THE CROWD:

There is no place in the United States that is quite like the Orange Coast. Yesterday I traveled down Pacific Coast Highway to Crystal Cove to check out the hottest new restaurant on the Riviera. Javier’s opened last week in Crystal Cove and has created a sensation beyond belief. I arrived at 11:30 for lunch and just made it in before the crush.

This is the new place to see and be seen, without a doubt. The recipe for success is simple and evident. The physical plant, which is a stand-alone structure on the Crystal Cove property, was nearly two years in the creation.

It is a stunning design statement, artistically assembled at every nuance and turn, mixing Mexican and Moorish elements in an incomparable atmosphere that makes diners feel as though they have just gone on an exotic vacation.

Javier’s longtime and well-deserved reputation for fine food and service in his former Laguna Beach location has been successfully translated to the Newport Coast destination.

By noontime the crowd was buzzing throughout the restaurant. Javier’s is the hip new hangout.

It’s Oscar weekend, and local charities are clamoring to outdo one another with the best Oscar parties in town. The Pacific Symphony is throwing the big event at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort with a grand gala black tie party calling for Hollywood glamour. That of course is a very tough call considering folks in the O.C. tend to still have some modicum of taste when dressing for an evening.

The Oscar celebration, in spite of everything, does tend to put the best and most creative foot forward in the ever-evolving film industry.

There will be beautiful women and handsome men, many of whom have been graced and gifted with exceptional talent. We mere mortals will gather at parties, turn on the big screen and comment from the sidelines like a color commentator at a football game.

Across town the Center Stage Chapter of the Guilds in support of the Orange County Performing Artscenter will celebrate at the hillside residence of Cliff and Kathy Fleming.

The Flemings are very generous supporters of the arts in Orange County and are preparing “An Evening at the Oscars” with a gourmet buffet dinner, hosting patrons in support of the Center Stage Chapter. Cliff Fleming, a helicopter pilot is also a Hollywood stuntman, actor and director.

This week in Newport the Library Foundation presented Robert Kline for a Wednesday evening confab on the Academy Awards. Kline, a former executive vice president of 20th Century Fox and co-founder of Lifetime Television, is a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and shared an insider’s view of the most watched television program in the world.

The audience was captivated with Kline’s perspective of the politics behind the Oscar nominations and his insights into the stars, directors, writers and producers working in the realm of America’s filmed entertainment.

The super glamorous Jacque Hebner, who defected to Century City, but still maintains close ties to the O.C., is chairing the upcoming Feb. 29 Big Canyon/Spy Glass Hill Philharmonic Committee dinner and fundraiser next week at the Island Hotel, Newport Beach.

The talented David Benoit will present his show following a dinner and auction to raise funds for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. The much-loved Darby Manclark, vivacious Balboa Island and Aspen Colorado jetsetter, will be honored with the society’s award named for the late Kim Grubman.

The Philharmonic Society is devoted to promoting musical programs for Orange County school children. For last-minute reservations or information on the upcoming Feb. 29 David Benoit dinner and concert, call Hebner at (310) 785-3973.

The Assistance League of Newport-Mesa announced their 2008 debutants this week. Seventeen lovely young ladies were applauded at a recent tea held at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. The League sponsors the Medallion Debutant Ball, which is set for July 20 at The Balboa Bay Club & Resort. The ceremony will welcome families and friends as the 17 young women take their bows and are recognized for four years of service to the community through various Assistance League programs.

In a sad note, the passing of Gail Kirwan leaves the Newport-Mesa community with a major void. Gail was above all else, the ultimate lady. Intelligent, artistic, soft spoken and front and center for so many causes, she worked to improve the lives of the many people who she never met through Hoag Hospital, the Orange County Performing Artscenter and many other community concerns. Her husband Roger Kirwan and her children will join with extended family and friends for her memorial service at Our Lady Queen of Angeles this morning. Gail fought a long battle with cancer and never complained a word of her personal struggle. She will be long remembered as a woman of immense character and strength.

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