Oct. 13, 2012)

Sunday night's "Night of Too Many Stars" telethon had plenty of them from the Hudson Valley.

Hosted by "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart, the annual fundraiser for autism charities featured appearances by Palisades resident Al Pacino, Bedford resident Paul Shaffer, Irvington resident Meredith Vieira, former Mount Vernon resident J.B. Smoove, and a Rockland County resident who dropped a pretty penny to be one of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey's "best friends" for a night.

Following the Oct. 13 fundraiser at the Beacon Theater, last night's live two-hour telethon on Comedy Central raised an additional $420,124 for the cause, which in total raised $3,718,613 as of about 10:15 p.m. EST last night.

At the Beacon, Poehler and Fey welcomed the two highest auction bidders — each donating more than $30,000 — as "best friends" for the night. One of the top bidders, identified only as "Karen" during the broadcast, told her temporary BFFs that she hails from Rockland, as they all drank red wine on stage. Later at the Beacon, they all returned to the stage to show highlights from their night, which included meeting with Fey's "meth dealer" and getting into (staged) knife fights.

One of the other auctioned items at the Beacon was the opportunity to have Pacino pose for a holiday-card photo with the winning bidder's family. Matching the winning bid was comedian Louis C.K., who took his own picture with Pacino and Stewart during last night's telethon after the family assembled for theirs with the Oscar-winning star.

Even more Hudson Valley celebrities were seen answering phones for the telethon. When they weren't taking calls, Shaffer was providing the musical accompaniment for tote-board updates, and Vieira did some TelePrompTer reading to talk about the cause at hand.

One of the programs highlighted during the telethon was Project SEARCH, whose Southern Westchester BOCES classroom in White Plains helps high school students with autism transition from school to the work force. The program is hosted by New York-Presbyterian Hospital in White Plains, which also houses the New York Center for Autism and the Developing Brain.

For a donation of $100, viewers received a DVD of an episode of "Game of Thrones," with running commentary by J.B. Smoove and Tracy Morgan. A sample of the commentary featured Smoove admiring one of the flamboyant outfits and remarking, "I would wear ... that." Smoove was also one of many celebrities singing backup for Sting, who substituted the name of the winning bidder in lieu of "Roxanne" as he sang the hit for the crowd at the Beacon.

Marlboro native Snooki was also scheduled to be a part of the fundraiser, but the self-proclaimed "Princess of Poughkeepsie" didn't appear on the broadcast.

The highlight of the show at the Beacon featured pop singer Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza, a girl who lives with autism. Their duet on Perry's "Firework" went viral last week, and continued to resonate with viewers last night.

Which moment from "Night of Too Many Stars" was your favorite? Vote in the poll below. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know which one it is in the comments section.

Photo: "Karen," a Rockland resident pictured third from left, was a winning bidder to become "best friends" for a night with Tina Fey (left) and Amy Poehler (far right).

Tags: Bedford , Paul Shaffer , Night of Too Many Stars , Palisades , Al Pacino , Irvington , Meredith Vieira , Mount Vernon , JB Smoove , Westchester , Rockland , Jon Stewart , Tina Fey , Amy Poehler , Snooki , Poughkeepsie , TV , Hudson Valley , White Plains