‘92 Was Star-Struck Year in O.C.; More of Same in ’93

Only three days into the New Year and already invitations are arriving for celebrity-centered parties:

* Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra at the gala opening of the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 13.

* Uh-huh man Ray Charles at a benefit for Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach on Jan. 29.

* Laker legend Earvin (Magic) Johnson at a February benefit at Planet Hollywood in Santa Ana on behalf of his AIDS foundation.

If 1992 was the Year of the Celebrity for Orange County society--and it was--1993 will be More of the Same.

Or have you forgotten, that, in February, Elizabeth Taylor swooped into Disneyland aboard a horse-drawn carriage to celebrate her 60th birthday with husband Larry Fortensky plus Cindy Crawford, Richard Gere, Elton John, Shirley MacLaine, Tom Selleck, Delta Burke and a slew of other celebs who came from Tinseltown to participate in one of the Magic Kingdom’s most celebrated publicity affairs?

Trumpet fanfares and flashing strobe lights greeted Liz’s nears and dears, and after some high-style mincing before the cameras, the birthday girl held court at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. The extravaganza was a remarkable tribute to a woman who has not made a featured motion picture since 1980, nor a television role since 1989. Think about it.

Then there was Testosterone Night--a.k.a, the October opening of Planet Hollywood at South Coast Plaza Village. The restaurant’s supernova owners--Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone--schmoozed with Orange County’s wide-eyed and mugged for paparazzi until their biceps nearly gave out.

Also on hand for gaping-at were Stevie Wonder (in a shock-purple chemise), Demi Moore (downright dowdy in a caramel-colored suit), Sean Young and Christian Slater.

When guests weren’t ogling the stars, they were eyeballing the galaxy of movie memorabilia encased in plexiglass on the restaurant walls. Among the breathtakers: the ice pick Sharon Stone wielded in “Basic Instinct,” the Harley-Davidson Stallone rode in “Rocky,” some sparkling drop earrings sported by Madonna in “Dick Tracy” and Darth Vader’s basic black ensemble from “Star Wars.”

“This is a place where people can get close to things they’ve only seen from a distance,” Moore said of the memorabilia. “People look at it, and it brings back the emotion they felt in a movie.”

The party’s highlights: watching Willis play his harmonica and hearing Wonder belt out “High Heel Sneakers.”

And what self-respecting party-watcher can forget the July night the Diva restaurant opened in Costa Mesa? It was the celebs--namely “Wayne’s World” star Tia Carrere--that had this crowd humming. In one corner, Carrere tossed her tresses as she talked with her fiance, L.A.’s Roxbury nightclub owner Eli Samaha (they have since married) about the opening of Roxbury South in Santa Ana. ETA: Valentine’s Day 1993.

“This is fab,” said Carrere, who added she would film the sequel to “Wayne’s World” in March.

It isn’t easy building a party around the promise of a celebrity appearance. But Master Chorale did it, attracting a solid crowd to the post-performance bash that celebrated the Orange County debut of Paul McCartney’s “Liverpool Oratorio” at the Performing Arts Center in October.

At Diva, McCartney’s favorite Scottish ale was on tap. His preferred all-veggie appetizers were in the fridge. And a piano player was poised to play his haunting composition, “Yesterday.” The former Beatle was a no-show. But the $100-per-person bash went on, with Master Chorale coming out a fund-raising winner.

Interval House, a shelter for battered women, also pulled off a Celebrity Promise. With Carol Burnett billed as honorary chairwoman, the facility got hundreds to buy tickets for its Halloween masquerade gala at the Ritz-Carlton. But at the last minute Burnett begged off, citing business demands in New York.

Show or no-show, 1992 was a star-struck year for Orange County society.