Get Ready, Get Set: Hit the Books

Get ready for the beaches, boys and girls. No, no, not heavy weight-lifting. This is light-weight but fun reading.

Look for a splashy party debut May 28 of the newest delicious tidbit from Judith Krantz to bring on a great crowd (she’s as popular at Giorgio’s as she is with the Hollywood Women’s Political Coalition). The site is spectacular and unique--the Martin Westside Hangar at John Wayne Airport in Costa Mesa. (Please, everybody goes to Orange County at least once in their lives.) Perfect to launch “Till We Meet Again,” which is certainly not about farmers in the Midwest.

Just two days before, Dominick Dunne brings out “People Like Us,” at a reception at Chasen’s.

But with all these parties, do the rich and famous really get time to read?

JOFFREY REDUX--The Joffrey Ballet returned to Los Angeles this week with an opening-night patron party that brought Hollywood out in full force. Among the famous faces: Karl and Mona Malden, Oscar nominee Sally Kirkland, Diahann Carroll and Vic Damone, Rita Moreno, Alexis Smith and Craig Stevens, Shelley Long and Bruce Tyson and Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna.

The evening started off the second series of Patron Nights, all put together by Joan Burns, Marjorie Lord Volk, Marilyn Lynch and Noelle Siart. In the crowd were some other producing types, like Nick and Felisa Vanoff and Doug Cramer with Ames Cushing.

The black-and-white theme party was festive, and included the introduction of the Joffrey’s new artistic director, Gerald Arpino. No mention was made of the recent death of the company’s founding director, Bob Joffrey. People were apparently holding such feelings for the private memorial service scheduled for early next week at the Music Center.

A very special evening at the Joffrey is set for Tuesday night, when the Friends of Tel Hashomer hosts a dinner preceding the performances. The Friends is the Los Angeles-based support group that annually sends more than $1 million to Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Israel. Chairing the evening are Lynn Ziman and Donna Kamin.

HERE COME THE BENEFITS--Sister Mary Esther McCann, the administrator of Daniel Freeman hospitals in Marina del Rey and Inglewood from 1966 to 1982, will be honored Saturday. Currently the chief executive officer of the Freeman Hospitals Foundation, Sister Mary Esther will be feted at a black-tie dinner at the Marina Beach Hotel. . . .

Mayor Tom Bradley will be the honoree, receiving the California Medical Center Foundation 1988 Los Angeles Humanitarian Award at a Biltmore Hotel luncheon June 2. David Carpenter, chairman of Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Co., will kick off the event at a reception Monday at his corporate offices downtown. . . .

Those Westside activists Aileen Adams and Geoff Cowan host a private showing Thursday of Peter Adams’ “Asia and Afghanistan” at the Adamson-Duvannes Galleries.