LA Times - Grammy Parties

The big winners on the post-Grammy party front: the fire marshal, who crashed most of the bashes around town and managed to shut down one, and Macy Gray, the wildly acclaimed soul singer who gave a stunning performance at a private party on the Sunset Strip in the wee hours of Thursday morning. and things were jubilant at the Conga Room, where the man of the moment, Carlos Santana, hosted a private dinner for 125 family members and friends. The intimate gathering included Santana's "Smooth" partner Rob Thomas, Conga Room co-owner Jimmy Smits, Arista Records founder Clive Davis and folk rapper Everlast. The warm mood was capped by a group sing of the traditional Mexican birthday song "Las Mafianitas" for actor Edward James Olmos and Mand drummer Alex Gonzalez, with Santana on the timbales.

With the music industry's strings controlled by just a few puppeteers, the record labels' umbrella bashes-hosted by BMG and EMI were the most opulent. EMI took over the Sunset Landmark (formerly the Hollywood Athletic Club) and transformed the spacious nightclub into a Buddha-meets -AliceÐin-Wonderland-at-a-rave scenario.

The entire affair was surreal: From the ever-trippy Perry Farrell deejaying a vicious worldbeat confection with belly dancers draped in sparkly garb gyrating before him, to the celebrities floating through the crowd. Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit powwowed with Dr. Dre, who was ecstatic over Eminern's wins. MTVs Tom Green, the epitome of dazed and confused, was still reeling from a skateboard accident that occurred an hour before he arrived.

Even more notable than the celebrities, however, were the behind-the-seenes Hollywood club heavies, who rarely congregate in the same place and time (forming a who'swho-in-Hollywood huddle were Joseph Brooks, Sal Jenco, Mark Kates, Jon Sidel and Sean Mace-their credentials are too extensive to list, but they pretty much run the Htown shuffle). until the fire marshal came 'round midnight and shut the BMG gala down, the mondo company was hosting an equally surreal affair at Quixote Studios in Hollywood. The event conjured up the look and feel of the Asian underground, with gloved hands, serving a buffet through incubator-like openings, and waiters using rickshaws as food carts.

BMG, which took home 24 Grammys, could afford to pull out the stops. Guests included Grammy winner Christina Aguilera, Melissa Etheridge, Howard Stem and Courtney Love, who was chatting up songwriter hit machine Diane Warren and palling around with party girl Bijou Phillips.