Hail, Hail Crowe’s Rock ‘n’ Roll

The “Almost Famous” premiere on Tuesday at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood surely offered a few things to crow about. To be precise, a Counting Crow, a Black Crowe and Sheryl Crow helped celebrate writer-director Cameron Crowe’s open-hearted love letter to rock ‘n’ roll.

And how sweet it was. Such proud moms were in attendance as Goldie Hawn, whose daughter Kate Hudson plays a dead-on rock ‘n’ roll Betty, despite admitting she’s never lived the rocker vida loca (perhaps it’s in her blood), and Cameron’s mom, Alice Crowe, who says actress Frances McDormand nailed the part of the film’s overprotective mother except for one thing: “She’d never walk around barefoot.” You know moms: sticklers for doing things right.

So they probably appreciated the simple efficiency of the post-screening party. DreamWorks Pictures, which hosted the affair, went way modest. The only rock ‘n’ roll thing about the party was the piped-in music: a cool blend of Iggy Pop, Cheap Trick, David Bowie and Heart (Crowe’s wife, Nancy Wilson, scored the film).

So what? The ample open bars and tasty food, provided by La Cuisine, were enjoyed in an atmosphere that allowed all guests an opportunity to mingle comfortably.

Crowe, who based the film on his experiences as a teenage rock scribe, set the warm tone, meeting and greeting each guest as they came out of the theater and being sure to introduce Mom. Now, that’s a nice boy.

This being a turnout for a rocker film, the smoking section was the biggest hit: Caught in nicotine huddles were Hudson, Chris Robinson (of the Black Crowes), singer Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows), Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kurt Russell, Peter Frampton (the film’s technical consultant), actor Breckin Meyer and actress-rocker Pauley Perrette, who plays a deejay in the film and offered the best summary of why the night felt so right.

“It’s rock ‘n’ roll and Cameron Crowe,” she said. “What’s not to love?”