Tuesday, May 31, 2011

SOUTHAMPTON INN CELEBRATES THE HOLIDAY

Southampton Inn


This weekend, the Southampton Inn — the Hamptons’ ideal home-away-from-home — celebrated the start of the summer season with a special Memorial Day barbecue and pool party! Guests spent the afternoon on the Inn’s beautifully manicured grounds, enjoying barbecue from the newly installed outdoor grill and taking occasional dips in the 50-foot swimming pool! Also seen tanning fashionably by the poolside on the cobalt blue lounge chairs were VIP guests, including New York City Housewife Sonja Tremont-Morgan, Gregory Pressman of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and New Jersey Housewife Kim Granatell—just to name a few!


VANILLA ICE PERFORMS IN NEW YORK HOTEL

Vanilla Ice


Vanilla Ice performed at ROK nightclub inside the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada the other night.


Photo By: Scott Harrison / Retna Ltd.

WOODY ALLEN'S MIDNIGHT IN PARIS A SMASH



Woody Allen



THE KOK --- Not only did Warner Bros., The Hangover Part II score the best opening of all time for a comedy at the box office, it grossed the most of any R-rated film in its first five days. Debuting last week on the eve of the long Memorial Day weekend, it earned $137.3 million through Monday; beating the $134.3 million earned by The Matrix Reloaded in its first five days. Here's one for the books: When music-producer Joel Diamond originally heard the "backer's audition" copy of “One Night In Bangkok” that was about to go into its Broadway production, he knew immediately that this was a #1 song. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran into the studio to cut a very contemporary recording with N.Y.'s top model at the time, Robey, and released it on his Silver Blue Records label; that went top 10 in Billboard. Says Diamond:“If I had known back then that Mike Tyson wanted to make his recording debut with this song (which he performs in the current Hangover 2 movie), my choice certainly would have been The Champ instead of the knockout.” Gotta love the Diamond-man! And, I'll say it again, Billy Joel's “The Downeaster Alexa” which figures prominently in the movie's soundtrack, is just a fabulous song; and, the third Hangover movie will be about the character Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and his upcoming nuptials … I'll bet the world on this one!

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R.I.P. GIL SCOTT HERON --- Gil Scott-Heron, poet, songwriter, artist and really one of the first socially important artists ever, passed away last week at age 62. His struggles with drugs and illness and the law in recent years have been well documented, but he was one of those transformational artists whose efforts are still felt today. Truth be told; he probably did invent rap and world music. His song “In The Bottle” in 1974, was really a template for much of the r&b, and rap music that would follow. I was in college when I first heard the song and was amazed not only by the hypnotic music, but also the social-raising lyrics. Interesting too was the fact that the music was via Clive Davis' Arista Records. Say what you will about Clive … but, he was always ahead of the pack. Heron was also a columnist for the much-missed Crawdaddy magazine, mostly around the time of his brilliant “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” album. He also penned a brilliant antinuclear epic “We Almost Lost Detroit” that remains relevant to this day. He also had a reasonably mainstream hit called “Johannesburg” which contained the memorable refrain: “Hey brother have you heard the word – Johannesburg.” He was an artist of the highest order; he will be missed.

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MOVIES --- Over the long weekend we managed to catch two rather terrific movies; Woody Allen's latest Midnight in Paris; which accordingly to our colleague Roger Friedman is turning into the Woodman's biggest hit ever. “The time-travel comedy, perhaps the first film of the year to be a possible Best Picture nominee, is captivating audiences.” Midnight has made over $2.8 million in the U.S. on only 58 screens. The filmmakers last movie, the terrific “Vicki Cristina Barcelona” did an important $23 million. “Midnight” is just a sweet little movie; funny, intelligent, and smart … can I say that again? Smart. You've got to listen closely and to every word to get the full effect. No exploding CGI here … just terrific acting and writing. I've never ever seen Owen Wilson in anything better; and, truth be told, he seems creatively motivated by the role. I do believe a Best Actor Nomination is in his future. He's in virtually every scene and just terrific. If you liked Allen's “Hannah and her Sisters” and “Annie Hall,” you'll love this one. I saw this one at BAM in Brooklyn and when I turned around and looked at an audience … it looked like a Woody-audience … smartly-dressed and ready for an Allen-epic. Say what you will about the director, but at age 72, he's firing on all cylinders. The other terrific movie we caught was Matt Damon's “The Adjustment Bureau” from earlier this year. The film was adapted from the terrific novel from sci-fi wonder Philip K. Dick's “The Adjustment Team.” Several of the writer's novel have been very successfully adapted into films; among them, “Blade Runner,” “Total Recall” and “The Minority Report” which Spielberg developed into a very successful film with Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell. I love Damon and here he's a somewhat serious, brooding politician (with several saucy secrets in his toolbox) who meets sweet with Emily Blunt. If you don't care for this genre, this may not be for you. But, it's a dynamically spun yarn with terrific acting by the two, along with star turns by John Slattery (Mad Men) and Anthony Mackie. Director George Nolfi, who wrote the screenplay did just a stellar job; keeping the action and the narrative moving. And, the look of the film, mostly shot in New York City, is very cool. Great job! Me, I love the genre and really did embrace this movie; it wasn't a huge hit and that's a shame, really, because it captivated me for the entire run. Speaking of Mad Men, when it finally returns next year (!!!) none other than star Jon Hamm will be the director on the first episode. If his directing prowess if anything like his awesome acting … it should be most special!

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Gay Talese



ENQUOTE ---"Most of the people here are seeing the last of one another," Gay Talese said of Elaine's closing last week. "We're at different points in our lives, different parts of the city. Our jobs are different, with actors, fashion models, police, political people, insurance salesmen. And with this dinner being terminated, so is the connection. Not only Elaine was lost."

Photos By: Walter McBride/Retna

HAMPTONS MAGAZINE BRINGS OUT THE STARS

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THE HAMPTONS GOSSIP

Story By: Edward Callaghan
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Mary Ellen Winston And Robert Verdi



Headed out early on Thursday but the traffic resulted in a 3 hour & 45 minute ride – usually two hours. Thank god we were on the Hamptons Jitney – the only sanity preserving way of getting to the Hamptons these days. We were over two hours late for our first party of the weekend and thought we had blown it completely but when we arrived at uber realtor Jeanine Edington’s beautiful home with its stunning Peconic Bay views the party was in full swing with folks cocktailing poolside. That’s the way to start a holiday! The happy crowd included Mary Ellen Winston, Caroline Lieberman and Maximillian France (who dropped off the most gorgeous peonies at our house the next morning).

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Further up the road publisher Mark Drucker was hosting a launch party for the new Plum Hamptons glossy coming in at an amazing 256 pages. Long one of our favorite editors, Cristina Greeven Cuomo is now at the helm of this new pub which is nor just a pretty face but one with real intelligence. For the debut issue, Christina has rounded up a plethora of some of the hottest writers and photographers in the country. The thinking man’s model Christy Turlington graces the cover and a photo spread by the incomparable Arthur Elgort styled by the brilliant Amanda Ross. Not hooked yet – how about a new short story by novelist and wine expert Jay McInerney; Emmy award winning producer and “The Manny” author Holly Peterson’s chat with director Joel Schumacher on wealth; Taylor Plimpton reflecting on his father George Plimpton and thee golden years of The Paris review; an inside look at the historic Art Village homes of Beth Rudin de Woody and Kate and Andy Spade and Tom Clavin’s analysis of the alleged swindling of Sag Harbor’s eccentric Morpurgo Sisters, this century’s version of the infamous Beales of Grey Gardens. Cuomo’s opening letter says it best, “Welcome to my dream magazine. I’m counting on the notion that people still like to read”. Yes, we do Christina… and thank you!

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Norah Lawlor With Jeffrey Bradford



But the biggest bash was the annual do hosted by Niche Media’s Jason Binn and his wife Haley along with Hamptons Magazine’s Debra Halpert and Samantha Yanks at the retrofitted Southampton Social Club. Cover girl Chelsea Handler did the red carpet while boyfriend Andre Balazs hung on the side; Norah Lawlor, Jeffrey Bradford, Katie Lee, Beth Stern, singer Estelle, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Ramona & Mario Singer posed for the press. Also on hand Kyle MacLachlan and his wife Desiree Gruber, philanthropist Jean Shafiroff, Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton and the lovely Kedekai Lipton, Gary and Katherine Andreassen whose been filming segments of “Royal Pains”.

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Elisa Distefano



Taking our spin on the red carpet, we ran into the delightful Elisa DiStefano, the always sunny entertainment reporter for Channel 12 who through sheer warmth gets all the hot scoops. Later she tweeted from her local “office” The Driver’s Seat where Paris Hilton was spotted without her beau Cy Waits.

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Not having eaten nearly enough of the fabulous foie gras and salmon tartar at the Hamptons Magazine bash, we headed over with the Andreassens to Le Chef, still one of the East End’s best bets for French cuisine where at Gary Madison’s recommendation we feasted on rack of lamb and baby vegetables. Everyone there was buzzing about Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill who were staying once again on First Neck Lane at the sprawling estate of tech mogul and LGBT rights activist David Bohnett. Biden has become something of a fixture in the tony village and is often seen strolling Main Street, waving to all and sundry – just like a local.

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Over in East Hampton, Alec Baldwin was spotted shopping at John Varvatos where Saturday Night Live Mary Ellen Matthews photog snapped the bearded star of 30 Rock.

Monday, May 30, 2011

WOODIE KING JR'S FEDERAL THEATRE REUNION

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WALTER MCBRIDE
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BROADWAY
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Lynn Whitfield With Randall Pinkston


Glynn Turman


Robert Townsend


Susan Taylor


Ntozake Ahange


Oz Scott


Lamman Rucker


Pamela Poitier


Sidney Poitier Recorded Video For Event


Carla Pinza


Chrystee Pharris


Ted Lange And Garrett Morris


S. Epatha Merkerson


Elizabeth I. McCann


Pia Lindstrom


Spike Lee With Ruby Dee


Spike Lee


Ted Lange


Woodie King Jr


Terria Joseph With Daughter Alicia Keys


Alicia Keys


Terria Joseph


Thelma Hopkins


Kene Holiday


Tommy Hicks


Starletta DuPois With Terrie Williams And Danny Glover


Danny Glover


George Faison


Starletta DuPois


Woodie King Jr. And Colman Domingo


David N. Dinkins


Ruby Dee


Imhotep Gary Byrd


Gary Bartz


Charles Barron


Amiri Baraka



Amiri Baraka along with Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Lynn Whitfield, Randall Pinkston, Starletta DuPois, Terria Joseph, David N. Dinkins, Gary Bartz and many more celebrities attended the Woodie King Jr's NFT New Federal Theatre's 40th Reunion Gala Benefit Awards Presentation in New York City recently. The legends really came out for this bash.


Photos By: Walter McBride / WM Photography / Retna Ltd.

BRAD AND ANGELINA AT 'THE TREE OF LIFE'

Always Stunning Angelina Jolie


Garrett Hedlund


Guy Richie With Guest


Angelina Jolie With Brad Pitt


Barry Pepper


Jessica Chastain


Laramie Eppler With Hunter McCracken And Tye Sheridan



Laramie Eppler along with Hunter McCracken, Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tye Sheridan and others attended The Los Angeles Premiere of "The Tree of Life" recently, held at The Bing Theater - LACMA in Los Angeles, California.



Photos By: RD / Orchon / Retna Digital