Friday, February 24th

Friday, February 24th Mid-day, I arrive at The Beverly Hills Hotel, where I have stayed for thirty years. As the housekeepers unpack my bags upstairs I peek into the Polo Lounge and find icon Warren Beatty in a booth. He motions me over to meet an Egyptian fashion editor from Cairo. I say, "Warren, you are a little late to visit Cairo." I tell him I'm rooting for Annette and love her film “The Kids Are All Right”. Warren tells me “The Social Network” will win. This year I am two days late arriving to Oscar weekend. I am now shown to a very very very small room, the size of a broom closet. Uncharacteristically, I have a slight melt down. I am moved. The housekeepers run down the hall with my clothes flying. I calm down. The hotel is sold out. I get someone else's room. Another poor schmuck checking in downstairs will get the broom closet. It is cold, grey and rainy. Taffata, organdy and embroidered silk evening clothes hang in my closet. I stay in my sweaters and fur coat and head to Arianna Huffington's Mediterranean house in Beverly Hills where Wendi Murdoch and Arianna are hosting a party for Tom Freston's wife, the beautiful blond Kathy. The book is called "Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World. A perfect book for Monks. Arianna has just sold the Huffington Post for to AOL to $315 million dollars and rumored to have personally landed around $2@ million. She is euphoric as she greets Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban at the door. Other drenched power players ushered in under umbrellas include Disney's Bob Iger and wife Willow Bay, Fox’s Jim Gianopulos, Candice Bergen and journalist daughter Chloe Malle, Google's Eric Schmidt, Oliver Stone avoiding questions about Charlie Sheen and escorting his daughter Tara, Moby, Jamie Niven, Brian Grazer, Vivi Nevo, Tracey Ullman, CBS’s Les Moonves and Julie Chen, Rob Reiner, Paramount’s Brad Grey and fiancé Cassandra Marc and Jeff Bezos. Hors d'oeuvres include pigs in blankets, a food group not mentioned in Kathy's book. The party action migrates to UTA Jim Burkus's home in the neighborhood for “True Grit’s” Ethan and Joel Coen. I pass Ron Howard on the way in and he says, "Keep me on your list." Is he kidding? Sunrise and Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Focus Feature’s James Shamus, Nancy Meyers and John Goldwyn mingle. Adorable Hallie Steinfeld is there with her parents. I am trying to fix her up with Justin Bieber. She giggles, “Peg, I am only 14." HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_012693