PARTY LINES: `WOMEN OF ACTION' INDEED.

Byline: Barbara DeWitt

Talk about a power lunch.

At Israel Cancer Research Fund's annual luncheon, aptly called ``Women of Action,'' the ballroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel was filled with women (and a few men) who are usually too busy to ``do lunch.''

Some came to see their friends and co-workers recognized for their contributions to humanity. Most everyone came to hear U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer give the keynote speech.

And all came to help raise money - $200,000 in all - for cancer research.

More than 500 guests dined on a ladylike menu of gazpacho, chicken salad and apple tarts planned by chairwomen Dorothy Chilkov and Sue Leveton. Over the meal, many talked about the recent shooting at the North Valley Jewish Community Center, a subject Boxer also addressed.

She called it an apparent hate crime and told the crowd that she was ``absolutely committed to seeing that this coward gets the strongest penalty prescribed by law.''

But the main focus of her speech was cancer, a disease Boxer said costs the nation $107 billion a year and takes a tragic toll on families. To speed up the race for the cure, she says she's asked for the doubling of funds for research, commenting, ``We must make a deeper investment ... we need more for our people.''

She added that it takes a little sacrifice so that, in the end, we'll all end up more prosperous.

Loreen Arbus took the challenge.

Arbus, the first woman ever to head programming for a national network (both Showtime and Cable Health Network/Lifetime), producer of the new TV series ``Forgive or Forget,'' and also a professional Argentine tango dancer, was one of the five women honored that day.

First she explained that her father was her role model and, through his kindness to others, she'd learned that what we do for others lives on. Then she gave ICRF a donation of $100,000 to pay for two research fellowships.

Also honored were Dr. Daphne Palmer, a leading expert in radiation therapy at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles; Janice Feldman, a partner in the chi-chi Campanile restaurant and La Brea Bakery; and Hella Fletcher, a recent recipient of the Jewish National Fund Achievement Award.

The Humanitarian Award went to actress Kate Jackson, best-known for her role in TV's ``Charlie's Angels.''

She made a fashionably late entrance in a sleek black Armani pantsuit and talked about her new passion, writing for short films. Her current project is called ``Climax,'' and she describes it as ``a funny little story about a gangster.'' There's also some buzz that she'll be appearing in a new Aaron Spelling series called ``MOW.''

Meanwhile, Hollywood still hasn't hired an actress to play Jackson's part in the film version of ``Charlie's Angels.'' Jackson says she hopes it will be Jon Voight's daughter Angelina Jolie. ``She can do the physical action, and she (her appearance) screams `movie star,' '' she said.

Local members of Fashion Group International had a little show-biz soiree of their own at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, where they drank Cosmopolitans at the bar on the ``Cheers'' set. (FYI: Some guests whispered that the pink gin cocktail was no longer chic - that it was now so mainstream even people in the 'burbs were drinking it.)

They gathered for a lively discussion about what comes first, movies or retail fashion trends. While the question was never answered, the panel of Costume Designers Guild members and fashion experts shared some office gossip.

Mona May (``Clueless'' and ``Never Been Kissed'') talked about how she admired Drew Barrymore for being a real woman instead of obsessing about getting into a size 2 or smaller dress, how she felt her fashions in ``Clueless'' set such trends that even Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel had them in his show, and how hard it is to explain to a film director just what fashions are hot ... and not.

Betsy Heimann (``Pulp Fiction'' and ``Get Shorty'') shared that Jennifer Lopez has no fear of her body and loved being poured into her clothes. She said fashion trends are often started by movie fans who identify with a character and want to emulate her.

And Albert Wolsky (``Bugsy'' and ``Runaway Bride'') commented that, years ago, actors didn't want to look like everybody else, but now they do because they fear the wrath of the fashion police.

John Eshaya of Ron Herman/Fred Segal stores said sometimes the clothes a star likes in real life end up in a film. For instance, Winona Ryder came in and bought several items and liked them so much that she sent her stylist in the next day to buy duplicates to wear in a film.

And Bradley Bayou, who designed that delicious pinky-peach Cinderella-style gown worn by Geena Davis to last year's Oscars, complained that stylists can be really pushy. He perfers dressing a single actress rather than an entire cast of characters.

Sponsors were Max Factor cosmetics and Rain Vodka.

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Photo

PHOTO ICRF founder Irwin Weinstein and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer.