Sup with a Star: Celebs Rally Round Luminary Babz Chula

So, if you’ve spent any time around Vancouver’s film & TV biz, you’ve probably met the wondrous life force known as Babz Chula (far right). Actor, performer, writer and mentor, Chula generates a the whirlwind of energy and excitement where ever she goes, and whenever she’s on screen, as evidenced by her recent turn in The Green Chain (by Mark Leiren-Young).

Chula has been battling cancer for several years, relying on a mix of traditional and naturopathic therapies, some of which aren’t funded by the province’s Medical Services Plan. She recently learned that the C-word is back, her third bout, and she’s again in the fight of her life.

Chula’s fellow thesps have banded together as the Babz Chula Lifeline for Artists Society (BCLAS) to help raise funds to cover her rising medical costs. Chula, above, shares a laugh with her friend Liz McBratney, a member of the society.

Led by actors Ben Ratner (Da Vinci’s City Hall), Suleka Mathew (Men In Trees) and Nick Lea (X-Files), the society is spearheading a number of projects, including an online E-bay auction, offering showbiz goodies of all sorts. Up for bids are several chances to have dinner with a star: among those who've agreed to be 'auctioned ' off are Lea, Mathew, David Duchovny, Chris Carter, Peter DeLuise and Callum Keith Rennie.

"The media has gotten behind us and the money is coming in slowly, but surely. We have a long way to go to cover the cost of Babz’s treatments, but the response, thus far, has been very encouraging," says Ratner.

So far dinners with celebrities are drawing the highest bids on the auction. Bidders can vie to dine with the likes of:

• David Duchovny (Californication, X-Files) and Nicholas Lea (X-Files, Men in Trees)
• Chris Carter (X-Files)
• Callum Keith Rennie (X-Files movie, Battlestar Galactica)
• Peter DeLuise (Stargate SG-1)
• Paul Adelstein (Private Practice) and Suleka Mathew (Men In Trees)
• Gabrielle Miller (Corner Gas) and John Cassini (Intelligence)
• Paul McGillian and Jewel Staite (Stargate Atlantis)
• Matthew Good (musician)
• Tahmoh Penikett and Kandyse McClure (Battlestar Galactica)

The auction also features a wealth of movie and TV memorabilia, including a slate from the new X-Files movie donated, crew jackets, gift baskets and original scripts.

For more information or to link to the auction, go to www.babzchulasociety.org.