At the risk of dating ourselves, we’ll admit it- when it comes to the movie Grease, we had it all- the poster, the record (yes, kids, that’s what we called them in those days), the Candies, the (inappropriate-for-our-age) off-shoulder black top and tight jeans, the movie photo-book and the 18 movie stubs.  With regards to the Grease fan club, meet the president!  Talk about “Hopelessly Devoted!”  So we are delighted to report that a childhood dream was actualized last Thursday when we met “Sandy” a.k.a. Olivia Newton John at the Raleigh for the Pink and Blue For Two fundraiser, sponsored by Grey Goose Vodka. To say that our heads almost exploded when she sang “You’re the One that I Want” with Jon (Secada– not Travolta, but we’ll take what we can get- after all, he did play “Danny” on Broadway) is the understatement of the year!  “Oh yes indeed- eeed!” The otherwise sophisticated crowd went crazy, jumping, screaming and dancing on the sand.

The performance culminated a series of terrific musical acts including:  Inner Circle who played a concert, which included “Bad Boys,” the theme from Cops, Brett Goldsmith, Olivia Newton John’s nephew who flew in from Australia to sing and play the acoustic guitar and Jon Secada, who sang his hit, “Just Another Day,” before his duet with Newton John.

This star-studded event was made possible by Michael Valdes, Senior Vice President of ONE Sotheby’s Realty, who has been a friend of the Newton-John family for almost 20 years.  According to Valdes, “When Olivia’s nephew, Emerson, began Full Speed 2 A Cure and Full Speed Promotions (the latter being the entity that planned Pink and Blue for Two) and Olivia decided to host their inaugural charity fundraising event in Miami, they contacted me right away.”  Valdes’ international rolodex and influential friends, including Louis Aguirre who emceed, Commissioner Michael Gongora, who presented Newton-John with the Key to the City  and the uber-fabulous, DJ Diva, Elaine Lancaster, who kept the crowd dancing in the sand with her masterful spinning skills and perfect mixes brought this remarkable evening to life.  Valdes said that the party exceeded even his expectations. “I have never planned an event of this magnitude and I wanted to make sure that it represented Olivia in a very positive light,” says Valdes.

Elaine Lancaster adds:  “The Pink and Blue event was truly magical.  The chic set, peppered through the sandy tableaux, dined al fresco and enjoyed divine tunes, dreamy weather and food. Olivia Newton John and Jon Secada’s performance of “You’re the One That I Want” and the music spun by the fantastic DJ (wink, wink) provided the perfect soundtrack for the casual evening of elegance.”

Among those in attendance to witness this historic event: Barry Gibb, Dr. Julio Gallo, Lisa Pliner, Malinka Max, Consul General to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Lucita Alam, “Cocaine Cowboys” star Mickey Munday, Hip Hop star Renegade Foxx, local songstress, Maryel Epps, Carlos Betancourt and comedian, Guy Richards.