What an unlikely combo! Mikhail Gorbachev along with Teri Hatcher presented the Women’s World Awards, held at the Hammerstein Ballroom, to Mary J. Blige, Billie Jean King, Lucy Liu, Claudia Schiffer, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Queen Noor of Jordan, and Dr. Robin Herbert.

World Charity Award recipient Sharon Stone was a no-show, but spoke via video. And Whoopi humbly accepted her World Entertainment Award, stating, “I’m just a girl from the projects…. Who would have thought this?”

While all other recipients greeted Gorbachev with a kiss-kiss, supermodel Claudia Schiffer accepted her award without so much as an air kiss—but with a distant handshake and the quip “Gorbachev knows strong women and still had time to end the Cold War!” Was Schiffer, who air-kisses everyone, possibly intimidated by this world leader?

The entertainment included Chaka Kahn and Stevie Wonder, and we were wowed when the Spanish pop/opera crossover quartet Il Divo took to the stage.

Also in the glittering crowd: Christopher and Gitte Lee, Faith Salie, Heather Schmid, Kyle McLaughlin, Kendu, Miky Lee, Nadia Auermann, Shana Dale, and Stella Deetjen.

An extraordinary celebration of extraordinary women!