Tinsel Downtown: LA's Core Starts to Show Some Star Power

Hard to blame her, since celebrities used to seem out of place downtown. There was no shortage at this party, and more are coming through with each blockbuster event.

For a city that lacks a center, downtown continues its plucky renaissance that started about a decade ago with the construction of Staples Center. The area immediately around the arena has seen steady growth, and will even host a major movie premiere next month when the adjacent LA Live uberplex welcomes the stars of Sony's 2012 and assorted gliterati. According to local experts, downtown's resident population surged from under 29,000 in 2006 to over 42,000 this year. That's a small number compared to the 12.9 million that live in the greater LA area, but it's a noticeable change for the 65-block heart of the megalopolis.

The Vibiana, across the downtown skyline from Staples and LA Live, sits in a district better known for decent hipster bars, good Japanese restaurants, and a bad case of urban blight. "I've never even heard of Los Angeles Street before," admitted one reporter as he waited for his next soundbite. An ambulance siren sliced through the small talk and a Sheriff's Department bus carrying inmates rumbled past the valet line.

Before the event, a wall of about three dozen reporters and photographers lined one side of a velvet rope. Blackberries were checked compulsively -- well, maybe just mine -- as 60 feet of red carpet on the other side sat empty, anticipating a parade of pricey shoes with names I can't pronounce and don't care to. Perhaps that says something about downtown's residents -- myself among them -- most of whom will still blank when asked about Blahniks and choke when asked about Choos.

Branson, not exactly the world's most subtle billionaire, snuck in the front door a few feet from the media, who were staring intently at their tip sheets and buzzing about the famous people who were expected to attend.

And they say Hollywood people are oblivious.

The event's host would eventually circle back around once more people had arrived. Sharon Stone made a couple passes down the red carpet and still managed to skip most of the microphones. Celebrities downtown -- they're just like celebrities everywhere else.

The queen of the evening was The Sir's mom, Eve Branson, who looks better than you might expect from Lindsay Lohan in about five years. Eve is such a charming and spry octogenarian. She plays golf, swims, and, well, OK ... she seemed nothing like Lohan, who was also on hand. Explaining her son's genetic predispositions, the philanthropist is looking forward to flying into outer space next year, her 86th. When I introduced myself she remarked, "Hello Adam. My name's Eve. We're going to get together." I would rather date her than Lindsay.

Inside was a strikingly beautiful event, filled with quintessential Hollywood -- or perhaps LA -- moments. Paula Abdul's publicist shooed away drunk fans with digital cameras. The unexpectedly-tall ShamWow guy held court with Slap-Chop aficionados. Another commercial star, Men's Warehouse President George Zimmer, was occasionally confused for the Dos Equis spokesman. Apparently that happens to him pretty often, and he takes it in stride. If you're going to be mixed up with somebody else, it may as well be the Most Interesting Man in the World.

Live and silent auctions raked in cash for the cause, including $50,000 from a man who won the right to name one of Virgin America's planes and $10,000 from a man who won the right to take two airline's flight attendants out on a date. It would include "every naughty, dirty ... Virgin Atlantic story you ever wanted to hear," promised the auctioneer.

Perhaps the winner was the same gentleman who, denied a drink when the courtyard bar closed, offered to tip a thousand dollars -- fully aware that there was an open bar just inside a nearby door. "Let's see the cash," joked the bartender. He demurred once the customer pulled out his wallet and started counting hundred-dollar bills.

There was a sizable contingent of young ladies wearing curve-hugging flight attendant outfits. It wasn't an early Halloween costume, though a number of guys were actually wearing Richard Branson wigs with their tuxes. Look out for an upcoming reality TV show called Fly Girls and you may see some footage from this event.

Plenty of other celebrities and so-called celebrities filled the room. Some chatted about coming downtown with varying degrees of interest. Kristin Cavallari, who puts an MTV face on local places like "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills," thought hard and eventually had nice things to say about the Standard Hotel. Nice views, but I haven't seen a hot girl there since the USC crowd abandoned their rooftop bar a few years ago. Her publicist, after thinking back on an event they had attended downtown several months earlier, desperately signaled for me to wrap up the conversation.

Daisy Fuentes, who also found it a bit bizarre to wrap up her red carpet tour with a question about neighborhoods, practically gushed about some of the things happening in the area. "I was here a couple of weeks ago for an event during fashion week. I'll be back tomorrow for the Michael Jackson movie premier." When she first moved to LA fifteen years ago, Fuentes couldn't think of a reason to come downtown unless it was to work in an office building. But now? "I think it's a great part of town that's really been underused ... it's really come a long way."

As downtown continues to search for its true identity, it's certainly becoming more than a place to film car chases. The Nokia Theater draws awards shows like the ESPY's. Serious culture finds an old home at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and a new one at Disney Concert Hall. And while this wasn't the first red carpet event for the Vibiana, it remains one of downtown's vastly under-utilized treasures.

"You can't find a venue like this on the west side," observed Tim Souris, who chaired the event committee for Virgin Unite. He had spent months looking all over the LA basin. "We wanted something special."

That's exactly what he got. And for a few hours, so did downtown.