TINSELTOWN SPYWITNESS.

Byline: Elizabeth Snead and Jenny Peters

A GARBO CENTURY: It's been a hundred years since Greta Garbo was born, and people still just won't leave her alone. In fact, they are commemorating her 100th birthday and paying even more attention to the great Swedish actress Thursday night at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where a packed house of friends and fans were treated to a night of memories.

``Tonight, and in the days ahead, we will be celebrating the centennial of the birth of this remarkable performer, who had a major career both in the silent period and in the sound period. In both periods, she made a unique and indelible contribution to motion picture history,'' said Bruce Davis, executive director of the academy, as the well-fed crowd settled in after nibbling on pecan chicken, shrimp and risotto cakes, and chocolate- dipped strawberries.

Fellow Swede and actress Lena Olin hosted the tribute and proved she's been in the United States for perhaps a little too long, as she flubbed reading some Swedish subtitles from one of Garbo's earliest films, joking, ``That translation was the hardest acting job I've ever had!''

Joining in the celebration - which continues through April 24 with screenings of Garbo's classic films at the James Bridges Theatre at UCLA - were the legendary actress' co-stars Joan Leslie and Cora Sue Collins, as well as film historians and authors Gavin Lambert and Gore Vidal, and fan Rupert Everett. There was even a Bond girl in the crowd, ``Octopussy'' star (and another Swedish beauty) Kristina Wayborn.

Garbo's unique and mysterious beauty and allure were evident as clips from 17 of her films unspooled. For most happy viewers, the event fulfilled Olin's hope for the evening - ``that we will come to know this most unknowable of stars maybe just a little bit.''

MEET THE PARENTS, AGAIN: Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, are planning a last hurrah before the birth of their second child.

The couple is set to stay at a luxury suite at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa for two nights. Their nights will include a couple's massage by the fireplace (pregnancy massage for her, regular for him), dining en suite from the ``Special Cravings'' menu, and watching DVDs like ``Baby Boom,'' ``She's Having a Baby'' and ``Nine Months.''

Let's hope they don't watch ``Look Who's Talking Too.'' That could creep out any new parent.

POT SHOTS: It isn't often that ``smoke 'em if you've got 'em'' is the theme of a Hollywood gala, but then again, it isn't usually a musical satire all about pot smoking that's drawn the crowd. But Showtime's premiere party for ``Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical'' at the Regent Cinema did just that on Tuesday night, as young and old Hollywood turned out for an early whiff of the subversive stage-show-turned-TV-movie scheduled to begin airing on Saturday.

Surprisingly, there was no smoke in the air during the raucous screening, despite director Andy Fickman thanking Showtime head honcho Matthew Blank ``for letting us smoke pot every day on the set!'' But there was plenty of laughter as the diverse crowd - from Garry Marshall, Lesley Ann Warren and Joe Pantoliano, who represented the over-50 set, to 40-somethings Virginia Madsen, Brenda Strong and Mario Van Peebles, all the way to the not-yet-21 Amanda Bynes - roared its appreciation for the decadent satire.

Afterward, everyone followed the film's stars (Kristen Bell, Ana Gasteyer, Christian Campbell and Robert Torti) and trooped off to Koreatown for a slightly naughty party at the gentleman's club Le Prive, complete with ``Reefertini'' cocktails and scantily clad female and male go-go dancers. Co-hosted by the Creative Coalition, the party celebrated protecting America's fundamental freedoms, the ones that ``Reefer Madness'' pushes to the limits - First Amendment freedoms that, as Pantoliano pointed out, need protecting more than ever.

``Right now there's a big thing brewing around the word 'decency'; it's kind of a catch phrase. If you are anti-restrictions on free speech, you are anti-decency. It's kind of a spooky situation, so that's one of our issues right now.''

MEOW, MEOW ... HELLO: Who was the first star at the Kids Choice Awards to grab a free pink and white Hello Kitty cell phone?

No, not Kitty-crazed Cameron Diaz. Her boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, snagged his HK cell before the show in Mattel's Talent Retreat presented by Backstage Creations. But in truth, he picked it up for Diaz, who was busy rehearsing.

All the Kids Choice presenters and winners - including Frankie Muniz, Amber Tamblyn, Alyssa Milano, Jamie Lynn Spears and Paula Abdul - picked up their free phones after the show.

All the gals, including Spears, loved their Barbie Dumps Ken T, Fashion Fever Barbie and Barbie perfume. The buzz backstage was about Paris Hilton's reps bugging Mattel to make a Paris Barbie. The Tinkerbell accessory might be cute, but do moms want their daughters making Paris Barbie sex videos?

``The O.C.'' cutie Adam Brody dug Mattel's Rock'em Sock'em robots. Even Oscar winner Jamie Foxx played the classic 'bot battle game. And he really dug his new Sony T33 digital camera from Sears, as did those Simple Plan rockers.

``Star Wars'' hottie Hayden Christensen was so excited about a year's supply of Willy Wonka candy that he posed with the company's huge promo 16-pound Wonka Bar. Nick Cannon even tried to take a bite out of it! Foxx donated his free year of candy to a charity.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos

Photo:

(1) LESLIE, VIDAL and COLLINS: Honoring Garbo.

(2) OLIN: How Swedish it is.

(3) FOXX and TIMBERLAKE: Bonding over freebies.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

(4) STILLER and TAYLOR: Baby boom.

Evan Agostini/Getty Images

(5) FICKMAN: Did he inhale?

(6) BELL: Smokin' in ``Reefer Madness.''

Steve Granitz/WireImage.com