‘Toys’ Premiere Helps Ariel Project

The Scene: Los Angeles premiere of 20th Century Fox’s appropriately named Christmas release, “Toys,” Sunday night at the AVCO Theater in Westwood, followed by dinner three blocks away in a tented UCLA parking lot. Buses ferried guests back and forth.

The Cause: The kid-themed evening (with its 5 p.m. screening) benefited the UCLA AIDS Institute for the Ariel Project for the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to infant, a program of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The Politics: “The new Administration is going to commit to winning the war against AIDS. We never had that. Just having a President speak out honestly about sex, condoms, needle sharing, whatever the issues are surrounding HIV, gives great hope,” said Elizabeth Glaser, co-founder of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The research program is named for her late daughter, Ariel.

Who Was There: “Toys” stars Robin Williams (with wife Marsha), Joan Cusack (with brother John), Robin Wright (with husband Sean Penn), LL Cool J; director Barry Levinson, producer Mark Johnson and production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti; plus new Fox Film president Peter Chernin, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Dustin and Lisa Hoffman, Quincy Jones and Nastassia Kinski, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, Penny Marshall, Twiggy, Peggy Lipton, Joel Silver, plus the evening’s co-chairs, Michael and Judy Ovitz and Sidney and Judith Golub.

Sound Bite: “What’s your favorite toy?” shouted a microphone-wielding television reporter as Bening and Beatty entered the movie theater. The couple was unresponsive.

Quoted: “It was a totally different type of challenge. I had to allow myself to transcend reality, to live in that surreal world and feel that it was home,” LL Cool J said of the difference between rapping and acting.

The Adults’ Movie Review: Kudos for Williams’ and Cusack’s wacky performances and for the film’s astonishing visuals but widespread disappointment with the story.

Several people thought the war-of-the-toys violence made it inappropriate for children. “I don’t even think my grandchildren will like it,” said one woman.

The Children’s Review: The kids in the audience were ecstatic. “I would say it’s a definite movie to go see,” opined Mark Gilbar, 12. Best part? “When Robin Williams was cracking all the jokes,” said Josh Myer, 12.

Triumph: The party was kiddie heaven, a production that incorporated sets and props from the film and food servers dressed in the movie’s toy factory uniforms. Then there was Williams wearing one of his loopy, electronically wired “Toys” coats.

Add to that Along Came Mary’s happy food--roast pork, turkey loaf with mashed potatoes, pizza and a million desserts, including peanut butter pie, chocolate cake and sundaes.