Edie Wasserman remembered as 'powerhouse'

Edie Wasserman was remembered as ''a powerhouse for good'' Friday evening during a memorial service at UCLA's Royce Hall. The diverse lineup of speakers, ranging from her grandchildren to former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reflected the breadth of her roles as the Wasserman family matriarch, as a prime mover in showbiz philanthropy and in national politics. Speakers painted a picture of Wasserman, who died in August at age 95, as a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother who was never shy about sharing her blunt opinions on any given topic. Until her last days, she was engaged in her many passions: family, politics, fundraising for the Motion Picture and Television Fund and meeting the recipients of Wasserman Foundation scholarships at UCLA and other schools. ''My grandmother was the frickin' Energizer Bunny,'' granddaughter Carol Ann Leif told the aud as she reeled off a list of some of Edie's favorite things (among them Haagen-Dazs, ''Murder, She Wrote'' reruns, Vin Scully, Nate 'n Al's, ''It Happened One Night''). Longtime family friend Uri Herscher, founder of the Skirball Cultural Center, noted that her dedication to giving and service ensures that her legacy will endure far beyond her own family. ''Edie was a powerhouse for good, and such power does not vanish,'' Herscher said. Jamie Lee Curtis recalled the unyielding love and support and she and her sister Kelly received from godparents Lew and Edie. As an adult, Curtis marveled at the influence they exerted, from Lew Wasserman's role as MCA/Universal mogul to Edie's work as a fundraiser. ''They changed the course of this business and the lives of the people who depended on it,'' Curtis said. ''She taught me the power of power.'' House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) recalled how Edie would leave her brief phone messages a la: ''You go, girl.'' Hillary Clinton described the petite dynamo as ''spunky and gritty and graceful and gracious all at the same time.'' And she got the biggest laugh of the night in revealing the special bond she shared with the woman who was a hefty supporter of the Clinton family's political campaigns. ''She had a fascination in talking with me about how we both married men that nobody thought would go anywhere,'' she said, as Bill Clinton stood next to her on stage. ''She'd say, 'He was an usher at a movie theater when I found him. And yours was from a place nobody'd ever heard of.' '' Bill Clinton also noted Edie's wry sense of humor, recalling the time she led him to his table at a fundraiser she threw for his 1996 reelection campaign. After seating him next to Rupert Murdoch, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Edie joked: '' 'I'm exposing you to Australia, and consider this your introduction to Judeo-Scientology culture' ,'' he recalled. ''She did not want me to take being President too seriously.'' Other speakers included grandson Casey Wasserman, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com