"Clean water is absolutely crucial, it's the life force on this planet," Julian Lennon told us at last night's fourth annual charity:ball, a fundraising soiree benefiting charity:water, a non-profit dedicated to supplying developing countries with drinking water. Charity: water founder Scott Harrisonmilled about the huge Metropolitan Pavilion space lined with displaysof photographs from African and Indian villages that don't have accessto running water. In one corner, a bottle of brown water collected fromthe Molo River in Kenya sat behind a glass case. A lab analysis showedit tested positive for typhoid, hepatitis A, salmonella, and E. coli,among other diseases. The star-studded event included attendee and hostAdrien Grenier, who spoke at length of charity:water's mission before gamely declining to comment on whether he's dating anyone to a gaggle of celebrity weekly writers. Other party-goers included Gina Gershon, Fisher Stevens, Lauren Bush, Derick Blasberg, Rocco Dispirito, Emma Snowden Jones, Project Runway season six winner Irina Shabayeva, Nanette Lepore, and recent Emmy winner and hilarious Glee guest-star Kristin Chenoweth.She worried aloud about hosting her family for Christmas dinner:"Everyone is going to starve." But Chenoweth, like most at last night,had water on the mind: "Something as simple as a glass of water,"Chenowth said. "We take that for granted here."