Stewart Rahr has found a way to combine his two obsessions — celebrities and charities — into a game, CelebRAHRty Trivia, that his hundreds of friends can play.
The Brooklyn-born billionaire mass-e-mails a photo of himself with a celebrity, and asks his pals to name the star, where the photo was taken and the event.
The first five who get all three answers right then pick a charity to receive a $5,000 check from Rahr. Since starting the game last year, he has donated $1.5 million to 113 different charities. (Full disclosure: I myself have won twice, for the benefit of Planned Parenthood.)
Stewie Rah Rah, the King of Fun, as he calls himself, is also using charity to promote Cucina Ciano, the new Italian restaurant he co-owns on East 78th Street.
On the menu is a pesto pasta dish, Penne a la Rah Rah, for just $7. Every time someone orders it, Rahr donates $15 to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Rahr said he will keep donating until St. Jude’s has $1 million.
The recently divorced Rahr overshares photos of female companions on the Internet, but he says he doesn’t want to be famous. He has repeatedly turned down offers to star in reality TV shows.
In the latest pitch, Relativity Television CEO Tom Forman (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”) e-mailed Rahr: “You swoop in, play fun games, get everyone laughing and having fun, and then change lives with a little bit of money . . . That ought to be on TV.”
Rahr’s resistance seems to be wavering: “I’m getting close to being ready to do this.”