• March 27, 1991

Megawives!

They're Rich, They're Concerned, They're Connected, They're...

Hollywood high society is run by a tiny, tony circle of moguls' wives, most of whom work at nothing (much) but their families and the highly competitive and logistically byzantine business of organizing social events for charity. Here are the rules: A Megawife needs imposing presence (movie-star beauty is optional), great threads, indefatigable social skills and, above all, a masterful showbiz husband. The Catholics and the Jews support each other's charities, but Los Angeles' WASP socialites rarely mix with either. (Wealthy blacks are too few to have their own power base, but are welcome, with checkbooks, at benefits.) If you get divorced, you drop a rung (except at SHARE, a charity for retarded children, where Johnny Carson's third ex, Joanna, and Ed McMahon's second ex, Victoria, remain important). One hint: Don't invite movie people and music people—except the top echelon—to the same bash or barbecue. The music money is considered even more nouveau and its power more fleeting.