TINSELTOWN SPYWITNESS.

Byline: Jenny Peters

COURTING DONATIONS: "It's outrageous that we don't make even more money for the kids than we do at this thing," Lakers coach Phil Jackson shouted over the din at the 3rd Annual Los Angeles Lakers Casino Night. And with all the millionaires in the room - the Hangar, that is, Barker Hangar in Santa Monica - one would think the charity gambling party would virtually fund the Lakers Youth Foundation and the 30 children's charities that it supports.

"We haven't raised a million dollars at one of these yet," Jackson continued, but it sure isn't for lack of trying.

Transforming the Hangar into an imitation of the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Vegas (one of the evening's many sponsors), the Lakers organization offered table gambling (with winnings given out in Laker merchandise), Bingo, a live auction, and a celebrity poker invitational hosted by Bodog.

Plus, there were all those famous Laker players to meet and greet, including great old superstars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson and newer talents including Smush Parker, Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown and Kobe Bryant, who brought his extremely pregnant wife, Vanessa, and a couple of burly bodyguards.

The rich and famous were everywhere, mostly sans bodyguards (although Phil Jackson had two of his own as well), from Paris Hilton along with her parents Rick and Kathy to Marcia Cross, Josh Duhamel, Regina King, Jeremy Piven, poker shark Jennifer Tilly, Dean Cain and of course, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and daughter Jeanie.

We also spotted Greg Germann, Penny Marshall, Bai Ling and "24" hottie Roger Cross at the celeb tables, but no word as to who came away the biggest winner. Of course, the real winners of the night are the needy kids who will benefit from the Lakers Youth Foundation's influx of cash.

YOU CAN LEAN ON HER: Looking at Nancy Davis at her "Lean on Me" book launch party at Norman's restaurant on Tuesday night, one would never know she had a care in the world. Relaxed and sophisticated in a low-cut black dress set off with her own Peace and Love diamond jewelry and surrounded by a who's who of Hollywood well-wishers, it was hard to see any of the effects of the multiple sclerosis she was diagnosed with 14 years ago.

"That's because I used the steps outlined in the book. I figured out how to take those steps and learned how to navigate the health care waters, and I gained my health back," Davis said. "It's the book I wished I could have bought 14 years ago."

Offering a system for coping successfully with MS (or any other life-threatening disease) is what the book is all about, and part of that system is having friends to lean on. Davis, the daughter of billionaire oil baron Marvin Davis, certainly has tons of famous ones.

There was Ed McMahon at the bar; Bill Maher deep in conversation with Nancy's mother, Barbara; Anne Heche hanging on to husband Coley Laffoon; and power couple Steve and Jamie Tisch. Fellow author Jackie Collins made the scene, as did Lisa Rinna, Natalie Cole, Tom Poston and wife Suzanne Pleshette, and schlumpy Jon Lovitz.

Davis' three grown sons, Brendan, Jason and Alexander, turned up to cheer on their mom, too, as did Tom Arnold, Brenda Richie (Nicole's mom) and Candy Spelling (Tori's mom).

Davis' book is written for anyone diagnosed with a major illness, but what about that person's friends and family, who are also affected? For them, there's Jana Carrington's new book, "A Touch of Hope: A Caregiver's Survival Guide," written to help those who are faced with caring for a seriously ill loved one (available at www.caregiversurvivalsite.com).

Seems a perfect companion to Nancy Davis' tome, two books that together mean empowerment even in the face of scary illness.

HELPING HAND: "FINCA is an amazing organization that is bringing empowerment to people around the world, and especially to the poorest women in the poorest countries," Rebecca De Mornay said Tuesday night, explaining to a well-fed crowd their reason for being at a pre-opening party of the restaurant Bridge in West Hollywood.

Kind of ironic, really, that the party was filled with women who have earned millions - stars like Lara Flynn Boyle and Julie Delpy lent their support, along with actress- turned-director Penny Marshall - but who better to give back some of that cash to women looking for a $50 loan that can change their lives? FINCA, the Foundation for International Community Assistance, has been privately changing the world for more than a decade, according to founder John Hatch, quietly helping millions pull themselves out of destitution by providing business loans to the neediest people in the world's poorest countries.

"We're going for the total eradication of poverty by 2025," he said hopefully, drawing applause from the well-heeled revelers. Even Harry Dean Stanton stopped smoking for a moment to cheer on that idea. He was settled in Bridge's smoking section, part of the new Italian restaurant's sleek modern design that incorporates an outdoor section just for all the actor-smokers that populate this town.

Also spotted enjoying the cuisine (gnocchi, roasted vegetables, lasagna) while pledging some of their hard-earned Hollywood dollars were handsome Charlie O'Connell, "Prison Break" baddie Robert Knepper, Joseph D. Reitman and Rachael Leigh Cook, another famous Hollywood woman who has figured out her finances just fine and is willing to give some back.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) HECHE and DAVIS: Talking books

Chad Buchanan/Getty Images

(2) BRYANT and BRYANT: Out for casino night

Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images