The Hollywood patina came in the form of ABC's Aaron Buerge of the hit reality series "The Bachelor;" Barret Swatek of "7th Heaven"; Stephen Baldwin of many films; and Bo Derek of, what else, "10." Despite what one would expect, Buerge was not flocked by admiring groupies. Swatek was excited that she will be sitting in the president's box when New York Gov. George E. Pataki introduces President Bush on Thursday. Stephen, youngest of the four Baldwin brothers, arrived with his wife, Kennya, sporting a "Radical Angel" T-shirt. Derek, accompanied by friend Susan Hurley Bennett, remained pretty much to herself, as she usually does.

WABC radio talk show host Monica Crowley was on a high, having come down from her broadcasting perch on the roof of the South Gate Hotel, where she had a bird's-eye view of the protesters, including Michael Moore alongside Jesse Jackson.

Flag-waving boxing promoter Don King is proving to be as omnipresent at this convention as Ben Affleck was at the Democrats' in Boston, moving slowly through the crowd to be sure no one missed him. . . .

Two by Two:

At a less-publicized bash at Elaine's, ever-amusing New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams huddled with proprietor Elaine Kaufman. Keeping good company has always been Kaufman's motto and, judging by the list of bold-faced names, Sunday night was no exception. Guests seemed to huddle in twos: Fox News' Bill O'Reilly with "Fox & Friends" host Edie Hill; ABC's Barbara Walters with NBC's Andrea Mitchell; Washington Times Editorial Page Editor Tony Blankley and U.S. News & World Report Editor at Large David Gergen; Pataki with HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson ; Tina Brown and husband Harold Evans; and Cristina and John McLaughlin of the McLaughlin Group with MSNBC's "Hardball" executive producer Tammy Haddad. . . .

Bowled Over:

Bowling, martinis and scantily clad female acrobats: What more could Republican power players want from a party? The Big Apple Martini Party at Bowlmor Lanes and its upstairs lounge Pressure was the first certified blowout of the convention.

Sponsored by California Republican Rep. David Dreier and Piper Rudnick LLP, the event was All Dreier, All the Time, as an electronic billboard proclaimed "We Like it Dreier," and "Our Convention Party Rules" (a pun only D.C. types would get, as Dreier is chairman of the House Rules Committee). Photos also were projected showing Dreier with a pantheon of GOP leaders, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Dreier and the GOP have apparently forgiven (or forgotten) Geraldo Rivera's on-air faux pas during the height of the Iraqi war. Instead of being accused of giving away troop positions, the Fox News host was positioning himself among the GOP luminaries. Geraldo threw a gutter ball, but Dreier had a pretty good arm.

The security detail wasn't only for security. "Pressure is empty," screamed one party organizer into his headset, referring to the VIP lounge above the bowling alley. "Get Dreier upstairs to Pressure. Make sure everyone sees him go up. Put a lot of security detail and cameras on Dreier so everyone notices him in Pressure."

Like clockwork, minutes later Pressure was the place to be. For good reason: Up in the rafters, fetching women in fishnet body stockings and lingerie performed "silk dancing" - essentially acrobatics using silk sheets - no doubt leaving many slack-jawed partygoers with sore necks Monday morning.

Conservative stalwarts Grover Norquist, Rep. Bill Thomas of California and Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska also appeared, as did actor (and former senator) Fred Thompson and Derek, a longtime Dreier friend. Also spotted: Ike's grandson David Eisenhower.

Kids ruled over at the billiards table, as 13-year-old Jonathan Lipnicki (the little kid in "Stuart Little" and "Jerry McGuire") shot pool with 22-year-old Zachery Ty Bryan (the oldest son on TV's "Home Improvement"). Lipnicki sported some pool hall bling - a necklace with his initials in diamonds.

Host Lally Weymouth, Newsweek's senior editor and diplomatic correspondent and daughter of the late Katharine Graham, displayed some of her mother's aptitude for greeting the famous and politically powerful with aplomb.

Quick on the scene was alluring redhead Georgette Mosbacher, an international entrepreneur and business consultant. Earlier in the day she hosted a very private party at her Fifth Avenue apartment, where former presidential adviser David Gergen and journalist Carl Bernstein sipped champagne.

Barbara Walters moved in an aura of her own, exuding the grace and composure one acquires when you no longer have to prove yourself. Not so for Al Franken. The Air America Radio talk show host had a rude awakening when he approached former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger doing a Kissinger impersonation. Not sure if the latter was offended or just didn't know who he was, but it made for a tongue-tied, gauche moment.

Also present was high-energy New York actor Ron Silver, who has been confounding his Left Coast brethren with his transformation from liberal to centrist/conservative. Former New York Mayor Ed Koch is also jumping sides. The Bronx-born three-term Democratic mayor, who currently writes a political column and hosts a radio show "The Voice of Reason" for WEVD, is rumored to be taking a swing to the right.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich proved he's still a political heavyweight, engrossed in what appeared to be serious discussions with other guests who share his yen for being engrossed in what appear to be serious discussions. Lawyer, lobbyist and former White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray, with his Lincolnesque height, most certainly had the best view in the room. Tucker Carlson of CNN and PBS competed with George Will for best bow tie.

Beautifully paired former Tennessee senator and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson and wife Jeri brought their 11-month-old daughter to the convention (but not to the party). While they divide their time between Nashville and D.C., they are still popular Washington players. . . .

A few awards from the Newsweek bash are in order. Most popular: former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo. Fashion original: New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams in an up-do taking notes. Most handsome: Gov. George E. Pataki. Most energetic: Rima Al-Sabah, wife of Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Most interesting: Former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., on the Swift boat saga. Most aloof: Charlie Rose. Most friendly: Sen. John W. Warner , R-Va. Mostly enjoying themselves: Alan Keyes, Topic A's Tina Brown and talk show host Armstrong Williams. Party pooper award: the Newsweek bouncer, who refused to admit actors Richard Kind and Joe Pantoliano.

Other sightings: Washington's legal power couple Victoria Toensing and Joseph di Genova, Debbie Dingell, Barbara Comstock and publisher John Fox Sullivan. . . .

Jazzing It Up at Time Warner Center

Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. threw a well-orchestrated New York Times meet-and-greet in the stunning new home for Jazz at Lincoln Center (which, oddly, is at Time Warner Center). It was hard to concentrate on people when the structure and décor were so fascinating. Milling around, and probably pushing her book, was columnist Maureen Dowd, whose sharp tongue and wit have kept her in the scribe limelight for years. Charlie Rose, who had a flirtatious interview with Dowd the other night on his TV show, continued the conversation at the party.

Jewelry, Chocolate and Cheesecake

En route to the classy Bergdorf Goodman benefit, comedian Jackie Mason gave his take on the election: "Still trying to figure out which way Kerry is flopping." At the benefit, for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, chocolate wasn't the only attraction. Donor Bo Derek, who came with her friend Susan Hurley-Bennett, turned the otherwise sedate evening into an eye-popping venue. This was good for the men, whose wives and dates were getting into some serious jewelry shopping. Other sightings: Ben Stein and Tommy G. Thompson , secretary of Health and Human Services.

The awards celebrate former lawmakers who had a real impact on doings in Congress and also played active roles supporting freedom of expression.

Actor George Wendt, whose legendary Norm held up one end of the "Cheers" bar on NBC, put to rest any notion that he was there to promote any candidate or cause. "I guess I'm not very politically active," he said. "Conventions are really just info- mercials, which are not very flattering to either party. It all seems so drowned out by distortions." Of the hair-pulling battle between President Bush and John Kerry, he said, "Politicians need kindergarten teachers who break up the squabbling by interfering when it's time to let the other boys have the ball."

Wendt, who had just flown in from L.A., seemed in his element with the news crowd at the event, which included "Fox & Friends" host Edie Hill and Geraldo Rivera. Wendt's grandfather, Tom Howard, was a photographer for the Chicago Tribune.

Not surprisingly, Mike Farrell of "M*A*S*H" fame, an outspoken Bush opponent, had no plans to visit the convention floor. He said it was too bad film-industry colleagues like Ron Silver and Stephen Baldwin now call the GOP home, "but they have to do what they have to do." Another victory for the First Amendment.

CQ President and Publisher Robert Merry played stand-up comedian with an ad-libbed line during his introduction of Houghton. After chronicling the lawmaker's accomplishments, he went on to say that he was proud to present it to the man "I have only known for about 20 minutes, but it was a nice conversation."

Joey "Pants" Pantoliano of "Sopranos" fame introduced actress/author Anna Deveare Smith, who delivered a heartfelt endorsement of the congressman, who has served since 1987 with a compassionate record.

Other sightings: entertainer Joe Piscopo, who is toying with a run for New Jersey governor; Catherine Dent, who plays officer Danny Sofer in the FX drama series "The Shield," actress Illeana Douglas and Giancarlo Esposito of the defunct "Homicide" series and several Spike Lee films. . . .

Gotham

Down the street from the convention, at an event dubbed "Live from Gotham Hall," presidential son Michael Reagan was broadcasting his Radio America show near the edge of the balcony (too near, some thought). Sponsors were numerous and represented the most conservative of the conservatives, including The Heritage Foundation, The Fund for American Studies and publishers Human Events, The American Spectator and Crisis magazine.

That being the case, all the usual suspects were there: Chicago Sun-Times columnist and CNN host Robert Novak; flamboyant and edgy political commentator Ann Coulter; Watergate figure and radio talk show host G. Gordon Liddy; and author and political activist Phyllis Schlafly....

Raw Bar & Smoking

Security at the New York Yacht Club bash for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn, was so tight you would have thought it was Code Red inside. But once they got in, guests gaped at the Gilded Age opulence of the club - whose roster of past commodores is a veritable who's who of the topsider elite - while sipping rare whiskeys, gorging at the huge raw bar and smoking impressive stogies on the roof deck, courtesy of Cigar Aficionado magazine. The event was sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council, the Weekly Standard, the Economist and Roll Call.

Frist stayed only 15 minutes, but that was 15 minutes more than the time put in by Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., when those same groups held a parallel affair at the Democratic convention in Boston. In the NYC crowd: Cliff May, National Review contributor and president of the Foundation of Democracies, Fox's duo Edie Hill and Rita Cosby, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol and columnist David Brooks.