Holiday in the Hamptons

THE HAMPTONS rocked over the long 4th of July weekend what with Newsweek’s Lally Weymouth’s big annual bash that attracts movers and shakers from all over. (Lally carries on the tradition begun when her famous newspaper titan mother Katharine Graham of the Washington Post was still with us.) Under a fabulous tent decorated by Robert Isabell and with food by Sean Driscoll’s Glorious guys and gals, the cognoscenti rocked and rolled until the wee hours. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was there among all those too famous to be mentioned and who knows just what he was saying; the music was overpowering and the urge to dance and show off by the world’s most distinguished seems to have been universal. … The most glamorous couple at this massive gathering may come as a slight surprise. They were none other than Rudy and Judy Giuliani. These lovebirds were seated side by side, a non-U social idea upon which they insist. “Rudy is so busy every day, so in demand, we spend so much of our daytime hours apart, we just must be together when we go out!” says Mrs. G. “So we ask to be seated next to each other or we don’t go.” … Judy Nathan Giuliani is Rudy’s secret weapon, say insiders. She has blossomed as his seat mate and his life companion. “She sings for her supper, comes to the party and makes him a complete package,” says one onlooker. … On the other hand there were many small private gatherings as Long Island’s east end shimmered and glimmered in the summer haze. (I privately think no where else on earth is as beautiful as the Hamptons at their peak.) … I attended a dinner honoring Bill Buford, whose book “Heat” is making big waves as he describes his life as a “kitchen slave” apprenticing to Tuscan chefs. Buford, a kind of Ernest Hemingway looker (big, burly, tough guy with heart of gold) and his beautiful ethereal wife, Jessica, and I sampled Pinot Noir wines offered by handsome amateur chef Rick Kimball.

A WEEK ago in NYC, lots of people were determined not to be isolated. First on June 29 there was the private screening Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner threw for Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Among those attending what really was a small and private screening were Joy and Regis Philbin, Liv Tyler, Gabriel Byrne, Griffin Dunne, Blaine Trump, Tom Hanks and his kids. Tom in his red baseball cap and his brood in their hoodies and shorts, looked the perfect picture of Anytown suburban life. After the movie, there was a party at the Spotted Pig on Greenwich and 11th. It’s a small space, and the Pig all but oinked as Disney execs and many non-celeb types connected to the film squeezed in for a cozily humid time, over huge blue cheese burgers. Star power was provided by the appearance of “Pirates” star Orlando Bloom. (Johnny Depp was supposed to be there, but a nasty virus kept him home in France.) Bloom was accompanied by Kate Bosworth. A private back room had been provided for Bloom, but he spent a lot of time outside this stellar sanctum, chatting up friends and fans and posing for photos. He gets points for not running away. A good time was had. At one point, Wenner was heard saying, “Well, we’ve bought four cribs; we have all those houses, you know.” Jann and his partner are eagerly expecting an addition to their family.

THE OTHER hot private do that evening happened at the Morgan on 37th and Madison. It was Madonna’s traditional party for her dancers, their friends and few celebs. M, who had just come off the Madison Square Garden stage, was wearing a skin-tight sequined top that read “You Are Not On The List,” skintight jeans and four-inch strappy heels. Just as she does at her concerts, Madonna kept the air conditioning off. Among the sweating throng were Diane von Furstenberg and Barry Diller, Alex Rodriguez, jeweler Neil Lane, Michael Moore, Alan Grubman, Zac Posen and Kevin Spacey, who just couldn’t stop complimenting one of Madonna’s most charismatic dancers, Cloud. … Also on hand was Warner Records big man, Tom Whalley, who resembles a movie star more than an exec. Tom had a good time, but he’s basically shy. “I love the business side of my business, but I feel a little out of place at times like this.” Maybe he felt it, he didn’t look it. … Sitting quietly, chatting with pals and keeping an affectionate eye on the little woman was Guy Ritchie. Guy is a man much interested in the effect of the ego on ones actions and perceptions. That was a big part of his wildly imaginative film “Revolver,” which he has recut and will have a U.S. release later in the year. And he’s now directed a documentary on the subject.

FINALLY WENT to the funnily funky Zipper Theater on West 37th Street to see the acclaimed new revival of “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” starring Robert Cuccioli, Natascia Diaz, Rodney Hicks and Gay Marshall. On one of the most humid nights ever, an electrical snafu closed down the air conditioning and backstage lights. In the best “show must go on” tradition, the cast dressed by candles and flashlights. Bottled water was handed out to the sweltering audience, which was shedding as much clothing as legally acceptable. The sticky situation was repaired about 30 minutes into the show and the audience gave the brave cast of this charming evergreen musical, a rousing standing ovation. An album of this production, directed by Gordon Greenberg and produced by Dan Whitten, was recently recorded.

(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com)

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