The late Heath Ledger was an ambassador and supporter of Australians in Film. A Scholarship has been established in his honor, to enable Australian actors to pursue their career in the U.S. Jude Law, a great friend of Ledger, who appears in his last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, was named as one of the Judges, along with casting director, John Papsidera (who cast Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight) and Susie Dobson, chair of the AIF.
A sold out benefit screening was held at the Ricardo Montablan theatre in Hollywood, featuring traditional Australian dishes, and thousands of dollars were raised to benefit the scholarship fund. [...]
One of the most spectacular soirees is hosted by entrepreneur Norby Walters at the fabulous Beverly Hills Hotel - aptly titled, "The Night of 100 Stars". This is the 20th year that we have attended this extraordinary Oscar viewing party which includes a stellar mix of TV and movie actors, moguls and media, producers, paparazzi and assorted glitterati. We have wined and dined alongside such celebs as A-Listers Shirley Jones, Daniel Baldwin, James Cromwell, Laura Dern, Martin Landau, Kristy Swanson, Peter Bogdonovich and Frances Fisher to name a few. Last year, our tablemate was Lucy Lawless (Xena) who was unrecognizable without her black hair & bangs, but still a gorgeous Amazon.