ROME (AFP) — US actress Sharon Stone was in her element late Friday as she coaxed some 300,000 euros out of guests at a charity auction for AIDS research in Rome.
"Don't flirt with me and not mean it," she scolded one bidder at the gala auction for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR).
"Romans, countrymen, lend me your wallets," she cajoled.
"Just 50,000 dollars will fund an independent grant for a scientist working on a new initiative," she said as she removed a necklace by British crown jeweller Garrard and offered it for sale.
"I feel practically naked," she teased.
Stone presided over AMFAR's first Cinema Against AIDS event in Rome, coinciding with the second annual RomeFilmFest, which ends Saturday.
The annual black-tie galas, launched in 1993, have raised more than 28 million dollars, according to AMFAR.
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