Joffrey Party Nights--Hard Act to Follow

When the Joffrey Patron Nights open Sept. 30 with a gala celebrating the U.S. premiere of Nijinsky’s “Le Sacre du Printemps,” the party committee will have a hard act to follow.

No, not the ballet (we don’t do dance criticism). Rather they’ve got to match last year’s six-party series, which turned out to be six terrific nights of fun--and turned around some not-so-popular conceptions of how much a part of Los Angeles cultural life the Joffrey was. Last year Patty Skouras and Felisa Vanoff made it happen, and, over lunch with one of this year’s committee co-chairs, Joan Burns, they were all confident that this year’s series would encore the events.

Party Moves to Hotel

Problems with crowding the Music Center’s Grand Hall and thus displeasing the fire marshal will send the opening-night bash to the Biltmore. (The opera is solving a similar dilemma Tuesday by partying across the street at the Department of Water and Power.)

At last year’s series, Vanoff and Skouras agreed, the nights evolved into a real occasion. The group “reach-out broadened the support base of the ballet,” Vanoff said. It’s not just the ends but also the means to this year’s party that will be unique--because Burns said that patrons will be taken from the Music Center to the Biltmore in “novel ways,” and among them might be horse-drawn carriages and rickshaws. Vanoff kidded: “Wrapped in ermine, pulled in . . . “ and Skouras finished, “troikas.” Who knows? They pulled it off last year--and made more than $200,000 profit in doing it.

Unauthorized hyper-commercialization of Pope John Paul II’s U.S. visit later this month has already raised eyebrows among Catholics and non-Catholics alike. And souvenir sellers are expected to blanket sidewalks along the pontiff’s route through Los Angeles Sept. 15 and 16, hawking everything from T-shirts to photographs of the Pope to lawn sprinklers in his likeness.

But some enterprising Angelenos have already found a way to show their own enthusiasm for the visit without putting a price tag on it, and their excitement no doubt will quickly spread: They’ve begun making their own papal miters out of newspapers.

The idea can be traced back to Philadelphia, where Chris Quin and Mike Quattrone worked for the local Public Broadcasting Service television outlet during John Paul’s 1979 visit to the United States. According to Quin, now an independent video consultant, he and Quattrone (still with the station) dreamed up the idea as a promotional device for WHYY-TV.

They wanted to sell paper miters carrying the slogan, “I saw the Pope on PBS,” but they quickly abandoned the idea. Instead, the pair showed all their friends how to do it using the local newspaper.

BENEFITED--Gov. George Deukmejian joins with others Friday night celebrating Alex G. Spanos as the AXIOS “Man of the Year.” Bob Hope and hotel magnate Barron Hilton are the tribute co-chairmen for the party at the Beverly Hilton. . . . Tony Roma does it again--hosts the third annual “Rib-A-Thon” benefiting the Starlight Foundation. It’s at Roma’s latest restaurant, in Studio City, and it’s Sunday. . . . California Democrat Rep. Howard and Janis Berman have invited supporters to a “star-filled” celebration of the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, at a dinner honoring Berman and featuring Dionne Warwick. It’s at the Century Plaza Sept. 17.

WISH WE WERE THERE--No surprise, but Terry and Dennis Stanfill and Leonard and Barbara Firestone are in Venice, Italy, this week, celebrating along with the other strong supporters the success of Save Venice. Founded after the devastating floods in 1966, it’s the American organization that raises money and administers funds to preserve and restore works of art and buildings. At the Thursday night gala at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta (where Peter Duchin and Bobby Short will play, what else), money raised will benefit restoration work on the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli--which, it’s hoped, will be restored in time for the church’s 500th anniversary next year. The week is awash with royalty--and with literary royal “names”: Gore Vidal and Erica Jong will be tour guides, showing how Venice is an inspiration for writers.

THREE FINGERS, PLEASE--What? An invitation to a tasting that is not French Champagne or Sonoma burgundy. How about some Scotch? This party, at Chasen’s Sept. 16, will feature the cuisine of the Highlands, as the makers of Famous Grouse are flying in all sorts of delicacies, including fresh grouse and cranachan, a pudding made with oatmeal, brambles and Scotch. Try to nouvelle that. . . .

HOW TO MAKE A MITER

1. Take the front and back pages of a full sized newspaper, leaving them attached at the fold (or use any two similarly attached pages). Place them on a flat surface with the fold at the top.

2. Fold the corners to meet the center-line.

3. Fold the uppermost two page edges over the folded corners.

4. Turn the paper over.

5. Fold the lower left and right areas to meet at the center line.

6. Fold the remaining two page edges up over the folded paper. Your miter should look like this before opening it to place on head. . .

7. . . .when it should look like this.