All-stars turn out for Bill and Melinda Gates

An A-List crowd of philanthropists and global health experts packed the Sidney Harman Hall on Tuesday to see Bill and Melinda Gates launch their foundation’s newest initiative, the Living Proof Project. The couple traded off time on stage, but audience members noted that while Bill may be the genius, Melinda is the better public speaker.

In the crowd were Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), supermodel Liya Kebede, actor Anthony Edwards (“ER,” “Top Gun”), former Laura Bush chief of staff Anita McBride, writer Michael Kinsley and his wife, Smithsonian Board of Regents Chairwoman Patty Stonesifer, best-selling author Jeffrey Sachs, Peruvian Ambassador Luis Montano, Sri Lankan Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya and a somewhat weary-looking Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Fauci is director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, and in addition to fighting H1N1, he has been making multiple daily TV appearance to discuss flu prevention.

Melinda and Bill Gates spent the afternoon on Capitol Hill, where they employed a divide-and-conquer strategy to canvass congressional offices and encourage more spending for global health initiatives. They left D.C. first thing Wednesday morning after a whirlwind tour; according to sources, they are headed back to Seattle to unwind for a little while.