out and about
Updated: May 31, 2009, 3:30 am	Share    Print    Email

Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook in happier times.

This past weekend may have all been about culture - with a capital C - but that didn't stop the tongues from wagging about the goings on of some of our celebrated neighbors. Hot topic, as Joy Behar would say, was the sudden denouement in the Christie Brinkley-Peter Cook mess. Thankfully, they grew up and held the final proceedings behind closed doors in a hotel in Hauppauge. But that was not before Christie had her former spouse painted as a skirt chasing, porn site addicted loser who was only interested in scoring young babes. We were all spared having to hear days of testimony by the sad girls in Peter's past.

The final settlement gives Christie sole legal custody and decision-making power over 13-year-old Jack and 10-year-old Sailor Lee. We hear Peter gets to keep his current visitation rights - every other weekend and one school night a week with extra time in the summer.

What he forfeited was his claim to 18 properties Brinkley bought with her own money during their marriage. And in a final twist, he has to give up the boat "Sweet Freedom" where he spent the Fourth of July with gal pal Suzanne Shaw. The boat was his 40th birthday gift from Christie. The boat will be sold, and the couple will split the proceeds. In the end, he only got $2.1 million, most of which will end up paying his hefty legal fees. Even if he got to keep the money it would never be enough to buy back his reputation. Meanwhile, Christie and BFF Jill Rappaport toasted the victory with champagne in her Tower Hill mansion in Bridgehampton. Ha!

Now if only A-Rod and Cynthia would learn something from all this and let him get back to the game - uh, baseball that is!

Meanwhile, Madonna man, Guy Ritchie was spotted having dinner with pals Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Chris Martin and Robert Downey, Jr. at Fresno this past week The impromptu get together comes amid reports that Downey Jr. will star in Guy's upcoming "Sherlock Holmes" flick.

While I was at the Great Chefs Dinner, the rumor flying all around the tent was that Her Madgesty was hanging at photographer Steven Klein's East End hideaway I thought it would be just too delish to catch them running into each other on Newtown Lane!

By now you must surely have heard that "Gossip Girl" star cutie pie Chace Crawford will be throwing out the ball for the first chukker at the opening day of the Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge. Chace loved his last stay out here when he and pals Ed Westwick and Penn Badgley stayed at the Southampton Inn while shooting in Southampton. Speaking of the Southampton Inn, the hip hostelry is turning into Celebrity Central. Last week, the gorgeous Pierce Brosnan and the "Mamma Mia" cast were here for the week leading up to Sunday night's screening at the Southampton UA Cinema.

Now for the literary crowd - in for the Writers Conference at Stonybrook Southampton - to plunk down their weighty tomes, volumes of poetry, and scripts in development at The Inn - Karl Iglesias, Andrew Bienan, Paula Brancato, Ken Friedman, Michael Hague, Lazaridi Stephan Molton, Frank Pugliese, Linda Seger and Malia Scotch Marmo all have cozy rooms and plenty of space for their computers for that late night inspiration.

Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow at the "Iron Man" after party.

Rod Stewart's son Sean is fresh out of a relationship and rehab and looking for love. The tattooed rock heir recently broke up with Caleigh Peters a month ago and spent a booze and drug-free weekend with his co-manager Lizzie Grubman. Interesting pairing, Sean has been sued for beating up a man in a club and Lizzie - well, you know that saga. In any event, he reportedly hit it off with "Dancing with the Stars" hoofer Karina Smirnoff, who just had her heart smashed by "A Chorus Line" star Mario Lopez. Sean and Karina arrived together at club Lily Pond in East Hampton Saturday and were spotted playing some fierce tonsil hockey before heeding pals advice to "get a room." The pair quickly departed.

Kimora Lee Simmons and shoe king Steve Madden have cut a big deal. Madden will exclusively manufacture and supply all the shoes, handbags and belts for Simmons' new Fabulosity line at JCPenney. On a more personal note, Kimora is said to be wanting more babies and soon. (Well, wouldn't you, if your man was Djimon Hounsou?).

Kimora, the mother of Ming Lee and Aoki Lee (her kids with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons) has made no secret about the fact that she wants more kids with her actor-model boyfriend, some say the process hasn't been going as smoothly as Simmons would like. Wags are saying that she has even tried in-vitro fertilization. Simmons' reps deny any fertility intervention and said that Kimora and Djimon are very happy to continue trying to conceive, "au naturel." If I were she, I'd be trying every day!

Anyone who has been to a party at the oceanfront manse of Judy Licht and Jerry Della Femina will tell you that there is no couple more gracious and considerate of their guests than this high flying duo. So it was no surprise that Judy was seen collecting parking violation tickets from all the cars on her posh East Hampton block after the police ticketed all her guests who were attending a Tulane University event at their beachfront manse. Judy and husband Jerry did get a permit for the brunch and were never told that the guests couldn't park on the street. Judy told her guests who wanted to pay for their own violations that "we need them for a Class Action suit that we are filing." Shades of the great pumpkin battle! See you in court, Judy.

I just learned that during the summer hiatus of "The View," Whoopi Goldberg will join the cast of the Broadway smash "Xanadu" in the role of Calliope. Whoopi's no stranger to the Broadway stage having starred as the Slave in the revival of Sheldon Harnick's "Fiddler on the Roof" a while back. She'll hit the stage next week.

Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou at a gala in NYC.

Sapphic love seems to be dominating the buzz of late. At least once a day someone tips me about Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson smooching in a club. Now I'm getting calls about the reportedly steamy relationship between Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson and her new girlfriend Courtenay Semel, daughter of Yahoo honcho Terry Semel who have been seen a number of times holding hands and cuddling. They're obviously a little more reserved than La Lohan. I simply don't understand the big deal.

Hey all you surfer dudes! You might want to head over to the Surf Lodge in Montauk where they'll be screening the ultimate rollicking surfer doc, "Bustin' Down the Door" on Saturday. The film, narrated by Ed Burns, chronicles a group of young surfers from Australia and South Africa who sacrificed everything and put it all on the line to create a sport, a culture, and an industry that is today worth billions of dollars and has captured the imagination of the world. With a radical new approach and a brash attitude, these surfers crashed headlong into a culture that was not ready for revolution. Surfing was never the same again. Brooke Shields, Chace Crawford, Julian Schnabel, Jimmy Buffet and Kelly Slater are all going to be there. Slater is featured in the film and is bound to have some gnarly tales to share.

Three cheers for two of the East End's most enduring music makers. I'm talking about Billy Joel and Jon Bon Jovi (sure, he's originally from Jersey, but I spy him at yoga class out here all the time) who kicked major butt while making history at the same time. Last week, Bon Jovi played to an audience of over 100,000 on Central Park's Great Lawn and still sold out his Madison Square Garden gig three days later! That should make MSG owners the Dolan family happy. Imagine all that free advertising for the Central Park appearance.

Last night, Billy Joel played the last concert ever at Shea Stadium which is slated for demolition this fall. Some 60,000 Piano Man fans were treated to an almost four-hour walk down memory lane as Billy recreated one smash hit after another. Added bonus was the appearance of Joel pals Tony Bennett, John Mayer, and John Cougar Mellencamp who joined him on stage. Not since The Beatles made their American debut at the ball park in 1964 has there ever been such wild emotion with crowds screaming their approval at the top of every number. A historic night for sure.

Don't expect to see me out on Wednesday night now that "Project Runway" has begun its new season. Word is the show's producers are talking with Mariah Carey to judge the Bryant Park finals. Now that's star power.

Final word to Patricia Duff, embroiled in a custody battle with cosmetics king Ron Perelman who has decided to represent herself in court, the wise William Shakespeare once said, "a man who represents himself has a fool for a client". Be careful honey and get a good lawyer because you know he did!

Photos by PatrickMcMullan.com