On Hold Till the Reagans Head West

Call this time Reagan-adjacent, with many of the usual giant January parties somehow pushed into February--and the Los Angeles social schedule set by events a whole coast away.

Among the interesting bits and pieces lined up is a jet-back from the inaugural festivities Jan. 21 by art collector Fred Weisman and his steady Billie Milam to inaugurate the Weisman Art Foundation’s international workshop on art and architecture. There will be a splashy party at Weisman’s Holmby Hills home to introduce the workshop participants to what one staffer describes as “members of Los Angeles’ cultural elite.” The workshop, the first in an on-going series of Weisman-sponsored gatherings on contemporary art-related topics, will include artists like John Baldessari and Anthony Caro, along with architects such as Frank Gehry, Cesar Pelli, Michael Rotondi and Michael Graves.

Social observers must mark this party-cum-workshop weekend as the next step in the escalating competition among wealthy and interested collectors. Now the action has moved from private “boutique museums” to privately-sponsored “boutique workshops.”

Next . . .

THE PLAY’S THE THING--And, in his last year as the Ahmanson Theatre’s artistic director, Bobby Fryer seems determined to show just how much theater is indeed his thing. A good example: The Wednesday night premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s fairy-tale musical, “Into the Woods,” starring Cleo Laine and Charlotte Rae, will be attended by more stars than your average awards show. Look for Carol Channing, Diahann Carroll, Roddy McDowall, Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill, Carl Reiner, Brenda Vaccaro, Michael York and literally dozens of other names. . . . To bring a little magic into the lives of some not-so-star-crossed people, the Ahmanson is offering two tickets for the price of one for the Thursday matinee. The only catch--bring a non-perishable food or household item with you to the box-office when you buy your ticket. All contributions go to the “Necessities of Life Program” of AIDS Project/L.A. It’s great to see that efforts to help our neighbors don’t end with the conclusion of the holiday season.

JUSTLY HONORED--Attorney Pierce O’Donnell gets cited by the Los Angeles Friends of the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem Saturday with the Raoul Wallenberg “Save the Children” award. The dinner, at the Beverly Hills Hotel, features Art Buchwald as guest speaker, and a list of dinner co-chairs that includes Danny Arnold, Jane and Ron Olson, Barry Lawrence, Harvey Knell and Robert C. Davidson Jr.

OTHER UPCOMING--Save March 11 for the National Italian American Foundation “Salute to Italian Americans in Entertainment.” Motion Picture Assn. President Jack Valenti will keynote. . . . Shirley MacLaine on Tuesday will be honored for her performance as “Madame Sousatzka” with a tea-and-reception and with the first career achievement award from the Los Angeles Film Teachers Assn. John Forsythe, the star of MacLaine’s first film, “The Trouble With Harry,” will be on hand at the Universal Cineplex Theatre for the party--as will Olympia Dukakis, co-star of MacLaine’s latest film, “Steel Magnolias.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE--In her lifetime, Corita Kent brought a different view of the world and of peace. On March 8, those who embrace the message of peace that she artistically portrayed will be honored with the first Corita Kent Peace Awards at a dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Joan Palevsky, Mary Jane Hewitt and Dorothy Courtney are organizing the event, which will help to enlarge the fund established in Corita’s name for peace programs at Immaculate Heart College Center. Honored with these first awards will be singer Miriam Makeba, professor of religion and peace studies Walter Capps, business leader and peace activist Fred Segal and Michelle Alexander, the 12-year-old inventor of the game “Give Peace a Chance.”

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY--Frank Sinatra will be in the spotlight--but this time as the honoree as Beverly Hills celebrates its 75th anniversary, Jan. 25 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Jaclyn Rosenberg and Annabelle Heiferman are the evening’s co-chairs. . . . Same night and just a few blocks away, the Concern Foundation for Cancer Research benefits from the first Robert J. Leib Memorial Celebrity Art & Doodle Show at the Upstairs Gallery. More than 100 pieces of celeb art will be part of the silent auction. And, speaking of anniversaries, this is the 20th year that Concern has been raising money. Over the years, it has given out more than $11 million in grants for cancer research.

BIG WHEELS--That, of course, would be mega-hotelier Barron Hilton and the still-aspiring movie-studio head Jerry Weintraub. But, wait--they are only the hosts for the Wednesday party celebrating the “kick-off” of Wheels Across America. The Big Wheels promised at the Beverly Hilton are major sports figures--and the reception will go to help raise money for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. The organization, which has raised more than $8 million, got under way when Marc Buoniconti, the son of former all-pro Dolphin linebacker Nick Buoniconti, was paralyzed by an injury in a college football game.