Young Lions for Old Books

The New York Public Library held their Annual Fall Benefit this Tuesday at the library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman building on Fifth Avenue.

Barbara Walters, Henry Kissinger, Frank Langella, Dustin Hoffman and Billy Crudup attended the dinner, which raised 2.5 million. The event featured Jonhn Lithgow as the Master of Ceremonies and honored illustrator Hilary Knight and writer Annie Proulx among others.

However, the real star of the evening was the Junior Young Lions Dance that happened downstairs. The organizers of the kids’ party included Scarlett Johansson and Aaron Eckart and the event raised $220,000, almost double what was expected. Gossip Girl Leighton Meester and co-star Sebastian Stan attended. The party featured cocktails and dessert and guests danced to tunes spun by DJ Cassidy.

According to the Young Lions invitation, “Funds raised from the event will go towards to acquiring the books and materials needed to keep the Library’s collections current and vibrant.”