It was the night of our 2007 “Unforgettable” gala in Los Angeles, when I got a call around 6 in the evening from an unknown number.

“Is this James? This is Margaret, and I am running late to your gala. Can you tell me the exact address of the Park Plaza Hotel?”

Although I have spoken with Margaret Cho before, I was still in awe that the famous performer was calling my cell phone.

Later that night when Margaret performed at our sixth annual KoreAm fund-raising gala, she had the entire audience star-struck as well.

In addition to honoring the comedian/actress/pop culture icon with an Entertainment Achievement Award, KoreAm also recognized actor Rex Lee of “Entourage” and ABC’s Keli Lee, who is an executive vice president of casting and responsible for the hiring of Korean actors on hit TV shows, including “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

As usual, it was a memorable evening spent hobnobbing with some of our community’s established and rising stars. (Check out highlights from “Unforgettable,” starting on page 30.) It was the first year I took my two oldest children, Nicholas and Audrey. They had always been curious about the event their dad stresses over for months and for which he often sheds several pounds.

But after this celebration and all the other ones many of us took part in over the holidays, we were confronted with some sobering truths about the state of our world. There was the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and the violence following the elections in Kenya. And many of us also thought about our loved ones in the armed forces stationed abroad over the holidays. We will soon be voting in our primaries for the next president of the United States, and now more than ever, I think most of us realize how much is at stake.

Sometimes, it’s hard to be optimistic with so many challenges facing our world. But the turn of a new year always gives me great feelings of hope. There’s something about January that seems to forecast good prospects and the beginning of a journey. Which is why I think it’s appropriate to have sisters Meg & Dia on our cover. An indie rock band recently signed to a major label, they’re embarking on a path I feel I have taken many times: Put something you love out there and hope people like it.

Enjoy the new year.