An Evening of Schlock for Lounge Set

Attention, all scenesters: We know Hollywood’s been dead lately, but this old town can only stay down for so long before the Next Big Thing emerges from the underground and kicks some serious bootie. Until then, let’s make the best of what we’ve got. As always, if you seek in L.A., ye shall find something worth doing. Something like the wonderful theme party that promoter Stephen Noriega has concocted for Sunday evening: the Chase Lounge, which occurs upstairs at Cava, a restaurant located in the Beverly Plaza Hotel.

When Noriega came up with the idea a few months ago, he wanted to toy with the current popularity of all things lounge by creating a space that boosted the schlock appeal of lounge music, lounge wear and lounge-abouts.

Who better to put the finishing touches on such a concept than the high priest of lounge, deejay Sen~or Amor? The music he spins makes the two-room dining area feel intimate and cozy as smoke pervades the air and people get down to the fine art of mingling.

Sen~or Amor is L.A.’s original vinyl lounge lizard, and his selections remain unique. His signature style is to take popular singles from the ‘60s and find some unpopular versions--for instance, he’ll combine authentic hits by such artists as Lulu and Petula Clark with a horrible Jim Nabors rendition and schlocky TV theme songs. That makes the Chase Lounge a veritable “Jeopardy!” for the lounge set. Where else can you hear Tom Jones absolutely ruin “Proud Mary” or a not-in-his-prime Frank Sinatra crooning “Sweet Caroline”? By the end of the evening, Ol’ Blue Eyes has proven prescient: Good times never seemed so good.

* Stephen Noriega’s Chase Lounge, upstairs at Cava, 8384 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood. 21 and over, no cover. (213) 658-8898.

*

Club Buzz: New Wave City, a roving, ‘80s-themed dance club, is scheduled to celebrate both Simon Le Bon’s birthday and Halloween on Friday at the Martini Lounge in Hollywood. Celebrants are encouraged to sport “New Romantic” or any other ‘80s attire. . . . The glammy dance club Cherry (at the Love Lounge in West Hollywood) also plans to spook out on Friday for an early Halloween party: Dubbing the night “Gravediggers Ball,” promoters promise dead rock stars will be rising from their graves.

* New Wave City, (213) 694-1866. Cherry, (213) 896-9099.