Statecraft : Governor Is No. 1 on Two County Guest Lists

Hostess power. Kathryn Thompson and Deeann Baldwin have it. Both women presided over high-profile parties at their South County homes last week. And both had Gov. Pete Wilson on their guest list.

Thompson--ultra-mod in black leather and sequins--welcomed Wilson to a gathering of Orange County Performing Arts Center donors in her Mediterranean home at Emerald Ridge.

The agenda? Friendly persuasion. By the time arts leaders had been wined and dined (on fare created by the Hyatt Regency Irvine) 22 tables ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 each had been booked for “Starlight Expressions,” the Sept. 25 gala that is the financial anchor of the Center’s fifth anniversary celebration.

On the same night, Baldwin--classic in an emerald silk suit with jewels to match--welcomed the governor to a $1,000-per-person gathering of Wilson supporters in her contemporary home in Emerald Bay.

The agenda? Helping the governor-who-would-be-President pay off his gubernatorial campaign debt. By the time Deeann and Al Baldwin’s guests had been wined and dined (on cuisine planned by Pennington caterers), about $95,000 was raised.

The Baldwin bash, which featured guests such as Dr. Arnold Beckman, was supposed to be hush-hush. But the word leaked out during Wilson’s surprise visit to Thompson’s Tuscany-like spread. “The governor’s office wanted to keep it quiet,” said an insider. (A similar fund-raiser was held for Wilson last weekend at Prego restaurant in Irvine. Anwar Soliman, president of Spectrum Foods, was host.)

But the Thompson bash, co-hosted by Rick Muth, had been the buzz all week.

Good news for “Starlight Expressions”-goers: Wilson said that he and his wife, Gayle, plan to attend. And, according to someone who knows, President Bush and the First Lady will also be invited.

It’s still anybody’s guess who will entertain at the gala, co-chaired by developer Thompson and Orco Block’s Muth. But an appearance by Liza Minnelli was neither denied nor confirmed by Center spokesmen at the bash.

During his brief speech, Wilson congratulated the donors, stressing the importance of arts in the community.

“And I’m enjoying my job,” he told guests, many of them Wilson supporters. (Tom and Joyce Tucker, for example, staged a fund-raiser for Wilson in their Irvine Cove home before he was elected). “Which confirms suspicions that I am a career masochist,” Wilson said.

In a private moment with Thompson, the governor said that, given a chance to perform at a party (or at the Center, he joked) he would choose to sing.

“They (Wilson and his wife) sing together,” Thompson explained. “They’re terrific!”

As soon as guests arrived at Thompson and husband Gus Owen’s hilltop property, white-gloved waiters proffered tulips of bubbly from silver trays. Up for nibbling during the champagne hour: ginger duck, hearts of palm with veal tenderloin, smoked salmon rosettes on English cucumber slices and Beluga caviar on toasted brioche.

Afterward, guests helped themselves to a buffet presented on tables set with swan ice carvings and festooned with gold tissue lame. Among temptations: cantaloupe with Prosciutto, Alaskan king crab, rack of lamb, poached king salmon in Chenin Blanc sauce, and apple tart with warm caramel sauce.

Guests oohed and ahhed over the Thompson touch: centerpieces of crystal clear bowls floating with fresh gardenias and gold dust. Gardenias also decorated the terrace’s blue reflecting pool.

After Thompson welcomed guests, Center anniversary co-chairwoman Janice Johnson (with Fluor Corp.’s Les McCraw) told donors the Center had already made it through the tough times.

“We’re here to stay,” she said, “because of people like you.”

And then, with a big smile: “Unfortunately, we’re five years older.”

Then it was time to play pin-the-button-on-the-drawing. With gentle coaxing by Thompson and Muth, guests stepped up to a diagram of the seating arrangement for “Starlight Expressions” and affixed green buttons on the $25,000 tables of their choice. “Segerstrom Hall is going to be turned into a cabaret for this night,” Thompson said, encouraging guests to dig deep into their pockets. “And because you’ve supported the Center since its Capital Campaign five years ago, you get first choice.”

Faces in the crowd: Zee Allred; Allen and Susan Boerner; Roger Johnson; Susie and Daniel Hernandez; Don and Claudette Shaw; Carol and Larry Hoffman; Jolene and Richard Engel (co-chair with Ed Halvajian and Marcy Mulville of the Western-themed Center gala on Sept. 26); Parker and Sherry Kennedy; Nancy Muth; Marilyn and Tom Nielsen; Charlie and Pat Poss; Bill and Elaine Redfield; Glen and Dotti Stillwell; Tom and Elizabeth Tierney; Marvin and Pat Weiss; Bill and Bobbitt Williams; and Tony and Ginger Allen.

Culinary Coup Times Two: Not only has the Hyatt Regency Irvine been selected to cater “Starlight Expressions,” and the Western-themed gala on the following night in Segerstrom Hall, it’s cooking up the menu for a June 9 party at John and Donna Crean’s Santa Ana Heights mansion. Steak and the trimmings will be on the menu when dancer Ben Vereen attends the party that celebrates a Nov. 9 gala to benefit Celebrities for a Drug-Free America. Word’s out that the gala, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency, will feature a dozen stars. The hotel has already reserved a block of rooms for the celeb guests Vereen says he will bring from Tinseltown.

Tidbits: Orange County Supervisor Roger Stanton received the Walter Knott Goodwill Service Award from Goodwill Industries of Orange County on Thursday at the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach. . . . The Visionaries, a support group of the Newport Harbor Art Museum, will be treated to a fashion show by Chanel of South Coast Plaza on June 4 at the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center. These women get around. A few weeks ago, Tiffany & Co. of South Coast Plaza treated them to lunch at the Center Club. Membership fees for the exclusive group are $1,000 to join and $500 annually. . . . Renee and Henry Segerstrom are back from Washington after rendezvousing with Queen Elizabeth at the British Embassy, but mum’s the word. Their lips are sealed about their moment with royalty. . . . When the Angels of the Arts stage their annual summer luncheon, it will be at the Corona del Mar home of Justice Sheila Prell Sonenshine. . . . Talk about news you can use. The Research Associates of UC Irvine are featuring Dr. Bruce Achauer, director of plastic surgery at the Beckman Laser Institute, at their June 4 luncheon at the University Club. His topic will be the use of lasers in plastic surgery. . . . Pacific Symphony has scheduled it annual Crystal Circle Brunch for June 23 at Bistro 201 in Irvine. In past years, the affair has always been staged in a sprawling home. But, symphony supporters decided they wanted to break bread at Irvine’s power-lunch spot.