On Rodeo, Celebrity Gridlock

THE PREMISE: “Tribute to Style, the Millennium Exhibition and Concert,” a $1,000-a-head open-air charity gala on Rodeo Drive, featuring a performance by Andrea Bocelli.

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REALITY: “I’ve never seen Rodeo Drive without cars. It’s great,” says Olivia Newton John, who came to pay homage to fellow vocalist Bocelli. The famous thoroughfare is chock-full of stars and luxurious merch--well, even more so than usual. On display, a $1.9-million Bulgari tiara, plus one-of-a-kind creations by chez Gucci, Dior, Escada et al to be auctioned off. Farther along, giant buffet pods burst with rack of lamb, skirt steak, herb-crusted salmon and an ocean of Absolut to wash it down. Finally, at the south end, a performance by Bocelli, who dedicates his last number to platinum-haired Elizabeth Taylor, sitting in the front row. The skies threaten, yet this outdoor fiesta has no contingency plan in the event of a downpour (although each guest is issued a super-soft white lap blankie). “I guess we’d all go into Bijan,” Martin Landau says. “I don’t think he’d welcome everyone coming in, though. You have to make an appointment.”

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WHOM ARE YOU WEARING?: The event raises $760,000 for the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s arts education fund, which supports inner-city arts programs through the California State Summer School for the Arts, Teach for America and MOCA. But this is really an opportunity to come out and look fabulous, and the street is choked with actresses, designers and models doing just that. Natalie Cole in Chanel. Bai Ling in Cavalli. Paulina Porizkova in Escada. As Jennifer Tilly says, “Every great civilization is judged by the art that comes out of it, and I think in the modern age, it’s all MTV, so it’s really important that children learn about singing and painting and what have you. That said, I’m here to show off my dress.” Jennifer Love Hewitt’s rhinestone-studded black velvet Escada creation causes everyone to see double, probably because she takes a second trip down the red carpet. “Yes, that was very uncool,” she admits. “But I arrived too early.” --Mark Ehrman

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CELEB QUOTIENT: The mayor, the models, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.*

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WOW FACTOR: Jewels, dresses and Bocelli sans Celine Dion.

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CHOW LINE: “What, no cappuccino?” complains one spoiled ingrate. Otherwise, a delicious horn of plenty.