The Latest Talk of the Town

The Scene: Premiere benefit screening and party Thursday for “Look Who’s Talking Too,” the sequel to last year’s Kirstie Alley/John Travolta comedy from Tri-Star that also features the voices of Bruce Willis, Roseanne Barr and Damon Wayans. After the screening at the Cineplex Odeon in Century City, there was a low-key party across the mall at disco palace Twenty/20, where stars and industry types hung out for a couple of hours.

The Charity: The evening supported the Womens Care Cottage, a day-care center and residence that serves homeless women and their children in the San Fernando Valley. About $40,000 was raised from the benefit, and Columbia Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Jon Peters unexpectedly kicked in another $50,000 from his personal coffers.

The Buzz: Some preferred the original film to the sequel, which got a lukewarm reaction. Other talk centered around the most important topic of the day: last-minute Christmas shopping.

Who Was There: The film’s stars--Alley (with husband Parker Stevenson), Travolta (with Kelly Preston) and 3-year-old Lorne Sussman (he plays son Mikey)--director Amy Heckerling and husband Neal Israel (they co-wrote the screenplay), producer Jonathan Krane and wife Sally Kellerman, plus Mimi Rogers, attorney Gloria Allred, Womens Care Cottage President Mary Anne Roelke, and an appearance from Mr. and Mrs. Claus. In absentia: Columbia co-honchos Peters (out with the flu) and Peter Guber.

Dress Mode: The mandate was casual. Alley opted for a long black velvet dress, Allred an off-the-shoulder black dress, Preston a form-fitting long, black dress. Rogers chose thigh-high black boots and a black fringed suede jacket. Heckerling was in a short, tight, black dress and her 5-year-old daughter, Mollie, was attired in a white tulle tutu. Travolta opted for a tuxedo.

Chow: Kid-themed food from Along Came Mary featured baby hamburgers with onion rings and french fries, gourmet lunch-box sandwiches (how many kids get a BLT made with pancetta, roma tomatoes, red leaf lettuce and chive mayonnaise?), pizza, various pastas, and desserts that included chocolate pudding, rice pudding, mini-peanut butter pies, cookies, lemon meringue tarts, a sundae bar and big bowls of marshmallows.

Quoted: “It was unbelievable,” said Roelke of the surprise donation from Peters. “We were so excited just about the premiere. We never expected him to do this.” Although Roelke and Peters haven’t yet met, they teamed up because of Allred. “He called and said he had an interest in helping homeless women and children,” said Allred, who had learned of the cottage months before and subsequently put Peters in touch with the organization.

Overheard: One woman became upset when she saw that Santa was sporting black leather gloves. “Looks like Santa’s into some rough trade,” she said.

You’re Never Too Young to Learn How to Schmooze: Heckerling’s daughter Mollie was understandably a little cranky during the long evening. (Adults get that way too, but everyone would stare if they cried.) When a man leaned across her table and said, “Hey, Mollie, where’d you get that dress?” her mother replied: “She’s in no mood to discuss it.”