Elton John and his partner David Furnish hosted the 20th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party to benefit The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) on February 26 at West Hollywood Park in California, reports USA Today. The event raised $5.25 million, reports the Beverly Hills Courier. More than 900 guests attended the star-studded gala to view the Oscars broadcast. An auction to raise funds for the foundation featured an autographed portrait of John, a private tennis lesson with Rafael Nadal and cooking lessons taught by chef Cat Cora, which fetched $100,000 split between pop singer Katy Perry and movie producer Steve Tisch. Before the event, rocker and American Idol judge Steven Tyler auctioned off two seats at his table that sold for $30,000 on charitybuzz.com. Money raised by EJAF supports HIV/AIDS outreach, prevention, care and support services in 55 countries.

To read the USA Today article, click here.

To read the Courier article, click here.