WHAT: MacyâÄôs Glamorama WHEN: 8 p.m., Aug. 14 WHERE: Orpheum Theater TICKETS: $71.50 and up, tax deductible Every year at MacyâÄôs Glamorama, a bonanza fashion show/charity event held in Minneapolis and Chicago to benefit childrenâÄôs cancer research, 140 pairs of shoes parade down the runway with 400,000 watts of light shining down upon them. 1,600 martini glasses are filled and sipped from and 900 hours of work are spent to create the most obscenely entertaining, crazy-good time its patrons can possibly have in downtown Minneapolis. Although the show promises to be one of the brightest and best âÄúbe thereâÄù events of 2009, at its heart is the devotion to childrenâÄôs cancer research, and this yearâÄôs special guest and pint-sized emcee is 12-year-old Megan Nurnberger , currently fighting leukemia. âÄúShe’s been very involved with all the organizations since she got sick [in May],âÄù MeganâÄôs mother, Vicki, said. âÄúIt’s been kind of her mission to find a cure. Helping other kids has been her mantra through this thing. SheâÄôs never said no to helping.âÄù Megan, a fashion fan who hopes the result of her pre-show makeover will be âÄúa beautiful dress,âÄù said of her duties for the event, âÄúI’m going to announce Ne-Yo and the other bands. IâÄôm going to be like the spokesperson.âÄù Because Minneapolis isnâÄôt necessarily the best place to spot celebrities, Glamorama imports them from the coasts. Cyndi Lauper was last yearâÄôs big-name musical talent, while this year smooth-as-silk crooner Ne-Yo takes the stage as headliner. And immediately after those 140 shoes are taken off by the models and the lights are turned down, the planning for next yearâÄôs show starts. Laura Schara is MacyâÄôs trend correspondent and GlamoramaâÄôs fashion director . SheâÄôs been involved with the show for nine years; Glamorama has raised more than $4 million for childrenâÄôs cancer research in 17 years. âÄúIt takes a year and a half of planning to get the show together,âÄù she said from a cab in New York City. âÄúI work very closely with the producer. We’re a tight-knit family, and then there’s another team that works on the party. Like we say, it takes a village to put the show together. It’s a monster, but we all love doing it.âÄù ScharaâÄôs runway process begins at New York Fall Fashion Week in February, where she attends the Bryant Park shows to glean inspiration for the segments that will appear at that yearâÄôs Glamorama. âÄúWe want to cover a couple of things, get a couple different genres covered,âÄù she tells A&E. âÄúOne that’s more classic, versus avant garde, versus one that is what we call âÄòhot and sexy.âÄô We want to showcase new designers that we have in our Oval Room,âÄù adding, âÄúMarc Jacobs is always a crowd pleaser.âÄù Besides Jacobs, Schara also selected Oval Room designers like Sonia Rykiel, CNC Costume National, and Just Cavalli to appear in the runway show, which will be soundtracked by Kristina DeBarge and local band The New Standards âÄî a Twin Cities supergroup that features members of Semisonic and The Suburbs, to name a few. Alex Sanchez, national makeup artist for Lancôme , is one of ScharaâÄôs biggest collaborators. HeâÄôs the brain in charge of painting the canvasses of modelsâÄô faces to accompany their high-fashion looks. As a native of Chicago, Sanchez is familiar with Glamorama and has worked with the show for three years. This year, his concept showcases major trends weâÄôll see in makeup for fall. âÄúThereâÄôs a lot of architectural details in the fashion, and the makeup kind of mirrors that,âÄù he said. âÄúFor the makeup, there’s a very structured eyebrow, smoldering eyes, equally structured and defined lips. In the show, there will be scenes where the lips change from gold to red.âÄù âÄúThis year the theme is âÄòfusion of fashion, arts and life,âÄô âÄú Schara said. âÄúThat’s really how people live their lives and how they dress these days.âÄù