Electric Moment for Connoisseurs of the Guitar

According to the results of our unofficial survey, you don’t have to play guitar to lust after one owned by rock Olympian Eric Clapton.

“I’m interested in all of them as beautiful objects,” said non-guitarist Jeff Goldblum. “I don’t know whether I’m collecting any, but I’m an adventurous fella.”

That’s our kind of man. On Saturday evening, Goldblum, who played piano Sunday at the Playboy Jazz Festival, was engaging in window shopping of the highest order--a posh party kicking off Christie’s guitar auction to benefit the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol rehab facility on Antigua founded by former addict Clapton. The host was the rocker’s good friend Giorgio Armani, a man so elegant he’s the only celebrity left who’s still universally addressed as Mr.

The supermen of fashion and rock were an irresistible draw to their fans in Hollywood, who turned out in force (as well as Armani black). The hordes included Robert De Niro and his daughter, Drina, Glenn Close, Casey Affleck, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Giovanni Ribisi, Vince Vaughn, Andy Garcia, Rob Reiner, Lauren Holly, Djimon Hounsou and Garry Shandling.

And why not? As Norman J. Pattiz, chairman of radio syndicator Westwood One and a serious collector of celebrity “gee-tars,” put it, “From the birth to the latest incarnation of rock ‘n’ roll, you can probably list all the major players on one hand, and Eric Clapton would certainly be there.”

And for 45 minutes, he was there right in front of everybody at West Hollywood’s Quixote Studios, jamming with Jimmy Vaughan, brother of the late Stevie Ray. It was a rare moment for fans of the reclusive Clapton, but the purpose of the benefit--battling addiction--really struck a chord with him.

“Not a lot of people understand the dynamics of alcoholism and drug addiction,” he told the crowd before introducing Vaughan. “We’re like a different tribe of people. And it needs people that think like me in a crazy way to understand and work with alcoholics. That’s why I’m doing this.”

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Not to sound mob-like, but this year’s Crystal Awards were family business.

The 23rd annual Women in Film event featured one winner, “Analyze This” producer Paula Weinstein, who was a second-generation award recipient (mom Hannah Weinstein won one in 1982). And Paula’s presenter, close friend Jane Fonda, sat just a dais away from her husband, media mogul and environmentalist Ted Turner, who joined Friday’s lunch festivities as the recipient of the Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award.

Of course, as far as Turner is concerned, all the lovely women in the Beverly Hilton ballroom were as good as family to him.

“The only thing I like more than film--well, yeah, I think so--is women. There were men who were mean to me, but my great-grandmother, my sister, my ma, my grandmothers and all my wives and girlfriends have been nice to me. And I’m sure that if I’d know all of y’all real well, y’all would be nice to me too.”

With his money, are you kidding? Congratulations also to Crystal winners Drew Barrymore, Marcia Nasatir and Amy Heckerling.

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With Miramax’s “An Ideal Husband,” Oscar Wilde joins Jane Austen and William Shakespeare on the bunny-hop line of literary greats who are posthumously sporting this town’s version of the golden ring--a comeback.

We turned to ideal Wilde actor Rupert Everett, who was celebrating his part in “Husband” at a packed premiere party at Cienega restaurant in West Hollywood on Thursday. Joining him were buddies Madonna and Benjamin Bratt, who co-stars with Everett in Paramount’s Christmas release of “The Next Best Thing.” Everett, who also appears in the current “William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” made it clear that when it comes to rehabilitated literati, there’s no contest.

“I much prefer Oscar Wilde,” he said. “He’s funnier.”

The evening benefited the Life Foundation, which conducts research on intensive behavioral treatment for children with autism.

Irene Lacher’s Out & About column runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Page 2. She can be reached by e-mail at socalliving@latimes.com.