Hairspray Makes a Splash in Hollywood

12-07-2007 21:16

We got spritzed with Hairspray last night. I, along with a whopping 1,200 or so others, packed the Mann Village Theater for the premiere of Hairspray, the movie adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.Stars like John Travolta, a blond wig-wearing Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Marsden, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Brittany Snow, Allison Janney and newcomer Nikki Blonsky were all there, as were Channing Tatum, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Tucker, Forest Whitaker, Carmen Electra and Hairspray's creator, John Waters (who almost didn't make it because his flight from Baltimore was late).There were giant cans of hairspray and young women dressed in cotton-candy-colored 1960s garb in the lobby to greet guests. As I first told you this morning in my Planet Gossip Now video blog, Ms. Pfeiffer, 49, looks incredible. She wore a simple cream-colored dress with sky-high heels. She was one of the first people to hit the dance floor at the after-party, dancing with a group of kids to "Pretty Woman."Looking better than ever last night was Amanda Bynes. In the past, I've taken Bynes, who plays Penny Pingleton in the movie, to task for some of her less than stellar fashion choices. But last night, she redeemed herself by going soft on her makeup and choosing a summery D&G light green chiffon baby-doll dress.The party, which took place at nearby UCLA, felt like a '60s-era high school sock hop (Hairspray takes place in 1962). The menu included hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans and even Frito-Lay corn chips. Stylists at a hair station gave party guests beehives and updos. There was no gift bag, but I did go home with a can of—what else?—hairspray.As regular readers of my column know, I couldn't wait to see this movie. And I'm happy to report that I loved it.