"Happy is the bride the sun shines on", or so my grandmother used to say, and if that's true then Gillian Hearst-Shaw is one happy new bride. The media heiress tied the knot with fiancé Christian Simonds on Saturday in a lavish but tasteful wedding at The Pierre Hotel on Fifth Avenue. Gillian was radiant in a duchesse satin Badgely-Mischka gown with a bodice encrusted with Swarovski crystals and cut glass and a long silk tulle veil similarly embellished as she said her "I do" to the handsome young lawyer, an associate at Lowenstein, Sandler.

Christian Simonds and Gillian Hearst-Shaw at their engagement party. Photo by PatrickMcMullan.com

Sister Lydia Hearst-Shaw was Maid of Honor and cousins Amanda Hearst and Angelina Carmignani were her bridesmaids, all dressed by B-M in diaphanous sage green silk chiffon – too gorgeous! Parents Patty Hearst Shaw and Bernard Shaw were positively glowing.

Back on the island, Billy Joel was honored in Farmingdale by The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Foundation for Long Island State Parks this weekend. The Piano Man received the Tenth Annual Master Builder Award in recognition for his achievements in the entertainment industry and his efforts to protect Long Island's historic maritime industries. Proceeds from the annual Master Builder Award Gala go to the Foundation for Long Island State Parks, which enhances parks and activities for park visitors - some 20,000,000 every year - at Long Island's 33 state parks.

Billy's in good company – previous awardees include Bette Midler, Nobel Laureate Dr. James Watson, Ted Turner, Martha Stewart, Charles Dolan, Oleg Cassini, and Olympic Gold Medal Figure Skater, Sarah Hughes.

Southampton's former bad boy of tennis John McEnroe was front and center to applaud wife Patty Smyth and her band Scandal at the Alzheimer Association's Rita Hayworth Gala last week. The evening was dedicated to the memory of Claudia Cohen a longtime supporter of the event who died earlier this year of cancer. When a video was played showing Cohen speaking movingly at a previous event, many in the crowd were brought to tears, including her former husband, Ronald Perelman and their daughter Samantha, and the evening's hostess Princess Yasmin Aga Khan. Also in the glittering crowd were David Pecker, Anne Hearst, Susan Hess, Donna Dixon and Dan Aykroyd, Regis and Joy Philbin, Carolina Herrera, Sandy Gallin, Marty Richards, Fran Drescher, Dennis Basso, Margo and John Catsimatidis, who is expected to announce his run for Mayor of New York any minute now. Don't know why he didn't do it at the ball and pick up some bucks, the rocks on the heavily bejeweled ladies could have financed a presidential run!

I discovered - quite by accident I assure you - through my BFF Sherry Eaker, publisher of Back Stage, a wonderful spot for ogling some fine eye candy, the annual Actors Fest which is like a job fair for the next wanna be Tom Cruise or Sean Penn. The place was just teeming with hotties. I was certain I saw a couple of famous faces but was too shy to approach them but I did run into a couple of boys from the neighborhood Emanuel Sylvano and Nick Fondulis who seemed to be making some headway and snaring some work. Emanuel was talking big time with Telemundo and Nickelodeon about a possible new series. Nick, whom I and our local critics loved as Elvis in the Guild Hall production of "Picasso at the Lapin Agile", scored a leading role in the new production of Christopher Marlowe's "Edward II". And I scored a bunch of phone numbers!

Chelsea Clinton's former boyfriend Ian Klaus is receiving congrats for his recently published memoir, "Elvis is Titanic", which chronicles his time spent teaching in Kurdistan. The always diplomatic father of his ex, Bill Clinton hosted the book launch party for Ian. He even introduced Klaus to Chelsea's new beau Marc Mezvinsky. Now how cool is that?

Speaking of Bill, I hope he was wearing his new Audemars Piguet watch. The Swiss luxury watchmaker just announced a new partnership with the Clinton Foundation through its "Clinton Foundation Equation of Time" timepiece, which was revealed at press party at the Four Seasons Hotel. The timepiece is available in platinum, 18-karat rose gold and 18-karat white gold, with the platinum edition presented along with an architectural scale model of the White House. It features "The White House" as a location on the graduated ring of the watch, and the Seal of President Clinton engraved on the case back. The timepiece collection will be limited to 42 pieces to represent former President William J. Clinton, the 42nd U.S. President.

Audemars Piguet said that a significant portion of the watch-sale proceeds will be given to the Clinton Foundation, along with a $3 million donation.

Speaking of great charity partnerships, while at the Celebrity Birdhouse Auction this weekend, I learned all the skinny about young golf pro Morgan Pressel (she donated a birdhouse) pairing with Ralph Lauren to raise funds for breast cancer. Jewelers Gemesis Corp. will support October Breast Cancer Awareness Month this year by teaming up with Morgan Pressel and matching a Polo Ralph Lauren donation for each birdie Pressel makes in LGPA Tour events during the month of October. This "Birdie Matching Program" is an initiative of Polo Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund, which raises money for the fight against breast cancer. Gemesis, along with Pressel's other sponsors, including Audemars Piguet, Callaway Golf and the Kapalua Resort, will all match Polo Ralph Lauren's donation for the two huge tourneys Morgan will play in October. Pressel, 18, is the youngest-ever winner of a LPGA major tournament.

Buying and selling is the name of the game here on the East End whether it's fancy watches, cars or houses and the news on the real estate circuit is filled with bold faced names making the realty sections the new gossip columns. This week alone I heard of a number of impressive transactions or hope to happen. Kelsey Grammer, the former star of "Cheers", "Frasier", and now in "Back to You", and his wife, Camille, have just listed their Bridgehampton mansion for $16.1 million, less than two years after buying the new-construction home. Its landscaped 1.7-acre lot features a heated pool and spa, a pool "cottage" with two fireplaces, and a sunken tennis court. The Grammer's picked up the Joseph Farrell-built home in January 2006 for $8.5 million. Is my math right here – a 100% profit? Whoa!!!

Tamara Rennert, daughter of "Mr. Biggest House in The Hamptons", Ira Rennert, just bought Vera Wang's old 14-room, third-floor apartment at 778 Park Avenue for north of $30 million. Now, Vera and hubby Arthur Becker can move into her late daddy's gi-normous 740 Park spread with neighbors like Steve and Christine Schwarzman and Alex Kuczynski and her man Charles Stevenson.

Night scene club impresario John Flanagan is selling The Tavern after 18 fun-filled years. The former potato barn off Montauk Highway has an asking price of $4.9 million. Word is he's got several buyers with c-a-s-h just waiting to grab the hot spot as it's one of the few places in the Hamptons with a full, legal cabaret license which permits dancing. Only problem is John has to evict the current promoters, Stereo by the Shore, before the building can be delivered vacant.

Word from L.A.…if Nicky Hilton has her way, we'll be all be wearing bows and skinny belts come spring. That's what she showed at her "Chick by Nicky Hilton" show at the Mercedes-Benz L. A. Fashion Week event at Smashbox Studios, paired with cotton or jersey mini dresses, micro short shorts (we used to call them "hot pants"), and high-waisted sailor pants. The show was presented in the small "Stage One" venue at the sprawling studios in Culver City to an overflow audience, but if they were coming to see Nicky's famous sis Paris, no such luck, she skipped the show. Their parents, Kathy and Rick Hilton, came out, as did Jamie Pressly, Bai Ling, Jason Davis, and a host of Nicky's West Coast pals.