Barry Sonnenfeld to Host Nov. 8 Children’s Institute Gala in LA

Emmy and Directors Guild of America Award-winning filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld will host the Children's Institute's 120th Anniversary Cape & Gown Gala on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in Beverly Hills, honoring the legacy of Michele and Rob Reiner, according to an announcement published in the Castro Valley Forum.

Children’s Institute 120th Anniversary Cape & Gown Gala on Nov. 8

Founded in 1906 and led by president and CEO Martine Singer, the Los Angeles-based Children's Institute (CII) provides early childhood education, mental health services, and family support to approximately 30,000 children and families each year.

At the Nov. 8 gala in Beverly Hills, actor and author Jamie Lee Curtis will receive the inaugural Michele & Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award, presented by Jake Reiner. The program will also feature a musical performance by 7-time Grammy Award winner John Mayer and an appearance by comedian and author Chelsea Handler. Singer noted that Sonnenfeld — who served as cinematographer on Rob Reiner's films When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Misery (1990) before directing The Addams Family, Get Shorty, and the first three Men in Black films — introduced Rob and Michele Reiner in 1988.

November Chamber Jazz Concert and Home Design Releases

Additional cultural and consumer product updates published in the Castro Valley Forum this weekend include:

• Gershwin and Jazz on Nov. 15: Saxophonist Eddie Barbash, a founding member of The Late Show house band and The Late Show Band, the Sequel, will join pianist and arranger Kyle Athayde for Chamber Music Rochester's 50th Anniversary Season concert on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Beston Hall in Nazareth University's Glazer Music Performance Center (4245 East Avenue in Rochester, New York). Sponsored by Alison and John Currie, the concert opens with George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue arranged for piano and string quintet, preceded by a free pre-concert talk at 2:30 p.m. Single tickets are $35, with free admission for students and children.
• Silveristic 31-Piece Pet & Memorial Jewelry Line: Allen, Texas-based family jewelry brand Silveristic and brand manager Ron Garcia outlined a 31-piece made-to-order pet and memorial collection (including 18 necklace designs in 14- to 22-inch chain lengths and 6 bracelet designs in 5- to 8-inch sizes) crafted in 925 sterling silver and 14K solid gold, paired with a 9-question online Gift Finder.
• Furnirem Birch Plywood Home Office Desks: Sheridan, Wyoming-based woodworking brand Furnirem and head of design Ahmet Dilber detailed a collection of 6 handcrafted home office desks and a wood monitor stand built with birch plywood tops and solid beech legs without particleboard or MDF, including a curved kidney desk in widths from 45.2 to 48.4 inches, straight-edge models from 39 to 48 inches, and a minimalist 15mm birch plywood desk at a 30.5-inch working height in 4 sizes and 8 finishes.
• Grandmix Store Foldable Luggage Racks & Trendy Cabinets Vanities: Dover, Delaware-based Grandmix Store and Creative Director Emrah Bilaloglu detailed a 15-piece foldable luggage rack collection whose core leather-strap metal rack measures 19 inches high, 22 inches wide, and 19 inches deep with a load rating of 80 kilograms (176 pounds), alongside a 50-kilogram (110-pound) continuous-leather model and a 24-inch-high beech wood model. In Roswell, Georgia, Trendy Cabinets spokesperson Eddie Erdogan announced the reorganization of the showroom's bathroom vanity lineup into 7 styles — single sink, double sink, floating, freestanding, modern, custom, and integrated-sink vanity tops — at its Shallowford Road showroom.