Plenty of buzz here

The posh “sensuality shop” Coco de Mer in West Hollywood opened its doors Monday. 1. Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart, right, an investor, hosted the party with a little help from his friends, Ringo Starr, center, and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra. Spotted perusing co-owners Sam and Justine Roddick’s naughty-but-nice erotic apparel and other titillating items: Living Thing rockers Eve Berlin and Cory Becker, Monty Python’s Eric Idle, Richard Schiff, his pole-dancing enthusiast wife, Sheila Kelley, and former mistress of L.A. nightlife Amanda Demme. “I have used every product in this shop,” Stewart told guests on the pink lantern-lighted patio before he played “Walk on the Wild Side” as a burlesque dancer shimmied around him. For Chopra’s part, the maharishi of merchandising proclaimed sex is an essential tool to reaching nirvana. Spirituality with sleep-overs -- that’s hot.

-- ELIZABETH SNEAD

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It’s not Versailles, but art benefit helps at-risk kids

2. Kirsten Dunst was the queen of the Art of Elysium’s annual Art Benefit at the Minotti gallery Dec. 2. The charity links artists with at-risk children. Supporters Ali Larter, Rebecca Gayheart, Patricia Arquette and Thomas Jane, Clea Duvall, Michelle Trachtenberg, Constance Zimmer, and Johnny Depp’s UTA agent Tracey Jacobs admired art and sipped bubbly mixed with Motley Bird, a hip Euro energy drink compared to “doing a speedball.” Canvas bags painted by Elysium’s kids, photos of iconic ‘60s rockers taken by legendary Woodstock photog Henry Diltz, and many photos transformed by pop artist Russell Young into huge, colorful silkscreens raised funds fast.

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Men of the Year

6. Leonardo DiCaprio, left, Ben Affleck and Forest Whitaker did a little Oscar glad-handing Nov. 29 at GQ’s annual Men of the Year Awards dinner at the Sunset Tower hotel. Former Vice President Al Gore, right (with GQ Editor in Chief Jim Nelson) -- seen around town promoting his global warming doc “An Inconvenient Truth” -- admitted he felt like a fish out of water. He joked as he accepted his award, “It just feels great to win something!” The mag’s Obsession of the Year Lindsay Lohan showed up late (what else is new?) but still had time for a fashion show: She changed from a Zac Posen gown into a shorter number. 3. Jennifer Connelly rushed straight from a special screening of “Blood Diamond” without her red rubber Amnesty International wristband, explaining, “My son wanted to wear it!” Gore greeted funnyman Will Ferrell, 4, congratulated Whitaker on his portrayal of Idi Amin and told MSN newsman Keith Olbermann, 5, to have Leo on his “Countdown” show: “He knows more about the environment than I do.”

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No party is complete without . . .

... a singing actress? 7. Minnie Driver, left, showed off another aspect of her creative nature at the chilly Oxfam benefit Nov. 29 at Esquire 30 House. She sang two songs: “Fast as You Can,” from her first album, “Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket,” and “Sorry Baby,” from her album coming out next year. She also sang several duets with rocker Liz Phair to the crowd, including “Sex and the City’s” Kristin Davis, Mark Ruffalo, Colin Firth and Kirsten Dunst, and Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy.

Snead writes the Styles & Scenes blog at TheEnvelope.com