Midler Tops the Party Chart

NEW YORK —  Charity party-givers are going to have one hell of a time topping Bette Midler’s “Aloha Ball” at the Waldorf last Friday, raising funds for Midler’s New York Park Restoration Project.

There were tiki torches, exotic music, exotic food, T-shirts and grass skirts. But most of all, there was the Divine Bette herself. Before ascending the stage to sing, she circulated like a mad thing, allowing herself to be Instamaticked, Polaroided, mauled, prodded, petted on the cheek (“Oh, you are the cutest thing!”) and otherwise offered up to the terrible volcano gods--all for the continuing beauty of N.Y.C.

Bette’s cause was helped mightily by the incredible Rosie O’Donnell, who did her legendary auctioneer thing: “Hey, Michael Douglas. You don’t give me a final bid here, we can do eight minutes on your butt in ‘Basic Instinct’!” Need we add that Douglas forked over $8,000, pronto? O’Donnell could raise money from the dead. (Somebody paid $30,000 for Bette’s first Dolores Del Lago mermaid outfit!)

Rosie’s date for the evening was her sister, Maureen. The talk-show queen joked, “I think we’re going into ‘Sideshow’ next”--a reference, of course, to the current Broadway show about Siamese twins.