Singer Raises $500,000 for AIDS Battle

The decor at the In Style/Elton John party at the former Pagani restaurant--red tenting, sisal rugs, Japanese lanterns--was minimalist, but not the guest list.

Musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Debbie Harry and R.E.M. member (and “Being John Malkovich” producer) Michael Stipe helped John raise more than$500,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The location, across the street from the Vanity Fair party at Morton’s, ensured a steady stream of celebrity, and the crowd seemed to metamorphose every hour.

Actors James Woods and Laurence Fishburne, director John Waters, Dwight Yoakam and girlfriend Bridget Fonda, Jon Voight, Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvall were among those who did the celebrity bunny-hop back and forth.

Holding court at a back table, John said he was pleased with DreamWorks’ big win for “American Beauty.” Some other favorites of 1999? “I really enjoyed ‘Being John Malkovich.’ Spike Jonze is just very talented. And that film he acted in last year, ‘Three Kings,’ was just brilliant and, I think, quite overlooked.”

Overheard: When a guest spotted “Who Wants to Marry [and Then Divorce] a Multi-Millionaire?” bride Darva Conger being interviewed by a news crew inside the party, she nudged another guest. “Is that who I think it is?” she asked. “Yeah,” replied a young man. “She’s complaining about her lack of privacy--again.”