spilt coffee on my laptop all over the keyboard and it crashed immediately. Now there's nothing. I can't start it up again. Is that it? Is there any way of rescuing it? It was a beautiful Vaio. I am so sad. Unplug the power and take out the battery!!!

Do not attempt to turn the computer on.

I you can, take out the Hard Drive, RAM, ect... DO IT.

Place the laptop on a clean and DRY surface and have a fan blow at it for as long as you can.

What is the exact laptop model?
Set up the laptop in a triangle shape (Open the lid partially, make it stand up on its own, so its an upside-down letter "V" shape)

Doing this, as well as KEEPING a fan BLOWING on it as Carbon Dudeoxide said, will allow the laptop to dry out as fast as it can.

its a sony vaio VGN-S1HP - have TAKEN out the battery - is that the hard drive under the flap on the BOTTOM? the screws are hellish stiff and i cant unscrew them.
Am giving my laptop a blowdry.
When it dries out will it start up again? At the moment its DEAD.
If it were my laptop, I would blow it until morning. *rest in peace, camera*

If the screws aren't + and - screws, then lets hope you didn't short-out your computer.
Otherwise, the Hard Drive should be salvageable if your computer is really dead.