Southampton - Call her Madam President. After months of rumors swirling around Seventh Avenue like so many feathers in the Oscar de la Renta atelier about "Sex in the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker and the iconic fashion house Halston, the news has been confirmed. Women's Wear Daily broke the scoop that SJP has inked a deal to assume the role of President and Chief Creative Officer of the fabled brand and it's a lot better than Lilo's deal with Ungaro. Not only does she have an equity stake in the company but she will also scoop a seat on the board. Pretty nifty, no?

Although film producer Harvey Weinstein owns a piece of the business and sits on the board, reportedly he had nothing to do with Parker's scoring the job. Wags thought that as Harvey has been a driving force behind his wife Georgina Chapman's Marchesa line, a favorite of the red carpet set that he had reached out to SJP. Rather it was the cutting edge marketers at Hilco Capital Partners, another of Halston's owners who came up with the idea. Just recently Hilco, which owns Polaroid, tapped Lady Gaga to serve as creative director to help reposition the moribund brand.

Lest you think "Carrie Bradshaw" will be tossing aside her film career, forget it. Parker contends she can handle it all and has already proven so. Her foray into the fragrance world with Coty Prestige has been very successful and her low-cost Bitten line for now gone retailer Steve & Barry's flew out of the stores. Execs there say it was the most well received and best selling line in their stores. And though she already had a well-developed fashion sense long before "Sex in the City," she received great tutelage from the House of Field – Patricia Field who was the stylist/costumer for the long running SATC series and introduced SJP to the top couturiers.

Parker follows in the footsteps of the Olsen Twins (who have become gazillionaires) and Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham who have made significant strides in the world of fashion.

Valerie Harper to play the legendary Tallulah Bankhead.

Designers Tom Ford, Proenza Schouler, Diane von Furstenberg and Albert Maysles? Yep - Albert Maysles, the famed documentarian – think "Grey Gardens" and "Gimme Shelter"- has entered the fashion optical fray to create a line of sunglasses based on his trademark spectacles for Barton Perriera. Now featured side by side with these trendy designers at Barney's, the glasses retail for a very reasonable $350 to $375 and come in quintessential Maysles look with a touch of color.

In a reversal, model/socialite Lydia Hearst is packing up her designer drag and moving from New York and the fashion catwalks to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career full time. She hopes to be there in time for pilot season. The daughter of Patty Hearst Shaw has already done a guest spot on the ultra-hot "Gossip Girl" which was clearly not much of a stretch for the heiress to the Hearst publishing fortune. She also posed nude – tastefully - for Playboy which I am sure caught the attention of the Hollywood suits. And no, she is not leaving boyfriend Ryan Cabrera to the NYC club scene. He's packing to go with her.

I recently told you of the influx of TV and film stars to the stages of New York and now I learn of yet another that will delight you Hulu fans who follow old episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Rhoda." Four-time EMMY award winning comic actress Valerie Harper will take over Lyceum stage to portray the legendary film and stage star Tallulah Bankhead in a play "Looped" based on a true story of the famously sarcastic party girl. For younger readers, my mother terms Tallulah as the role model for Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

Clear Channel Communications is interested in Howard Stern.

"Looped" takes place in the summer of 1965, when an inebriated Bankhead stumbles into a sound studio to re-record (or "loop") one line of dialogue for her last movie - "Die, Die, My Darling." Bankhead was known for her wild partying and convention-defying exploits that surpassed even today's celebrity bad girls. Given her intoxicated state and inability to loop the line properly, what ensues is an uproarious showdown between an uptight film editor, Danny Miller, and the outrageous legend.

This is not the first time the onetime Southern belle turned Hollywood seductress - of both sexes - has been portrayed on the stage. Actresses such as the lusty Kathleen Turner can't resist tossing of Bankhead's oft quoted lines as "There is less to this than meets the eye" and "I'm as pure as the driven slush." But especially the famous nugget that today's young stars should make their mantra, "Here's a rule I recommend. Never practice two vices at once."

Just when we thought the talk show wars were over now that NBC has paid the off Conan O'Brien with a paltry $32 million, we hear that Clear Channel Communications is interested in signing East Hampton's favorite shock jock Howard Stern. Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio station owner is home to such conservative pundits as Rush Limbaugh and Hannity & Colmes so it seems like an odd fit, but then maybe they think a daily dose of Stern will get the media critics off their backs. But although his $500 million contract with Sirius XM Radio, there's a stumbling block – a little thing called regulation of what is said on over the air radio – not so with Sirius. Clear Channel's chief executive John Hogan told Bloomberg Business news the company's interest depends on whether Stern would be willing to work within the limitations of over-the-air radio. The Federal Communications Commission restricts broadcasts of profanity and other indecent material and says No-No in a very tough and pocket emptying way.

Marc Jacobs receives France's highest non-military honor.

Ceslie Armstrong, founder of Momentum Women, a unique group of women over age 40, who have achieved significant success in their fields and help to mentor the next generation hosted a luncheon at Le Cirque to honor our favorite fashionista Fern Mallis, Senior VP at IMG who runs, among other things, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

In the upstairs private room, Fern was toasted for her major contributions to the worlds of fashion and design and her role supervising the IMG world of international fashion shows and showcases. Among the many friends cheering her were friends such as Full Frontal Fashion's Judy Licht, CNN anchor Alina Cho, ebay fashion director Constance White and top flight caterer Pamela Morgan of Flavors.

Last week, Diane Von Furstenberg who is also president of the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA) threw open the doors of her Meatpacking District studio to welcome some of fashion's heaviest hitters to toast Lincoln Center's new fashion director, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and Lincoln Center president Reynold Levy. As you may know Mercedes Benz Fashion Week will be leaving its Bryant Park launch pad to call Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center its new home. Winston Wolkoff, who worked at Vogue as the special events planner heading up such stellar events as the Met Costume Institute Ball will be making sure that everything runs smoothly at the future site of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. In her new role, she will act as the liaison between Lincoln Center and the fashion industry, including designers, retailers, the CFDA and IMG Fashion.

Of course dozens of DVF's East End fashion cronies turned out for the very celebratory fete (after all fashion is art and should be showcased at a world class arts center such as Lincoln Center) including Donna Karan, , Betsey Johnson, Dennis Basso, Georgina Chapman and hubby Harvey Weinstein, Tom Florio, Stan Herman, Rachel Roy Anna Wintour, Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo.

Taking on a new location is our old (but very young) friend James (Jim) Seuss who has left his post heading up luxury brand Cole Haan to assume the top role at Tourneau - the world famous watch purveyors. If you care anything about your timepieces or are a collector, then you know Tourneau. They picked the right guy - Seuss cut his teeth at the world famous Tiffany's working here and abroad and later took over as president of Harry Winston. This guy knows from luxe!

A knight in shining armor? You betcha, at least in France. Kudos to Marc Jacobs - one of the few Americans the French really do love. Jacobs was just honored with one of France's highest non-military honors the Medal of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres or if you're French is rusty, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Saving the best for last, I will now share with you the best news since Barrister's Restaurant launched its $5 Bailout Burgers. Target, yes that big box store, is upping its fashion image with the launch of several major new collections created by world class designers, and all at pocket pleasing prices. First up is the outrageous Jean Paul Gaultier (he created Madonna's infamous cone bra) who created a 50 piece collection priced from $18 to $200 which will be available in 400 Target stores and online in early March. JPG's goodies will be followed by the product line for men, women and kiddies from the prestigious Liberty of London. Arriving in April are collections to cover you from head to toe – sportswear and dressy dresses from Zac Posen, hats from Eugenia Kim and fancy footwear from Cynthia Vincent – all at prices that even the most penurious can't resist.