A full plate of celebrity sightings

It's a celebrity-heavy edition today, which is my favorite kind, so it's fitting that we begin at the Seattle Celebrity Waiters Luncheon May 18 at the Fairmont. This annual event raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and as far as I can tell is an opportunity for people to wear crazy outfits and get drunk before noon. Anything for a good cause, I like to say. Starting now.

I made a beeline for Q13 morning anchor Lily Jang, who wasn't one of the celebrity waiters but is more famous than usual since her brief appearance on "American Idol." She's been getting calls from long-lost high-school pals all over the country after she turned up in a hometown segment for Blake Lewis, who, in case you were wondering, reportedly wears boxers and not briefs. These are the things people call me and tell me, don't ask me why.

The real stars at this lunch were the waiters, who buy tables, invite their friends and then charge them for things like Jell-O shooters. I was a guest of Analisa Roberts and Michelle Anderson, whose table had a Monopoly theme. The dress code was apparently "pregnant"; I didn't get the memo. The expecting mom-of-two seated next to me bid on and won a children's birthday party for 10 featuring cupcakes and firefighters. In a word: Yum! ...

A GOOD-NATURED Charles Gibson was captured eating a hot dog on the Safeco Field video screen at the Mariners-Yankees game May 11. The ABC News anchor, who is a "tremendous fan" of baseball, sat with scorecard in hand in the front row along the first-base line, a few seats from former Mariner Jay Buhner. "We couldn't get a plane back until the morning, so it worked out for us to come to the game," said Gibson, who anchored "World News" from Seattle on May 10 and 11. It was a beautiful night for baseball, but Gibson wanted to see the roof close. It didn't. But as a consolation prize, the Mariners beat the Yankees 3-0. "I grew up in Washington [D.C.]. If you grow up in Washington, you root against the Yankees," he said. "I hate the Yankees." ...

THE MEREDITHS AND MCDREAMYS were fake, but that was the real-life Sean Penn, Robin Wright-Penn and Eddie Vedder who turned up at Sazerac after the "Grey's Anatomy" Look-Alike contest at Hotel Monaco May 17. The actor and the musician are rumored to be collaborating on Penn's next film project. Meantime, I tried to play matchmaker for Megan Smith and Jeff Spector, winners in the look-alike contest as ringers for Meredith and McDreamy. My efforts were thwarted by her boyfriend. (It wouldn't be "Grey's" without a love triangle.) However, Jeff is not only single but won a weekend getaway to Portland complete with a bottle of champagne, chocolate paint and late checkout. And he needs a McDate! ...

"ISN'T SHE GORGEOUS?" someone asked at a reception for Jhumpa Lahiri on May 15. "And great shoes, too." All that, and a Pulitzer Prize, too? Indeed, the author of "The Namesake" was not only gorgeous, but gracious to autograph-seeking fans who lined up to meet her at Town Hall, where she also participated in an onstage Q&A session hosted by the Seattle Public Library. Lahiri, traveling with her husband and two children, mixed business with pleasure during her three-day stay in Seattle, which is the setting for one of her upcoming short stories. "Being here helped. It made me feel less anxious," she said. The visit resulted in a few minor tweaks. For instance? "The character was looking at the wrong mountain. I said Rainier, and she was looking at the Olympics." ...

THE PIGS ARE coming! Artists and sponsors got a sneak peek at the fiberglass stars of this summer's Pigs on Parade at a May 17 reception at Western Bridge. My early favorite: "Trojan Pig," covered in wood and complete with tiny farmers and a little ladder. The 100 pigs — celebrating Pike Place Market's centennial — will be installed primarily in downtown locations starting June 3.

Girl About Town appears every Sunday in Northwest Life. Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com