Went to a Hennessy V.S.-Details party at a beautiful, modern estate in Rancho Mirage last night thinking maybe that’s where the stars hang out.

I heard Paris Hilton, David Hasselhoff and actor-musician Jared Leto were among a handful of celebrities attending Coachella’s wet opening day. I saw Bob Forrest, the Thelonious Monk frontman and “Celebrity Rehab” counselor (with the wide-brim hat) and thought I saw Justin Timberlake in a dark hoody. But there was no evidence on Twitter that Timberlake was there and Twitter is God.

I parked my car and walked 150 yards to the Hennessy party around 12:30 a.m., just after Asher Roth was supposed to give a midnight show. What I saw was a pool party with a lot of L.A. hipsters and no Asher. The pool had a desert-landscaped island to let you know you were in the desert. The affair was catered by a French fries company from Montebello. I left at just before 1 a.m. after having a strawberry-flavored Hennessy drink that I must say was out of this world.

Roth apparently performed just after I left. Perry showed up at 2 a.m. I probably wouldn’t have recognized her except for the fact that she was reportedly surrounded by her six-person entourage at all times. She wore dark glasses and sported sleek black locks instead of a more traditional multi-colored do. A publicist said she had attended the M83 set at Coachella, but I didn’t see her in that melange, either.

The off-site parties aren’t sanctioned or endorsed by the promoters of Coachella, but Goldenvoice Vice President Skip Paige says they give tickets to L.A. management companies they do business with. Those managers give tickets to Hollywood stars and publicists set up photo opps at those parties as if they were the Academy Awards.

The parties and Coachella have become an important place for pop culture stars to be seen.