{alltv} Rita Hayworth Gala an unforgettable night out

THE black-tie crowd at the Waldorf ballroom Tuesday night for the Rita Hayworth Gala to benefit Alzheimer's research was treated to a phenomenal performance by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. Strumming an acoustic guitar, and backed by a band that included G.E. Smith and three gospel singers, Waters sang "Wish You Were Here." The hauntingly apt lyrics -- "So, so you think you can tell heaven from hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? . . . Do you think you can tell?" -- had many dabbing away tears. Turns out Jay McInerney -- whose wife, Anne Hearst, is friends with Hayworth's daughter, Yasmin Aga Khan -- had asked Waters if he'd donate a guitar. Waters replied, "I'll come and sing." In the crowd were Eric Ripert, Harvey Keitel, Dan Aykroyd, John McEnroe, Brooke Shields, Regis Philbin, and Art Garfunkel, who said he's a Phillies fan, but politely rejected the idea of writing a column boosting the team: "That sounds like work."