MTV Movie Awards Bow to Teen Culture

The Scene: Saturday’s fourth annual MTV Movie Awards at Warner Bros. in Burbank. If the People’s Choice Awards are the middle America/Barry Manilowized prizes, then MTV’s are the teen-age adrenaline/ode to Sandra Bullock honors. The show airs Thursday at 9 p.m.

Quoted: Quentin Tarantino said he watches MTV “quite a bit. And when I go to Europe, I don’t watch anything but. That and ‘Baywatch.’ ” Commenting on the evening’s significance, he said, “It’s the last awards ceremony I have to do in regards to ‘Pulp Fiction.’ And I won. And I won over ‘Speed’ no less!”

Who Was There: “Young hip folks and people posing as young hip folks--including me,” said one guest. This would be a mix of studio execs, publicists, contest winners and waifs--swarms of waifs. Among the stars were Jodie Foster, Val Kilmer, Eric Stoltz, Chazz Palminteri, Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Bullock, Jim Carrey, William Baldwin, Jon Lovitz and Courteney Cox, plus MTV’s Doug Herzog, Robin Berlin and Judy McGrath.

Why Hollywood Cares: An MTV tie-in pulls teen boys into theaters. Explains producer Joel Silver, whose thriller “Fair Game” debuts in August. “It’s like a hypodermic needle into the heart of our audience--the young, male, action-filmgoer.”

The Decor: Aiming to evoke every B-movie ever made, the party overflowed with wonderful props: a “Miss Saigon”-inspired helicopter floated overhead just past a trio of stuffed blue poodles; a swimming pool with “Beach Blanket Bingo”-style actors was in the center of the room, and first-class seats from an airplane--used by guests for dining--lined one wall. Dominating everything were the blasting music and videos.

Dress Mode: Etched in stone above the entrance should be the words: “Ain’t no spandex tight enough.” One designer put it this way: “It’s about looking like a hooker--’70s hooker, ‘60s hooker, ‘40s hooker--it doesn’t matter. It’s about panty lines.”

Fashion Advice: Resist the urge to wear a cocktail dress with motorcycle boots. “Only do it if you’re dating a Ramone,” said an event staffer.

Dress Trend: Pajamas. Sharon Stone wore silk with gold heels; Dweezil Zappa’s had a prison-issue look.

Overheard: “You won’t believe it! I got a great shot of Cindy Crawford shoving a Rice Krispies treat into her mouth.”