The opening chapter of Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People involves the Vanity Fair writer trying to crash the uber-exclusive Oscar-after party of Graydon Carter's publication. His ticket ends up in the hands of another reporter, and Young is bumped from the guest-list.

And if you think that was brutal then, you should see what the security is going to be like this year, when VF holds its infamous post-Oscar bash at the even exclusive-r Sunset Towers.

“The party will be a much more intimate affair than in years past; we’re going to scale back the guest list considerably,” Carter says. “We’ll celebrate Hollywood’s big night the way we did when we first threw the party 15 years ago—it will be a cozier, more understated event. And one with familiar decor—given the current economy, and our dedication to the green movement, we will be recycling many of the elements of years past.

Which, on the heels of so many axed Christmas parties (even for Vanity Fair's parent company, Condé Nast) seems like the frugal thing to do, right?

Except, if the economy is so bad, why even bother having a party at all?

Because the rich still need somewhere to play, even if it means the guest-list won't be including most of the Vanity Fair writers or editors themselves. It's mainly a show for advertisers, investors, and the VVIP, which means that the publication is willing to eat the cost of this party if it means saving face for the brand. And during a time when staffers are being laid off faster than Toby Young was himself, is there any excuse for a Condé Nast party to still be happening, scaled down or no? Even Lydia Hearst would disapprove (maybe!).