Celebrations a Mix of Pleasure and Business

WASHINGTON — Americans think of themselves as a fun-loving lot, but, for many, celebrating the presidential inauguration is serious business.

Two tiers of social events take place here on inaugural weekend.

There are public affairs of the first-come, first-admitted variety. Those include more than a dozen inaugural balls that took place here Monday night. Buy a pricey ticket, don black tie and you’re in.

But the most sought-after invitations are for private parties hosted by corporations that bestow tickets like precious favors to selected guests.

The contrast between the two lends an upstairs-downstairs flavor to the festivities, and it is hard to say which group will take home better memories of the 53rd inaugural.

The dancing audience at a free Grateful Dead concert in a tent on the National Mall on Sunday afternoon would probably not have been eager to trade places with the socialites and power mongers at an exclusive cocktail party at the Four Seasons given by Phyllis George and local social leader Buffy Caffritz.

One reason: Guests at such quasi-social private events were mixing for a larger purpose. As one corporate spokesperson explained: “We’re looking for some public recognition and some buzz for the company.

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“But more significant for us is creating an environment where the people we deal with on Capitol Hill can come together with some of the entertainers and other people they might want to meet,” he said. “This is all about creating opportunities for people to talk to each other.”

The key ingredient in that soup is the celebrities, because they attract the sought-after crowd. But this inaugural has been star lite.

The explanation for the sparseness of Hollywood types is the one given to characterize the entire inaugural: Because it’s the second Clinton celebration and the Democrats are continuing in power, celebrities and other citizens feel they’ve been here, done this.

In the face of that jaded attitude, sponsors of some of the most glamorous and in-demand events in town, an alphabet soup of corporate America, are doing their best to pump up the volume. Conde Nast Publications and the MTV networks staged the hottest party of the weekend on Saturday night at the Corcoran Gallery, a soaring three-level space where the crowd mingled alongside the museum’s art collection.

“It’s a six-figure investment for each of the two sponsors, and well worth it,” said Paul Wilmot, director of public relations for Conde Nast. “If there are 75,000 people in town for the inaugural and we have the 1,000 movers and shakers celebrating with us, that fits in with the image of our magazines.”

Among those in the crowd were actors Kevin Spacey, David Keith and Jimmy Smits, actress Lauren Hutton, musicians Sheryl Crow and Dweezil Zappa, MTV reporter Tabitha Soren and former presidential hairdresser Christophe.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton dropped by, as did daughter Chelsea, and as the party wound down Chelsea could be found chatting with a few of the stars gathered in a side room.

For a Sunday brunch, NBC brought the cast of “Homicide,” the Today Show team, talk show host Conan O’Brien and his band leader Max Weinberg, and the network’s news stars, from Tom Brokaw to Brian Mitchell. Brokaw attended Newsweek’s cocktail buffet later that day, another mix of media heavies and politicians.

Observing actor Kevin Costner shake hands with Secretary of State nominee Madeleine Albright, NBC commentator Tim Russert said: “Only in America.”

Unless you’re Costner, arguably the biggest star in town, navigating the exclusionary party scene in Washington is best done with an appetite for abuse.

MCI supported a Rock the Vote voter registration project last year and celebrated the success of that effort with a Sunday night party at a cozy Southwestern restaurant, Red Sage.

Even guests holding invitations and confirmation numbers had to wait behind ropes in the cold before being admitted. The fire marshal bogeyman was blamed for the delay, but the difficulty of getting close to the trays of oyster and spinach flautas only seemed to enhance the party’s desirability.

Among the luminaries: Costner, Keith, Smits, singer Michael Bolton, and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.

The official Inaugural Ball, attended by the president, used to have that kind of cachet. Not only has the number of official state balls grown to 14 but anyone who wants to rent a hall can call their wingding an inaugural ball.

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Walking through the more populist parties can be akin to wandering into the wrong high school reunion--you’re surrounded by lots of well-groomed people, none of whom you recognize. Not surprisingly, the sport of searching for recognizable faces is better played at high profile, more exclusive events.

Sarah Atwell and Alisha Petro, high school students from Monterey, Calif., waited outside Planet Hollywood on Monday for a Kevin sighting. Costner and Spacey were expected at the American Film Institute and AT&T; Corp.’s lunch after the swearing-in ceremony. With 20 other classmates, the girls planned to attend a Close Up Inaugural Ball for 4,000 members of the young people’s political club.