Town celebrates, but ratings drop

03/27/2001

By Chris Vognar / The Dallas Morning News

LOS ANGELES – You can live vicariously by watching the Oscars, sharing in the joys and triumphs of your favorite stars.

Or you could get even closer to them by staking out the periphery of post-Oscar parties, those swanky affairs in the West Hollywood-Beverly Hills area that draw celebrity spotters like moths to a high-powered lamp.

There weren't as many Oscar night shindigs as there have been in the past; many organizers have decided the night before is better, what with the governor's ball filling so many schedules right after the big event.

But you can always count on the see-and-be-seen spectacle known as the Vanity Fair party, held at Morton's on Melrose in West Hollywood.

It's an oasis of gaudy spotlights, security guards, giant screens and palm trees. You can't get within two blocks on the joint by auto, unless you're a VIP with the appropriate limousine or sports car at your service.

But the real fun isn't so much the stars in their cars as the dedicated (bored?) folk ringing all sides of the street behind metal barriers, eager for the chance to spy and scream for whomever might be leaving or arriving at the restaurant.

"Ben! Ben!" shouted one young woman at Ben Stiller, leaping back onto the foot of another bystander. "I have to meet Ben!"

Good luck: Ben was whisked to his waiting vehicle after some cursory waves to his impromptu fan club.

"Sam! Sam! Over here!" Wearing a long leather coat, bald head shining in the night, Samuel Jackson sauntered over to his ride with his wife, waving at the crowd. The crowd waved back. Reciprocity was achieved.

"The best part about the whole thing is when they come over and end up saying hello to people," said Curtis, a 36-year-old Angeleno entertaining his cousin from Illinois.

"It's really nice. People love to see all the spotlights and all the people shooting pictures and the helicopters. And it makes it more personal when people come over and say hello."

For the record, Curtis said Angelina Jolie was the nicest star of the evening, taking the time to chat with fans along the barriers.

Meanwhile, across town in Beverly Hills, The Crustacean was playing host to a party for Sony, proud papa studio of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

The scene wasn't quite as raucous as it was at Morton's, but tensions seemed to be running higher. One security guard quietly read an aggressive movie fan the riot act – "I told you, don't cut in front of me like that" – as most of the crowd looked on from behind, what else, metal barriers.

Among the fans was Suzy, a 37-year-old computer programmer who claimed to have seen only one movie in the past year – Crouching Tiger .

But in her hand was a worn piece of paper with a photo collage of Errol Flynn, whose movie titles she rattled off like a film encyclopedia.

"He's the best-looking Hollywood actor ever," she gushed, pointing to the pictures. "He's Hollywood's greatest swashbuckler of all time. He made more sword-fighting movies than anyone else."

Holding her digital camera in the other hand, she said she liked Crouching Tiger, but she thought the ending was "too depressing. It's ridiculous. It's lame. It should have had a happy ending."

The angry security guard looked on, watching for any poor soul who might try to cut in front of him.