Whoopin’ It Up With ‘Corrina, Corrina’

The Scene: Monday’s benefit premiere of New Line Cinema’s “Corrina, Corrina” at the Mann National theater. A party followed at the Armand Hammer Museum. With the galleries open, it was like attending the most well-catered museum show in history.

*

Who Was There: The film’s stars, Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta; co-stars Jenifer Lewis and Larry Miller; director Jessie Nelson, and producers Steve Tisch and Paula Mazur. Among the 1,000 guests were Liza Minnelli, Christine Lahti, Peter Falk, Leonard Nimoy, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Mark Johnson, Barry Krost, Victoria Lund, David Colden, Verna Harrah, co-chairs Sid and Lorraine Sheinberg, and New Line execs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne.

*

Quoted: “People have been bitchin’ at me for playing maids three times in movies,” Goldberg said. “There’s a reason why people are writing movies about them. These women gave a lot of people their first light of love. Then when they went off to be writers, they wrote homages to these women.”

*

Money Matters: Tickets were $250; more than $250,000 was netted for the Westside Children’s Center. “This benefit provides a major part of our annual budget,” said co-chair Lezlie Johnson. “All this money goes directly to caring for abused children.”

*

Best Squeeze for Cash: In a constantly changing array of voices that included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Groucho Marx, a television evangelist and President Clinton, Robin Williams ran through the theater’s aisles auctioning a Mercedes-Benz S320 sedan. It went to Haim Saban, producer of the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” for $65,000. When Saban asked if he had to pay cash, Williams said, “This is not a Colombian car dealership, man.”

*

Also Quoted: Paula Poundstone on why she’s a foster parent with the Center: “For one thing, there’s no way on this Earth I’m going to birth my own children. The government has actually requested that my family’s genes be ceased.”

*

Dress Mode: The enduring interweaving of casual, after-work and many things black. “I want a six-month moratorium on black Lycra,” one woman said. “This town needs it for its own sanity.”

*

Chow: Buffets from Ambrosia with a 1950s fear-no-fat selection of comfort food. “It’s worth the price of admission to see all these model/starlet types eating macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken,” said a guest.

*

Best Tattoo: Midway up the backs of her thighs, Ray Liotta’s girlfriend, Michelle Grace, had a thumbnail-size heart on the left leg and four small stars on the right. They appeared and disappeared as her hemline rose and fell.

*

Hollywood Logic: “It’s a beautiful, heartfelt movie that’s impossible to sell,” said an industry savant. “It needs to get the critics on board, get good word of mouth, have a decent opening weekend--then it’s got a chance.”