Red Carpet Burn

And today? "It's sort of blasé and corny now to go to a premiere," Reynolds says. After all, how special can it feel when everything from "Aeon Flux" to "Zathura" gets a red carpet? And even if a film is worthy of the fuss, its premiere won't attract anywhere close to 60 stars. "What happens is you send an invitation to, say, Betty Boop--and Betty Boop's assistant comes," says one studio publicist who has arranged many premieres. "So sometimes the studios will send cars for the high-profile people they've invited, and if that person doesn't come out to the car--if it's their assistant or whatever--then the car leaves empty. I'm not kidding."

Premieres may seem profligate--especially by the time the cast has "partied" in London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin and Dubrovnik--but try telling an A-lister he's not getting one. "Some people like insane, lavish parties," says director Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"). "You have to have the Black Eyed Peas--I'm sure there are some people who consider it an insult if you don't." But does wanting a little party make you a monster? Surely not. "If my studio told me I couldn't have a premiere for my film, yes, I'd be offended," says Apatow. "On some level, a premiere is a thank-you for working really hard for a few years." Then again, he says, "my premieres aren't that expensive because I don't do them on a battleship. I just have some Chinese food in a large room." If your movie's worth watching, do you really owe people anything else?

Graphic: 5 RULES FOR THE RED CARPET: Fame ain't easy. We asked top publicists for tips on how to stay cool under the klieg lights.Graphic: 1) Kiss Isaac. Mizrahi's in, Joan Rivers is out. "She's rude," says one publicist. "And she works for the TV Guide channel, so why bother?"