Night of 100 Stars Oscar Party at the Beverly Hills Hotel

By: Polly Peluso

The most prestigious of Academy Award presentations began on a red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium. I briefly met up with movie producer Stanley Chase and his famous artist/author wife, Dorothy Rice (her latest glorious art book is "Las Vegas With Love"). After taking photos of them walking on the red carpet, I hastily departed with my daughter, Cynthia Celi (actress Cynthia Lane). We wanted to be on time for the "Night of 100 Stars" Oscar Party (Academy Award winners and nominees of any year) at the elite Beverly Hills Hotel--also with a famous red carpet.
What makes this "Night of a 100 Stars" so special is that this dinner party, which includes a live pick-up showing of the awards as they occur at the Shrine, are the guests. They are Academy Award winners and nominees of any year. These stars are complimentary guests of fashion manufacturer Peter Nygard. Other selected invited guests are required to pay $1,000 each. Also among the guests were 400 Academy members who voted on the awards. The $150,000 raised went to the Martin Scorsese's Preservation of Film Archives. The wonderful producer is Norby Walters, who brings in these great stars. The party boasts having very special public relations icon, Ed Lozzi, at the helm. Lozzi was formerly on staff for the White House and has remained my very special friend for about 15 years. Lozzi is one of the "makers and shakers" of Hollywood.
With so many famous stars present, while taking a picture of one, three others were getting away. Some walk leisurely on the red carpet and welcome pictures and interviews. Others walk down as fast as they can. Especially Rip Taylor who runs (longtime semi-regular comic at Las Vegas hotels). Many come alone. All of them love to see each other, as sometimes this is the only time they see each other all year. We spotted Janet Leigh who seemed very happy this year (her Academy Award was for Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho"). Yes, she is so very proud of her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis' career. While taking Leigh's picture, Paul Sorovino went gliding by. However, coming our way, but separately, was congenial comic Jack Carter and the well-loved Lynn Redgrave. Cindy and I took a picture of them visiting with one another. Lynn graciously stopped and spoke to every media person. I know everyone remembers the "Rat Pack" - then the "Brat Pack" which was Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. After the canceling of the series "Suddenly Susan," Nelson has been busy acting in one TV series or movie after another. Judd Nelson and Charlotte Ross co-hosted the Genesis Awards show where celebs who have fought animal cruelty were honored by an Animal Planet TV special. There was some flack from Pam Anderson who wanted to get herself some publicity, and she did when she refused to be photographed with a dog star and flounced out.
It was "old home week" when Rhonda Shear and I spotted each other. I was Rhonda's first agent and she is always effusive in her praise of me starting her career. Rhonda recently married for the first time and to her high-school boyfriend of 15 years ago. Cindy tried to snap a photo of Cathy Moriarty (Award for "Raging Bull") but she moved too fast for us. Moriarty and husband Joseph Gentile had twins at the age of 40 last September. She's another radiantly happy looking lady. How about that Mamie Van Doren--she's still looking glamorous and very voluptuous as always. A major star was coming our way--Brian Dennehy. After the many, many movies Dennehy has made, he is now a star in his new TV series "The Fighting Fitzgeralds."

Dennehy is one of my long-time favorites. David Hasselhoff, "Baywatch" producer/actor and his wife were very generous in stopping along the way to pose or talk. However, about that time, darling Sean Astin walked over with his gorgeous wife Christine to speak to me. I had interviewed him recently in Las Vegas at one of Rudy Ruettiger's big charity events for education. Astin (legal son of actor John Astin and son of Patty Duke, herself an award-winning actress) played "Rudy" in the movie about the real life of Rudy of football fame. This young actor is just simply darling. He has such a lovable personality. Astin has been featured in many wonderful movies and will be seen in the new make of "The Lord of the Rings" from New Line Cinema.

 
Tom Bosley, the father on "Happy Days" is still smiling and looking great. Bernie Koppel, the Captain on "Love Boat" says "Love Boat" is always in re-runs somewhere. Bernie remembered me from the days I was his first wife's (Yolanda Veloz) agent. He has a very long memory as that was before I was even a well-known agent! Isabelle Sandford from "The Jeffersons" was cute and sassy as ever. Can't forget Bridget Fonda. She drew lots of attention. Of course, it didn't hurt any that her escort was country/western star Dwight Yokum. Once all of the guests arrived, we media people were invited to stash our cameras and come down to mingle with the celebrities. And there were so many--Peter Fonda, Sid Caesar (on a cane from a hip injury), young Thora Birch ("American Pie"), Darva Conger (TV "Marry a Millionaire"), Rob Estes ("Silk Stockings"), Hector Elizondro, Cliff Robertson (Oscar for "Charly and "PT-109"), Dionne Warwick, David Foster (Madonna and Jennifer Lopez producer), Sean Young, Tony LoBianca, Gary Busey with his son Jake Busey (who has a brand-new movie out "Tom Cats"), Shirley Jones (Oscar for "Elmer Gantry" with Burt Lancaster) Vivica Fox ("Independence Day" with Will Smith), Michael Bolton, Weird Al Yankevich and so many more
Rita Rudner was part of the comedy writers' team backstage working with host Steve Martin at the Shrine Auditorium Award Presentations. Right before I left Las Vegas for Los Angeles, I was invited to a party at New York New York Hotel & Casino for the announcement of Rita Rudner's new comedy theater. Rita was invited to the California Governor's Oscar Party following the presentations. As the Presenter, Jennifer Lopez was wearing a pair of $210,000 80-carat chandelier earrings on loan from Las Vegas Bellagio Hotel, Fred Leighton Rare Collectible Jewels. Others who wore his jewels included Ashley Judd, Goldie Hawn and Trudie Styler, (Sting's wife).
One of my other friends, Inga Jaklin, VIP Southern California Motion Picture Council and semi-regular on "Backstage" in Las Vegas, was at an Oscar Party at the Wilshire Ebell with Jean Doran, President of SCMPC and then on to Jim Hahn's (running for L.A. Mayor) party at the Universal City Walk.
Academy Award night is big-time Oscar party time. Many of the parties are to raise funds for different segments of the movie industry, especially the Motion Picture Relief Home for the sick and needy of the movie industry. The best party of all is the one I attend with all those award-winning stars and Academy members. What a wonderful, wonderful time. Thanks again, Edward Lozzi, for always including me and thanks to Norby Walters for such a fabulously produced Oscar party.