Michael and Eva—both in person and as rendered in herculean-size portraits by Basquiat and Schnabel, respectively—loomed large. So too did the specter of Asia’s opening acts: the actress Evan Rachel Wood, who had also performed a few torch songs at the beginning of the LACMA gala, and the singer Florence Welch, whose band Florence + the Machine headlined the event. Seemingly undaunted, Asia sat down, briefly tuned her guitar, and proceeded to sing two Bob Dylan songs, including a hauntingly beautiful version of “Mama, You’ve Been on My Mind,” which she later revealed she had learned only a few days earlier. Mama and Papa Chow were beaming.
Around 3:30 a.m., after the black-tie crowd appeared sufficiently primed to continue partying unattended (“You guys all know where the guest house is?” Eva asked) and after Kristen Stewart arrived dressed in jeans and a T-shirt to pick up her on-again beau, Michael and Eva, who had not eaten all day, decided it was time for them to go to a late-night Korean tofu place they had been meaning to try.
Michael rallied his brood, and the Chows made a subtle retreat, leaving the revelers to their own devices. An artful exit in the movie that is their life.
