out and about
Updated: January 1, 2009, 9:48 am	Share    Print    Email

The bright lights of Broadway herald Liza Minelli at Stewart Lane's Palace Theatre. Photo by Wire Image

Happy as a clam at high tide is our buddy, East Hampton's Stewart Lane who has the pleasure of watching a living legend tear up the stage of his Palace Theater. Liza Minnelli is packing them in and drawing standing ovations night after night. Each night it is celebrity gridlock as scores of the entertainment world's brightest lights come to pay homage to the gamine-haired, big-eyed belter - and with good reason - she's better than ever.

Backstage luminaries, including a passel of Hamptonites, included Jane Krakowski, Tommy Tune, Denise Rich, Shirley MacLaine, Christine Ebersole and husband William Moloney, Mario Cantone, playwright Terrence McNally (who wrote "The Rink" for Liza and Chita Rivera), Linda Lavin, Elaine Stritch, Alan Cumming, James and Kedakai Lipton, Mary Louise Parker, and Candice Bergen and Marshall Rose.

There's a new girl in town - and has she brought some fabulous bright shiny things just in time for the holiday season! I'm talking about German jewelry designer Tamara Comolli who slipped into town on cat's feet to open a glistening new shop, at the former Kim & Me berth on Southampton's Main Street, to show off her unique jewel creations. The exquisite new emporium showcases her stylish, original, high-quality jewelry that emphasizes creative color combinations of precious and semi-precious stones. Tamara has long had her heart set on a Hamptons location and jumped at the chance to establish herself on the East End when just the right location popped up.

New York, New York - here comes Liza! Photo by Wire image

Further good news comes from around the corner on Jobs Lane where designer Jackie Rogers opened her first shop in the Hamptons this year after a 30-year absence. Jackie was up from Palm Beach, where she has been tending to her ladies in need of just the right glam touch for the countless holiday parties this season. She told us she was going to keep her lovely atelier open all winter long albeit only on weekends. Barbara Walters is a fan of Jackie's and stocked up on the line's signature ruffled blouse and sweaters. Just last week on "The View" in fact, Babs was spotted on three different days wearing variations of the ruffled look. You go Barbara!

Oscar and Tony Award winner Mercedes Ruehl is back on Broadway once again said her husband, artist David Geiser. She'll star in "The American Plan" for Manhattan Theatre Club along with Lily Rabe (daughter of Jill Clayburgh and playwright David Rabe) in the drama penned by Tony Award winning Richard Greenberg of "Take Me Out" fame. The cast also includes Kieran Campion, Austin Lysy, and Brenda Pressley.

Just heard through my pals that Southampton producer Patricia Watt is having another go at Off-Broadway. She just presented a special performance of "Bitzkreig," The Hassidic Wrestling Burlesque show created and written by Ron Glucksman at Sammy's Roumanian last week for a suitably downtown theater savvy audience that included Randy Weiner of "The Donkey Show" fame, Diane Paulus whose revival of "Hair" hits Broadway soon, and "West Side Story" chorographer, producer Scott Morphee. Southampton's Robin Cofer was featured in the performance. Robin and her partner Dominick D'Alleva were the honorees at Henry Buhl's magnificent 'Sunflowers After Hours' bash at his Southampton estate, Girasole, this summer.

Lily Rabe and Oscar winning actress Mercedes Ruehl will head to Broad- way in "The American Plan" for Manhattan Theatre Club. Photo by Bruce Glikas

This is a show, that has been produced before to great success at various NY venues such as The Cutting Room and Uncle Ming's, and is getting ready for a new version to be produced in New York, Miami and Las Vegas.

Speaking of cutting rooms, self-professed beauty junkie Alex Kuczynski of Southampton, wife of the fabulously wealthy Charles Stevenson, a long time style reporter for The New York Times, and author of "Beauty Junkies," is receiving heavy fire from both readers and the media for her recent brutally honest New York Times tell-all cover story about her having a child through a surrogate mother. Complaint letters to the article online maxed at over 400.

Another Southampton gal sadly graced the tabloid covers in recent weeks. The adorable Cindy Guyer had a brief melt-down in court during her indicted husband Andy Catapano's recent hearings. But the resilient 'queen bee' of the romance novel cover was all smiles at her holiday fete last week in New York. Cindy was chronicled on the front pages of a number of tabloids for her courtroom outburst - but all that's water under the bridge and she is moving on. All that remains, is how things get divvied, especially their posh Southampton digs.

Also making the front pages is Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg whose family has deep roots on the East End. As you all know, Caroline is the subject of much talk as the replacement for Hillary Clinton's soon to be open Senate seat. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, ex-husband of Kerry Kennedy, Caroline's cousin is also craving the post.

Jilly Stephens, director of City Harvest, and board member Rachael Ray. Photo by PatrickMcMullan.com

As if we hadn't had enough of mismanaged investment firms along comes the news of former NASDAQ head and private investment counselor Bernard Madoff who had created the world's biggest Ponzi scheme wiping out some $50 billion from scores of banks, big and small investors, and several prominent East Enders. Publisher and East Hampton resident Mort Zuckerman saw some $30 million disappear from his charitable foundation. Reportedly, similarly burned were Steven Spielberg and his Wunderkinder Foundation and Mets owner Fred Wilpon.

Here's a little tidbit to warm your hearts courtesy of Jilly Stephens, executive director of City Harvest which counts among its board such boldfaced Hamptonites as Rachael Ray, Heather Mnuchin, and Eric Ripert.

Instead of throwing their annual holiday party, BlackRock, the mega-investment management firm helped City Harvest put on a celebration for hungry New Yorkers last week. Volunteers from the company packed and loaded 800 full meals prepared by Cipriani on Wall Street and paid for by BlackRock on to a City Harvest truck. They rushed the top-of-the-line food to a Momentum Project soup kitchen, where BlackRock employees, Cipriani wait staff, and agency volunteers served Lasagna Bolognese ala Cipriani and Chicken ala Cacciatore to grateful dinner guests.

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