By Dana Miller

I had a total blast the other evening at Spago in Beverly Hills at a bash celebrating Larry King's 20th anniversary at CNN. It was that rare mix of old and new Hollywood coming together for a glam evening out. My former neighbors, Rick and Kathy Hilton told me way too much about daughter Paris' dis-engagement. Rod Stewart was toasted, and Clay Aiken (we call him Gay Aiken in my household) has hair now that makes him look like a white Johnny Mathis. If you don't know who that is, it really doesn't matter. Suffice it to say it ain't a compliment. Billowing comes to mind and, frankly, billowing never comes to mind. Not a good look at all. ... Rose Marie from the old Dick Van Dyke shows was there as well, still wearing that damn black bow in her hair. I wonder if it's the same one. ... I love the old girl. She is a real dame. I told Kathy Griffin I was sorry about her marriage breaking up to which she introduced me to her husband and said, "We don't know what we are doing." And in the strange moment column, star attorney Mark Geragos (Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson) was like a rock ... gawd at the party. People were literally fawning over him. It was damned repulsive. While former, and apparently fading, ... star attorney Robert Shapiro (O.J. Simpson) pretty much stood by himself the entire evening. What a strange town this is. And Larry? Well, he is a muppet. Remember the old coots in the balcony on The Muppet Show? That's Larry. $14 million a year and he never reads a bio or a book before an interview. Gotta love that job!

Tab Hunter has a new book outÑTab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star. It's a fun romp well worth the price. ... However I shall never be able to erase a certain Tab visual out of my head. One drunken night in Santa Barbara we oddly found ourselves in the same cottage. Thankfully there was someone younger and more nubile there who grabbed Tab's attention. Asleep on the couch dreaming of pussycats ... I was suddenly awakened in the wee small hours by a naked and fairly swollen Tab on a mission in search of lube. In the welter of brazen and fairly crooked perversion and thinking quickly wanting to avert any actual involvement, I towed him to the kitchen and handed him a slab of butter. He smiled that million dollar smile and off he went to pound the twink via Land O' Lakes. Since that night, I have always preferred I Can't Believe it's Not Butter on my biscuits.

Another book out worth reading just for fun is Juicy, written by the ex-wife of baseball great and steroid superstar, Jose Canseco. I hung with Jessica Canseco the other day. She is totally hot. Met the star when she was 19 and a server at Hooters. Jessica has great stories. Apparently Jose has a huge dong and tiny little balls and is basically a pig. I guess steroids shrunk Ôem. Guess that's why he went into baseballÑhuge bat and little balls.

Ryan and I went to the Mark Taper Forum the other night to see a new play by the usually amazing David Mamet. It is titled Romance. What a total let down. I know it was intended as farce, but the gay thread throughout was just not funny or current. We felt as though we were not laughing with the crowd, but rather laughed at. Not a very enjoyable evening at the theater. Strange sensation. Apparently ... Mamet thought that stereotypes concentrating on unhappiness, psychopathic confusion and general dismay is clever. Not so. So not so.

I love that Palm Springs is back. A true sign of that is that the Hard Rock Hotel has been approved to build at the corner of Andreas and El Segundo across from the Spa Casino. Owner Peter Morton always knows what he's doing. Plus a W hotel is after permits, as well, in the same area. Youth is back in the desert. If Daddy Warbucks and the oleanders behind the Desert Palms return, I may just have found heaven.

A buddy of mine, David Reid, is doing something important. AIDSWatch is marking its 10th anniversary this Dec. 1. On World AIDS Day David airs the names of people who have died ... from AIDS-related nonsense. That's it. Simple and damned important. For 24 hours men, women, and children slaughtered by this horrific plague are honored. Do our community a favor and honor those you know who have passed. There is no cost involved. Just go to www.aidswatch.org and click "submit a name." In L.A. it's on channel 25. In West Hollywood it's on channel 6. Please take a moment to honor those gone.

For a couple of years I tried to sell West Hollywood's Halloween Carnaval as a TV special. The William Morris Agency got me into every door of every buyer, but I just couldn't close the deal. I always suspected that it was perceived as "too gay." I have nothing to back this assertion up with, I have just always felt that way. So knowing the premise was sound, I begin pitching New Orleans Halloween. Suddenly the doors flew open. Everyone was interested. How exactly we contrived this metamorphosis nobody seems to know or at least doesn't want to tell. Katrina killed all that but I still can't get it out of my head that maybe gay is still not good in Hollyweird.

I joined in on AIDS Walk Los Angeles for APLA ... on Sunday here in West Hollywood. Something like 25,000 folks showed up to make a difference in the quality of life for men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS. They made a boatload of cash. What a true blessing. This event really touches lives and to see the diversity of the folks who show up always blows me away. The people who walked and the folks who donated are total heroes. So many people care and sometimes we (or at least me) ... lose sight of that. If you ever want or need to feel loved, go to the AIDS Walk. Congrats to all involved.

Over the past month or so I have participated in this issue's Top 20 Gay Power Players column. Last year the brass of this publication left me alone with the feature. This year I was asked to collaborate. I did and for the most part got my way with the suggestions I contributed. These are important folks who richly deserve both the spotlight and our collective applause. You and I should be thrilled with their accomplishments. What a difference a decade or two makes, huh?

This Dec. 11 we will celebrate the 11th anniversary of ... Toy Box Party and I want you involved. And this year, thanks to an angel, it is so damned easy. Jim Murphy of Clear Channel, APLA and Trevor Project fame has offered to basically underwrite the event. What a saint. This is a party where the admission is an unwrapped toy. Last year we gifted nine AIDS service organizations with over 1,500 toys. I want to build the biggest executive committee ever. Here's your deal: It's $25. That's it. Make checks payable to APLA, and it is a 100 percent write off. I list your name on the invite and you ask everybody you know to show up and drink for free. The very first celebrity Santa from 11 years ago will make a grand appearance. Please join the Executive Committee for Toy Box Party 2005. E-mail me by Nov. 11 if you are in with "Toy Box Party," in the subject line. Come on. It's only $25! I can guarantee you that your account in the bank of karma will be rich and full.

See You Out And About

Contact me at Malibudana@aol.com