''The Guardian'' Tribute

From:Pittsburg Post-Gazette
By Ed Masley

A briefcase used by Simon Baker in the late great CBS drama "The Guardian" fetched $5,500 in an auction held Saturday night at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to benefit KidsVoice, the local legal aid organization for at-risk children on which the show was based. A briefcase used by Dabney Coleman brought an additional $2,200 to KidsVoice. Show creator David Hollander proved a charming, comic auctioneer, wryly sharing inside stories on the stars. A Mt. Lebanon native, Hollander also talked about how he created the stories and characters, inspired by the work his brother, Scott, does at KidsVoice. Scott Hollander, the organization's executive director, thanked his brother for "not cutting corners on the reality" and also for not listening to him when he said a show about the work he does would be "a really bad idea." Guests at "The Guardian Tribute," where the series finale was screened, included the Hollanders' father, Tom, honorary chairs Ralph and Ruth Anne Papa and Dan and Shelly Onorato, Jenifer and Mark Evans, who bought the Baker briefcase, Michael and Judy Cheteyan, and Linda Fetzer, a "Guardian" fan who flew in from Los Angeles and flew back home with Coleman's briefcase