Martinis, Muslin, Music and Money

The Scene: Thursday’s fourth annual VH1 Honors at the Universal Amphitheatre. The concert, which included performances by Stevie Wonder, Prince, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, James Taylor and George Michael, benefited the nation’s beleaguered school music programs. The high-energy show also ran significantly longer than expected. “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing,” was MTV Networks Chairman Tom Freston’s comment.

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The Locale: The martini-fueled after-party filled a white tent the size of an airplane hangar. Acres of fire-retardant pale muslin and a half-dozen chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Booths, banquettes, ottomans and lava lamps filled out the decor. Designer Chris Goldsmith said he was in “tent denial.” “It’s a club,” he said firmly. “The coolest club in L.A. The kind of club that wouldn’t let me in.”

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Who Was There: The show’s presenters included Richard Dreyfuss, Rita Wilson, Sean Penn, David Spade and Alice Cooper. Among the 5,000 at the concert (2,000 at the after-party) were Robin Wright, Heavy D, Ellen DeGeneres, Daphne Zuniga, Meredith Brooks, Rob Friedman, Virgin Records’ Phil Quartararo, Atlantic’s Ahmet Ertegun, EMI’s Charles Koppleman and John Silva.

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Dress Code: Anything black, basic or otherwise. As one woman commented, “You wear color to one of these things and you look like you belong in Miami.” For men, there was the hip exec, black suit with Airwalk trainers style; or the more proletarian Keanu Reeves-in-1950s-Canadian-bowling-league attire. For the women, underwear as outerwear is never wrong. An example would be a slip dress with chunky heels for the ever popular vulnerable-yet-intimidating mixed message.

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Trends: Dennis Rodman is not the only African American male with neon hair. If expansive afros make a big comeback, it’s going to be an awesomely colorful world.

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Money Matters: More than $150,000 was raised. “There are a lot of reactionaries who’d have you believe that arts education means a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit in Cincinnati,” said VH1 President John Sykes. “But the reality is that music education builds brain power. There’s solid proof that math and verbal skills increase with musical training.”

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Quoted: “We’re sending a mixed message to the children,” said Damon Wayans. “On one hand, we’re saying to them, ‘Look at all these famous people who started in the same environment you come from and now they’re a success because of music. On the other hand we’re saying, ‘Hey, we just cut the music program.’ ”

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Overheard: “This is special. We sat right in front of Casey Kasem.”