Columnist Muriel Stevens: Hurley, Lauder visit LV

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2004 | 8:21 a.m.

On Thursday at Neiman Marcus in the Fashion Show mall, Elizabeth Hurley, actress and Estee Lauder spokesmodel, and Evelyn Lauder, senior corporate vice president of Estee Lauder and founder and chairman of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, will kick off the 12th annual campaign with a number of events:

Personal appearance: Lauder and Hurley will make an appearance at a private reception for invited guests at Neiman Marcus at 11:30 a.m. At noon (time is approximate) they will welcome the public and sign cosmetic and fragrance purchases of such brands as Estee Lauder, Clinique and Bobbi Brown (all Lauder companies).

With little time to spare, the peripatetic duo will make their way at 1:30 p.m. to Estee Lauder at the Forum Shops at Caesars. Affable Las Mayor Oscar Goodman is scheduled to present the key to the city of Las Vegas to Lauder and her husband, Leonard L. Lauder, and Hurley in front of the Estee Lauder store. After a brief ceremony Evelyn and Elizabeth will sign customers' purchases at the store. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

The Venetian turns pink for Breast Cancer Awareness: As night falls the excitement rises. Joining Evelyn and Elizabeth will be tennis champion and hometown hero Andre Agassi and uber Chef Thomas Keller. The quartet of luminaries will flip a switch to turn The Venetian pink. This Las Vegas mega-resort will be the first of about 100 international landmarks to be bathed in hot pink in recognition of Estee Lauder's Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.

Kicking off this evening of sensational doings will be a hot-pink fashion show in the Grand Canal Shops at 5 p.m. and an appearance by Lauder and Hurley at 6:45 p.m. At 7 p.m. the terrific twosome will arrive in a gondola at the front of the resort for the illumination ceremony.

Next on this almost-impossible-to-keep agenda is a silent auction and a VIP fund-raiser at Thomas Keller's Bouchon. Keller, a two-time James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, designed the menu and will prepare the dinner assisted by his seasoned staff.

This spectacular event marks Estee Lauder's 5th Annual Global Landmarks Illumination program. Every year since 2000 a number of the world's famous landmarks have cast a pink light to show support for breast cancer awareness and to encourage women to seek information about breast care and breast health.

The illumination initiative, with its powerful message, has reached more than a billion people. Through participation by many first ladies, business leaders, celebrities, governmental nabobs and media coverage on a global scale, the message is hitting its mark.

The Venetian's sister property, the Sands Macau in the People's Republic of China, will go pink, as well as dozens of other world-famous landmarks. Among the additional sites are Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion and landmarks in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and more.

To learn more about the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, visit www.bcrfcure.org.