Sorry, You're Not on the List

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor arrive for the premiere. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

One in an occasional series of dispatches from parties you should have crashed.

Event: Premiere party for "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" on Thursday.

Setting: A dramatic Air and Space Museum gallery where the movie was filmed last year. Dim lights, pulsing oldies tunes.

A-Listers, Hollywood: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria.

A-Listers, D.C.: Chief Justice John Roberts, Reps. Connie Mack, Mary Bono, Joe Crowley.

Why such a hard-to-get ticket: The first movie ever filmed at the Smithsonian, thus many constituencies to please -- board members, staffers, studio folks, members of Congress, movie cast and crew ... and all their kids.

Amenities: Sliders, Asian noodles, flatbread pizzas, open bar.

Fun pastime: How is it we just know which of the men are D.C. and which are L.A.? (Ties, congressional pins = D.C.; longer hair, glowing skin = L.A.)

Buzzkill: The party lost steam within an hour -- maybe not unusual on a school night when a chunk of your guests are under 12.

Best party favor: Crowley's son Cullen gave Stiller letters from his fourth-grade class inviting him to visit Arlington's Jamestown Elementary -- and he did, the very next day!