Ok. so while the “kids” at the Independent Spirit Awards were handing out statues down on the beach in Santa Monica, Barry Diller was having his annual picnic for Hollywood elders. Oprah and Gayle, Ellen DeGeneres, Valentino, Shirley Maclaine, Anderson Cooper, Jessica Alba, plus all the media heavyweights like Eisner, Katzenerg, Murdoch. Brad Grey, Ron Meyer, Harvey Weinstein everyone was there who wasn’t involved in a current movie. My favorite story, about Dani Janssen, who’s the smartest person in town. Dani gives her annual Oscar party. No press, and you must have won or been nominated for an Academy Award. Penny Marshall is first at the viewing party, Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson are usually there, and Dani serves her famous homemade monkey bread. Former superagent Sue Mengers tells Dani she must bring New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. “Don’t worry,” Sue says, “no one will recognize her.” Says Dani, who once found Andy Warhol’s tape recorder under her couch cushions the morning after she’d allowed him into her party: “You know what, stay home, see you another year!” Dani stands her ground, Hollywood remains safe. We love Dani Janssen!

Considering how carniverous Hollywood is, a lot of celebs made it to Arianna Huffington’s party on Friday night for Vegan crusader Kathy Freston (“Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change The World”).  Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban even put in an appearance because their friend Wendi Murdoch co-hosted.  It does seem like Kathy and Arianna have a friend’s pact to throw each other respective book parties– Kathy in New York  and Arianna in LA. They’re very prolific.

What a party it was.  Our Leah Sydney reports that the big names like Candice Bergen Rob Reiner, Moby and Saturday Night Live’s Lorne Michaels huddled in a corner. Manager Dolores Robinson chatted up CBS Leslie Moonves and his  wife  Julie Chen. Kathy’s media mogul husband Tom Freston,  Paramount’s Brad Grey and Imagine’s Brian Grazer confabbed with Oliver Stone, who brought his lovely daughter Tara as his date and told us he’s in the editing room-still working on his ten hour documentary-’Oliver Stone’s Secret History of America’- editing it-and working on the script for ‘Savages,’ his next thriller.

And more: Alana Stewart chatting with Barbara and Nancy Davis,  comedian and director David Steinberg and his lovely producer wife Robyn Todd., Frances Fisher chatting with singer Jimmy Demers and Marla Maples, New York refugee Richard Johnson. Manager John Carrabino, Bob Daly, Jeff Bezos, Lawrence Bender, Tracy Ullman, Jim Wiatt,  Robert Iger and Willow Bay, Rick Nicita and Paula Wagner, Kimberly Brooks (wife of Albert), and Agapi Stassinopolous, Arianna’s writer-sister.

PS How many of these people headed to In N Out Burger right afterwards, I cannot say accurately. But we should really listen to Kathy!

Oscar alert: Michelle Williams, nominated for Best Actres in “Blue Valentine,” is battling a cold. She’ll be at the Oscars, but maybe in a ski parka considering the frigid– for Los Angeles–weather. Scott Rudin, producer of both “True Grit” and “The Social Network” is now said not to be coming. The blogger Nikki Finke has been punished by the Academy for publishing what she thinks is the rundown of the entire Oscar show and pronouncing it a bore–very dumb. Charlie Sheen has taped an ABC TV interview without advise or counsel of his publicist, Stan Rosenfield.

But the Oscars go on, as they must! Harvey Weinstein, bracing for a “King’s Speech” win, threw the best party of the weekend so far at SoHo House with dozens and dozens of stars from Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter to web moguls Jeff Bezos (the founder of Amazon.com) and Sean Parker (of Facebook fame). Indeed, Harvey’s party spilled onto the edge of the Soho House patio overlooking West Hollywood with Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Brett Ratner and Bradley Cooper–then the very large presence of Quinton Aaron of last year’s “The Blind Side” appeared, and yours truly scooted back up the stairs to terra firma where more sensible people like Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx were doing their shmoozing less like sardines.

And everywhere you went in Soho House you ran into old friends or refugees from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s The Night Before party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Maybe because the Motion Picture Fund has settled its scandalous situation with the Motion Picture Fund, more stars arrived at the BHH at least for the photo op and some kind of gift bag. In the famed Polo Lounge, though, because they’d arrived early, I ran into a hot threesome at a small table by the lounge singer: Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. and his very smart, beautiful producer wife Susan, who’s guided these two guys now through their second “Sherlock Holmes” movie. Watch out for that Susan Downey, kids: she knows what she’s doing! Soon Reese Witherspoon arrived, the gang had a drink in a banquet and then braced themselves for the evening.

And in the lobby: Hugh Jackman and wife Debra Lee, looking like movie stars in black tie; Amy Adams and Darren LeGallo, 14 year old nomineee Hailee Steinfeld, and so on.

Meanwhile, wait, back at Harvey’s, sponsored by Montblanc for the Princess Grace Foundation, I sat down with Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton, while Melissa Leo was introduced to Jenny Lumet–granddaughter of Lena Horne. There’s a tribute to Lena tonight on the Oscars. Who else? Gorgeous Kerry Washington, Zack Braff, Adrien Brody, Oscar Isaac (who is up for the lead in the new “Bourne” movie), CNN’s Piers Morgan, Gabrielle Union, Jeremy Piven, Malin Ackerman, Stephen Moyer of “True Blood,” Ryan Phillippe, Chris Evans, and the famed photographer Ellen von Unwerth were just more of Harvey’s guests–not to mention his mom, Miriam, who’s getting ready for that red carpet tonight!