Circuit

April 29, 2009

Friends Flock to Saban ‘Self-Worth’ Launch

By Danielle Berrin

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When you’re Cheryl Saban and you’re throwing a party to launch your inspirational new book, “What’s Your Self-Worth: A Woman’s Guide to Validation” — in hot-pink hardcover — your best friends line up to come. All 500 of them. And this measure isn’t simply about quantity; it’s about quality.

On April 23, you could hear the thrum of power clinking their glasses on the top floor of the Pacific Design Center, where the only thing brighter than Saban’s book cover were all the ring-finger rocks worn for the occasion. Saban and mogul-hubby Haim leveraged all their Hollywood and political clout to assemble a crowd worthy of a literary lion: California first lady Maria Shriver; Universal COO Ron Meyer and wife Kelly; MGM Chairman Harry Sloan and wife Florence; actor Sidney Poitier; former Gov. Gray Davis and his wife Barbara; columnist Arianna Huffington; film producer Arnold Kopelson; billionaire former chairman of Univision Jerry Perenchio; novelist Jackie Collins; LAPD Chief William Bratton and wife Rikki Klieman; Mallika Chopra, Deepak Chopra’s daughter; and no Jewish party is complete without Fran Drescher.

Amid long wet bars stocked with champagne and spirits, black-and-white suited waiters serving crab cakes and chicken dumplings, Sherry Lansing ascended the stage to introduce the book.

“In my life I’ve never seen so many people attend a book party,” Lansing told the crowd. “And we all share one thing in common: Each and every one of us loves Cheryl Saban.” Especially the former head of Paramount Pictures — the first female in such shoes — who ruminated on Saban’s lovely essence (“she’s beautiful, intelligent, compassionate ... can write a book ...”) and hailed their decade-long friendship. 

“She gives the greatest gift of all,” Lansing emoted, turning toward her girlfriend. “Unconditional love.”

Saban, standing tall and slender to my right, high cheekbones, camel cape, ooh’d and ahh’d to Lansing’s every praise. “Cheryl is one of the reasons I’m a happy person.” And the crowd collectively sighed.

The book party was a generous tribute to its author, who has promised to donate 100 percent of the proceeds to benefit women in need. Once one herself, Saban was twice married, divorced, with two children and bereft of health care before she married billionaire media entrepreneur Haim Saban.

After his wife was praised as an “entrepreneur, doctor [she has a doctorate in psychology], writer, philanthropist, mother, etc.,” Haim felt left out.

“You said many things but you forgot to say she is also a wife,” he said, adding that even the director of Pacific Design Center thanked him as “Mr. Cheryl Saban,” which he said, he’ll learn to live with.

After a breezy intro, Cheryl Saban took the stage and waxed lyrical on self-worth; she alluded to her painful past.

“I realized that though I couldn’t change the facts of my life, I could change the way I thought of those facts,” Saban said. “My goal is to make every woman who feels worthless feel worth it.”

And let’s not forget about the boys club in the room: “While this book is about and for women,” she explained, “men don’t have to be allergic to all the pink. When the woman in your life feels good, believe me, you’ll benefit.”

A version of this article appeared in print.

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