The Scene: Monday night at Morton’s, where...

The Scene: Monday night at Morton’s, where Spy magazine threw a highly anticipated third anniversary party for the ultra-hip and super-trendy East Coast periodical. The evening was co-sponsored by NBC, which will present the magazine’s coming TV special.

The Buzz: “Boy, there are a lot of agents here,” mumbled at least half a dozen guests, slipping outside for some air. Indeed, it looked like a scene from the CBS comedy “The Famous Teddy Z,” as power-suited studio types swapped business cards and made plans to take meetings.

Who Was There: Besides every agent in town, one could spot comedian Harry Shearer; writer Merrill Markoe; media critic Eric Burns; political consultant Patrick Caddell; actress Mariel Hemingway; “Batman” star Michael Keaton; professional gossips the Hollywood Kids; “thirtysomething” star Peter Horton; producer Larry Gordon; Spy editor E. Graydon Carter; Spy’s elusive Hollywood correspondent Celia Brady; “Family Ties” star Justine Bateman with her steady boyfriend, Leif Garrett, and NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff.

Chow: Fresh shrimp, mini-burgers, drumsticks and potatoes Anna with caviar, brought through the crowd on trays by beleaguered waiters who looked like they were having a miserable time.

Pastimes: Trying to squeeze through the standing-room-only crowd; trying to get a drink; trying to find your agent in the crush. One actress, who refused to be quoted by name, left quickly, complaining, “My agent didn’t even recognize me in there!”

Whoops: Brandon Tartikoff, the ostensible co-host of the party, went virtually unnoticed at the door. As he tried to enter, one door woman snapped, “please check in sir,” before another embarrassed staff person whispered the word to let him in.

Triumphs: If one needed any demonstration that Spy is a hot item in Los Angeles, the party proved that there are hundreds of trendy types in town who were willing to beg for one of the highly coveted invitations to the event.

Glitches: Many and unpleasant. The room was overcrowded to the point that waiters hoped aloud that the fire marshal would not make an appearance. Guests who went out to the patio through an open door just to get some air were stopped from coming back in and forced to wait 10 minutes in line all over again to re-enter at the front door. Waiters circulated outside to take drink orders, but security personnel came around after the waiters to take the drinks away and inform guests that they weren’t allowed to drink anything outside. After this, quite a few guests stomped out and headed elsewhere.

Irony: There were precious few creative, talented people at the party. Instead, the turnout was largely composed of the same sort of shiny-suited schmoozemeisters that are usually skewered in Spy magazine.