Vision of an ‘Angel’

Wearing a pink shirt and a dark suit, Peter Falk was standing in the lobby of the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles on Wednesday night when someone approached him from behind. Falk, concentrating on a thought, dismissively waved the person away without looking.

“The industry has a number of very gifted directors, extraordinarily gifted guys,” he was saying. “But the truth is, there are maybe only a few genuine original filmmakers.”

“Peter,” the man insisted, prompting Falk to turn around.

It was Wim Wenders, in a dark suit with white angel wings sewn onto his lapels.

“Wim!” Falk cried out, throwing his arms around the German director. “I was just about to say, ‘Only Wim would think of writing a part where the guy wasn’t an ex-husband or an ex-convict but an ex-angel’ “--the role Falk had played in Wenders’ celebrated “Wings of Desire.”

Reuniting star and director was the fifth Filmmakers Alliance gala, at which Wenders received the Vision Award. The event fell on his 57th birthday, and Wenders had just breezed in from a private celebration, landing in the midst of an overflowing crowd.

The evening of independent short films, open bar and free food attracted so many guests that some had to be turned away. As hundreds of people filed into two theaters, about a dozen were left with their noses pressed against the glass doors outside.

Accepting his award, Wenders joked that he was indebted to his German optometrist for his vision, and, in an unusual gesture, thanked not only his wife but also his personal assistant.

Later, interrupting an introduction by FA president Jacques Thelemaque, Wenders apologized profusely for having to leave, as he had to go to his own surprise party.

After the director left, Thelemaque noted dryly, “I guess that frees up some seats for the people outside.”

Party Surprise

Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley surprised everyone by showing up unannounced at Moby’s rooftop party Monday night at the Standard Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. (The party was held to kick off of his Area2 tour, which opened in Irvine on Tuesday.) Cage and Presley had just returned from their secret Aug. 10 wedding in Hawaii and decided to make Moby’s gig their first public outing since the wedding.

They cozied up on a couch next to the DJ to chat with friends, creating a small firestorm in the entertainment media world. “When they showed up, I turned to ‘Access Hollywood’ and said ‘Merry Christmas,’ ” said an event publicist. The couple wouldn’t talk to reporters, but the sighting and video footage of their appearance landed a major scoop for Us Weekly and “Access Hollywood.”

Meanwhile, the competition--People magazine, whose reporters opted to skip the event, and “Entertainment Tonight,” whose reporters weren’t invited--were left scrambling the next morning.

And Moby’s midnight performance? It was almost anticlimactic.

‘The Best Schmooze’

The Carousel of Hope is to charity balls what the Vanity Fair party is to post-Oscar bashes. It’s such a hot ($2,000-per-couple) ticket that this year’s Oct. 15 event was sold out by June. Headliners Sting and Elton John have been booked for more than a year. Jay Leno is the emcee. “And Oprah’s coming out from Chicago, because she loves Sidney [Poitier] and she loves Halle [Berry],” said the event’s host Barbara Davis. (Berry will present Poitier with a special award that was sculpted by artist Robert Graham.)

“I called each person myself,” said Davis. “That’s how I sold it

“This is my child and my life,” she said. “It’s not an ‘event.’ ” The ball moved with the Davises when they moved to L.A. in 1981 after Marvin Davis bought Twentieth Century Fox. (He sold the studio to Rupert Murdoch four years later.)

One of the event highlights is the silent auction that’s held so people don’t get bored, Davis said. There are the usual autographed Laker jerseys, stunning jewels and a dinner party hosted by Wolfgang Puck. Haim and Cheryl Saban are offering a glamorous auction item: a five-night stay in their 12-bedroom, fully staffed “Villa Eden” mansion in Acapulco. Bidding starts at $50,000.

Sighting

Elizabeth Taylor at MOCA after hours last Friday.

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City of Angles runs Tuesday and Friday. E-mail: angles@latimes. com.