This gonzo girlie club was organized to promote and support the visibility of gay women in the Biz--women like honoree Melissa Etheridge, who arrived with g-friend Tammy Lynn Michaels glued to her petite, camel-leather-covered side.

Catching a moment with the Kansas-born crooner, I asked M.E. when she feels most powerful.

"Ah, a bunch of things go through my mind with that question," she offered with a throaty laugh. "Mostly when I'm onstage doing what I love. Or when I tell my children no and they listen to me. I'm, like, Wow! This parenting thing works!"

What about those adult tantrum-throwers? Why is Hollywood so obsessed with power?

"We are born and bred with success driven into our minds," the caressing chick quickly explained. "I was born lower middle class, and when you move up, it's, like, Woo-hoo!"

And what does she not envy about the predominant power-possessors, men?

"The way they smell," she instantly replied with a stinky wrinkle of her nose.

Of course, I'm sure Ms. E. wasn't referring to her good bud and the evening's host, former Single Guy Jonathan Silverman. Such an almost hot stud in his sharp dark suit, J.S. was more than willing to gab. Seeing how he was obviously in stride with the switcheroo fun of the evening, I asked him to complete this sentence: Men are good for...

"Very little," he replied with a furrowed brow. "I honestly don't know where we would be without women."

Extinct, I would imagine.

Spotting a major broad-backer (especially the healthy, non-two-by-four variety), Camryn Manheim, I headed over for a chat. Looking fab in all black, with her brown mane flowing down her back, Ms. M. got right down to bitchy beliefs.

Is there a gay Mafia?

"I believe there is a Mafia for every contingency and sector of humanity," proffered Manheim. "And maybe this is controversial, but in the last decade, the gay-rights movement has moved faster than any other grass-roots organization, and that can be attributed to how many white males are gay."

So, do you believe in the gay Mafia or not?

"There is a somewhat of a Mafia" she elaborated. "And good for them. They've been oppressed for so long--like, hundreds of years--so let them emerge! I only wish I was gay so I could join them!"

Oh, yeah, it's one big party being bashed every time you link pinkies in public, but I appreciate the gal's spirit, just the same.

Likewise that of hell-on-Emmy-heels Allison Janney. Absolutely striking in a short, slim-fitting black wool dress and stiletto knee-high boots, A.J. was cordially chatting with the multitude of goils clobbering her with attention, drinks and pants.

Breaking away, with a beverage propped in her slim digits, A.J. offered up her opinion on Hollywood's deadly dance with power:

"Why is America so obsessed with power?" wondered the politically minded boob-tube fixture. "Start there, with our country. We are so concerned with power and competition--it filters down from the top."

Right you are, babycakes. But what about the power to vote a woman into the presidency, already?

"Ten years ago, I didn't think I would ever have seen that happen," sighed A.J. with a slight nod. "But now, I don't think it's too far off--I might see it in my lifetime."

Who might it be?

"Hillary [Clinton] is the first woman off the top of my head, but I know there are others out there who are perfect for the job," she said while jostling her drink, not to mention party posturing. "I would follow a woman to the ends of the earth...I believe in women. I can't wait for that day to happen."

Enough with the PC pooping. Knowing how game a gal I had towering before me, I decided to shoot below the panty line: What is the greatest fallacy of the penis?

With a raucous laugh, Janney was hardly prime-time: "Um..." she sputtered out through hysterical laughter. "Eight inches?"

Love it! Hope I didn't go too far, doll.

"Well, it's not the worst question I've encountered," A.J. admitted as she hiccuped through another set of giggles. "After I came out of The Vagina Monologues, someone asked me to describe my vagina...but let's not go there."

Agreed. Phallus poking is decidedly more preferable.