Revelers Scare Up Costumes

The Scene: Jean and Casey Kasem’s annual Halloween Masquerade Ball. The party was held Friday at the couple’s Holmby Hills home. Decorations included 100,000 twinkle lights, two fog machines, a graveyard with motorized corpses, bodies dangling from palm trees and eerie Disneyland Haunted House-style background noises. “They could have played Barry Manilow and gotten the same effect,” noted one guest.

Who Was There: Hard to tell with the masks. It appeared that Ed Asner, Kristy Swanson, Gloria Allred, Carol Connors, Heather Tom, opera director Peter Sellars with Laurie Dowling, Camilla Sparv and Alan Thicke were among the 400 guests. Or these could have been really exceptional costumes.

Dress Mode: Among the get-ups were one Marilyn Monroe with Joe DiMaggio, two complete Addams families, a herd of 10 cows, two Napoleons but only one Josephine, one Gandhi, two Carmen Mirandas, far too many devils, not enough saints, one Inspector Clouseau, one Capuchin monk, a half-dozen Catwomen but no Catmen, one nun (male), myriad pirates though only one Captain Hook and one Anita Hill who used her briefcase to vigorously pummel any male, offending or otherwise.

The Buzz: As Halloween, 1989, was the Year of Zsa Zsa Gabor and the Slapped Cop, ’91 should be the Year of Justice Clarence Thomas and Prof. Hill. Variations include dressing as a hirsute Coke can, Mr. L. D. Silver, John Doggett’s ego, Nina Totenberg (males only), an apologetic Ted Kennedy in boxer shorts and en masse as the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Quoted: “It’s a shame it’s so dark you can’t see the pool,” said Jean Kasem. “It’s dyed blood-red. We have rats floating on it. They’ll be playing the theme from ‘Ben’ soon.”

Money Matters: Contributions were solicited for the American Druze Cultural Center in Eagle Rock. About $20,000 was netted.

Also Quoted: “In Los Angeles,” said Peter Sellars, “Halloween is not the exception, it’s the rule.” Then he paused, looked toward the house and added, “Look, now the cows are dancing.”

John Adams, Are You Listening? Asked if he’d be making the Thomas confirmation hearings into an opera a la “Nixon in China” or “The Death of Klinghoffer,” Sellars said, “I’m afraid so. It already was (an opera), but it will be again.” It’s hard to tell if he was kidding.

Most Overdone Costume: Prison inmate. “This year they’re convicts,” said one observer. “Last year they came as commodity brokers.”