And ‘Misery’ Loves the Environment

The Scene: Premiere of “Misery,” the latest Stephen King thriller brought to the screen by director Rob Reiner and Castle Rock Entertainment. Following a screening at the Village theater in Westwood Thursday night, a crowd of 1,300 (movie industry types and a smattering of celebs) partied at a buffet dinner at the Beverly Hilton where they gushed congratulations to Reiner and the movie’s stars, James Caan and Kathy Bates. The party benefited four environmental groups: the National Resources Defense Council, TreePeople, the Coalition for Clean Air and Heal the Bay.

The Buzz: An Academy Award nomination for Bates? It’s a possibility, some thought, if the Academy doesn’t snub the film, believing it’s of the usual thriller genre. The recession and the coming onslaught of holiday movies also had many in the crowd talking box-office grosses. Sure, most of the reviews are favorable, but what about those grosses? What about that bottom line? What if it gets lost in the multiplex shuffle? And you think you have problems.

Who Was There: Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer; Reiner’s parents, Carl and Estelle Reiner; Reiner’s brother, Lucas Reiner, and his wife, Maud Winchester; Reiner’s ex-wife, Penny Marshall; Reiner’s Castle Rock partners, Alan Horn, Glenn Padnick, Andrew Scheinman and Martin Shafer; the film’s stars, James Caan, Kathy Bates and Lauren Bacall; plus Michael and Judy Ovitz, Carol Kane, Elliott Gould, Balthazar Getty, Maximilian Schell, Ed Begley Jr., Armin Mueller-Stahl, Teri Garr, Daniel Stern, Carrie Fisher.

Decor-o-rama: A tasteful winter scene (no fake snow, no foam plastic snowmen) was created by Sharon Sacks of Just Call Sharon in the Hilton’s ballroom, using wicker topiary animals, greenery, lights and a few ceramic pigs. Ceramic pigs? Go see the movie.

Dress Mode: Industry casual, with the emphasis on casual. Very worn jeans were popular, paired with blazers and shirts with no ties. Cowboy boots were the must-have accessory. The uniform of twentysomething girls with long, wavy hair consisted of black stockings, short black skirts, black flats and black jackets. In groups of three or more, none could be told apart.

Chow: Hot pastas, make-your-own tacos, Caesar salad, big slabs of beef and a dessert bar where guests strained to scoop out the Haagen-Dazs.

Quoted: “It’s been overwhelming,” said a breathless Kathy Bates of favorable response to her funny psycho role. “I’ve never been through anything like this before. But I’m trying to go with it.”

Understatement of the evening: Said actor Armin Mueller-Stahl of Bates’ character: “I’m very happy not to be married to that woman.”

Trendwatch: As guests filtered out of the party around 11 p.m., they were offered information about the environmental groups, something rarely done at benefits.