Russell Simmons’ East Hampton estate became a world of magic and wonder for the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s Ninth Annual Art for Life benefit. Big names attended the event including: Guv David Paterson, Aretha Franklin, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Al Roker and Deborah Roberts, Grant and Tamia Hill, Gayle King, Sante D’Orazio, Lorraine Bracco, and Teddy Forstmann hand-in-hand with Padma Lakshmi.

The theme, Shades of Violet, brought the majestic color to the wonderland filled with gnomes, fairies, oracles and other mystical creatures, while the ones left without tickets to the sold-out event were surely green with envy! Paterson spoke eloquently about his plans for youth services and arts programs in the city, but also joked about “missing the memo,” referring to the purple theme and why he wore a beige suit. He decided that his choice wasn’t too terrible, as Simmons agreed to lend the Guv a pair of his purple pj’s!

The event raised over $1.5 mil before the online auction ended, with items such as experiences with top-notch A-Listers like Donna Karan, Tyra Banks, and our favorite, George Clooney, who is worth almost any expense. (Hey, it’s for a good cause, wink-wink.) At the live auction, the foundation boasted many extravagant items including a “happy birthday” phone call from John Legend and tennis lessons with Serena Williams and her Wimbledon racket. We’d still like to experience George Clooney, if you know what we mean…