Viva Las Vegas! And Elvis!

The Scene: The benefit premiere Tuesday at Mann’s Chinese Theatre of Castle Rock Entertainment and Columbia Pictures’ “Honeymoon in Vegas.” At the post-screening party, the film’s subplot about Elvis impersonators was put to fine use.

The Locale: A nearby parking lot was given a tacky Vegas make-over. Down went glitter on the asphalt dance floor, up went Greek statues, a wedding chapel stage and an Elvis shrine for the bar. The crowning glory was dressing a dozen waiters in white, rhinestone-studded, bell-bottom Elvisian jumpsuits embroidered with red eagles. “They’re supposed to light up,” said one waiter as he adjusted his wig, “but we’re out of batteries.”

Who Was There: The movie’s stars, Nicolas Cage, Sarah Jessica Parker and James Caan; writer-director Andrew Bergman; producer Mike Lobell; Castle Rock’s Alan Horn and Columbia’s Mark Canton, plus 1,200 guests--including Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, Arsenio Hall with Maria Conchita Alonso, Roseanne and Tom Arnold, Dennis Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., Kathleen Turner and Patti Davis. “Ask her about family values,” sniped one woman as the Reagan daughter arrived.

New to the English Language: The words We Elvi . As used in the sentence, “Elvis used to put Band-Aids on his fingers in front of his rings,” said impersonator Johnny Baron, “because when he reached out, his fans would try to pull them off. We Elvi don’t have to do that.”

Elvi Advice: Always curl the left side of the lip; the proper hair coloring is Clairol blue-black; keep the microphone in the left hand; the best place to find “Elvis aviator” (or “Shaft”) sunglasses is Memphis, and “you’ve got to be serious to do this ‘cause these suits ain’t cheap,” said impersonator Steve Peri.

Overheard: Being an Elvis impersonator is “one of the few growth industries in this country,” said one studio exec.

Quoted: “When I first read the script, quite honestly I didn’t believe Elvis impersonators existed,” said Caan. “They’re ridiculous on one level, but then they strike me as being very brave people,” said writer-director Bergman. “There’s something semi-religious about this whole Elvis thing. He’s alive. He didn’t die. Dare I say it? He’s like a Christ symbol. People put on these garments and they become him.”

Fashion Statement: El Vez, the Mexican Elvis, came in a gold lame suit accompanied by two back-up singers with flowers in their hair who looked like rock ‘n’ roll Frida Kahlos.

Money Matters: Tickets were $75; $20,000 was netted for the Coalition for Clean Air.

Chow: There was much food. After all, the King had a healthy appetite. The buffet, from Ambrosia, included spareribs, calzone with Italian sausage and crab won-tons.

Tagline: Cage said he’s “thinking about moving on to Liberace.”