Soap Opera Update, 1989

Last year's soirée was held at the glassy, classy MGM Atrium and was hard to out-do... but Santa Barbara managed.

The Place : A rented mansion in the old-money, new-fashion Hancock Park section of Los Angeles. The Spanish-style home sported an inner courtyard and swimming pool. Since it was much too chilly to take a dip, the pool was covered with a portable dance floor. Once the music started, the guests who chose outdoors weren't cold for long.

The fare : Inside, the party was a study in gastronomy. First stop : a towering display of raw veggies, dips, cheeses - you name it. Then it was up a few stairs to a table of Oriental goodies - such as California roll and dumplings - plus a cooked-to-order scampi and rice treat. Another room was filled with the traditional turkey and dressing, and the final stop on the food chain left everyone gasping : a huge billiard room filled with an incredible dessert table. There was everything from dip-it-yourself berries, accompanying a vat of chocolate, to individual pastry swans filled with whipped cream.

The entertainment : Because of the arrangement of the house, word has it that everyone kept moving from yummy to yummy all night long.