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!
Arianna Huffington Posts Nicole, Keith, Moby for Veggie Book Party
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 Eve Brings Out DiCaprio, JLO, Colin Firth, A List for King’s Speech
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!
Exclusive: Taylor Swift, Reese Witherspoon Chat About Jake At A List Party
Tabloids, eat your hearts out: Taylor Swift and Reese Witherspoon had a big confab last night at CAA agent Bryan Lourd’s annual Oscar party. Their topic: Jake Gyllenhaal, who was standing right there! I’m sure all the tabs will steal this morsel–but it’s the big news from the Lourd soiree where another ex couple, Hillary Swank and Chad Lowe, were each present. It’s unlikely they spoke to each other, however. Also at the rain drenched digs: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Uma Thurman, Kevin Spacey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Matthew McConnaughey, Colin Farrell and Ashton Kutcher, who did not come with Demi Moore. She may have been planning her annual Oscar Party for People Who Will Never Get Oscars with Madonna for Sunday night. Our sharp eyed observer said: “Ashton flirted with a bunch of girls, and left with one whose coat he retrieved. He kept saying, Is this yours? Maybe it was his stepdaughter.”
Not at Lourd’s party even though she’s a CAA Oscar nominee: Nicole Kidman, who did appear earlier in the evening with Keith Urban at Arianna Huffington’s home for a book party for Kathy Freston (more on that later).
Last night featured the worst, constant downpour I’ve seen on an Oscar weekend in some time. William Morris Endeavor and UTA also had parties, but the hot ticket of the night was James Franco and Gus van Sant’s art show at the Gagosian gallery in Beverly HIlls followed by their party in Bungalow 1 at the Chateau Marmont.
Rain poured down the hill in front of the Chateau, meantime, as girls in the skimpiest of dresses and highest of heels slipped and slid their into the main Chateau for a singles mixer thrown by German art dealer Nicolas Berggruen. That gathering boasted one celebrity: Russell Simmons. Berggruen chucked his old publicist Nadine Johnson for New York’s super efficient Dina Wise, because an observer said, “Last year Nadine let anyone in.” Dina tried valiantly, but it wasn’t like the guest list was so exclusive in he first place.
Still chewing over Taylor, Reese, and Jake? I’m sure by tomorrow all the tabs will have them in a nasty catfight, or a menage a trois!
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Colin Firth, SoHo House: Oscar Party Wars
On a night when traffic was gridlocked all over Hollywood thanks to parties, designer Tom Ford, Nick Jones of SoHo House, and art gallery owner Larry Gagosian were winners. The Hollywood Reporter was a loser. It’s basic arithmetic. The Reporter threw a party for the top 10 movies. The only acting nominee who showed, sources say,  was Amy Adams. (Did she lose a bet?) The rest of the pics are of the lovely celebs who circulate on an awards weekend like Sharon Stone and Heather Graham.
The big winners? SoHo House, where I think the whole world seemed to converge around 11pm, after “Single Man” director and fashion designer Tom Ford pulled out big guns for his snazzy Rodeo Drive store launch: In short order–and in close quarters– I ran into Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Colin Firth (who starred in “Single Man”) and his bw Livia, Harvey Weinstein, Norman Lear, Brad Grey, Graydon Carter, Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch, Jacqueline Bissett, Elizabeth Banks, Eva Longoria,John Stamos, Gina Gershon, Colleen Camp, Milla Jovovich, Valentino, Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel, Ginny Goodwin, Kirsten Davis, — all catered by Wolfgang Puck, who was standing at the top of the stairs with a Cheshire cat grin. It’s nice to cook for the A list!
BTW: Tom Ford told me will make another film. “I have to open these stores to pay for the films,” he told me with a wry laugh.
Around the corner at Larry Gagosian’s art gallery, famed Los Angeles artist Ed Ruscha premiered his Psycho Spaghetti Western paintings–they are great–for rockers like Michael Stipe, Robbie Robertson. and Anthony Kiedis, Hollywood heavyweights like Michael York (and wife Pat), Barbara Davis (and odd grandson Brandon), Adrien Brody, Drew Barrymore, Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel, Stephanie March, Bobby Neuwirth, the great Beach Boys songwriter Van Dyke Parks, artists Ed Moses and Andy Moses, Bryan Lourd, and Sasha Alexander. Steve Martin and Mick Jagger didn’t make the show, but they went to the annual dinner afterwards at Mr. Chow.
But the hot night ended not at Mr. Chow but at SoHo House, where Nick Jones threw a private party for friends like Lionel Richie, Donna Karan, Harvey Weinstein, Jon Hamm, Anthony Mackie, Virginia Madsen, LA Reid, Benny Medina, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alexander Skarsgaard, David O. Russell and his parents, Donovan Leitch, and so on. I ran into four of my favorite show biz ladies–Nikki Haskell, Loree Rodkin, Jane Rose, and Joann Hurwitz, all looking ready for Oscar weekend.
The big night culminated with a wild frenzied spectacular piano performance by Eric Lewis, aka ELEW, who if you haven’t seen or heard you must. Harvey Weinstein was so wowed that he hired ELEW on the spot to play at his Saturday night gala. Lewis’s hands move in a blur and I think he goes into a trance as he reinvents pop classics into free form jazz masterpieces–he mashed up the Stones’ “Paint it Black” with Vince Guaraldi’s “Peanuts” theme music–it was amazing.
Say Goodbye to Charlie Sheen: Attempts Career Suicide
Someone will work with Charlie Sheen again one day, but I doubt it will be CBS or “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre. CBS pulled the plug yesterday on the show–quite rightly–after Sheen verbally attacked both the network and Lorre–the latter with an anti-Semitic rant. Is Sheen on drugs? Has he lost his mind? Really, who cares anymore? He’s out. He issued a statement and here it is:
“What does this say about Haim Levine [Chuck Lorre] after he tried to use his words to judge and attempt to degrade me. I gracefully ignored this folly for 177 shows … I fire back once and this contaminated little maggot can’t handle my power and can’t handle the truth. I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words — imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists. I urge all my beautiful and loyal fans who embraced this show for almost a decade to walk with me side-by-side as we march up the steps of justice to right this unconscionable wrong.
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Remember these are my people … not yours…we will continue on together…
Â
Charlie Sheen”
In a single afternoon–with his beleagurered pubicist Stan Rosenfield unaware and trapped on a plane flying from LA to New York, Sheen brought down a whole show. Three hundred people or so are now out of work thanks to him, including co-star Jon Cryer. Sheen should be proud of himself now. CBS will go on just fine without “Two and A Half Men.” Sheen walks away with millions and millions. The cast and crew and families are imperiled, however. Sbeen will not pay for that, at least financially. But what crew would ever want to work with him again?
There are more rants, mostly from a Sheen call in to Alex Jones’s nutty radio show. He also attacks President Obama on conspiracy theories about the World Trade Center and 9-11. On all these, Sheen is starting to exhibit Mel Gibson type behavior; he almost needs Ricky Gervais to live in his house. But Sheen is so completely off his rocker, telling Jones about “the goddesses”–no more marriage for him. He also rants against his most recent ex wife Brooke Mueller because she presumably play ball with this latest iteration of his craziness.
Jones told Sheen on the radio: “I’ve never seen you so energized.”
Uh huh.
Katherine Jackson Pimps Out Michael Jackson’s Kids to Good Morning America
Michael Jackson must be rolling in his grave. This morning his mother, Katherine Jackson, pimped out his three kids–Prince, Paris, know and Blanket– on “Good Morning America.” The kids, and Katherine, appeared with Robin Roberts, who I hope did not she was being used to shill for Katherine Jackson’s “business partner,” Howard Mann, to sell the expensive book of photographs he’s been selling on his website.
The longish segment ended with a big plug for the book by Robin herself. Did money change hands for this interview? Katherine Jackson and Howard Mann do nothing for free, so perhaps the whole objective was to sell that book that no one wants.
The segment also promoted the idea that there is a new Heal the World Foundation. There is not. The foundation closed years before Michael died. Mann has been ordered by a federal court to stop using the name, the Jackson estate has made it clear that the foundation has nothing to do with Michael Jackson.
Nevertheless, in this interview the children were used to advance the idea. Roberts noted, hilariously, that Prince Jackson, age 14, “is on the board of Heal the World.” What does he want to do? “Help animals who can’t speak for themselves.” (What about those that can?) One day, those poor kids will realize how they were used for this scheme. Where is Margaret Lodise, the court appointed lawyer for these children? How did they allow this to happen?
Rocker Bebe Buell Teams Up with Mega Manager Wendy Dio
It was about time rocker Bebe Buell made a big announcement. Daughter Liv Tyler is on the comeback trail with several films including “The Ledge,” just bought by IFC. Liv’s dad, Steven Tyler, is getting all judicial on “American Idol.” So Bebe, who has a bestselling memor–“Rebel Heart”–and a hot indie album called “Sugar”–has just been swooped up for management by Wendy Dio, widow of rocker Ronnie James Dio. Wendy is hot as a pistol right now, and also philanthropic: she recently donated $100,000 to the TJ Martell Foundation for cancer research. Wendy has plans to bring Bebe’s band to Europe for a big tour, and start recording a new album soon. Bebe’s band includes her husband, producer and songwriter Jim Walls. Dio is very excited about working with Bebe– she saw her play a couple of times and fell in love. “Bebe is one of the most charismatic performers I’ve ever seen,” Wendy told me. “I can’t wait to unveil her talents to the world.” I can’t either–Wendy has good taste! And if Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney can rock into their 60s, then Bebe should have no problem in her 50s. She was a young mother, after all!
Motion Picture Fund Agrees: Long Term Care Facility to Stay Open
Good news! The long running very contentious fight between the Motion Picture and TV Fund, and the patients who live in their long term care facility, is over. The MPTV Fund has caved in and found an outside operator which will run the hospital after two years of a public bruising war. In the time since this started, the number of patients has been reduced from about 100 to 37. But patients and family members stood their ground, since their contract promised them lifelong care.
The families started a website–www.savingthelivesofourown.org, and protested quite publicly. One person who must be very relieved that a compromise has been reached is Jeffrey Katzenberg. The Dreamworks Animation chief hosts the twice yearly celebrity benefits for the Fund–the next one is Saturday night at the Beverly Hills Hotel. For the last two years protesters have waved placards as A list movie stars arrived to mix, mingle, and get expensive gift bags. Katzenberg, who’s very philanthropic, was suddenly in the middle of this embarrassing situation.
So congrats to the families and patients and the people who hung in there! Let this be a lesson to greedy nursing homes and assisted living residences everywhere. Long term medical care is going to be a growing issue as people live longer.