Nights Of Art And Luxury
By Nicole B. Brewer and Edward Callaghan
The Lennonheads and Beatles fans turned out in full force for the opening of "Come Together, A Look at the Life of John Lennon" through his artwork presented by Yoko Ono-Lennon and the Southampton Inn last weekend. Dede Gotthelf, proprietor of the Southampton Inn, hosted a lovely reception at OSO, the Inn's recently opened restaurant, to give friends and fans a chance to meet the team behind this extraordinary exhibit of the work of a true icon.
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Dede Gotthelf and Mary Ann Tupper at OSO "Come Together, A Look at the Life of John Lennon". Photo by John Wegorzewski |
Joining Dede in welcoming guests was
Mary Ann Tupper, executive director of Human Resources of the Hamptons, the organization chosen by Yoko Ono-Lennon to benefit from donations at the door and the sale of commemorative posters. A Beatles fan, Tupper was thrilled that her organization had been chosen, especially as she is just in the process of purchasing gift certificates for needy students participating in the Backpack Back to School Program. Each year, Tupper and her team of volunteers make sure that hundreds of children can go back to school with sufficient school supplies and clothing.
Rudy Siegel, Curator of the collection,
Larry Schwartz of Legacy Productions, and
Lynne Clifford of Bag One Arts, who works directly with Ono-Lennon, proved to be extremely knowledgeable on all the works in the collection and were pleased to share their insights with the guests, even to giving personalized tours though the stunning, and for many quite moving, exhibit.
Among those sipping cocktails while touring the show with the organizers were
Donna Soloway,
Jeanine Edington, world renowned musician, conductor and curator
Lutz Rath, famed cartoonist
Don Duga, artist
Lois Wright with her LTV producers
Joyce Whitby and
Betty Fox, the self-described "ultimate Beatles fan"
Joanna Farrell, ABC 7 weatherman
Jeff Smith with
Jen Hansen, artists
Marjorie Myles and
Ann E. Butler,
Myron Clement and
Joe Petrocik,
David Smith,
Bruce Michael,
Candace Meyeron,
Michael Stern,
George Gurley,
Gregory Speck,
Dr. Mal Braverman,
Eboni Smith, and
Lisa Hemby Ginsberg.
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Marily Acquino, Tom Edmonds, and Linda Schaller at the Southampton Historical Museum. Photo by John Wegorzewski |
It was Margarita and Mariachi time on the lawn of the Rogers Mansion, home to the Southampton Historical Museum, for our first stop on a glorious whirlwind Saturday afternoon. Executive director
Tom Edmonds as usual had an enormous team of volunteers from the Museum membership to shake up the 'ritas and yummy Mexican inspired treats made by Museum volunteers. Under beautiful skies, guests strolled though the manicured grounds of the historic home to the soft strains of Mariachi music and gathered at tables strewn across the lush lawn.
Among the many ardent supporters who never miss a chance to party at the mansion were former president
Harry Hackett, Board member and co-author of the well received "Our Southampton"
Jacqueline Scerbinski and her husband
Vincent Scerbinski,
Ava and
Charles Eller,
Howard and
Ann Reisman,
Audrey and
Dave Sagman,
Jake and
Lois Buchheit,
Elizabeth and
Michael Kent,
Laurie Collins,
Lynn Eagan,
Nancy and
Rick De Petris,
Kate Duggan,
Sallie Adams,
Jacqueline Fish with her daughter
Alyssa Klein and her three gorgeous children
Ellie,
Olivia and
Harrison Klein,
Marilyn Acquino, jeweler
Eric Messin who works in the tiny Pelletreau House on Main Street - another property of the Museum,
Linda Schaller,
Melody Tierney, and
Robin Pauli.
Fighting a bit of traffic, it was over to Bridgehampton for the final Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge match of the summer season at Blue Star Jets Field as RBC and Mansour battled it out for the coveted Hampton Cup. With matches hit and miss all season due to rain delays it was thrilling to watch the final game. VIP's that came out to bid farewell included
Star Jones,
James Lipton,
Ramona Singer,
Michael Lohan,
Erin Muller,
Stella Keitel,
Don and
Katrina Peebles and hot new fashion designer
Zahra Saeed. Sponsors of this week's event included,
Hamptons Magazine and
Don Heslop and the HRS Princess Foundation with OnDa Ground Music. The tradition of polo is always a fun part of the summer social season - see you next year!
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Erin Muller and Mike Lohan at polo. Photo by Rob Rich |
Then it was off to Water Mill for the annual poolside 'do that
John R. "Bunky" Hearst, Jr. hosts for the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, a group dear to his heart. Co-hosting this year were
Ellen Adler and
Brenda Siemer Scheider, whose late husband
Roy Scheider served as the Studio Vice-Chairman for many years.
Despite his recent health problems, Bunky looked hale and hearty warmly greeting old friends who swarmed through the flower filled grounds of his hilltop home.
Stella Adler's grandson,
Tom Oppenheim, President and Artistic Director of the fabled acting studio that counts
Marlon Brando,
Al Pacino,
Roy and
Brenda Scheider, and
Candice Bergen as alumni welcomed guests to this special celebration that marked the kick-off of the Roy Scheider Scholarship Fund that would grant needy inner city youth the chance to obtain a full college scholarship and study at the famed acting school through a special affiliation with NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Tom introduced
James Lipton, host of the popular "Inside the Actors Studio" series who told sweet and funny tales of Stella, who had been his teacher.
Following Lipton, Brenda Siemer spoke glowingly about the Studio's Teen Outreach Program which had already identified and helped a number of students on the path to a career in acting. She shared the great news that her late husband's longtime friend and their neighbor
Steven Spielberg had given her $50,000 to launch the fund in Roy's name. Similar donations quickly followed from
Mort Zuckerman and HBO. Brenda then introduced the first scholarship recipient who would begin her studies at NYU next month,
Indeke Thomas an extraordinarily talented and determined young woman. Her gratitude for the honor and desire to prove herself worthy of the selection were moving to behold. Other young talents destined for future scholarship assistance when they reach their senior year were also introduced:
Laura Guzman,
Nick Licalzi, and
Ricardo Gayle.
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Nick Licalzi, Ricardo Gayle, Ideneke Thomas, Brenda Siemer Schneider, Laura Guzman, and Carlos Caldart at the cocktail party for the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Photo by John Wegorzewski |
Among the many Studio supporters we saw Oscar winner
Mercedes Ruehl and her husband artist
David Geiser, playwright
Joe Pintauro, Bay Street Theatre co-founder
Sybil Christopher,
Clariss Rivers,
Philip White,
Howard Kanovitz and
Carolyn Oldenbusch,
Debra and
Greg Wasser,
Harris Yulin,
Michael Grenham,
Luis Morales,
Johnny Yoder,
Paten Hughes Ray Peterson and
Felicia Young. Also we caught up with playwright
Richard Cummings and his son
Benjamin Cummings, who with his brother
Orson had enticed Roy Scheider to star in their recent film, "If I Didn't Care" which turned out to be Scheider's last.
Over at Stone Meadow Farm in East Hampton, the Red Cross Evening of Luxury produced by Rand Luxury was in full swing with what appeared to be over 600 elegantly clad guests swirling among the displays of Maserati's new Gran Tourismo S and the 2009 Quattroporte S and rare jewels. The ultra fabulous cocktail party and auction ran for some five hours thanks to the tireless efforts of
Bradford Rand, CEO of Rand Luxury, with guests poring over the offerings on the endless tables that filled the enormous tent.
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David Schwartz, Ken Rosato, and Bradford Rand at the Red Cross Night of Luxury. Photo by Rob Rich |
Our good pal
Ken Rosato, anchor at ABC 7, was the consummate emcee and kept the proceedings moving sweetly all evening. We made our first stop at the Martha Clara table where winemaker
Juan Micieli-Martinez poured us tall glasses of their excellent bubbly - just the perfect drink to go with the kobe beef ravioli with truffle sauce we had snatched up from a waiter. Continuing our Italian quest, we stopped by famed caterer
Chef Frank Tramontano of Ever So Saucy who was dishing out his acclaimed fresh tomato sauce and pasta. Yum!
Guests will be encouraged to bid in a silent auction featuring items donated by
Rachael Ray and
Tory Burch, as well as a luxury golf trip to Scotland and London for two valued at $20,000, a fighter pilot for a day adventure for one with a four-night stay valued at $6,000, private cooking lessons at the prestigious Le Cordon Blue in Paris with a five-night stay valued at $28,000 and much more.
In the tent we buzzed over the Maseratis' and then moved on to see
Maria Tash's exquisite jeweled creations that were being worn by several of the ladies including artist
Marjorie Myles and
Jackie Indelicato. Gorgeous!
At the next table, some serious bling from Simmons Jewelry caught our eye and their delightful team of
Jessica Namdar,
Brian Tann and
Nicole Berger were all too helpful in dressing us up in several fabulous gems. Very tempting and very beautiful!
We ran into many old friends including the always stunning
Joy Marks, in an enormous picture hat that only she could carry off, with her regular companion the debonair
Leif Bringlesmark,
Jaci and
Morris Reid, author
Jasmin Rosemberg,
Russell Simmons, marketing guru
Peter Paranicas with the very talented singer songwriter
Ian Crawford,
Eric George and
Robbie Siegel,
Charlotte De Persia resplendent in white, PR gurus
Todd Shapiro and
Richard Rubenstein,
Lisa Hagen was sexy and colorful in vintage Pucci,
Kate Hickey and
Cate Mathers,
Dede Gotthelf with husband
Terry Moan, ABC TV 's
Jeff Smith making the party rounds with
Jen Hansen, the
New York Observer's witty scribe
George Hurley,
Gregory Speck,
Stewart Pivar and too many more to list.
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