Rated R
Reese Witherspoon made a scene at the Gene Siskel Film Center benefit.

When actress Reese Witherspoon appeared at the Gene Siskel Film Center’s annual benefit gala on June 23, a hush fell across a crowd of star-struck admirers as photographers battled for a shot of the beauty. Witherspoon was aglow, despite feeling “very round”; the pregnant star is expecting her third child at the end of the summer. Academy Award-winner Alexander Payne, who directed her in “Election,” was also on hand to present her with the evening’s Renaissance Award. More than 400 guests attended — including Siskel’s widow Marlene Iglitzen, a scene-stealer herself in a dramatic Jean Paul Gaultier gown — and helped raise $340,000 to benefit the theater named in memory of the late film critic.