Happy Birthday to W

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on May 28th, 2010

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28 May

Nelsan Ellis of "True Blood" and Edi Gathegi of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” with GAYOT's Cara Trump

The W Los Angeles in Westwood was abuzz with celebrities and American Cancer Society VIPs the night of May 26 in celebration of the hotel’s tenth anniversary. As “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays,” the American Cancer Society (ACS) held a special fundraising silent auction to benefit the fight against cancer and “create a world with more birthdays.” Floating luminaries were provided in exchange for donations to help raise money and as a tribute to those lost to—or still fighting—cancer.

The co-hosts of the event were Amber Heard of “The Rum Diary” and “30 Seconds to Mars” front man Jared Leto, who tweeted remotely for the cause due to a scheduling conflict. Also in attendance were television and movie stars such as Mariana Klaveno and Nelsan Ellis of HBO’s “True Blood,” Edi Gathegi of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” and Laura Harring of “Gossip Girl.”

The event also premiered the W’s new poolside lounge, ESCAPE, presented by Disaronno, the makers of Amaretto. The lounge is set to open this summer and features swanky cabanas and a full bar. Cocktails were aplenty and the fare, prepared by executive chef Monique King from the W’s own NINETHIRTY and The Backyard, featured an eclectic mix including deliciously spicy paella, sweet and tangy Chinese chicken salad and juicy marinated beef skewers. Poolside cabanas were transformed into food tents and VIP lounges for celebrities and ACS executives, but many mixed and mingled with the crowd until the party eventually began to wind down.

You can click on each photo to enlarge.