Mary Ellen Winston And Robert VerdiHeaded 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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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 DistefanoTaking 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.
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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.
