SOCIAL CLIMES / THE OSCARS : EL RESCATE : A Good Cause for Celebration

Now in its fifth year, El Rescate’s annual Oscar night party at the Maple Drive restaurant is no longer the only socially conscious Oscar bash; in the words of honorary chairman Esai Morales, it has become “an industry tradition.”

The group, which provides legal, social and advocacy services to Central American refugees, had a host committee this year that included eight Academy Award nominees--directors Jonathan Demme, Ridley Scott and Oliver Stone; “Thelma & Louise” screenwriter Callie Khouri, and actresses Laura Dern, Juliette Lewis, Mercedes Ruehl and Susan Sarandon.

Chairman Patrick Lippert concocted a smooth evening that never strayed far from the cause. When the show went to commercials, monitors switched to informational videos about El Rescate and Central America.

The evening also featured a musical set by the group Sangre Machual as well as performances by Deborah Harry and Brenda Wild. It was underwritten for the third year by Reebok.

El Rescate, like the other Oscar parties, is more about eating and chatting than watching the telecast. The crowd, however, went crazy when Khouri collected her statuette for writing “Thelma & Louise” and stayed jubilant as “The Silence of the Lambs” cannibalized its competition.

Star watching was slow during the ceremony itself. The bigger celebrities on hand were Molly Ringwald, Lainie Kazan, Rafer Johnson and Jacqueline Stallone, and, after checking them out, the crowd got down to appreciating the buffet of lamb, swordfish, ratatouille, turkey sausage, wild rice and fresh asparagus.

Security was heavy, and in some cases heavy-handed, particularly when the show was over and the limousines began rolling up, discharging attention-getting guests like Michael Bolton, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Ed Begley Jr., John Lithgow, Pauly Shore, Samantha Mathis and David Clennon.

Many at the Oscar ceremony and the party were wearing red ribbons, symbolizing support for people with AIDS.

Begley, asked about the propriety of using the Oscars as a political forum, said, “The wearing of the red ribbons was in perfect taste.”

Lithgow said he liked “the tribute to Howard Ashman and the red ribbons. Even the demonstrations outside were appropriate. I think most people inside were in sympathy with the demonstrators,” he said, referring to those demonstrating against what they perceive as Hollywood homophobia.

The highlight of the entertainment was Deborah Harry’s turn as a vampy piano chanteuse. Harry purred her way through what she called an “appeteaser” of torch songs, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ” and “Stormy Weather.” By the time she got to one of her own hits, “French Kissing in the USA,” even the waiters had put down their trays to watch.