Salute to ‘Red, Hot and Blue’

The Scene: Party Wednesday night at the Four Seasons hotel to celebrate the release of Chrysalis Records’ “Red, Hot and Blue,” a double album of Cole Porter songs featuring U2, k.d. lang, Jody Watley, The Jungle Brothers, Sinead O’Connor, Neneh Cherry and many others. Next month, ABC will air a 90-minute special, including the stars performing their videos. This is more than an ambitious multimedia extravaganza: Proceeds from sales will benefit international AIDS research and relief programs. The project’s co-creators and a few of the artists were on hand for a buffet dinner party underwritten by Entertainment Weekly magazine that featured a brief performance by Jody Watley and a quick speech by Elizabeth Taylor.

The Buzz: Those who had heard the album either thought it was totally wonderful or somewhat uneven. And while some thought Cole Porter would have heartily approved of the music and the motive, others swore he’s turning in his grave.

Who Was There: Co-creators Leigh Blake and John Carlin, supervising music producer Steve Lillywhite, album artists David Byrne and Jody Watley, plus Bernie Taupin, MCA Music Entertainment Group chairman Al Teller, Mark Slaughter, Balthazar Getty, John Glover, Michael Feinstein, Don Was and every working publicist west of the Mississippi.

Dress Mode: Although the dress code called for “festive” attire, most interpreted that as wearing their rumpled suits straight from the office. Some found time to throw on some gold lame or black leather.

Bad Fashion Trend Alert: Men in long, black duster coats and a three-day growth of beard. Urban cowboy gone awry.

Chow: The hotel’s catering service put up food “stations” serving pasta, wild mushrooms, veal tenderloins and smoked salmon; other offerings included grilled shrimp with roasted garlic, fresh fruit and French pastries.

Quoted: “This is sort of beyond my wildest expectations,” said Carlin. “Everything we hoped to turn out turned out, which I think is somewhat unusual in a project like this. . . . Not only do we weave a message into this incredibly powerful communication vehicle, but we’ve also pushed it in a very artistic level. Because I think we felt fundamentally that if you have artistic integrity, the message gets across much better.”

New Way to Greet ‘n’ Schmooze Your Business Associate: “Hi! How ya doin’? Greeeeaaaaat shirt.”

Not a Potential Jeopardy Contestant: “So, who’s this guy up here?” wondered one woman, staring at a picture of Cole Porter.

Glitches: Guests waited for the ballroom doors to open so they could hear Taylor speak and Watley sing. When the doors opened, there were no chairs to be found, so they stood some more and waited for Taylor. Most left after her speech, thinking Watley would follow much later. She didn’t. Her one number, “After You, Who?” was missed by most of the crowd. Those who stuck around praised the singer’s jazzy performance.