SOCIAL CLIMES / THE OSCARS : NICKY BLAIR’S : Keeping It All in the Family

The Scene: Nicky Blair’s, where the ladies room was crammed with sleek blonds squealing about the big-name producers, executives and stars cramming the restaurant to make sure they could backslap the night’s dual winners, Clint Eastwood and the Warner Bros. brass.

Who Was There: Roger Moore, Ismail Merchant and James Ivory with Vanessa Redgrave, Liza Minnelli, Richard Harris, Morgan Freeman, Howard Koch, Sr. and Jr., Emma Thompson and producer Al Ruddy. The last time Eastwood went to the Academy Awards 20 years ago, he handed out the best picture award to Ruddy for “The Godfather.”

Quoted: “At first Clint said he didn’t want a party,” Blair said. “He said, ‘What if I lose? I’ll be embarrassed.’ I told him, ‘Then they’re not your friends.’ So we had one.”

Joy Factor: Astronomical. Eastwood has been at Warner Bros. forever, and the room exploded when best director was announced. “It feels as if my brother had won,” said chairman Bob Daly.

Focal Point: Eastwood made the rounds with a bemused look. “I feel fine, but it’s nerve-racking,” he said. “When they made the announcement, everything went out of my mind.”