Paul Fenton/ZUMApress.com , Jerome Ware/ZUMAPress.com, James Devaney/WireImage.com Jennifer Aniston was there. So was Sheryl Crow. Even Oprah Winfrey got involved.
I'm talking Kathy Najimy's 50th birthday party on Saturday night at Hollywood's famed Jim Henson Studios. Ed Begley Jr. and Saturday Night Live alum Cheri Oteri cohosted the blowout bash.
There was no shortage of boldfaced names in attendance, which is not surprising when you consider the delightful Najimy has made quite a few friends in town over the years.
Performances included a belly-dance from funnylady Margaret Cho, a song-and-dance number from Christina Applegate featuring five very hunky male dancers, and a Dreamgirls moment from Najimy and hubby Dan Finnerty's daughter, 10-year-old Samia, who sang "And I Am Telling You."
Idina Menzel was a surprise performer, bringing everyone to their feet when she belted out "Defying Gravity" from the Broadway musical Wicked (Menzel won a Tony for her work in Wicked as the green witch, Elphaba). "Idina was definitely the highlight," a partygoer tells me. "It was nuts. People were screaming and cheering. Kathy started crying and then Idina started crying."
Aniston spent most of the evening hanging with Crow. "Jennifer looked amazing," my source says. "She was relaxed and chill." While Aniston didn’t perform, she hit the stage with Crow and a gaggle of other woman to toast Najimy.
Also at the party were Helen Hunt, Bette Midler and Lisa Loeb. Winfrey, Kirstie Alley and Gloria Steinem couldn't be there in person, but they sent video messages, according to my source.
"Everyone was mentioning how awesome Kathy has been with gay rights issues," my source says. "It was really moving."