‘Dancing’ Shoes for a New Planet

Supernova Patrick Swayze will come to Orange County to hand over the shoes he wore in “Dirty Dancing” to owners of the new Planet Hollywood, South Coast Plaza.

That was the buzz during Monday night’s sneak-preview benefit staged for supporters of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Orange County. Proceeds were estimated at $8,000.

The restaurant, which is crawling with movie memorabilia (for starters, the rifle Roy Scheider used to dust the shark in “Jaws”) formally opens on Friday when owners Sly Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger launch it with a Hollywood-premiere-style blast.

“Swayze confirmed today; he’ll be here within three weeks for the presentation ceremony,” said Keith Barish, Planet Hollywood chairman. Barish has come from New York (where the other Planet Hollywood sits next to Carnegie Hall) to help oversee the opening. “We plan to have a special activity here every two weeks,” he said.

About 400 party-goers swarmed the bi-level restaurant, which sports an ambience more Hollywood than Hollywood’s. Highlights: a twinkling, light-studded mural depicting the starry streets of Tinseltown (with a blazing Planet Hollywood sign on the hills above); a gory (but “gorgeous,” piped one female guest) life-sized model of Schwarzenegger as the Terminator; the yellow Harley-Davidson Stallone rode in “Rocky”; a replica of Darth Vader, and a tiny model of the spaceship from “Star Wars.”

After arriving at the party, each guest was given $42 worth of play money to spend on food and drink. Fare included turkey burgers and desserts-to-diet-for: crunchy Snickers’ pie and a creamy Oreo Cookie mousse pie.

The club’s hot spot: its dining-

room-within-a-dining room done up to look like the Enterprise star ship from “Star Trek.” Here, guests sat on iridescent leather banquettes and dined at faux black marble tables while the “solar system” danced around their heads. “This is cute,” said wide-eyed Annette Hurwitz.

But the spacey salon was not for Felicia Bukaty. She dined in the tangerine-dream colored main dining room. “I’m no Trekkie,” she confessed.

Lee West, purveyor of Jaguar automobiles in Newport Beach, found the club “entertaining.”

“Great atmosphere. Good food,” he added.

West and his wife, Rhonda, had visited Planet Hollywood in Manhattan only the day before. “I like this one better,” he said. “The New York spot is much smaller and darker.”

The restaurant’s assistant general manager, Craig Gilbert, used to oversee the tables at Antonello, one of Orange County’s power-meal spots. “From fine-dining to this,” he joked. “Fantastic.” (Antonio Cagnolo, owner of Antonello, is a partner in Planet Hollywood.)

Robert Earl, Planet Hollywood president, called the local project his favorite.

“This is much more open than New York,” he said. “There, we were limited by lack of space.” Planet Hollywoods are also planned for London, Cancun, Paris and-- someday --Hollywood.

The good news for party planners: rooms in the facility can be used for private parties and the restaurant plans to coordinate its celebrity appearances with benefits for local charities.

Overheard: “Find a charity for the Patrick Swayze appearance!” (Barish to Frank DiBella, president of Planet Hollywood, South Coast Plaza).

Paul McCartney update: Still no confirmation on whether Paul McCartney will attend the party planned in his honor following the West Coast premiere of his “Liverpool Oratorio” Saturday in Segerstrom Hall. In fact, insiders are unsure whether McCartney will attend the concert.

“He is in London working on an album and we got a call telling us to save the eight seats he has reserved,” says a spokeswoman for Master Chorale, organizer of the concert. “But they won’t confirm either way.”

The post-concert bash will take place at Diva restaurant, where guests who have paid $100 each will sip champagne, dine on desserts and, they hope, rub elbows with McCartney.

Hope springs eternal: After two years of being a no-show at the tourney that bears his name, Bob Hope showed up on Monday at the Bob Hope and Dr. Howard House golf tourney held at the Santa Ana Country Club. The tournament benefited the Children’s Center of the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. Ralph Rodheim was tournament director. Gloria Osbrink is president of the event. Marion Knott Montapert was honorary chairwoman.