::: George Christy ::: From the Beverly Hills Courier

Serendipity being Òan unexpected and fortunate discoveryÓ was at play when Irit Ehrlich met Marine Corps. Colonel John Folsom in the elevator of the Best Western Hotel near St. JohnÕs Medical Center. Irit and her mom, Rachel Lapin, were lodging overnight, before RachelÕs scheduled hip replacement surgery at St. JohnÕs. ÒI was going down in the elevator to check out the International House of Pancakes to see if we wanted to eat there, when I ran into the Colonel. We chatted, and when he told me why he was in Los Angeles in support of his Wounded Warriors mission, I was moved, and promised I would help.Ó And help she did, enlisting husband Rick Ehrlich, the respected UCLA-based doctor that looks after our gentsÕ medical needs, and they immediately signed on as the West Coast team in support of families of those whoÕve been wounded, injured or lost their lives during combat operations. We recently wrote about Irit, a successful jewelry designer whose baubles are favored in Beverly Hills and environs, and her desire to help Colonel John. And Wednesday of this week, she and Rick hosted a dinner for 30-plus guests at the Brentwood Country Club honoring the Colonel, who explained how he launched Wounded Warriors with $1,500 from a Òpass the hatÓ initiative that purchased items for wounded soldiers airlifted to a medical center in Germany, the first stop for U.S. armed forces evacuees. Introducing the Colonel before dinner, Rick noted the ColonelÕs served 27 years in the Marine Corps, including deployment in Beirut, Lebanon and in Iraq. He cited his many military decorations, with the Colonel informing that financial assistance is vital to maintain the condominiums at the Bahama Bay Resort in Orlando, Florida and the Victorian Resort in Galveston, Texas, purchased for the families who visit the family-friendly resorts free of charge to find peace and solace. In order to qualify, service members must have dependent children. He added that the retreat in Crawford, Nebraska is being built on 80 acres of land thatÕs chockablock with ponderosa pines. Both Irit and Rick encouraged their guests to visit the website: www.woundedwarriors.org. May we add that the Brentwood County Club cuisine was excellent, better than at some of our tony restaurants Ð good service, too. And on an another serendipity note, we discovered our seatmates, trial lawyer John Ross and wife Darolyn (no typo: itÕs Darolyn) were introduced by their physical therapist after they had two separate car accidents. ÒI hate blind dates,Ó confessed John, Òbut I figured IÕd sweat through it. We went to ValentinoÕs for dinner, closed the restaurant, and havenÕt been apart for 26 years.Ó Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell were expected to introduce Dr. B. K. ModiÕs latest technological creation, A Movie in Your Pocket, at the Modi mansionette in Beverly Hills, but they were delayed with Òplumbing problems in Malibu.Ó Goldie will direct Ashes to Ashes in India, produced by Michel Shane, whoÕs is also producing a film based on one of our favorite Italian composers Antonio Vivaldi, whoÕll be portrayed by Joseph Fiennes. The billionaire Dr. Modi heads MCorpGlobal, with its president Bhuvan Lall explaining why we love Indian hospitality Ð Òour philosophy is that we are all one family, and our guest is God.Ó IndiaÕs leading actor Gulshan Grover, whoÕs been in more than 300 films as Òthe bad guy,Ó flew in to affirm that heÕll attend the Indian Splendor festival in Los Angeles this August that will feature films, art, music, literature, with Indian artists and notables participating. Navin Doshi informed that itÕll be themed around Òheritage, high-tech and holistic.Ó We visited with longtime friend Bob Friedman, a consultant for Dr. Modi. Through the decades, Bob presided over AMC Theaters and Columbia Pictures, and says movies will break box-office records this year (more than $10 billion) and that Wal-Mart owns the market on DVDs, selling more than 40% of the product, bringing in more billions, and that Wal-Mart sells them as loss leaders for under ten bucks. ÒThe customer not only buys the DVDs, but stocks up on T-shirts, baseball caps, athletic shoes, whatever.Ó (Target sells more than 15% of the DVDs in the U.S.) Bob forecasts more moolah than ever for Tinsel Town, and reminds that Rupert Murdoch bypass mentioning China in a speech, but added that the future awaits in India with its 1,100 billion citizens. Vogue editor Anna Wintour hosted a glamour-to-the-max gala benefiting the Costume Instiute of the Metropolitan Museum, with a galaxy of the young and beautiful in borrowed finery, along with Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng, George Lucas with Melody Kaufman. The event featured the designs of Paris couturier Paul Poiret, who freed women from the corset during the early 1900s. Peacocks in cages strutted their fans, with the birdsÕ handler Norman Johnson noting his secret for the strutting is to keep them from mating for a month. www.bhcourier.com.