‘Friends,’ Yes; Galaxy of Stars, No

The Scene: Monday’s premiere of “Amongst Friends,” a film from Fine Line Features that opens today in Los Angeles. “Amongst Friends” was one of the big hits at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and got director Rob Weiss a deal at TriStar. The screening was at the Hollywood Galaxy Theater, and an after-party at the Hollywood Yacht Club provided a sneak peek at the venue, which doesn’t officially open until the end of August. For those die-hard clubgoers who could afford to stay up all night on a Monday, there was also a private after-after-party at Asylum in Beverly Hills.

The Location: The Hollywood Yacht Club is an enormous space with lots of black lights, video screens, pool tables and a VIP area behind glass. Surfboards hang from the ceilings. The club hired local taggers to decorate the interior walls with spray paint. As the Roxbury tends to draw the “Melrose Place” crowd, the Hollywood Yacht Club could be a set from “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

Who Was There: Director Rob Weiss; stars Joseph Lindsey, Steve Parlavecchio, Patrick McGaw, Mira Sorvino, Michael Artura, Frank Medrano, and Lou Lombardi; guests James Woods, Ashley Judd, Samuel Jackson, Jonathan Silverman and Michael Rappaport.

Dress Code: In keeping with the Long Island wiseguys and wisegals of the film, many of the guests looked like they had just come from Joey Buttafuoco’s wedding or an audition for “Studs.”

Quoted: Said the director’s mother, Lydia Weiss, “I read Rob’s script and my first question was “Where’s my part?” There was no part for her, but she became engaged to actor Michael Artura during filming.

Pickup Line: Said one suave guy to an attractive woman, “Hi. I don’t know your name, but I see you everywhere. So anyway, how have you been?”

Triumphs: With all the money that’s been spent trying to rejuvenate Hollywood Boulevard, it’s nice when a movie company has a real premiere there--and the crowd on the sidewalk certainly loved it. Angelenos may be jaded about these things, but tourists still get a kick out of limousines, red carpets and flash bulbs.

Glitches: An enormous star-studded guest list that turned out to be fiction, wishful thinking or a roster of no-shows. Photographers searched in vain for the big names like Marky Mark, Cybill Shepherd, Jerry Seinfeld, Mike Myers and Bruce Willis.