TINSELTOWN SPYWITNESS.

Byline: Elizabeth Snead

'ROAD' COMPANY: The new Irish gangster flick ``Road to Perdition'' sure seems bound for Oscar-country after Wednesday night's star-studded premiere, held, not coincidentally, in the Los Angeles Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Theatre on Wilshire Blvd.

It felt practically preordained to hold the premiere of this stunningly shot and moving acted period epic, starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law and newcomer Tyler Hoechlin, on a screen flanked by two larger-than-life gold Oscar statues. Oh, and don't forget that the film, a father-and-son tale set in the mob ruled post-Depression '30s, was directed by Sam Mendes, an Oscar winner for ``American Beauty.'' While the New York premiere held the night before featured a few more folks from the film, including Newman, Law and Mendes, the L.A. lite version was not without nutritional value, drawing Hanks, Hoechlin (who had flown back from the Big Apple just for the event) and producers Richard and Dean Zanuck.

Snarfing up Wolfgang Puck pizzas, sushi and kebabs in the prescreening cocktail and buffet dining area were William H. Macy, Harry Hamlin, Mark Rydell, Bruce Davison, Robert Forester and Esai Morales. Mena Suvari looked tres adorable, wearing a sweet strapless chiffon black baby doll dress, catching up with her ``American Beauty'' co-star Thora Birch, sexy in a red Chinese print tight top with a black skirt, standing with her watchful mom nearby. Frances Fisher, Clint Eastwood's ex-love and mother of his daughter, Francesca, looked svelte in head-to-toe black, while talking with statuesque actress/director and former ``Chicago Hope'' star Christine Lahti, clad in a yellow floral silk dress. ``Coyote Ugly'' bartender/dancer Maria Bello was a late arrival, delayed outside posing for photogs in her black silk dress with yellow flowers.

Inside the theatre, Donal Logue, who next appears in ``Confidence'' with Dustin Hoffman, sat with Bill Paxton, next up in ``Spy Kids 2,'' who was sporting his usual premiere attire, a brown corduroy jacket. ``Mulholland Drive'' star Naomi Watts, the Aussie actress who is best gal pals with Nicole Kidman, was the night's sheer delight in a transparent chiffon beige blouse with cream slacks, seemingly thrilled to pose for pix with Hanks.

Lingering in the lobby, David Geffen, sporting a totally shaved head and a Hawaiian shirt, whispered words like ``crazy'' during a brief tete-a-tete with Hanks as they rolled their eyes about the total crash and burn of former CAA uberagent Mike Ovitz. (Psst. Ovitz's wild and controversial claim in this month's Vanity Fair that his career was sabotaged by Hollywood's ``gay mafia'' has tout le Tinseltown talking.)

After the film (and several rounds of applause), everyone piled back out into the night, many heading off to private dinners at Spago's or to drinks at the Mondrian's Sky Bar. But all were clutching the evening's prize, a souvenir graphic illustrated mini-book of the film's screenplay by David Self. Get one of those babies signed by Hanks, Newman or even Hoechlin, and you'll have yourself an Oscar 2003 memento worth a mint on e-Bay.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) HANKS: Road to a birthday.

(2) BELLO: Arriving late.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage