Director Sofia Coppola has set off a tiff between the Chateau Marmont and Sunset Tower hotels, legendary Hollywood establishments owned by longtime rivals Andre Balazs and Jeff Klein.
Oscar-winning Coppola threw a huge premiere party last Tuesday for her new movie, “Somewhere,” at the Chateau Marmont, where the film is set and where she’s said that a stay is a “rite of passage” for actors.
But on Friday, Coppola held an intimate dinner and screening in a suite at the Sunset Tower, drawing “Somewhere” stars Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning, as well as Anjelica Huston and Benicio Del Toro.
One source told us, “There is huge competition between the two hotels, and Coppola’s choice to host a party at the Chateau’s rival raised eyebrows.”
Both hotels were built in the 1920s. Balazs’ bohemian Chateau is favored by Keanu Reeves, Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey, Josh Hartnett and Lindsay Lohan. Klein’s Sunset Tower boasts regulars such as Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Depp, Renée Zellweger and Bill Murray.
Balazs, who owns the Standard chain, and Klein are notorious “fake friends.” In 2009, Klein said, “C-list television actors walk into the [Sunset Tower] and see what it is — a classy place — and leave. They don’t understand it. They say, ‘Eww, let’s go to the Chateau.’ ” But Klein then retracted it, admitting he was “jealous of Andre’s success.”
A Balazs rep said, “Chateau Marmont was the location for a huge party for Sofia’s movie after the US premiere. And the after-party for her New York screening on Sunday was held at The Standard.”
At the New York party, Coppola was overheard joking to Balazs that her father, Francis Ford Coppola, once owned the Chateau for a day — but after a termite report, her mother made him pull out of the deal. Also toasting Sofia were brother Roman, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Stiller, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Anna Sui and Nick Rhodes.