CLUBS > Gatsbies and the Wannabes

The roving Xenii parties give members who pay to play a chance to rub shoulders with celebrities, or at least to catch a glimpse.

At around 3:30 a.m., Rob Perry's members-only party at a cavernous Hollywood soundstage was going full tilt.

Bikini-clad go-go girls emerged from bathtubs onstage into a mist of soapy bubbles sprayed from a machine. Couples locked lips in a darkened sofa area. Skinny women on a densely packed dance floor hoisted their cocktails into the air and rocked their heads to Bon Jovi's 20-year-old hit, "You Give Love a Bad Name," without a shred of nostalgia.

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Perry's Blackberry vibrated and it was once again time to vet the celebrities who wanted to come in.

"How about Sean Salisbury of ESPN?" a doorman wrote, asking if the football analyst could come in as a guest. The answer was no. "He's free to join" as a member, Perry wrote back, before acknowledging, "He was a good quarterback."

New York Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce? "He has to join," responded Perry.

Perry was more welcoming when some bigger names showed up. Actor Vin Diesel? Show him in. Producer-director Michael Bay and guests? Lead them to the VIP area. When cyclist Lance Armstrong arrived, the staff scrambled to arrange private tables.

It's this sort of exclusivity — where the A-listers are separated from the lesser-listers — that has helped fuel a following for Perry's weekly soirees known as Xenii (pronounced x-ee-nee, a Latin word meaning a gift from a host to a guest).

Each week for the last 10 months, Perry has thrown lavish parties at secret locations that have attracted a scattering of celebrities and many more well-heeled "civilians" who pay hefty prices to rub shoulders with them, or at the very least, their entourages.

The parties have been held in places like the Jim Henson Studios on La Brea Avenue and at Union Station downtown. A recent event drew 800 people to the Sunset-Gower Studios.

It's perhaps the ultimate expression of hype in Hollywood's overheated night scene. It costs men between $650 and $4,500 a month for membership — and that's only after passing a screening process that requires references and employment information. For women, memberships start at $250 a month, but they represent only 10% of Xenii's 575 paying subscribers.

The most expensive memberships offer a variety of perks, including priority access to events, reserved tables, valet parking, backstage passes to concerts and extra guest passes to Xenii.

Xenii acts much like a mobile country club, offering summer pool parties, charity nights, dinner get-togethers, movie screenings and concierge service for trendy restaurants and sporting events.

The biggest draw, however, is the evening parties on the weekends. Members are alerted to the event's location every Wednesday through an online newsletter. Once there, visitors are served free food and drinks.

"What we're doing is totally different," said Perry, 43, a former sports agent who resembles Iggy Pop, if Iggy Pop led a life of exercise and tanning. "Other clubs are open to the public. We're a private party. We provide elite, cutting-edge events. We've created a community. Like a modern-day Gatsby."

Xenii offers members another perk: It serves free liquor until festivities end at 5 a.m. Perry and his business partner and promoter, Michael Sutton, note that Xenii is a private, members-only party and therefore not restricted by a California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control license, which requires public bars to stop serving alcohol at 2 a.m.

Read on.