New twinkle on the see and be seen scene

Here’s the deal: If you want to go to the Roof on Tuesdays at the Hyatt West Hollywood, you’d better have wings. If you don’t have wings, you’d better know promoter Michael Sutton. If you don’t know Michael, start working your angles with Steven Harlow, the burly Viper/Dolce doorman who’s got a lock on H-town and who lassos the rope at the Roof.

We recommend you start working those angles early, like 9-ish.

Or there’s always the high-buck way in: dining at Chi, the new tony dim sum restaurant at the Hyatt that boasts Justin Timberlake as a key investor and a frequent diner. But, uh, you might want to start making those reservations now -- like today.

Tell you what, though: This exclusive WeHo hotspot is worth the drama. Because as the world turns on Hollywood nightlife, Tuesdays are now “owned” by the Roof.

Just what exactly is the Roof? It’s the nickname given to a penthouse banquet room that the Hyatt was underutilizing -- until the Davis family got involved. The Davises, a dynasty in Hollywood nightlife (owners of the Gate/A.D./Lounge), took over the food and beverage service of the hotel last year and scored a major hit with Chi, a Dodd Mitchell-designed restaurant that feels like a Hong Kong gangster bar. Albeit, a gangster bar filled with gorgeous Hollywood vixens.

With the nightly success of Chi, it was only a matter of time before they took the party to the roof. Not only is the hotel’s swimming pool adjacent to the top-floor banquet area, but the glass-encased room has a view to die for: a 180-degree span of the hills, the Strip and the ocean beyond. On a clear night, you can see the twinkling lights of Tinsel Town for miles around. All it needed was a Hollywood hipster to get the word out.

Enter Michael Sutton, an actor, filmmaker and the same guy who turned the Hollywood Canteen into must-see clubbin’. Sutton, who runs the film company Ardustry Entertainment, has promoted nights at such L.A. venues as On the Rox, Garden of Eden and Bar One for over a decade. He sold the Hollywood Canteen last year after a long run as an “it” spot. As an actor, he made out with Jennifer Connelly in “Inventing the Abbotts” and played daytime soap’s only heterosexual AIDS patient -- Stone Cates on “General Hospital.” Along the way, he made a few friends.

“It all starts with a core group of good people,” Sutton says. “I invite about 200 friends and it usually just blows up from there.”

When your friends include Hollywood actors and musicians, it’s easy to see why.

“Omigod! This is the best place for stargazing,” says Darlene Ortiz, a scenester who never misses a Tuesday at the Roof. “You never know who you’re going to ride the elevator with and who’s going to be bumping into you on the dance floor. It makes things pretty exciting.”

On a recent Tuesday, would-be clubbers were working their angles at the base of the elevator, where it looked like a scene out of “A Night at the Roxbury.” You’d have thought Nokia was sponsoring the event, as guests frantically dialed their cellphones to try to locate partygoers who were already upstairs. Right on cue, enter Paris Hilton and Nick Carter, who were being escorted through the crowd after dining at Chi. Once up the elevator, we spot Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Tyler and Troy Aikman making the scene.

And what a scene. DJ Hier gets the party started with hip-hop, then Penelope Tuesdae takes over. Tuesdae is a rock ‘n’ roll DJ who also does a saucy burlesque routine while she’s spinning. It’s a double-whammy of eye and ear candy. Here’s the funny part, this is happening week after week. The romantic view, the allure of the pool and sublime sounds of hip-hop and rock are too much for scenesters to resist. And the night is adding more history to a hotel already rife with past intrigue.

Originally known as the Continental Hyatt House, it earned the nickname the Riot House after decades of rock ‘n’ roll antics. Led Zeppelin’s drugged-out groupie orgies in the ‘60s combined with Axl Rose’s very bad behavior in the ‘80s cemented its status as a mecca for debauchery.

Now, with this weekly rooftop bash, the next generation of high-rolling superstars is making a scene. Timberlake plans to celebrate his birthday here in coming weeks and Vanity Fair is throwing a bash at the end of the month. By then, the sparsely furnished banquet room where the Roof party is located will have undergone a face-lift and undoubtedly will be in even more demand.

Currently, the Tuesday night scene is guest-list only (although this being Hollywood, hot ladies always seem to be on the list). And to get past that rope, you’ll have to put in some effort. But, hey, it beats staying home and watching E!

*

The Roof on Tuesdays

Where: Hyatt West Hollywood, 8401 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood

When: Tuesdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Who: 21 and older

Info: Reservations required

Contact: For Chi, call (323) 848-3884. For the Roof, send inquiries to theroof2004@aol.com