The Seen: Sugar Coated

Wallis Annenberg threw open the doors of her Century Woods enclave for pal Candy Spelling to celebrate the publication of Spelling's new light pink tome Stories from Candyland: Confections from One of Hollywood's Most Famous Wives and Mothers. The host averted looky-loos from the top half of her luxe condo by having performance artists String Theory block the stairs with corseted dancers and musicians plucking oversize harp strings strung obove the upstairs entry. A limber dancer performed on the small balcony that overlooks the courtyard. "Somebody is sitting there," Don Rickles said gruffly when I went to perch with my petite bottle of Moët (complete with sippy funnel, which made it too easy to go down). Then he smiled. "I'm kidding--sit." Serves You Right (great name) catered the affair, and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and City Controller Wendy Greuel stopped by to eat and chat. Annenberg's pad is filled with striking photos (no wonder she opened the Annenberg Space for Photography—she needs more room for her collection). There's a great snap of Chet Baker by William Claxton in the study, but I don't know if I'd want a naked picture of Selma Blair in my dining room. A flat screen with a slide show of Spelling's life with her late husband Aaron played in the study and the author signed books for well-wishers.

Photos courtesy of Scott Downie/Celebrityphoto.com