'Glee' Star JANE LYNCH To Host MATT SORUM's Kick-Off Event for His Charity 'Adopt The Arts'

Adopt The Arts, a charity dedicated to preserving the arts in schools and founded by Grammy-winning drummer Matt Sorum, will host a kick-off event hosted by "Glee"'s Jane Lynch at the Sofitel hotel in West Hollywood on Sunday, March 18, followed by a performance from THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN in the hotel's Stone Rose Lounge, which includes Sorum, Donovan Leitch, Steve Stevens and Billy Morrison (Billy Idol's band) and Mark McGrath (ex-SUGAR RAY, host of many shows and "Extra" correspondent). Special musical guests will be invited up to the stage to perform with the band. The event is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased through Adopt The Arts' web site, www.adoptthearts.org. $150 for dinner and performance/after party; $50 for just performance/after party. Celebrity chef Kerry Simon will be preparing the dinner. There will also be music by hotly-tipped DJ Morty Coyle. Sponsors are Variety magazine and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, who will be making special alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for the guests. All proceeds from the event will go directly to Adopt The Arts. Confirmed celebrity guests thus far include Jane Lynch, Matt Sorum, John Stamos, Mark McGrath, Johnathan Schaech, Shepard Fairey, and Michael Wincott. More to be announced soon. Invited celebrity guests include Macy Gray, Slash, Juliette Lewis, Billy Bob Thorton, Rick Rubin, Tom Morello, Duff McKagan, Dane Cook, Billy Gibbons, Dave Navarro, Perry Farrell, Adrian Young, Steven Tyler, AEROSMITH, Amanda Seyfried, Jeremy Piven, Steven Stills, Gina Gershon, Dave Stewart and Camille Grammer ("Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills"). There will also be a silent auction, with the following items donated thus far: Three signed guitars by Billy Corgan (SMASHING PUMPKINS),Slash, THE VERONICAS and VELVET REVOLVER; one Fender Stratocaster signed by rock stars, one custom-made guitar worth $5,000.00, two luxury Mexican vacations, one weekend at the Beverly Hills Peninsula hotel, three Shepard Fairey signed prints, three signed Matt Sorum fine art pieces, Gene Kirkland signed rock star photographs, METALLICA memorabilia, two Coffee Bean machines, John Varvatos leather items, Andrew Charles clothing items, Beats headphones, and more. Red-carpet check in is at 5 p.m. Red carpet from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Dinner from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Speech from Jane Lynch at 9 p.m., then THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN performance from 9:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. The event ends at midnight.

As previously reported, Sorum spoke at the February 14 Los Angeles Unified School District board meeting where the board debated a $557 million budget cut to close a funding deficit in the district's $6 billion budget. He told the board that music helped keep him in school because he was not good at academics. He also said that cutting arts would be a travesty, explaining, "My mother is a music teacher and I grew up with music. I've gotta say — I wasn't the greatest with academics. I gravitated towards the creative aspect, which I had at public school. I had choir, [where] I learned how to sing, and I also took orchestra and learned how to play the drums, I became a world-renowned rock and roll musician."

He added, "I'm really concerned with cutting the arts and music for a very scientific reason, and the scientific reason is that kids learn four times better with music and arts in the program. Without a creative outlet, the academic programs are gonna suffer, and then there's gonna be children that don't gravitate towards the academics that have a creative mind that we're gonna lose nurturing them and may possibly be losing a very creative force in the future."

The drummer's speech apparently convinced the LAUSD board to hold off on a $6 billion budget plan that would result in eliminating the district's adult education, preschool and most elementary arts programs.

Sorum pleading his case to the Los Angeles Unified School District board: