LIZ SMITH: Stop Me, Frisk Me! ...

August 28, 2013, 6:16 am

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The world survived this, too ...

Stop Me, Frisk Me! All You'll Find is An Artificial Hip! ... Miley Cyrus — Kinda Sad, But Not Really Shocking ... Ann-Margret's Gospel Trilogy. Wednesday, August 28, 2013 by Liz Smith “PREPARE OUR suite at once. We’ll be in the bar.” Said the internationalist Hunter Thompson. This is the ad for Ghurka luggage. And it’s the only advertising I’ve liked lately.

IN THE NEWS: In regards to "stop and frisk" ads I am inclined to lean toward Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, whether “stop and frisk” really works or not. I would agree with Bloomberg and Kelly as I believe they are heroes! I want to complain though about old age stop and frisking. I have always been able to rip through national security at international airports everywhere because I am so good looking, young, and innocent. But now that I have an official ID card from Dr. Mark Figgie of the Hospital for Special Surgery to the effect that I have an artificially authentic hip replacement, I am stopped at every entrance. They ignore the card. They ignore my cane except to examine it for hidden sabers. They ignore a wheelchair which may be loaded with explosives. And I am stopped for a full body scan everytime and frequently I find myself having those adorable hand-patted total strip downs if you have seen me nude in airports all over the world. I’m not an exhibitionist. It’s not my fault. I don’t really object to this, but it happens every single time since I bought a new hip. I realize that little children and old people carrying machinery need to be examined carefully because we rightly can’t get no respect. Nor do we deserve any, except for possibly speeding us through as harmless. But I’m thinking of starting The Old Age Stop & Frisk Protest because I simply can’t get used to having my underwear examined on display everywhere I go. I am going to have to go back to Victoria’s Secret.

IN THE ongoing hoo-ha over Miley Cyrus at the Video Music Awards. I wasn’t shocked. Just rather sad that young women feel the need to show the world they are “all grown up” by behaving this way. Granted, it was the VMAs, and when have they not had a shocking moment or two?

When Madonna humped the stage in her wedding gown back in 1985 I recall she was the Devil incarnate, Sodom and Gomorrah in the flesh, and all who watched her performance should have been turned to pillars of salt. Nobody did, and the young audience who loved that exhibition is all grown up and a lot of them wish Madonna would dress properly and not put gold grills on her teeth. They are parents and professional people with children of their own.

My goodness, many who loved Elvis Presley’s “subversive” writhing probably grew up to be conservatives! This is far less a matter of what MTV airs than it is a troubling look at Miss Cyrus and what she believes is going to prove to the world that she is ready for ... what, exactly? "Disgusting and embarrassing," says MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski. MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski has been so worked up over this she is demanding that “somebody be fired” from MTV. That’s not going to happen, and it shouldn’t. I’m not a big believer in firing people willy nilly because you don’t like what they say or do (unless it’s an actual crime.) But Mika, mom to several daughters, certainly has a point that we live in an increasingly sexualized culture. But that genie can’t be put back in the bottle. We can’t undo, for instance, the fact that Marilyn Monroe refused to lie about posing nude for calendar art in 1952 — much to the horror of her studio, grooming her for stardom. “Of course I did it. I needed the money. I did nothing wrong.” Her career was made. There were no reports of anybody becoming a rapist or a whore (or even a nude model) because of MM’s exposure.

Marilyn — It was just titillation. Nobody aspired to be a nude model.

Today, you can’t escape the sexual landscape, but the media promotes it even more than the movie and TV studios and advertising companies. And then they pretend to be “shocked, shocked!” If you are a parent and concerned, talk to your children openly, honestly and without judgment. Then — make sure there’s only one computer in the house, a lock on certain TV stations you deem too adult, and try not to let them run around wearing a bead and a prayer. Not that it will help much. They’ll use their friends’ computers, watch those “forbidden” shows somewhere else, and change clothes at school. Nine times out of ten they’ll turn out fine. Just like you, Mom.

RECEIVED A lovely note from Art Greenhaw, who produces records for Ann-Margret. He thanked us for our recent column on the lady, and then went on to remind us that A-M is really a woman of many talents. Over a ten year period she has released three gospel albums — “God Is Love” ... Ann-Margret’s Christmas Carol Collection” and “God Is Love 2.” That’s all a long way from her hip-swinging image, but then again, her good friend Elvis Presley was adored for his gospel work, as well. See, you can be sexy and love Him, too. Maybe Miley Cyrus is a little young for a foray into gospel. She’s got to get this other stuff out of her system. But she has country roots. Her dad is Billy Ray Cyrus. So maybe ten years from now, Miley will put her tongue back in her mouth and praise the Lord.

Contact Liz Smith here.

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Jill Krementz covers E.L. Brown's "Monday Paintings"

August 28, 2013, 6:17 am

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Eric Brown standing in front of several of his abstract oils on view at Ille Arts.

E.L. Brown Monday Paintings Ille Arts, Amagansett, NY August 24-September 16, 2013 Sara De Luca, owner of Ille Arts. Eric Brown is the well-known and highly respected co-director of Tibor de Nagy Gallery on Fifth Avenue in New York — one of my favorite galleries. I have covered two major exhibitions at Tibor for NYSD: Painters & Poets and, more recently, Jane Freilicher, Painter Among Poets. A graduate of Vassar where he majored in fine art, Brown now has the first showing of his own paintings on view at Ille Arts in Amagansett. Brown calls his exhibition Monday Paintings because like all gallery owners, that is his day off — the day he can concentrate on his own work in his New Paltz studio. “Mondays are blissful,” says the artist, referring to his life in the studio. “Things are quiet in the village and my neighbors are working. A church bell rings each hour and the school bus brings the children home at three. No wonder it's my favorite day to paint.” It was a pleasure for me to finally visit Ille Arts where I've heard so much about its innovative owner, Sara De Luca.  In addition to showing well-known artists, Ms. De Luca has been presenting the exhibitions of many painters and sculptors who are making their debuts. Such is the case of Eric Brown aka E.L. Brown.

My Sagaponack neighbors Perry Sayles and Steve Harvey gave me a ride to Amagansett. Perry is a finance lawyer and Steve is a world-renowned Egyptologist. Steve and I hang out on a daily basis at Marylee Foster's farmstand on Sagg Main.

Ille Arts is located in back of an old farmhouse in Amagansett at 216 Main Street.

The gallery is approached by a long driveway to the rear of the house. Now in its second season, Ille Arts specializes in showing the work of both established and emerging artists.

Joan Odes and her husband Stuart Odes. They are the parents of Rebecca Odes, a close friend of Eric's (his classmate at Vassar).

Allegra Leguizamo (13) and Julia Adams (14). They are students at Grace Church and Nightingale. Artist Mary Heilmann lives near me in Sagaponack. Represented by Hauser and Wirth, Mary has shown at Ille Arts. In addition to being a painter, a sculptor, and a ceramicist, she's a poet. Her greeting never changes: "Hi Honey."

Sara De Luca and Eric Brown.

Poet/collagist Star Black with painter/poet Gregory Botts. Botts has recently published a book of poems praised by Harold Bloom. Sarah Trujillo and her fiancé, David Joel. Sarah, from Madrid, teaches Spanish at South Hampton High School; David is a painter and also the Director of the Larry Rivers Foundation.

Ian Spencer Bell, Eric's boyfriend, is a dancer, choreographer, and writer. He is performing a solo show at Ille arts Sunday September 1. The dance is an excerpt from a long piece that he will develop while in residence at Jacob's Pillow in October.

Pat Peterson, now retired from the Times, was their chief fashion editor. Her husband Gus Peterson is a great photographer whose work I admire. He and Pat often collaborated on layouts for the Times Sunday Magazine.

Jan Peterson (son of Pat and Gus) with his Blue-fronted Amazon from Brazil.

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. Matthew's mother, Patricia Broderick (1925-2003) , is represented by Tibor de Nagy where she has had three solo shows.

Sara De Luca, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and Eric.

Star Black is flanked by her good friends Frank Polach and Doug Crase. Frank and Doug did a round-tripper by car from NYC to attend the show. Mr. Crase is an essayist and poet; Mr. Polach is a botanist. Crase wrote the introduction to Eric's exhibition catalogue. They told me that earlier in the day they had visited an increasingly frail Bob Dash at his Madoo Garden behind my house. It is the most beautiful garden and one you must see if you have not. Open on Saturdays and Sundays, the admission fee is $10. (Unless you visit me and peek through my hedges.)

Perry Sayles, Eric, and Steve Harvey.

Manhattan gallerist Joan Washburn with Eric. The Joan Washburn Gallery (at 20 West 57th Street) has exhibited Jackson Pollock in the past. Next up: Doug Ohlson show opening September 12th.

Painter Cornelia Foss with her daughter, Eliza, who is an actress. I have one of Cornelia's paintings in my Sag House. She recently showed at Peter Marcelle Gallery in Bridgehampton. I often share a Christmas dinner (the best roasted duck) with Cornelia and her family, with me contributing a Buche de Noel from William Pole. Cornelia is a great cook in addition to being a talented portraitist and landscape artist.

Pat Rogers, publisher and writer, is considered to be the best art blogger out here. Mark Levine, a photography collector, is a former trustee of Aperture. Mr. Levine serves on the Committee for Photography at MoMA.

Pat Rogers and Sara De Luca.

Joan Washburn and her grandsons, Theo, age 6, and Gus, "going on ten."

A photograph of Gus was recently on the cover of the East Hampton Press holding a porgi he reeled in on a fishing expedition. And he'll be featured soon in The East Hampton Star.

Joan Washburn, Gus, Joan's son Brian Washburn, Theo, and Joan's daughter-in-law, Kerry Greene Washburn. Kerry works for the Third Street Music School Settlement on fundraising, development and communication.

Installation photo: Top: Americana. Second row, l. to r.:Whatcha Say, Little Yellow, Little Chance. Bottom row, l. to r.: Interrobang, Small Hunch.

Endnotes. Excerpt from catalogue essay by Douglas Crase: Brown's compact yet expansive oils will come as a surprise even to those who know him well. They are a surprise such as poet James Schuyler liked to describe: a break in the weather, 'as lovely as though someone you knew all your life / Said the one inconceivable thing and then went on washing dishes.' The artist returns to his accustomed routine. The rest of us won't see the world quite the same again.

Installation photograph with Green and Orange on the far right.

Top: Blue Ribbon. Middle row: Three Yellow Stripes, Circles, Hiding a Stone in Grass (The title was taken from a James Schuyler poem). Bottom: Cadenza. James Schuyler is among Eric's favorite poets. The New York School poet (1923-1991) has been featured in two exhibitions at Tibor de Nagy: "Painters & Poets" (in 2010) and earlier this year in Jane Freilicher's show: "Painter Among Poets."

Steve Harvey, Perry Sayles, David Joel, and Sarah Trujillo.

Artist Rafael Ferrer. At 78, Mr. Ferrer, who was out of the limelight for years, is on a roll. A retrospective last year at El Museo del Barrio in New York, part of its series for mature and under-recognized artists, received mostly glowing reviews. Mr. Ferrer "is finally having his moment," Roberta Smith wrote in The New York Times, praising his "instinctive facility for color and materials of all kinds." The retrospective, she wrote, was "almost criminally overdue." Now, Guild Hall in East Hampton is keeping up the momentum with "Rafael Ferrer: Contrabando," an exhibition of paintings, sculptures, and assemblages from the 1970s to the present.

Actor John Leguizamo, Françoise (known as Bunny) and her husband Rafael Ferrer, and Eric Brown. Mr. Ferrer was profiled in The New York Times on December 16, 2011 by Karin Lipson. This is an excerpt from Ms. Lipson's article: Born in 1933 in San Juan, P.R., to a well-to-do family, Mr. Ferrer was sent to the mainland for his education. The summer after his freshman year at Syracuse University, he stayed with his half-brother, the actor José Ferrer — more than 20 years his senior — and José Ferrer's wife Rosemary Clooney in Hollywood. "I used to drive Rosemary to the studio, where she was making 'White Christmas.' And Joe was filming 'The Caine Mutiny,'" Mr. Ferrer recalled. "And one day he said to me, 'You know, fame — it's an empty shell; there's nothing to it.'" Not that Mr. Ferrer was interested in acting. Music, specifically Afro-Cuban percussion, had fascinated him since he began playing the drums while attending a military academy in Virginia. As an adult, Mr. Ferrer was a professional drummer before turning full time to art.

John Leguizamo and Rafael Ferrer having a conversation entirely in Spanish.

A very happy artist surveying the crowd. Courtney Brown, sister of the artist. Ms. Brown is a Professional Development Advisor, Center for the Professional Education of Teachers. On the wall is Red Cord, oil and pencil on paper.

Sameh Iskander and Steve Harvey. How many times do you find two famous Egyptologists in the same room in Amagansett? Dr. Iskander, whose surname is the Arabic version of Alexander, is an Egyptologist associated with New York University. He is also the President of the American Research Center in Egypt where he is currently working on the restoration of the temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II in Egypt. Dr. Harvey has been doing groundbreaking work which may eventually provide us with invaluable information about ancient Egypt's transition from the Second Intermediate Period and the founding of the New Kingdom by King Ahmose. "Since 1993, I have directed excavation of Ahmose's monuments at Abydos. Our work suggests that the holy site, and not his home town of Thebes, was the primary focus of Ahmose's builders and artists following his conquest of the Hyksos capital of Avaris (modern Tell el-Dab'a) ... The Ahmose complex in its entirety presents a unique combination of monuments that must have been extremely impressive in their day, reminding visitors of the achievements of this dynasty's founding men and women."

Jane Freilicher arrives at the show entering Eric's gallery with her friend Frank Polach. Steve White and Bob Fitzsimons. White is a surfer and an artist; Fitzsimons is a musician and former music producer.

Don Christensen's In the Color Pocket is on view in the adjacent gallery. Christensen, a musician and composer as well as a visual artist has exhibited work numerous times over the last 20 years in New York, Brooklyn, and Miami. Painting on canvas, wood, table tops, step stools, and incorporating a miscellany of found objects, it is obvious that Christensen believes that the world would be a better place enlivened by a coat of many colors. The sense of play in Christensen's work is contagious. The work gives rise to the notion that it is perfectly okay to let yourself run wild and not worry about the outcome. Christensen makes it seem like everyone, inherently, has the ability to do so. The experienced eye knows though, that this 'Look Ma, no hands!' effect is, in fact, hard won. — Joan Waltemath, artist and writer

Eric and Ian.

Smooocheroony!

Eric, Jane Freilicher, and Jane's daughter, Elizabeth Hazan, an abstract painter. Ms. Freilicher has a house and studio in Watermill where she spends the summer (her daughter is visiting her). During the winter they are both in NYC.

Eric with Vassar schoolmate (both class of 1990) and close friend, Kerri Green. Eric and Kerri were both studio art majors. Kerri Green is a figurative painter who had a recent solo show in Nyack, New York. She's a former actor best known for the movies "Lucas" and "The Goonies."

Artists Rebecca Odes, Eric's Vassar classmate. Rebecca paints clothing and is wearing one of her pieces.

Trio of Vassar grads, class of 1990.

FOLLOWING THE OPENING THERE WAS A DINNER HOSTED NEARBY BY ERIC'S MOTHER CAROL BROWN

The party was "catered" by Montaco Food Truck serving Mexican food. Justine Leguizamo, Eric's close friend (and former Vassar classmate) is in the green shirt, waving.

Carol and Eric greeting guests.

Eric's twin brother Nathaniel Brown and Virva Hinnemo. Nathaniel is Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Communications News Corporation. Ms. Hinnemo was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1976. She graduated from the Music Academy of Stockholm and in 2000 she received her BFA from Parsons School of Design. In 2011 Hinnemo was awarded the Young Artist of the Year Award from the Association of Finnish Artists in Sweden. This year her abstract paintings were exhibited in a one person exhibition at Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton NY. Her artist statement: My work has always been grounded by perception and for many years I worked from life. While my work has become more abstract, I still feel that strong connection to all things real. I don't paint from life anymore but the memory of working with those kinds of elements feels very much alive. My mind sifts through all kinds of familiar associations fueling the work with a lighter subject some of the time and with more weight at other times. I'm driven to make something that can stand on its own. Using my hands to make things has always struck me as constructive. To this day I devote pleasurable time making a variety of things/objects that are useful in my life and to my family. But painting is different and occupies such a different space in my mind. Joy, disappointment, agony, determination, willfulness all wrapped up in the minutes and hours."

Five large picnic tables were set up in the backyard.

Nathaniel Brown with Claudia, a Great Pyrenees rescue dog from Alabama. Claudia is sporting her summer hair cut.

Carol Brown, Sameh Iskander, his wife Sylvia Iskander, and sister Mary Iskander.

Brothers Dana, Eric, and Nathaniel Brown. Dana Brown is the Deputy Editor of Vanity Fair. Given VF's financial woes, Graydon might want to try some food trucks at the next Oscars.

Family portrait: Ian, Eric, Dana, Carol, Courtney, and Nathaniel Brown. And Claudia.

Maia Lafortezza, Eric's niece, with Eric's Shih Tzu Lucas. Lucas can be found hanging out at Tibor most days. He has a pillow on the floor beside Eric's desk. Three-year-old Olly in his pinstripes shares a Good Humor with his father, Dana Brown.

Amanda McGowan, an acupuncturist, with Eric. Ms. McGowan owns a house in East Hampton.

Robert J. Anderson, a painter, and Max Freeman, poet and photographer, sitting with Eric. Steve Harvey and Perry Sayles.

Cynthia Rowley, a well-known dress designer based in the West Village, with Eric. Eric with gallerist Bill Powers, Cynthia Rowley's husband. Powers' gallery, Half Gallery, just moved from the Lower East Side to East 78th Street.

Dana Brown and Lucian Truscott IV, a former writer for The Village Voice and the author of Dress Gray (1979), which was adapted by Gore Vidal for a 4-part mini series starring Alec Baldwin. Lucian's memoir Dying of a Broken Heart can be read on his Wordpress blog. In the tradition of Dickens, it is being written serially. Charles Dickens began his writing career as a journalist. Sixteen of his major literary works were serialized, either weekly or monthly, beginning with Sketches by Boz (1836) and concluding with the unfinished manuscript of The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870). As you know, Dickens' followers had to line up on a weekly basis to read his saga. All you have to do to keep up with Truscott is to log on to his website.

Jonas and Maia Lafortezza, Eric's niece and nephew, were the bartenders serving margaritas, beer, and wine.

Brian Harding, Mars Ostarello, and Harry Reeder say "Buenas Noches." It was a very good night.

Text and photographs © by Jill Krementz: all rights reserved. Contact Jill Krementz here.

LIZ SMITH: But We Dance at The Precipice ...

August 29, 2013, 6:39 am

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War Looms — But We Dance at The Precipice with Miley and the Kardashians ... Michael and Catherine Zeta Jones — Maybe It's Just a "temporary" break? ... Big New Sly & The Family Stone Compilation Arrives ... "Breaking Bad's" Anna Gunn: But Why Do they Hate ME?! Thursday, August 29, 2013 by Liz Smith “GOD CREATED war so that Americans would learn geography,” said Mark Twain.

IT’S DIFFICULT to write about silly popular culture when it seems we are on the verge of yet another war or “conflict” or “preventive” measure — now in Syria. Well, there is nothing we can do for fun except watch endless YouTube clips of Miley Cyrus and wonder cynically if all this stuff about the “disappearance” of Lamar Odom, husband of Khloe Kardashian, and his reported “crack cocaine” habit is for real, or just more Kardashian PR tomfollerly to keep themselves in the news. There is no such thing as “15 minutes of fame” anymore. It’s not enough for a generation brought up on the relentlessness of reality TV and the omnipresent Internet, Facebook, etc. Today, everybody is Glenn Close in “Fatal Attraction” — “I won’t be ignored!" My best to Mr. Odom if indeed he is struggling with substance issues. He might be better off away from a family that makes hay out of every aspect of their own and other people’s lives. (Come on, who do you think is feeding TMZ all these stories?)

SPEAKING OF TMZ, I wonder how Harvey Levin, the head guy on that powerful gossip site felt being loosely interpreted on the new Showtime series “Ray Donovan.” Oh, he wasn’t called Harvey Levin, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who the gossip maven in the show was. And I’m sure Harvey’s real-life enemies were kinda thrilled to see him (and his onscreen boyfriend/bodyguard) get their comeuppance from Ray, played with deadly taciturn effectiveness by Liev Schreiber. (They weren’t killed, just frightened enough to probably have to rush to the nearest Armani store for new pants.)

AS OF this writing, neither Michael Douglas nor Catherine Zeta-Jones have confirmed People magazine’s story that the couple are “taking a break” from each other. I hope the story is not true, and if it is, perhaps they are simply taking a “temporary” break. The couple, whom I like tremendously, have been through a lot in the past few years — Michael’s near-fatal cancer, his son’s incarceration in prison on drug charges. These things take a toll, even on the rich, famous and beautiful.

FANS OF the 1970’s super-group Sly & The Family Stone are in for a great treat. A 4-Disc CD compilation. Including 17 previously unreleased tracks, live recordings and TV recordings is out today via Epic Legacy Records. The Band recorded five Top Ten Billboard hits and produced four ground breaking albums, that combined the sounds of funk, R&B, soul and hip-hop. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. At one time, it was impossible to escape their driving, upbeat and seductive sounds, so suitable for steamy disco’s and hot summer days and nights. The set also includes a full length 194 page book, along with track-by-track annotations.

ONE OF our readers was very excited about the possible remake of the old Kim Novak/James Stewart, “Bell Book and Candle” movie. He loved the idea of sizzling Charlize Theron as the witch. But he suggested Colin Firth as the mortal ensnared in her spooky wiles, along with Jack Black as Charlize’s mischief-making warlock brother and Julie Walters as the dithering aunt — an older witch whose powers are getting a bit wobbly.

RECENTLY, in writing about the return of the brilliant final season of “Breaking Bad” I mentioned that Anna Gunn, who plays Skyler, the wife of chemist-turned-meth-king (and killer) Walter White (Bryan Cranston) was one of those love-her-or-loathe-her characters. Apparently, it’s more loathe than love. So much so, that Ms. Gunn recently wrote a piece in the NY Times, trying to figure out exactly why the character is so despised? She expressed herself as even more mystified when the hate for the character extended to her being attacked personally. “How had disliking a character spiraled into a homicidal rage against the actress playing her?” She continued: “But I finally realized that most people’s hatred of Skler had little to do with me, and a lot to do with their own perceptions of women and wives. Because Skyler didn’t conform to the comfortable ideal of the archetypal female, she became a Rorschach test for our society, a measure of our attitudes towards gender.” There is more, and I suggest you look this terrific piece up online. As for me, I have always considered Skyler to be occasionally unlikable, but with very good reason. She doesn’t put up with his crap, although she has accepted her role in his criminal activities. (And a good deal of the cash that comes with it.)

I thought one of the greatest pieces of acting I’ve ever seen was the episode two weeks ago, when the meth business began to unravel. And Skyler would not, could not, speak openly to her sister and her brother-in-law. Few actresses have conveyed so much saying virtually nothing. It was superb performing by a superb actress, playing a character almost none of us could possibly understand. On a fictional show. I feel we must always remind people who become so invested. It's Just A TV Show!

To our Readers: We are taking a few days off. We’ll be back, trying to entertain, next Tues, September 3rd.

Contact Liz Smith here.

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LIZ SMITH: Good Reading ...

September 3, 2013, 6:21 am

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Ben Affleck Gets Big Bat-Love from Michael Keaton ... Lindsay's Looking Better, But She's Still Puffing Away ... The Miley Cyrus letters keep on coming in! ... Good Reading in The New Yorker. Tuesday, September 3, 2013 by Liz Smith “PLEASE CONTINUE to move at a glacial pace. You know how much that pleases me,” said Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada.” On this day after Labor Day, one feels compelled to ponder Miranda — the monster boss of all bosses, and her expectations. Did she want slaves or equals? Was she a sadist, a realist or simply a high-powered exec who demanded the very best from her staff? In the end, most audience members were glad Anne Hathaway got away from the calmly terrifying Meryl. But, Hathaway’s unsupportive pals and boyfriend seemed determined to let her down, in her success and her distress. After all, she had a job to do! (This movie grows more interesting and open to debate as the years roll on.)

CLASSY GESTURE and words from former Batman Michael Keaton, who was stopped by paparazzi in L.A. the other night, and said of the controversial casting of Ben Affleck as Gotham City’s Big Man — “Oh, come on. He’ll be great!” (This won’t be another “Batman” re-boot. Affleck will be part of an ensemble cast for the “Man of Steel” sequel.) My favorite Batman memory comes not from any of the movies. One day, years ago, I was visiting the set of the “Batman and Robin” movie. I met the adorable Chris O’Donnell, all suited up, but George Clooney was nowhere to be seen. (I didn’t know Clooney as well as I do now.) So, after hanging around for a while, my group piled into a car, heading out of the studio. We turned a corner, and there was Mr. Clooney outside his trailer, stripped to the waist, head back, taking some sun. I was tempted to leap out of the car. But good sense held me back. All I can say is that image remains one of the most beautiful, sexy stellar moments ever. From top to toe, a real “star” and totally comfortable in his masculinity. And his deck chair.

OKAY, THE ratings for the Oprah/Lindsay Lohan interview kinda tanked. But LL herself seems to be taking it in stride, and taking her sobriety seriously. She’s been seen around town, looking good. The only drawback is that the 27-year-old actress still smokes. One day, one addiction at a time, I guess.

IVANA TRUMP has reportedly reunited with her former beau, Rossano Rubicondi. That’s-a nice. But who knew Rossano — who is no kid — actually has his own band? I read this in Joan Jedell’s glossy Hampton Sheet. Joan got the word from PR woman Catherine Saxton who told JJ that Rossano performed at a Saint-Tropez soirée at Pan Dei Palais. Ivana was as overcome with pride and ... whatever — as any little Justin Bieber fan.

MAYBE THAT’S the solution for Michael Douglas and his Catherine Zeta-Jones? Perhaps a night banging the drums or a few romantic songs crooned onstage might bring this couple back together?

APPARENTLY my columns on Miley Cyrus and the VMA show caused a little stir out there in twitter-land. I did receive a number of notes. One man said he was Madonna’s age and “even back then,” he disdained her tendency to shock — “people with talent don’t have to do that!” He considered both Miley and Madonna bereft of talent. Another writer complimented me for putting Miley’s antics into some perspective: “The show was produced by adults and performed by adult entertainers ... Liz Smith rightly calls out the media for promoting excess and then affecting shock and disdain.” Still others dissed Miley and recalled that Madonna’s shock tactics were often humorous, meant to have a deeper meaning and were — in Madonna’s favorite word — “ironic.” One woman wrote: “Madonna used attire that could have been considered cool at the time and I honestly thought her dancing was imaginative ... with Miley, I just cringed.” Oh, and another reader/writer reminded us all that crotch grabbing is nothing new. Michael Jackson and the aforementioned Big M were ever allowing their hands to stray. I thought both of them didn’t need to go there. It was unnecessary. Now it’s simply unimaginative. And as for “twerking.” Uh, people, it’s just a stupid new word for movements as old as dance: You shake everything the good Lord gave you and hope you don’t throw your back out. There is nothing new under the sun. Or near the twerk. (Remember the song, “Shake Ya Tail Feather?” It wasn’t about nervous chickens.)

I HAVE two things I want to recommend; both from The New Yorker. 1. August 26th issue, the David Denby article on Ava Gardner, titled “The Reluctant Star.” Our friend Ava has made many stories lately. For real movie fans, the late Peter Evans’ recent book “Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations” has been a must. Mr. Denby’s piece is a wonderful sum-up and P.S. 2. The September 2nd issue of The New Yorker has a “must read” in its “Annals of the Media” written by Kelefa Sanneh titled “Twenty-Four Hour Party People.” This concerns itself with TV’s liberal MSNBC and its relatively newly created stars, Lawrence O’Donnell, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Melissa Harris-Perry, Ed Schultz, Chris Hayes and, inexplicably, Al Sharpton. If I don’t have anything else to do, I watch this station time after time. It’s a compulsion, though I frequently disagree! But most of them are smart. Maybe too smart for their own good.

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LIZ SMITH: Many shades of stuff we've seen before?

September 4, 2013, 6:45 am

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"50 Shades of Grey" will be a 21st century “9 ½ Weeks."

"50 Shades of Grey" movie — Many shades of stuff we've seen before? ... Let's Calm Down That VERY Smart Guy on MSNBC, Chris Hayes ... Why Must "Breaking Bad" End? ... Tommy Tune, He Must Come to Broadway Again! Wednesday, September 4, 2013 by Liz Smith “UNCERTAINTY and expectation are the joys of life!” wrote English poet William Congreve.

Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson to star in “50 Shades of Grey.” ALTHOUGH, the outcry is not nearly as obstreperous as it has been in the matter of Ben Affleck as Batman, fans of the novel “50 Shades of Grey” aren’t jumping with joy now that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson (daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson) have been chosen to star in the screen adaptation. Oh, come on, what does it matter? Hunnam is a talented actor. Miss Johnson I’ve never seen. Both are attractive, although Hunnam does himself no favors with that beard-ish thing he’s sporting. In the end this will be a 21st century “9 ½ Weeks.” Remember that? 1986? Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger? Kinky sex? Also adapted from a book (said to be a true “memoir of a love affair.”) The movie wasn’t a success in the U.S. but it did make a bundle overseas and became a hot item on video and DVD. Maybe “50 Shades” will fare better because the book was such a hot seller. (Although I just read somewhere that it is one of the 10 books most frequently left behind in hotel and motel rooms.) Nevertheless, the author E. L. James has raked in $95 million from this book, this year — tying with Simon Cowell and Howard Stern on Forbes list of top earning celebrities. And Judge Judy is said to be one of the year’s annual highest earners at $47 million a year, followed by Jon Stewart who makes between $25 and $30 million with his talents. (Sellers and buyers may be young or old!)

NOW HERE’S a p.s. to my little tribute to the stars of MSNBC the other day. I really enjoy Chris Hayes. He might be the smartest one in the nightly lineup. But, I wish somebody would slip the kid a Xanax before he goes on air. He speaks so rapidly — I guess he’s caught up in his subject — that sometimes one finds it difficult to follow him. Or you simply become exhausted trying to discern his — point which is invariably smarter than the guest’s. But what a brain! The tone of MSNBC stays pretty much the same. Somehow, it reminds me of the great MGM acting coach Lillian Burns, who guided the likes of Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Elizabeth Taylor. At one point, they all emerged sounding the same, but eventually developed their own individual styles. Except for Lana. She maintained Lillian’s teachings, which probably undercut her genuine talent. Turner was always the “movie star” though good directors could shake that out of her from time to time. But of all the gals, Lana enjoyed and identified with her screen and fan magazine image most of all. She loved being “Lana Turner.” Well, I’d have to throw Joan Crawford in there too. She totally lost herself in the creation of her stellar image.

Lana Turner.

WATCHING the end of “Breaking Bad” is excruciating. (Yes, it’s that intense!) And why are they ending this hit series? Couldn’t they go on with it? Have the protagonists escape from Albuquerque and all go to Asia immediately? The Wall Street Journal reports that North Korea’s government is now a main manufacturer of crystal meth which they are selling all over the East and the world. Forty per cent of those North Koreans engaged in the business of making this horrible and devastating drug are said to be themselves addicted. Imagine Walter White and wife Scuyler embroiled in competition with the North Koreans! Walter and Skyler (and maybe Jesse) could operate out of Taiwan.

WENT to the Eugene O’Neill Center in Connecticut recently and caught my pal Tommy Tune’s SRO show there. He was great, as always, slaying a mature and immature audience. “Taps, Tunes & Tall Tales” deserves its own limited run on Broadway if you wonder where the magic of theater still exists without rock’n’roll. This guy didn’t win nine Tony Awards for nothing. Kudos also to his musical director, Michael Biagi, who has backed Tommy’s talent with his exquisite musical taste for 36 years. The Eugene O’Neill is exploding with talent in all directions; it is one of the great teaching enclaves and for Tommy’s night, sitting at ringside were the very people who gave the O’Neill ancestral land that is dedicated to one of America’s greatest playwrights. This summer saw star after star shining at the O’Neill — Tony winner Donna McKechnie, exquisite singer Wesla Whitfield, big talents doing the music of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. Michael Douglas, Judith Light, Harold Prince and Christopher Durang are just four of the famous folks on the O’Neill board. If you are anywhere near Waterford, Connecticut you should get on the O'Neill Center mailing list, www.theoneill.org. Even if you are further away, you should know about this great organization under Tom Viertel and Preston Whiteway.

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No Holds Barred: Houseguesting in the Hamptons

September 4, 2013, 7:54 am

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The Davis homestead in Sagaponack.

Blair Plays Houseguest in the Hamptons. By Blair Sabol Everyone loves to hate The Hamptons. Too nouveau riche, too entitled, too indulged, too disconnected, too extravagantly ridiculous. Not to mention too many white-tented "charity parties" under the guise of "giving back" when a lot of it is simply pretentious PR. Too many pictures and reports of Alec Baldwin and Donny Deutsch with assorted middle-aged women in too many micro mini sundresses with fat thighs and inflated lips. But love it or leave it, many still take their annual masochistic Hamptons pilgrimages as renters or house guests.

Alec and Donny , mainstays in the Hamptons.

Personally I left the Hamptons thirty years ago and have refused to make a return visit. I remember when you could make a left hand turn anywhere in downtown South or East during July and August, and many of my writer friends had modest get-away bungalows. Kind of like Jackson Pollock's painting shack which still stands as a shrine to what it all was and meant so long ago.

Jackson Pollock's studio in East Hampton.

Back then it was a tough but do-able drive if you left the city by 3 p.m. on a Friday and returned by twilight on a Sunday. Now all anyone talks about is the ETA in either direction. I kept hearing how "Wednesday is the new Friday" and "Tuesday is the new Sunday." Meanwhile all of it is a hellish realm and a parking lot ALL OF THE TIME! Which is a major dealbreaker for ever going in the first place. People told me of more longstanding Hamptonites fleeing in the summer (giving their places up for rent or sales) because this scene has become so intolerable. A typical four-hour long traffic stand (on a Tuesday night). As for the deluxe shopping? It is no longer exclusive boutiques. After all Ralph Lauren is now boringly ubiquitous (even if his Hamptons sales help are his real life models handpicked for that beach location). Calypso is no longer original and everything else is a satellite store for all the typical mall headliners. And how about the notorious vegetable stand? Long ago they were incredible. Now they have become "status" with the roadside owners (farmers?) loading their bushel harvests into their Dolce and Gabbana totes. A small bag of three peaches was $8. Actually the taste of their tomatoes and their extraordinary sweet corn is still one of THE main reasons to endure the humiliation of getting there. Then again there is always Jersey! But my dear friend Nancy Davis kept inviting me over the years. She insisted I had to come to her particular "set up" as she and her husband Michael ("master builder") Davis live a very different Hamptons existence. I finally said yes, even though I am never ever a "house guest" (I am a confirmed "hotel slut" and am hooked on SERVICE). Plus traveling longer than an hour is not an "adventure" for me — it's an act of extreme peril. My Hosts with THE MOST: "Master builder" Michael Davis and Plumbing Queen wife Nancy Davis, with treasured dog Tucker. I knew Nancy understood my "issues" and my eccentricities. She inspired me to take the leap of faith and do the minimal 3 nights. I knew I could trust her when she said "believe me — Michael and I are tops in 'customer service,’ and we have the creature comforts down to a science.” I already knew they were a couple dedicated to doing it right or forget it. It takes one to know one. The week before I arrived (mid-August) there were a lot of newspaper items about the Hamptons being the "rudest enclave" in existence. Worse than any other beach community in the world! There is even a HamptonsRude.com. Too much "silly money" mixed with too many highly charged egos. Everyone is demanding and impatient. Apparently August is the "rudest month." I guess people feel summer's last gasp and making a final scene in order to be seen is the way to go. So more people invade. There are more meltdowns, more steroidal screaming matches while waiting in line for a parking space or a bagel. I was assured by many that this hideous behavior dissipates in the Fall and Winter. But who could wait for that ... It was now or never for me! It's obvious that there are the obnoxious"Hedge Fund bad boyz and girls" and then there is Michael and Nancy Davis. (Although they do do business with the Goldman Sachs set and the "Hedgies"). They are "in it but not of it." Neither one of them socially swims in that financial pool or wants to. They are way too busy. 65-year-old Michael practically "owns" Sagaponack. For over 12 years he has become famous for building English Country Manor homes (shingled style with historic chimneys.) These are not the grotesque McMansions. He has turned the Sagaponack potato fields into Cotswold-themed dream homes. No longer is beachfront the most desired setting. He developed Parsonage Lane as an incredible retreat of English estates around Parsonage Pond. Each house looks like authentic 100-year-old homes from the outside except inside there are state of the art giant bedrooms, swimming pools, theaters, gyms, dens, blah blah blah.

Front of the Davis home with pool and garden and glass roof of outdoor pool. Basically "understated" design ... no landing strips or tennis courts or freestanding Pilates studios.

Famous hydrangeas along the gravel driveway.

Nancy and Michael Davis home from the "back."

Wife Nancy is "the Plumbing Queen" and is in charge of all the bathroom and kitchen designs and fixtures. (They are a combined family with grown children and met 18 years ago over a toilet bowl ... don't ask). The Davises are the hardest working design team I know. They eat blueprints and punch lists for breakfast. They both have lived (and still do) full time with no summer getaways in the Hamptons for the past 25 years. They hardly ever leave except for an escape to Anguilla for a breath. 54-year-old Nancy is from Syosset/Oyster Bay, and Michael is from England (thus the Downton Abbey aura). Both have had a front row seat during this high flying Hampton housing explosion. There has never been a recession for The Davises. Though it was reported this summer that more $11 million homes were being sold (Davis majors in $22 million), he is doing just fine.

Michael developed Parsonage Lane as an incredible retreat of English estates around Parsonage Pond:, pictured here.

Michael and Nancy are very quiet about the whole Hamptons rudeness reputation. They are experts at dealing with those "piece of work" or "over the top" types. They too are perfectionists and expect only the best of themselves and others. OCD really works here. They must be great since they had to put up with me — the "houseguest from hell." First of all I had shipped my six pieces luggage one week ahead of time since I am of the Liz Taylor take-it-all-with-you-and-don't-shop-for-even-a toothbrush at the other end. I then got a call that my luggage had arrived, but everything was "seriously filthy.” It frightened me that I was already behind the houseguest eight-ball, and I figured their house was all white. It isn't.

My deluxe guest room with my "barge" of dirty luggage which Nancy cleaned and "tabled."

Gifts left on my house guest bed: coach wallet,"Michael Davis" sweatshirt and hat, Bain de Soleil spray, yoga class schedule.

When I arrived Nancy had had all my bags cleaned and pedestaled. Already the Davis mansion was better than any five star hotel. Their own interiors are not overly done. Everything is carried out with exquisite clean and comfy livability. It's 6400 square feet of five bedrooms, a major kitchen (Nancy), an indoor lap pool, outdoor pool, extraordinary fruit trees, "wellness center,” blah blah blah. When I arrived (after a typical four-hour long traffic stand still on a Tuesday night), I complained of having nauseating acid reflux. In seconds Michael presented me with a natural herbal elixir while Nancy got me a Zantac. But it was one of Michael's sensational martinis (he uses special olives that only he can get) that cured me.

Nancy's own private CVS closet of every drug and supply you would need.

To be clear I was not there as a potential client and they were not into impressing me. Their intense attention to detail is simply The Way It Is Done in their lives. We talked about everyone in the Hamptons, who was there "workin it” — including their Sagaponack neighbors Bill and Hilary Clinton who were reportedly "not looking good and were there to ‘heal.’" But The Davises don't "work it" as "Live it." A hard balancing act to do. Over the next two days they gave me a tour of their incredible neighborhood spec homes. Michael crisply explained that his goal was not to design "TMZ listings, but an entire lifestyle. I want you to live in a house that has everything you need. And the best of it. You should never feel you have to leave." And face the awful people and the traffic! — which is what I was thinking.

A Michael Davis Sagaponack house.

The famous Michael Davis English Country Manor home (shingled style with historic chimneys.)

One of Michael Davis's spec houses under construction in Sagaponack.

Jimmy Fallon's house on the corner.

This is the way Nancy and Michael do it. They have created a resort life for themselves and they hardly have to go off premises. Michael's offices are in a deluxe stable across the drive and Nancy works out of an edgy steel container trailer by the gorgeous hydrangea lined garage. It took me 30 minutes to sink into a "comfort coma." In my room was a Direct TV flat screen, piped in music of my choice, perfectly set AC, a Berkeley 7-inch high mattress that cured me over night of my sciatica pain. The Davises gave me a masterclass on luxury housing and service.

Nancy Davis's "office" for her Plumbing fixture and design business.

Master Builder Michael Davis at work by 8 a.m. in his "stable " office.

I always thought The Hamptons designs were only about beachfront properties with highly manicured green hedges, white graveled driveways and Something's Gotta Give interiors. In fact. after that movie everyone I knew wanted that Hamptons house and have an affair with Jack Nicholson. Except movie director Nancy Meyers (and genius stylist herself) created that interior in Hollywood and Jack Nicholson is not available. That is one interpretation. The Davises is another. Their house is over 12 years old but immaculate (of course) and a "work in progress." They both cook but they have three in help and all meals were thoughtfully wholesome and served with no muss or fuss. In the early morning Michael made me his smoothie of kale, rice milk, ginger, fruit and major elixirs. It was much better than my espresso. Then he did his morning swim/workout and vanished to his office at 8 a.m. where he remained having his high tea at 4 p.m. and back to the main house at 8 p.m.

Michael's morning smoothie of Kale, rice milk, ginger, fruit and "herb elixirs."

Five-star staff (from left): Stephanie (major domo), chef Carrie, and "master cleaner" (not maid) Janeth. Chef Carrie preparing the famous Heirloom tomatoes.

I swam in both pools, used Michael's "special detox" sauna (soundtracked with Sade) which lets you sweat without serious dehydration. (Don't ask me how). I did yoga in their wellness center, toured their magnificent gardens with imported wishing wells and vintage bird houses. When I returned to my room on my bed was a gift of a wallet from Coach, my complimentary slippers and robe. Kiehls amenities were stashed in my bathroom. Michael told me he liked designing "tight" houses. More than sound proofed. I couldn't hear anything outside of any room. Later we discussed the "labor intensive" side effects of owning these kinds of homes. Michael admits it "takes a village." But as part of being a "master builder" he is in charge of all of the house details (on call concierge).

The Davis's indoor pool.

My guest robe and slippers and shower cap mysteriously appeared on my bed by 4 p.m.

Detox sauna room with sauna door in mirror, flat screen TV (every room), and incredible "river rock" tile floor (Nancy Davis design). My shower floor's "infinity" drain. No more metal grill ...

Davis's imported wishing well and fruit trees in their garden.

At dinner one night, the phone rang and one of Michael's homeowners was having a problem with his plumbing. It was 9:45 p.m. Michael excused himself and in ten minutes had it solved. All the builders I know are MIA after the house is sold and the check clears. But Michael and Nancy pride themselves on having a file of the finest "support." I gather that "help is hard to find" in this community. More homeowners spend their time stealing or poaching each others gardeners, pilates instructors, cooks, and tech heads. One of the Davis highlights was a tour of their "lower level" (deluxe bunkers) which is the size of the entire house and is no longer called a "basement." "Lower levels" are now a hot selling feature. It is the location for the wine cellar, pet ERs, staff suites, band rooms, theaters, bowling alleys, gyms. I was especially fascinated with the Davis "house control center" which was more than a grimy fuse box. It resembled HAL in "2001"— a giant room of computers and silver foiled covered pipes and a far cry from my own rusted, dented and mouse-incremented cellar. I could have eaten a full course meal off the floor.

Impeccable house "engine room" in the Davis's lower level.

"Tech electro" computer of the whole house in "lower level." Better known as the house "Hal."

More "lower level" plumbing arrangement. No rust, mouse droppings, or filth.

There were rooms (not closets) of house cleaning supplies and Nancy's own "CVS center" of every needed drugstore item. But my favorite room was Nancy's laundromat on the upstairs floor complete with walls lined with washer, dryers, manglers, and huge ironing tables — all looking out on the potato fields — and a flat screen TV to boot. Martha Stewart would have been jealous.

Nancy's "laundromat" room complete with mangler and flat screen Direct TV.

Nancy Davis organizing her laundry in her "laundromat" room. My fave!!!

Davis cleaning supply ROOM!!!! (not closet) Love it!!!

The Davis's wardrobe closets are normal rooms, not football fields of color-coded shoe cubbies or electrical conveyor belts of clothes. There were no cappuccino makers or sofas in either one of their "wardrobe salons." The main feature of their house is their kitchen with its white glass counter tops, giant coffee machine in the wall, and all drawers refrigerated aside from the two big iceboxes. The Davis Mansion does not have an elevator, a landing strip or a roof observation deck. Nancy and Michael are "under control."

The famous "Nancy Davis" kitchen with white glass counters and drawer refrigeration.

By the way, towards the end of my stay a real estate friend (real estate brokers are still considered "movie stars' in the Hamptons) showed me a new $43 million beachfront house with 10 bedrooms overlooking the parking lot of a gay beach. I was so savvy I asked to see "the lower level.” It was three giant ballrooms of nothing. I passed on making a bid.

The neighborhood beach.

My last night we ate another delectable vegetarian meal in their outdoor dining area beautifully LED lit from under giant umbrellas. I was still stoned in my comfort coma as Michael noted how the landscape resembled the English countryside and Nancy talked about the importance of most designer/builders having to be addicted to perfection. As my last night in my resort suite, I had to admit to Michael that I was only confused about the "green" double push button toilet flush in my bathroom. After all I am used to just a regular toilet LEVER! In his most genteel English manner he explained it all to me and I was finally inducted into the 21st century level of waste management. Later Nancy explained the "infinity drain" in my shower — which had the greatest array of hoses, shower heads, and water pressures. Apparently infinity drains are the answer to the old dirty metal grid covers. Nancy assured me, "Remember Blair, anyone can build a tennis court but no one can build a deluxe bathroom like me." AGREED!

The double push button toilet flush in my bathroom.

Which button do I press? I needed an old fashion "lever."

The morning I left — a staff voice over my bedroom intercom announced my Kale smoothie and driver were ready. I looked at my now refurbished luggage, all carefully and thoroughly packed. Maybe I learned a little sense of perfection while I was there. I asked the "master cleaner" Janeth to check before I left that I didn't leave any telltale dirt trails. She assured me my exit was flawless. It took me an awful 4.5 hours to return to NYC. By the time I got to my city dinner date, my acid reflux had returned with a vengeance and my "comfort coma" had crash landed into high anxiety. (Although typically I must admit that August weekends in the city are the coolest and calmest of anywhere I know!) That night I had the good fortune to catch the off Broadway hit "Buyer and Cellar" about Barbra Streisand's assistant/archivist (fictitious) for her personal “mall" of stuff in her basement. I found it hilariously poignant. BUT ... I had already seen those who were as "addicted to perfection" as she and I realized that massive lower levels are simply the norm for such high ended hoarders. So what else is new?

Sunset at the Davis "resort."

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LIZ SMITH: DESTINATION CITY ...

September 5, 2013, 7:46 am

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Kate Upton Decorates the Vanity Fair 100th Anniversary Issue ... "True Blood" Gets The Final Stake Through Its Heart ... Somebody Be Brave and Bring Back Nora Ephron's play, "Imaginary Friends" Thursday, September 5, 2013 by Liz Smith "NEW SUMMER DESTINATION: HAMPTONS POLICE STATIONS" So read the headline on The New York Times over Labor Day, September 2nd. Boy Howdy! When the Times gets something right, they do it up brown. Also, I'd like to ask my readers — is it just my imagination or is The Times better on Saturdays than any other day of the week or is that just my fanciful imagination? If it's true ... why? Photo Illustration by The New York Times Oh, about the headline. Hampton long timers like to blame the summer day-trippers and others who just drop out there in droves for curiosity. They sometimes say this is why their overly-busy policemen stackups at the local stations happen. But aren't there really just too many rich people indulging themselves and their children and their too fast cars and aren't drugs becoming the thing of choice in too many posh households? Parents who think their kids are on the beach innocently removed from temptation by the bucolic beauty of the Hamptons are just kidding themselves. Entirely too much privilege, talk of wealth, fast luxury vehicles, motorcycles and automated bikes, big cars, airplanes and helicopters, designer dresses and famous rock bands-to-hang-with all going on. Like the French Riviera, the Hamptons have lost their innocence.

Doug Kuntz for The New York Times

AND NOT a silver bullet or a wooden stake too soon — HBO has announced that “True Blood” will end its eighth season run next year. So all the vampires, werewolves and faintly ominous fairy storylines have to be wrapped up. The main leads, Oscar-winner Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer (he is also Anna’s husband in real life) and Alexander Skarsgard all looked like they’d rather be amongst the living again, for the last couple of seasons. Many who love “TB” hope creator Alan Ball, who stepped down as showrunner after season five, will return to put his magic touch on the final ten episodes. Fans of “True Blood” are mostly interested to see what happens next for actress Kristin Bauer van Straten. (Now that’s a name you can’t forget!) She has played the cynically wisecracking vamp, Pam, and is probably the series’ favorite character at this point. Even as I mourn the demise of “Breaking Bad” there is something to be said for going out on top. Though there’s no comparison between “True Blood” and “B.B.” (Most people following the former, wish it had ended a few bites back.)

EVERYBODY’S a critic! When somebody in my office got a gander at luscious model Kate Upton on the cover of Vanity Fair’s 100th anniversary issue, holding a birthday cake, he said, “Ugh. This looks like a cover for Playboy. She is a beautiful girl, but what does she have to do with the history of this iconic magazine?” I replied, “Maybe it has nothing to do with Vanity Fair, but it has everything to do with staying in business and selling on the newsstands. Who would you have preferred, Madonna?” He snorted: “Not especially, though I wouldn’t have minded. Just ... somebody or something else. Maybe a compilation of great old Vanity Fair covers?” Oh, well. Times have changed. I think the Annie Leibovitz cover shot of Miss Upton is lovely. It will certainly grab attention and that’s what counts. I am anxious to see the entire issue, and find out what, on it’s 100th birthday, Vanity Fair gives us. Aside from the bountiful Miss Upton. P.S. Kate Upton recently gave an interview in which she despaired over men and how she is treated. They all look at her as an object. But she is a thinking, feeling person, she wants us to know. At this point in her life, she is making her bread and butter off her beauty and how much of her body she can show. (She has been a Sports Illustrated cover girl several times.) Imaginary Friends Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. Imaginary Friends co-stars Swoosie Kurtz as Lillian Hellman and Cherry Jones as Mary McCarthy (Photo © Joan Marcus). Have patience, Kate. You’ll find yourself a guy who can see beyond the façade. And anyway, you won’t look like this forever. Plenty of time to be taken seriously. I, for one, realize that Vanity Fair could well have gone down historical literary memory lane to make this anniversary issue more “meaningful.” But when they recently did a memorabilia piece on the late great Mary McCarthy and her creation about changes coming in women’s liberation via her hit novel “The Group,” nobody paid this only-yesterday-phenomenon-of-the-times much attention. Even the celebrated Mary McCarthy-Lillian Hellman feud over which the latter playwright could not to be talked out of suing, doesn’t carry recent historical weight as it did when it happened. (McCarthy had said everything Hellman wrote was a lie!) Even Nora Ephron’s play about this literary fist fight between two famous writers did not fare well back in 2002 when Nora finally got it onstage as “Imaginary Friends.” (Cherry Jones and Swoosie Kurtz.) I loved it. Wish some producer with a death wish would put it on again.

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Jill Krementz's Sagaponack Summer 2013, Part I

September 5, 2013, 8:05 am

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Mantelpiece in Sagaponack kitchen. My husband, Kurt Vonnegut, and I co-purchased the 1740 house in 1979. We bought it from the artist Frank Stella. Seen here: Kurt's beer, Nanny's violin, KV's 1999 Stubby Award, photograph of KV and JK on Sagg beach, and an antique lantern. The small camel was a table decoration at Georgia Tapert's wedding.

Sagaponack Summer, Part I June 12-September 8, 2013 It was a summer of simple pleasures: Occasional houseguests included Sarah Reinertsen and her husband Brooke, Sean Yule with his husband Gui, my niece Jessica Kent and Michael Nesmith, Cheryl Rossum who brought Sugar, a yappy but adorable Chihuahua formerly owned by her daughter Emmy, and  the artist Zilvinas Kempinas with his family: Angela, Andrius, and Mantas. The best visit was by my daughter Lily Vonnegut who wanted to show off her tummy — she and her husband Brian are expecting a baby boy at the end of January. I rarely left my house and when I did it was to walk with Lulu, my Maltese, to Marilee Foster's food stand of fresh flowers and produce.  It was there that I hung out on an almost daily basis with my neighbors Steve Harvey (an Egyptologist), artist Celia Gerard, and Mary Roesser Calderone. What is a summer without yard sales. I bought this for $35 on a rainy Saturday morning in Wainscott. Other visits on Sagg Main included tea with Maria and Peter Matthiessen (and their houseguest Victor Emanuel, the renowned birder), and meals with Maily and Peter Smith, their children now grown with children of their own. We've all been friends enjoying summer get-togethers since 1979 when Kurt and I bought our 1740 shingled house. Bridgehampton is a small town with The Candy Kitchen as its hub, many wonderful shops, the great family-owned Thayers Hardware store, and my favorite gallery owned by Mark Borghi. I finally got to The Parrish Museum and liked it a lot. Having heard so much about Sara de Luca and her new gallery Ille Arts in Amagansett, I braved the traffic out to Amagansett not once but twice and was glad I did. Dinners out were rare but I had a great evening at Merko's with Eric Brown, Jane Freilicher and Ian Spencer Bell. Lily and I went to Nick &Tony's as well as Almond, and I dined twice at The American Hotel thanks to generous houseguests. Mostly I fixed up the house, hung a lot of my own photographs as well as two beautiful posters by JamesMcMullan and an inscribed one from TheMonkees with whom I spent an evening when they rocked and rolled in Westbury. The yard sales were great. I'm looking forward to Memorial Day.

My Sagaponack summer started as it always does with a new beach sticker, plants (from Lynch's Garden Center in Southampton) hung and potted, an orchid on the window sill and fresh flowers in the foyer.

Hanging plants on the front porch.

Fresh flowers by the front door.

Every summer for as long as I can remember, an orchid has thrived on this windowsill. The bird made of twigs is from the Bronx Botanical Garden. For my coverage of Emily Dickinson at the Gardens, click HERE. The plate is from Dresden, a gift from my husband. The watercolor is by Morley Safer, a frequent guest (with his wife Jane) of ours over the years.

VISITORS

My first visitors — the wonderful gang from Blue Light Energy, a family business headed by Bob Schiavoni. The basement had flooded over the winter and I needed two new hot water heaters. I also needed to repair a gas leak undetected by Pulver, my previous gas supplier. What a relief to not only have an alternative provider, but a much better one.

HOUSEGUESTS

My first houseguests were Sarah Reinertsen and her husband, Brooke Raasch, who is a graphic designer. They live in Mission Viejo, California. She arrived with her bag of 8 legs having visited her prostheticist in Long Island for adjustments. I had attended her annual fund-raising gala the previous night at the Waldorf. In addition to being Ironman Hawaii, Triathlon, a Nike spokesperson, a frequent competitor, and a motivational speaker, Sarah is always helping to raise money for amputees. Sarah Reinertsen, age 14, from my book, How It Feels to Live With a Physical Disability. Sarah was just seven when she had her leg amputated above the knee because of a congenital birth defect. She was told that she would never be able to run. In 2004, at the age of 29, Sarah became the first female with a prosthetic leg to enter the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii that involves a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. She recently competed in The Amazing Race series on television.

We went to Sag Harbor and after dinner at The American Hotel we strolled on the dock where all the fancy yachts are anchored. Paul Martin from South Africa tends to one of the boats and we talked about Oscar Pistorius. Three years ago when I went to the Waldorf benefit I sat with Oscar, and of course Sarah has known him a long time. It will be interesting to see what happens. The double-amputee Olympian from Johannesburg, known as the blade runner, will go on trial in early 2014, about a year after shooting dead his girlfriend. For JK's previous NYSD photojournal on Sarah Reinertsen, click HERE.

Next houseguest was Sean Yule (who visited with his husband Gui). Sean is my editor at Knopf and handles all my reprints and e-books.

June 29-July 1st: My niece Jessica Kent and Michael Nesmith. Jessica runs The Gihon Foundation, a non-profit for the performing arts established in the early '70s by Nesmith's mother, Bette Nesmith Graham. Mrs. Graham, a former secretary, invented the correction fluid Liquid Paper. Portrait of Jessica with her new haircut. It was through Jessica that I recently met Nez, as he's known, and have become an unabashed Monkees fan.

The three of us went to The American Hotel for dinner where a large rendering of this Town & Country caricature by Victor Juhasz is on the wall behind the Maitre d's desk. That's me and Kurt on the lower left. Other familiar faces include John Steinbeck, George Plimpton, Seamus Heaney, Truman Capote, Cindy Sherman, Jimmy Buffet, Billy Joel, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Larry Rivers, Lanford Wilson, Queequeg, and Herman Melville. Nez ordered caviar and lobster. Those rock stars rock.

Jessica as she appeared in 1985 on the cover of my cookbook, The Fun of Cooking, (Alfred A. Knopf).

The opening pages of Jessica's chapter on how to make teddy bear bread.

One of the several layouts of Jessica with her mother Nathalie, who now lives in Sante Fe and is the owner of the popular store, "Nathalie."

Jessica out by the pool in the new hammock my daughter Lily sent to me for Mother's Day.

Michael and Lulu, my adorable Maltese rescue dog. Guests mean one thing to her: tummy rubs. This is her third Sagaponack summer.

Nez and Lulu Skyping with Jessica's husband and young daughters back in Carmel. This was Nez's idea.

Michael checking with his tour people.

July 19th: Michael Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, and Peter Tork. I accompanied Michael to Westbury for the 4th concert of the group's 24 city "Midsummer's Night" tour. You can click HERE for my NYSD coverage: Jill Krementz rocks and rolls with the Monkees. Nesmith will soon embark on a solo tour (Nez Fall 2013 US Tour Information).

My daughter Lily visited but because she is pregnant this is the only photograph she's allowing me to use. We had gone into Southampton for a hamburger at Barrister's Restaurant. Michael Ferrna, the manager, joined us. The baby, a boy, is due the end of January.

THE 4TH OF JULY

Kurt and I always hung out a flag on the 4th. When Lily was young we we would go into Southampton for the annual parade.

Gallerist Mark Borghi and his wife Marissa hosted their annual clambake on Gibson beach in front of their house.

A long table with flowers and a tablecloth was set up. I loved not having to sit on the sand. It's a long way down and getting up gets harder every year.

The evening was catered by East End Clambakes in Southampton. That's Frank with more than forty lobsters, a lot of clams, and, behind him, a grill with hamburgers and hot dogs. The kids made s'mores on the wood fire.

The centerpieces on the table were beautiful: mason jars and stones anchoring the flowers. That's Mark's assistant Sarah Kennedy who is getting married on October the 5th.

Joanie Borgi, aged 3, with her aunt, Cristina Mele. Ms. Mele is Marissa's sister; she works at Bloomberg in New York.

The Borghi family: Mark, Rocco, 7, Luke, 5, and Marissa.

AN OUTING TO WATER MILL

July 26th: I rarely leave Sagaponack if I can help it, but I was happy to go to Water Mill for dinner at Merko's with gallerist Eric Brown, painter Jane Freilicher, and choreographer Ian Spencer Bell. Eric, who co-owns Tibor de Nagy on Fifth Avenue, has represented Jane for many years and the gallery recently presented a solo show of her work (which you can see at Jill Krementz covers Jane Freilicher.) Eric, with Ian (his partner, as in romantic partner — not the co-owner of Tibor), had driven out for the day to show Jane a proof of a limited edition of a print run he's planning to publish of one of her works. Ms. Freilicher has spent her summers for decades in Water Mill where she has a house and studio. In addition to being a gallerist, Eric is a Monday morning painter. That's the day he has off from his gallery.

Ian and Eric were my houseguests that night. The following morning they headed back to the city in an Audi owned by Eric's brother Dana.

MARILEE FOSTER'S FARM STAND ON SAGG ROAD IS A SHORT STROLL FROM MY HOUSE

Customers are often given a bag of the homemade potato chips by Augustus Nye. An art student at Hunter, Mr. Nye has the salesmanship technique of a crack dealer: "Here, let me give you a complimentary bag of these great homemade spuds." In his own words: "The first bag is free, the second is triple." It's the end of life as you knew it. You're hooked.

Sagaponack Tiger Spud and potato chips from Foster's Farm.

Customers, i.e addicts, include Steve Harvey, my neighbor on Sagg Road. Steve Harvey, a Yale graduate, is a legendary Egyptologist. Tobin is his ARF rescue dog.

Next summer Marilee will be adding homemade potato vodka to her farmstand treasures.

Marilee can't even pick the tomatoes fast enough to satisfy her growing fans.

Assorted tomatoes and carrots.

Zucchini, squash, and radishes.

Shallots.

Heads of garlic.

Daniella Nolan, 16, is a student at Pierson High School in Sag Harbor.

On her way home from Marilee's, my neighbor Mary Roesser Calderone with Kenzie, her new puppy. The Calderone family has a beautiful house directly across the street from ours. It is situated on what was once a potato field. That was in 1979 when KV and I co-purchased our 1740 farmhouse. It was back in the day when too many insecticides were used and the toxic spraying gave us terrible headaches.

SAG ROAD AT SUNSET

Michael J. Newmark with his son Michael, aged 6, and their Jack Russell named Riley.

Mr. Newmark is a developer who is building the first sustainable LEED certified spec home in the Hamptons. It is a modern structure in Sagaponack.

MY FRIENDS MARIA AND PETER MATTHIESSEN LIVE JUST EAST OF THE FARMSTAND

Maria with her grand-daughter, Ava.

Peter Matthiessen, a founder of The Paris Review and the author of novels and non fiction. The Snow Leopard, Killing Mr. Watson, and At Play in the Fields of the Lord are among his many books. A naturalist and wilderness writer, Matthiessen, a Zen Buddhist, is a prominent environmental activist.

Peter, who is on his way to Mecox for some birdwatching with his friend Victor Emanuel, one of the top birders in the world. Victor, who lives in Austin, Texas, was staying with the Matthiessens. He runs the Victor Emanuel Nature Tours and was about to go off to Brazil with a group.

The birders with their binoculars. For JK's previous NYSD photojournal on Peter Matthiessen, click HERE.

Maria's daughter Sarah Koenig, Sarah's husband Ben, and their children Ava and Reuben.

ALSO ON SAGG MAIN, BETWEEN THE FARM STAND AND THE MATTHIESSENS: THE SMITH FAMILY

L. to r.: Camilla and Alix with their daughter Sophie, Maily Smith with Henry, and Bettina with her husband Jamie.

Alix, Sophie, and Maily.

Phoebe (Sophie's Yorkie) and Sophie lead the way.

Bettina and Henry. Bettina Prentice is a top notch PR person for many art galleries, including Acquavella.

Alix, aged 6, making her apple cinnamon muffins.

"Whenever you bake something, you have to preheat the oven so the temperature will be right when you start cooking whatever it is you're making. I always peek in first to make sure it's clean and there's nothing inside — like another pan. Mommy lights the oven for me because I'm not allowed to yet."

"What I love most about cooking is baking. I like using mixes because it's quicker and I get to eat the results sooner. Sometimes we cook applesauce or popcorn at school, but mostly I cook with Mommy, especially during the summer when we're on vacation. We always try to have a party when there's bad weather, which is a good idea because instead of being scared of thunderstorms I almost look forward to them My Daddy says my apple cinnamon muffins make him feel happy all day, rain or shine."

The same kitchen.

Alix heading across Sag where she and Camilla spend weekends with Sophie. Their Yorkie Phoebe travels in style.

The artist James McMullan dropped by for a visit and brought me a small framed poster of Waiting for Godot that he even hung on the wall for me. He also brought me a very large rolled-up poster — the one he did for Carousel, measuring 2 feet by 4 feet — that I had told him I'd be happy to have framed. While Jim was visiting, Alix and Sophie dropped by to say hello. I'm only a stroller-ride away.

Beneath Jim's Godot, is a Guild Hall poster by Paul Davis. Paul and Jim are friends and neighbors in Sag Harbor. On the wall is a painting by the late Richard Merkin.

The cover of Jim's latest book. McMullen, 79, has done three posters a year for Lincoln Center since 1986 when he did John Guare's House of Blue Leaves. He has now done posters for a total of four Guare plays. Jim has just completed a memoir Leaving China,"about the war years — and leaving China when I was a kid." It will be published by Algonquin Books on March 11, 2014. For my photojournal on Jim McMullen's exhibit a few years ago at Lincoln Center click HERE.

Inscribed by Jim. He is referring to a trip to Paris that we all took back in the '60s when I was on the staff of Clay Felker's New York Magazine. Milton Glaser was the magazine's art director and we all flew over to Paris on a chartered plane for an exhibition by Pushpin Artists.

Some of the posters by Jim has done over the years for Lincoln Center.

Bye bye.

Maria Escalante hangs the framed Carousel poster on third floor, just under Waiting For Godot.

Installation complete! On the back wall, a pastel by Paul Davis of Lily and me. Lily is Kurt's youngest daughter.

MORE HOUSEGUESTS

Cheryl Rossum has been my friend for over 50 years. Her daughter Emmy is an actress and singer-songwriter. Her Chihuahua is Sugar. Emmy has starred in movies including The Phantom of the Opera, Songcatcher, Beautiful Creatures, and Mystic River. Her series Shameless is on Showtime.

There's only one place to be when it starts to thunder. Sugar takes cover.

FOUR MORE GUESTS AND A VISIT TO WATER MILL

Artist Zilvinas Kempinas, his wife, Angela Okajima-Kempinas, and their sons, Andrius, 8, and Mantas, 7, visited after returning from a holiday in Lithuania. They spent some time here two summer's ago. We met at MoMA where I photographed his magnificent installation in conjunction with the museum's exhibition "On Line." Click HERE for my coverage.

Last year, and again this year, we visited art collector Stanley Cohen in Water Mill. Stanley is on the board of The French Foundation that runs "Atelier Calder," a residency program in Calder's studio in France. The organization is celebrating its 25 years. Zilvinas was the #2 recipient of the Calder Prize. Half of the money is given by Mr. Cohen and half by the Calder Foundation.

Zilvinas's installation, "Tripods," on Stanley's front lawn. It is made of aluminum rods and is an edition of three. Zilvinas will have a similar piece on exhibit in an upcoming exhibition this year in Dusseldorf.

Off to the nearby Parrish Museum which I was visiting for the first time. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron Architects, the East End museum opened in 2012.

Oh lucky me! Scott Howe, Deputy Director, with Director Terrie Sultan. They were both at the museum because there was a concert on the outside lawn.

Installation shot of East End artists (from left to right): John Chamberlain's Tambourninefrappe, (2010); Donald Sultan's White Poppies with Flocked Centers (2002); Jack Youngerman's Conflux II, and Mary Heilmann's Narrow Lane #3 (2001). Obviously, space dictates that this is a very edited version of all that is on display. I have shown only a few of the East End artists. The museum is worth a visit.

Eric Fischl, American, b. 1948. Scarsdale, 1986 Oil on canvas Detail of Eric Fischl's Scarsdale. The security guard told me that he had overheard a young boy's comment to his mother: "Mommy, that woman is smoking a cigarette. She must be trying to kill herself."

Billy Sullivan, American, b. 1946. Max, Sam, and Edo, 2011; oil on linen.

April Gornik, American, born 1953 Light Before Heat, 1984; oil on linen

Alan Shields, American, 1944-2005 Devil, Devil, Love, 1970 Cotton belting, acrylic, thread, beads, and wood. Security guard Joseph Kolarik told me that Mr. Shields used to work on the Shelter Island Ferry until he died in 2005.

The museum's cafe is fantastic.

The outdoor concert on the Terrace: "Sunset with Bach."

Text and photographs © by Jill Krementz: all rights reserved. Contact Jill Krementz here.

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LIZ SMITH: Respect For Fashion Week ...

September 6, 2013, 7:21 am

≫ Next: Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part I

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Oscar leading Liz.

Oscar de la Renta Demands Respect For Fashion Week ... Bill Bryson's "One Summer: America, 1927" ... "Hot In Cleveland" Sizzles With MTM Reunion. Friday, September 6, 2013 by Liz Smith “FASHION Week began with Rosh Hashanah. So nothing is sacred anymore. Except new shoes!” So says my underground fashion wunderkind pal.

WHO is numero uno in real fashion influence and knowledge? No, not Anna Wintour of Vogue and now in all but total control of Conde Nast. Not to say she isn’t right there at the tippy-top. But I believe even Anna would agree with me when I name — the one and only Oscar de la Renta. Liz leading Oscar. This smart and charming and talented, sometimes outrageous Dominican who graduated from Elizabeth Arden in his early days, has, in his professional lifetime, been wed to two women just as smart, cultured, and highly thought of (the late Francoise and the current Annette) as he is. And, at 81, Oscar has overcome all obstacles, gone fashionable world wide and he really “gets it.” He is both available and knows when to be unavailable. He takes on modern technology, using techno-savvy, and weds it to historical real knowledge and fashion grandeur. He has made himself into a North American icon, with all the attachments of international recognition. When he notes to Mail Online’s Sadie Whitelocks that Fashion Week in New York has “become a circus"; he knows whereof he speaks — slamming celebrities and their mindless hordes of followers as ruining what should be a specialty. He demands that high fashion deserves respect. It should be regarded with less spectacle and more substance. Oscar realizes it is in fashion’s nature to always change. But the current poseurs, wannabes, multitudes of photographers and crowds having nothing to do with actual fashion are ruining a true world of selectivity and knowledge that does have something to say. He blames the stars and aspiring stars and their hangers on, who ruin occasions like the Academy Awards. I think he is saying that certain kinds of celebrity are partly to blame for the current mediocrity.

FASHION spectacle has to become more manageable, more exclusive, shaped and sorted out and aimed, not at live multitudes but at those who actually know what fashion is. They are not the same as the thrill-hungry mob like those who loved the bread and circuses in the Coliseum. Fashion needs a more elegant select educated group with an “eye," experience and yes, class. I guess something has to change before Fashion Week implodes in on itself. A world of screaming photographers, getting the goods, isn’t good for running the show on the runway and this includes clamoring crowds shouting people’s names and making a public nuisance of themselves. Fashion Week has become somewhat chaotic. Gangs photographing and attacking celebrities and over-eager would-be stars, are overshadowing and overwhelming Fashion Week itself.

“DURING PROHIBITION. To render industrial alcohol disagreeable for drinking, the government took to denaturing it — that is, dosing it with poisons such as strychnine and mercury, which had the power to blind, cripple or kill those who drank it. Figures vary wildly on just how many people died wretchedly from drinking denatured alcohol ... however large or small the total, it is surely the most bizarrely sinister episode in American history.” So writes Bill Bryson in his fabulous new book, “One Summer: America, 1927.”

Dosing the alcohol supply during Prohibition. Ruth Snyder, the first woman to die in the electric chair.

It was the year of Lindbergh ... Babe Ruth. ”Shipwreck" Kelly on the flagpole ... the trial and execution of husband-killer Ruth Snyder (the first woman to die in the electric chair) ... the terrible storms that flooded the Mississippi basin, and much more than I could properly relate in one column. Click to order"One Summer: America, 1927.” I recently wrote about one of Bryson’s earlier books, “At Home,” which is similarly packed, page after page with delicious and sometimes dreadful detail. (On the dreadful side, in “One Summer,” we are told of the stoning to death of a young black boy who fell asleep on a raft that drifted into an exclusively white beach. How far are we removed from such barbaric actions these days?) Bryson is a marvelous historian, not only exhaustively accurate, but highly entertaining. If you avoid textbook histories because they seem too dry, pick up “One Summer,” or any other of Mr. Bryson’s books. They are intelligent delights.

AND SO, they all made it after all! I do mean the hilarious “Hot in Cleveland” reunion of Betty White, Valerie Harper, Mary Tyler Moore, Cloris Leachman and Georgia Engel from the eternally beloved “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” (Miss Engel, as adorably naïve and baby-voiced as ever, is now a regular on “HIC.”) When “Hot” first debuted three seasons ago, I wasn’t overwhelmed. But the stars, Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves, soon got their groove — and perhaps better writers. The show is consistently funny, often laugh-out--oud funny. (Anybody see the episode where Malick is being electrocuted by an exercise belt she can’t get off?) It really is “The Golden Girls” for the 21st century, even down to the fact that all the stars come from other, well-regarded hit series. (In Miss White’s case, this is her second smash all-female ensemble.)

Jane Leeves, Valerie Bertinelli, and Wendie Malick, and Betty White in "Hot In Cleveland."

As to the reunion, it lived up to its hype. It was more than mere sentiment at seeing these TV icons together again, they were given terrific material, and there were many clever little references to the old “MTM” show. I won’t give up too much of the plot, because the reunion can be seen again on Sunday, September 8th at 10:30 a.m. (Set your clocks! Post a note on the fridge!) However, you haven’t lived until you’ve watched suave George Hamilton lust after ... Betty White. And Cloris Leachman remains a wild woman. “Hot In Cleveland” — it’s a sizzler.

On the "Hot in Cleveland" set, cast members clockwise from top left: Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, Cloris Leachman, Jane Leeves, Georgina Engel, Valerie Harper, Katie Couric (crashing the set!), Mary Tyler Moore, and Betty White.

Contact Liz Smith here.

Click here for NYSD contents.

Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part I

September 6, 2013, 8:20 am

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End of summer marshmallow roast in Southampton.

Getting in the Mood: September 5 by Ellin Saltzman "Didjahava gudsumma?" "Guess so." It was weird. Something was off kilter ... Traffic on the eastern end of Long Island was worse than it has ever been. They claim that people came out East because the Jersey Shore was in disrepair. Montauk is a happening cool place even though it is a four hour drive. East Hampton where I live is normally a two and a half hour drive; it has been four or even more. Southampton to East Hampton normally takes twenty minutes; it has been an hour at times, even on the back roads. The only parties to attend in other Hampton locales would be midnight ones; and I am not on any of those lists!

LongHouse Reserve's "White Night."

Parties seemed to be fewer, at least in my circle. Quiet dinners were a delight. Benefits I do not attend in the summer except for LongHouse Reserve who honored Richard Meier. The evening was all white and very beautiful. Kale and Watermelon salads seemed to be on every menu and table. Weather went from being very hot to very humid to very wet. But how lucky we were to be out East! It was a summer for me to celebrate being a grandmother. A very proud one. My grandsonJack turned 18 on August 17th. He got his driver's license. He is a beautiful young man in every way. He spent three and a half weeks at an International Camp: SEEDS OF PEACE.

My grandson Jack who turned 18 on August 17th. My son David is holding the Carvel favorite Whale cake.

To him it was life changing and mind boggling. Imagine living with Israelis, Arabs, Indians and other Middle Easterners who live as though they hate each other, then going to Maine to hug each other and become the hope of the future. They had to fly home to war torn lands and families after their stay, but they still e-mail one another and vow to see each other. Jack is also slaving away in preparation for all the college essays, SATS and other tests. Plus, all the teams and social responsibilities of being a school leader. It is a frightening pressure.

Jack with his new friends from the Middle East at Seeds of Peace International Camp.

Seeds of Peace: Where hundreds of teenagers banded together.

His younger brother Teddy went to Tanzania with his parents for two weeks. Judging from the pictures it was a beautiful two weeks. Teddy (aged 16) came home and went back to work for a brilliant tee shirt and leisure wear designer in Southampton. He also spent as much time surfing as possible. With Sunshine — the designer, manufacturer, and surfer.

Over the summer, my grandson Teddy (left) worked for a fabulous designer, Sunshine, in Southampton.

Teddy also went to Tanzania and made friends with a giraffe.

My other grandsons, Harry, aged 12 and Charlie, aged 11, came to visit from London and to stay for over a week. It was an incredible time. Four grand boys who loved each other and who escorted me tenderly to golf, tennis, the beach. I did not go to Splish Splash with them ... I am not that good a sport. I also confess I did not try surfing with the four of them as I do not surf and it scares me just to watch! (One of my grand boys said I should be a "Nervous Wreck" for Halloween. He said that years ago but it still holds true!) I, of course, cried when I took them to JFK for their return to London.

Grandson Charlie Walker and his brother Harry Walker came from London to visit and to celebrate their cousin Jack's 18 birthday.

They also came to eat some s'mores on the beach.

Enough about me. But it was the summer where I played more golf and tennis than normal. And if you see me walking you will notice I am stiff and sore and looks like it all hurts — and it does. The best tennis was at East Hampton Indoor Tennis (which is also very outdoor) in Lisa Jones fabulous clinics!!! The best golf was in the three member guest tournaments that I was fortunate enough to be part of where my very high handicap helped us place in all! Lisa Jones in East Hampton. On to the Shows: Okay, first a question: aren't most clothing manufacturers Jewish?Isn't it weird that the Spring 2014 collections would start on Rosh Hashanah? Granted I know we have to synch with London, Milan, and Paris, but still? I think there were probably some buyers and writers missing from the audience today. Perhaps next year that should be addressed? Also the registration computers were down yesterday, and the check in ones today. I was told "it is Day One.” They need to work the kinks out.” Fortunately it was a nice day and tempers were checked. NICHOLAS K opened the day at 9 o'clock. Nicholas and his brother Chris make great clothes to layer and to play in. Opened my eyes to some totally wearable, pack able, comfortable clothes for weekend wear, travel, and relaxation. All layered looks. I confess to totally enjoying the collection and its mood. No, we don't have to wear Indian feathers but we could all relax in some of these pieces. They probably don't have hanger appeal, but who needs hangers? I can see these all packed and rolled in a duffle bag! I need to do some homework about Nicholas K and come back with more ...

Nicholas K RTW Spring 2014.

Nicholas and Christopher Kunz of Nicholas K.

RICHARD CHAI:The collection looked, from afar, clean, neat, lady like (below knee length skirts — not my favorite as you know!) Nice airy light Spring into Summer clothes. I could not truly see them from where I was seated, but what I saw was not offensive!

Richard Chai Love RTW Spring 2014.

DESIGUAL: I wish I knew more about the designers because I thoroughly enjoyed what I saw! At the finale a model came out with a poster saying "Thank you from the designers." These were fun clothes. At times too cutesie-pie — or actually not the clothes but the way the models were asked to flirt with the photographers and blow kisses to the spectators. The opening was black and white (by my standards a never-go-wrong combo), cute coat costumes with wide brim hats and handbags to match. We then had stripes in many happy patterns; great palazzo pants. (It has been a long time since I have written about them!). A full soft skirted, sleeveless shirt dress in stripes that I flipped for.

Desigual Spring 2014.

All in all a very happy collection with some great print tops that have sleeves and will look great on women who want to hide their arms; they can wear with their white pants. The feeling was happy Mediterranean, and I for one would happily cruise away with them. Sitting at Desigual with me was an enchanting English talent, age 66, Linda Mason. She owned a great cosmetic store which she has just closed and is going to open lindamason.com and sell everything on line. I wish her lots of success and I cannot wait to make some purchases!

More from Desigual Spring 2014 ...

TADASHI SHOJI designs some beautiful evening wear. All very pale, very ethereal, lightweight and airy. Having just read that the Metropolitan Museum Gala was going to be a Charles James tribute, I can see more and more designers making glorious evening gowns. Tadashi started it off for me.

Tadashi Shoji's Spring 2014 collection.

Photographs by Giovanni Giannoni (Nicholas K); Richard Drew (Shoji).

Contact DPC here.

Jill Krementz's Sagaponack Summer 2013, Part II

September 6, 2013, 8:22 am

≫ Next: LIZ SMITH: Together Again ...

≪ Previous: Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part I

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One of the oldest grape arbors in Sagaponack.

Sagaponack Summer, Part II Kurt's illustration for the Artists and Writers Baseball Game in the old days. August traditionally brings the annual Artists and Writers Baseball game but it has gotten so celebrity oriented that I no longer attend. It was more fun in the old days. But what wasn't? The Hampton Classic means horrendous traffic and is another event that has lost a lot of its charm. I worked in the yard and got a better workout hacking away at trees, hedges, and bushes with long-armed clippers than I would have at Pilates. Not that I've ever set foot in a Pilates studio. Bob Dash's garden, Madoo, is now part of my own backyard, separated only by an invisible wire fence, so I don't even have to pay the $10 to enjoy his artistry. The grape arbor flourished and I was able to serve bunches of grapes and cheese to guests. Does Krementz/Vonnegut Vineyard have a nice ring to it?

One of two coffee tables made from an old door we found in the barn when we bought our house. The door was cut in half and legs attached. The book about Sagaponack has a photo of our house when the Piersons owned it c. 1865.

Pierson, Rogers, Krementz-Vonnegut House, c. 1865 Captain William Pierson bought the land and house just north of the Foster Farm in 1765 from Peter Hildreth. The house dates back to 1740. Six generations of Pierson descendents were born there and seven generations have lived there — but none since 1965. Alfred Pierson was a cooper and when he lived there he had a coopers's shop with a fireplace downstairs and a finished room upstairs as well as another fireplace.

EXCURSIONS TO THE STUDIOS OF TWO ARTISTS WHO LIVE, AND WORK, NEARBY

My new friend, artist Celia Gerard has a house and studio in nearby Wainscott. She is preparing for a solo show at Sears-Peyton Gallery in January 2014.

Celia working on a drawing for her upcoming show.

The artist's work table.

Steve Miller is another artist to whom I made a studio visit. He lives on Sagg Road, just across the highway headed toward Sag Harbor. His studio, combined with his dwelling, is surrounded by beautiful flowers and shrubs.

The artist seated beneath his Protein Painting from 2011. It's hard to describe Steve Miller. He as as much a scientist as artist. Miller takes the invisible worlds of proteins and molecules and transfers them to a canvas prepped with paint and/or a digital photograph, a sonogram, an MRI, or a DNA code. Miller's work is currently on exhibit at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. (August 5-June 13, 2014). He is also the featured artist at Art Rio, which is going on now and runs through September 8th.

Images of human protein based on the research of Nobel Laureate 2003, Rod MacKinnon. All of Miller's work combines art and technology. Even though he tries to explain it, the neurons in my brain can't keep up. But I do respond viscerally . That's all that matters.

His art is displayed inside and out. This is a Steve Miller sculpture in his summer garden.

Steve with one of his books. This double page spread is a "fish bone" image of land clearing in the Amazon. In his bedroom, a John Chamberlain sculpture (1975) with John Chamberlain sofa.

Steve's worn sofa with Chinese pottery from 500BC to 200BC, a small fraction of his Chinese Neolithic collection.

Studio assistant of 8 years, Becky Rosko, preparing lunch. She works twice a week at the studio and helps with the silk screening. Steve invites friends over every Monday for an informal lunch either in his studio or on the outside porch.

BRIDGEHAMPTON: WHERE I GET EVERYTHING I NEED AND SEE EVERYONE I KNOW

Vivi and Gus Laggis opened The Candy Kitchen in 1981. Gus makes ice cream in the back of the store. Their daughters Jamie and Maria work behind the counter, as does Marisio, their son-in-law. Besides ice cream in all its varieties, the most popular choice on the menu is the chicken over Greek salad. The popular hangout opens at 7 AM and breakfast is the most popular time of the day. In years past one could see frequent breakfasters Roy Scheider and Don Hewitt.

Daughter Jamie behind the counter.

Suzanne Joseph Lobel was Stanley's house guest. Stanley Weissman is my neighbor in Sagaponack. Sadly, her husband Lorenzo died this past year from a brain tumor.

Nathan Slate Joseph and Lucian Truscott IV. Mr. Joseph, an Israeli artist represented by Sundram Tagore Gallery in Manhattan, lives in Sag Harbor with his wife Julie Keyes. He has a studio in Sagaponack just down the road from my house. Mr. Truscott, a legendary staff reporter for The Village Voice, has recently moved from Tennessee to New York. His FB blog has a large following and he is completing a memoir. Truscott is a fifth great grandson of Thomas Jefferson.

Nessia Pope on the sidewalk near Candy Kitchen on her way to the jitney which stops across the street. Nessia, Artspace's curator with more than 20 years of curatorial experience, was on her way back to NYC. She had come out for the day to attend an annual luncheon in Georgica. Legare Settle, 25 years old, is from Savannah. She is a Senior Consultant at Beacon Hill Associates in Manhattan. On weekends Ms. Settle takes the jitney out to babysit for a family in Sag Harbor. She was waiting to be picked up outside the Candy Kitchen.

Dan Scheffey and Ricki Roer, old friends since their college days at the University of Pennsylvania, class of '78.   Ricki is an attorney.   Dan, formerly with Condé Nast, is now on his own, consulting in media strategy, marketing and communications.  Among other companies, he is working with The Monacelli Press, a leading independent book publisher specializing in architecture, design, fine art, and fashion.  Their next big book, Lee Miller in Fashion, is coming up in October. It's about Miller's work in fashion as model and photographer (she studied photography in Paris with surrealist artist Man Ray) before World War II when she was named British Vogue's war correspondent. Impressive work and career for this talented Poughkeepsie-born dynamo.

Nathan Lane in the parking lot near Bridgehampton's Golden Pear with his car and driver. Mr. Lane lives in East Hampton near the movie theater. Also at Golden Pear: Jimmy Fallon, accompanied by his wife, but looking very much the proud Daddy with his tiny baby strapped to his chest in a Snugglie. The infant's tiny bare tootsies were too adorable. Alan and Arlene Alda in the parking lot behind Candy Kitchen. Alan is continuing to work on his PBS Science series and Arlene, as usual, has a new children's book coming out. She was raving about the new Sony digital, but I am happy with my Canon.

Citarella Parking Lot: Photographer Jean Pagliuso loads up her 1966 vintage 230 SL Mercedes. Jean is proposing an exhibition, "Restoration Suite," to the Marlborough Gallery of her recent landscapes photographed in Mali, Burma, and Egypt.

Framed photograph by Jean Pagliuso is on the kitchen wall. It is the invitation from her solo show, "Jean Pagliuso: The Poultry and Raptor Suites" in 2011 at Marlborough Graphics in NYC. Jean's formal studies of chickens, falcons, and owls standing against minimal backgrounds explore the animals' anthropomorphic traits, and the resulting photographs are simultaneously captivating and timeless. I love her work.

Chris Berckert at Tech Solutions where I spent most of August perched on a stool while he tried to retrieve my iPhoto files which got corrupted. Chris has been a volunteer fireman with the Amagansett Fire Department for 3 1/2 years. "We cook and entertain for The Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride. It's a fundraiser where 15-20 wounded warriors join a couple of hundred supporters who participate in a 30-mile bike ride from Amagansett to Sag Harbor and back again. The bottles of wine, I should mention, are a gift from Julian who owns the gallery next door. No wine was consumed during the making of this photojournal. But we both could have used some.

Sadly my photographs of Tom Wolfe at home in Southampton are lost in cyberspace. But my inscribed photo of him is not.

Detail of Tom Wolfe's inscription. As he was signing it I said it seemed like only yesterday. He looked at the date and said "yes, it was only 49 years ago." Tom is now 83 and "still tap dancing." Oh, how I wish I had the photographs I took that day.

Shamin Abas dropped by to get her iPhone repaired, with her is Cavapoo Poodle. "I bid on him at a leukemia auction so that's why he's named Lucca." Ms. Abas was heading back to Palm Beach where her business was based and needed iPhone music for the two-day drive. Abas owns a Public Relations and Special Events company which recently produced Bridgehampton Polo. "In Palm Beach we do the High Goal All Star Polo Challenge in March. But mostly we're in New York City."

On the sidewalk outside Tech solutions I met Justin T. Ward. Mr. Ward is with JW Hamptons Concierge Services, a growing industry in the Hamptons. He arranges for people to rent sailboats, take polo lessons or gain access to major events.

Also on Main Street, Leo a French bulldog who belongs to artist Tom Dash.

Mark Borghi's Gallery had an end-of-the-summer party featuring his artists, one of whom is Tom Dash. For my NYSD coverage of Tom Dash's solo show at the gallery click HERE. Pat Rogers writes for Hampton's ArtHub, a popular blog.

Callie Manfred works at David Tunic Art Gallery on 66th and Madison. The gallery specializes in Old Master works on paper. Callie has just learned that I am "Lily's Mom." Callie and Lily were childhood friends meeting when they were babies, only a few months old. I have photographs of them in diapers sitting on a blanket in our Sagaponack lawn.

June 24, 1983: Callie and Lily photographed on the lawn behind our Sagaponack house.

Chris Mead, who owns English Country Antiques, and his wife, Zoë Hoare. Out the door and off to dinner.

Callie and Tom Dash are good friends.

Also on Main Street: Alison Sneed, who works at Coastal Home. "I'm the lead sled dog, as they say in the sales business." A fifteen year resident of Sag Harbor, "but a lifetime summer East Ender," Sneed has done some runway modeling and is a very good tennis player as well as an equestrian. Kylie Monagan and Cody Levine. Kylie lives in East Hampton and is training to be a restaurant manager at the East Hampton Grill. Her dress is from Limonia, a store in Santa Monica that sells a lot of local designers. Cody is starting a job at BBD&O, "I'm paying back student loans," he told me.

Jean Kahn and Barbara Remia are co-owners of Tutto Bene, a year-round store on Main Street. They opened in 1985 and carry women's clothing, shoes, and accessories. Joanne is wearing a handblocked Indian print cotton tunic by Sulu ($288). It's my favorite hangout, albeit a dangerous one.

MORE VISITORS

Star Black and Galen Williams came over for dinner. Star is a good friend, an excellent poet, a photographer, and a talented collagist. One of her collages hangs on the wall in Sagaponack. I met Galen back in the '60s when she ran the poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y, which is now celebrating its 75th anniversary. I photographed all the events for her which included Marianne Moore, Robert Lowell, W.S. Merwin, Anne Sexton, Anthony Hecht, and Jorge Luis Borges. Galen is one of the top landscapers out here. She is now busy planting daffodil bulbs.

Harvey Shapiro: 1924-2013. There will be a memorial service for Harvey on October 11th, 7 p.m. at Poets House, 10 River Terrace in Lower Manhattan followed by a reception. This beautiful art work by Star Black hangs on the wall of the stairway.

Lucian Truscott cooked for us. That's Lulu, his sous-chef, in the foreground.

A handsome dude from Speedy Recovery also visited to retrieve my keys locked in my car. I was so stupid because I didn't realize I could have called Triple A with whom I have a contract. But I must say ... they lived up to their name.

Vinnie Favaro the installer, as he calls himself, and Angelo DelPriore installing my new oven, not that I need an oven. But I figure my daughter Lily , her husband Brian and their baby will be ensconced next summer, along with Michigan in-laws, Liz and Ron Michalski. The Michalskis are all great cooks so I am looking forward to a summer of good eating. Liz cans her own jams so I bet she's looking forward to my grape arbor.

My other big installation of the summer was a wooden ceiling fan with a remote control.

The biggest installation of all: my photographs. These are three of the 24 that I hung throughout the house. Left: The upside down tree is a sculpture by Channing Wineries owner Walter Channing; the baby is Sylvia, his then 11-month-old-daughter; September 6, 1993. Center: Jane and Morley Safer's grandson Joseph, October 7, 1902. Right: A coal miner and his son in West Virginia, November 7, 1979.

Bettina Prentice dropped by one morning with a Wayne Thiebaud poster from Aquavella. For my NYSD coverage of the Thiebaud show curated by John Wilmerding click HERE. I loved that show and am very pleased to have the poster which will soon be framed and on the wall. Later the same day I saw Bettina and her husband Jamie with Henry in Brideghampton where I was on my daily outing to Tech Solutions.

Lee Foster's Guinea hens made numerous daily visits. It's my favorite part of the day when they arrive on my front lawn. They eat all the ticks and mosquitos which is more than I can say about any of my other drop-ins.

Along with the guinea hens, my friend Star Black was a frequent visitor for a swim. She sat out by the pool preparing her writing courses that she'll be teaching this fall at Southampton College.

My hard-working vine pullers.

NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS

Tommy and May finally got home from camp and I could once again hear their happy laughter coming from their next door pool. With them is their babysitter Kimberly Bellflower.

May is now 10. May Lehrer-Seller on November 2, 2002.

Josh Lehrer, one of their two dads who they call "Papa," has just turned 50. Josh is a very good photographer who has been documenting homeless transgender teens in an ongoing portrait series entitled, "Becoming Visible." This work has been exhibited at The Robert Miller Gallery, The Powerhouse Arena, John Jay College, Gerald Peters Gallery, the galleries at Splashlight Studios and at the Martin Art Gallery in Allentown Pennsylvania. A new show of this series opens at The Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford Connecticut later this month. Jeffrey Seller, their other Dad, is the producer of "Rent," "Avenue Q," and "In the Heights." Seller has a new play on the boards that he is directing and producing: called: "Fly" (about Peter Pan). It previewed in Texas this summer where it received raves. Jeffrey has two other upcoming projects — "The Last Ship" with Sting (music and Lyrics) and "Alexander Hamilton" with Lin Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics).

AMAGANSETT & MY FAVORITE NEW GALLERY

Ille Arts is located in back of an old farmhouse in Amagansett at 216 Main Street. Artist Mary Heilmann lives near me in Sagaponack. Represented by Hauser and Wirth, Mary has shown at Ille Arts. In addition to being a painter, a sculptor and a ceramicist, she's a poet. Her greeting never changes: "Hi Honey."

For Eric Brown's solo show, my Sagaponack neighbors Perry Sayles and Steve Harvey gave me a ride. Perry is a finance lawyer. As I mentioned earlier, Steve and I hang out on a daily basis at Marilee Foster's farmstand on Sagg Main.

Eric Brown standing in front of several of his abstract oils on view at Ille Arts. You can log on to my NYSD Photojournal of Eric's show HERE.

Sara De Luca, director of Ille Arts, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and Eric Brown.

A second visit on September 1st to Ille Arts in Amagansett, this time for a dance performance by Ian Spencer Bell.

My pal Star Black was my chauffeur. I can drive but I hate to drive at night. While stopping for gas, I met Charles Scotti and his son Charles, who had just gone fishing.

They were on their way home in a 1967 car to cook a tasty dinner of their catch.

Amagansett Free Library, Chartered 1916.

Everything is so pretty, even the parking lot.

While waiting for Ian's performance to begin I went across the street for a stroll. Waiting for a pizza at Sotto Sopra were Alex Hecker, a director at Lazard Freres, with Lilly, 3 weeks old (greeting us with a big yawn), Leon, 4, and Lena, 6. I have Lily, 30, and Lulu, 10 (not dog years). That's a LOT of L's.

Double-duty stroller.

Standing room only for Ian's performance. But I had saved a seat for myself with a book.

In cotton shorts and a T-shirt, Bell performs a talking dance in the main gallery space.

He kicks, darts, lunges, turns, and jumps, while speaking about growing up in Virginia, living in New York, and traveling to Los Angeles. "Dance," Bell says, "is about constant change. This is his short mediation on travel and place and the constant changing realties of life."

The performance lasted for half an hour. The audience loved it.

Artist Jack Ceglic holding a copy of his book (my seat-saver): Jack, Drawings and Paintings by Jack Ceglic, 2009-2012. The book's forward, "About Jack" is by poet Philip Schultz. There is also a conversation with Mr. Ceglic by Joe Montello. In 1977, Mr. Ceglic was one of the founders of Dean & Deluca in Soho. In 1979 he opened another D&D in East Hampton. In 1996 he published the D&D cookbook. If that's not enough, he designed Joe Montello's metal houses compound in Water Mill. He's also a brilliant gardener.

Two layouts from the book.

Philip Schultz, Pulitzer prize-winning poet.

AN END OF SUMMER VISIT TO WATER MILL

I could not end the summer without a visit to my dear friend Mary Ellin Barrett. We met in 1959 when I was her assistant at Glamour Magazine. I later worked for her husband Marvin at Show Magazine. Her house, like mine, was built in 1740 and she has just put it on the market. She wants to devote her time and energy to the family house in the Catskills once owned by her father, Irving Berlin.

Family portrait in the kitchen: Mary Ellin with her grandsons, Nicky, 20, and William Swett, 13, and her son-in-law Benjy Swett. Mr. Swett is a photographer whose most recent book, New York City of Trees, was the subject of a Talk of the Town story in The New Yorker and received a rave review in The Wall Street Journal. The book's publication coincided with an exhibition at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park. Benjy is now working on a book, The Diary of Lost Things, an autobiography. Nicky and William had just returned from the Luzerne Music Center near Lake George where Nicky was a counselor and William a camper. Following in his great grandfather's footsteps, Nicky is an accomplished musician, a cellist, who is a student of Hans Jensen at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.

A portrait of Mary Ellin's mother Ellin Mackay. In the 1920s, Mr. Berlin fell in love with a young heiress, Ellin Mackay, the daughter of Clarence Mackay, the socially prominent head of the Postal Telegraph Cable Company. Because Berlin was Jewish and she was Catholic, their life was followed in every possible detail by the press, which found the romance of an immigrant from the Lower East Side and a young heiress a good story. For my NYSD photojournal on Irving Berlin, click HERE.

This is how Mary Ellin looked when I first met her. I used to babysit for her kids and I photographed their weddings and later, their children.

William is an avid news junkie.

The car is packed and the Swetts are on their way. Katherine, who teaches at Brearley, was already back in NYC. The trunk is closed with that familiar slam.

Labor Day means just that. I have to return to the city and work. While I'm away Steve O'Connell will be checking the house on a regular basis.

AND SO THE SAGAPONACK SUMMER ENDS

How fitting to end with words by the great Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, who died on August 30th in Dublin. I'm not personally obsessed with death. At a certain age, the light that you live in is inhabited by the shades — it 'tis. I'm very conscious that people dear to me are alive in my imagination — poets in particular ... These people are with me. It's just a stage of your life when the death of people doesn't banish them out of your consciousness. They're part of the light in your head.

Click here for Part 1 of Jill Krementz's Sagaponack Summer 2013.

For Kurt who will always be the light in my head. Text and photographs © by Jill Krementz: all rights reserved. Contact Jill Krementz here.

LIZ SMITH: Together Again ...

September 9, 2013, 6:03 am

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Sisters Lorna Luft and Liza Minnelli.

Liza Minnelli and Lorna Luft — Together Again for the First Time in Twenty Years! ... Doris Day Who Do We Have to **** To Get Her an Oscar? ... Good Luck To Alec Baldwin, MSNBC's New Star ... All The Details About Neil Patrick Harris ... "Kinky Boots" Special Performance for The Actors Fund in November. Monday, September 9, 2013 by Liz Smith “SISTERS, SISTERS/There were never such devoted sisters ...” So went the Irving Berlin song, delivered in the movie “White Christmas” by Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen (And later reprised in the same film — by Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby!)

Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Judy Garland. SPEAKING of sisters, on October 14 and 21 at Birdland, the Actor’s Fund presents the annual “Nothing Like A Dame” event. This benefits The Actors Fund’s Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative. It is always one of New York’s most fun happenings. This year, it’s gonna be even more so! The event is called “Lorna’s Pink Party.” That’s Lorna as in Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy Garland. Miss Luft’s “special guest” on these two nights will be her sister, Liza Minnelli. This is the first time in twenty years the siblings perform together. I know, I know. I’m a little breathless myself. (Lorna has a great big trumpet of a voice, made for Broadway musicals. She doesn’t sound much like Liza, or their mom — the legendary Judy Garland — but Lorna’s is an impressive instrument.) Others on board are Ann Hampton Callaway ... Jim Caruso ... Brian Stokes Mitchell ... Marcia Strassman ... Liz Callaway ... Kelly King ... and but of course, Miss Phyllis Newman herself, the driving force behind this terrific night. Call 212-221-7300 ext 133 for tickets. Hurry! This is one for the ages.

WELL, I can’t really quibble with the Academy of Arts & Sciences giving special Oscars to Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, costume designer Piero Tosi and Angelina Jolie (Jolie receives the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.) Doris Day, Doris Day, Doris Day!!!! But ... and you know where I’m going: Doris Day, Doris Day, Doris Day!!!! What on earth can be keeping the Academy from honoring this iconic movie actress and singer — the top female star, in terms of her tenure at the box-office, a decade. (Betty Grable is a close tie.) For shame. Long ago I figured they wouldn’t because Day refuses to appear in public. At least nothing that public. But Oscar went to Mary Pickford at home. They could go to Doris. But perhaps — in fact it’s more than likely — Miss Day herself is unconcerned. She fills her life with work for her Doris Day Animal Foundation. Doris recently put a few items up on eBay, to raise money for her cause. There were two signed copies of Universal Studios 100th Anniversary book (with DD and Rock Hudson on the cover.) She signed four copies of her Doris Day Songbook CD, and also put her signature on two sets of Doris and Rock Barbie dolls, in their original boxes, in pristine condition. As for Oscar. Well, I suppose it’s nice to have a little golden guy around the house. But a golden retriever cuddling on the sofa is much more satisfying.

Animal lover Doris Day!

THE GOOD Daddy!: Who is evidently the all-around high testosterone superman of our vitiated masculine times? Alec, Hilaria, and the beautiful Carmen in Hello! I’d say, observing his many jocular ever-present commercials and ads that he’s Alec Baldwin. He is soon to be seen with his own show on MSNBC Friday nights at 10 p.m. And this is a good actor, a real star and he deserves the big success that has finally come to him, too. Although he lets himself in for more than his share of celebrity punishment, I don’t really think there is a kinder, nicer gent around. I’ve known Alec through his rises, his falls, his understandable temper, his heartbreak and his tenacity. Now he looks positively beautific in a photograph with his love, Hilaria, and their new baby girl, Carmen in her arms. Alec, I have always admired and (think) I understand you. Much happiness my longtime friend, in your new life and success. You don’t have to worry about being a good father. You just need to be allowed to function as one, warts and all. You’ll be great! I am totally in your corner.

ONE CAN'T cope with all the 100 year history of Vanity Fair this month, but there is one little "interview" about someone more timely (that is ... of the present) that should not be overlooked. It is titled "In the Details" by David Kamp and he tells lots I didn't know about this multi-talented guy Neil Patrick Harris. Neil Patrick Harris with David Burtka and their two beauties. Yes, he's the one who plays the cad on "How I Met Your Mother" and he also is TV-Broadway's go-to guy when they don't get Hugh Jackman. Harris will emcee the September 22 Emmy awards show and has already helmed another one which was great. He has overseen the Tony Awards four times; jumping through a hoop and being more talented than those receiving awards. Young Harris is married to famous chef David Burtka and they have twins — a boy and girl. He has the legit "Rent" ... "Cabaret". ... and "Assassins" to his credit and he’ll be seen next spring in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." (This was an off-B'way outing that has found the respectable nod from big biz Broadway.) My personal NPH anecdote was his nod to "The Muppets." He notes that Crazy Harry, his favorite has disappeared. "I think they’ve put him in the back, now that the world has changed. Probably realized that the 'Let's set off bombs' Muppet was possibly not good for children." Patrick says if he had made a sham marriage back in the '50s in order to fit in, he'd have picked either Doris Day or Cyd Charisse.

NOW, LISTEN, do I steer you wrong very often? If you have never seen the award-winning musical, "Kinky Boots," here's how to see it in person with a big VIP celebrity audience on Nov. 3rd, a Sunday night, and you will be having a ball and also doing a good deed in a naughty world. Just call 212-221-7300 extension 133. Or e-mail: tickets@actorsfund.org. Or visit www.actorsfund.com. I guarantee if you go to the Hirschfeld Theater, 302 West 45th Street, off Times Square, you will have a great good time!

Contact Liz Smith here.

Click here for NYSD contents.

Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part II

September 9, 2013, 9:13 am

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Where's Anna?

by Ellin Saltzman Day 2: Friday, September 6 What a beautiful morning. Time to wear a jacket and jeans. My favorite vintage Armani is perfect but the shoulders are deliciously round, making the hips look slimmer. Did I stand out as much as the ladies with the over-collagen fish lips at the shows? Speaking of which ... there was a famous lady at the Federer tennis match on Monday with fish lips, too! Why? My booth/workstation at The Diner. The first show of the day was at the Milk studios on West 15th Street. Way west. Cab was only 22 dollars ... a Jewish holiday Friday making it easier. I am camping out at a diner on 14th and 9th as I write this. They are very pleasant and have a clean rest room, A rating, good bacon and eggs, and are nice enough to let me sit and work. It is called The Diner. PETER SOM The show was classy. KCD does a brilliant job. I had a front row seat as I had worked with Peter early on and he has memories. Thanks God. Adding to the classiness were the white rows of benches filled with ZOYA nail polish boxes and smart water under every seat. I was seated next to a Saks' buyer who is going through times of unease and unknowing; and Joe Zee, who is writing and doing and traveling and will have three columns out this weekend.

The clothes were happy, clean, never boring, and colorful. I say colorful although white predominated. Of course, my favorite look was a white cotton jean jacket and caddy slouch pants, reminding me of Som at Blass or Michael, but this was not the meat of the collection. The best pieces were neoprene cobalt, white eyelet dresses and skirts and Bermudas. There were great blue and white wave prints, wrap dresses and sarong skirts, coats, jackets ... a classy with a twist group to wear from Spring thru Summer 2014. His shoes by Louboutin for him were either strappy with clunky heels or great oxfords in leopard. Which strangely worked. Bravo Peter. Bravo KCD.

Peter Som RTW Spring 2014.

Thank goodness I got my Nike fuel band replaced. I could no longer press the button to get the read-outs (steps, calories, time, fuel). If I had not been wearing it, I would have hailed a taxi to go from 9th Avenue and 14 Street to 82 Mercer Street for the JASON WU show. Serena and Li Na in Nike; Anna and Maria at Jason Wu Spring 2014 Collection. As it was I marched. Just do it! Speaking of NIKE, have you been watching the tennis matches? Nike has become the uniform of choice for Serena and Li Na and many others and they all look great. Nike is new to tennis and they make a great product with their moisture-wicking formula fabric. I personally swear by it. Speaking of tennis, when I sat at the Jason Wu show I realized Anna Wintour was surrounded by a tennis star. And it was not Roger Federer. It was Maria Sharapova. She has a shoulder injury and had to pull out of the open, so Anna pulled her into the shows. JASON WU's collection was gilded and glamorous and sporty. He called it a "dialogue between construction and ease." He opened with a bias cut halter dress, gold embroidered; followed by a great beige cropped utility trench coat over a dove grey knit tank with a gold metallic embroidered bias cut chiffon skirt, which is a great tough and sexy look! While much of the collection was ivory, beige, pale grey, he also had a great group of navies and blacks. He used chiffon, tweed, silk gauze, suede, metallics. There were jump suits, caftans, pin tuck dresses, wrap skirts, short shorts. Many of the tops were tailored with back lace-up corset. Outstanding to me was the pale sage corset back jacket over Bermuda shorts for day and all the bias cut beaded chiffons for night, with Amanda in 41 (black satin motorcycle jacket over black satin bra, with bias cut ivory embroidered skirt). His handbags were great as well; clutches and weekenders. All I can say is Woo Woo Jason Wu!

Jason Wu Spring 2014 Collection ...

Day 3: Saturday, September 7 Confess to missing some shows but catching up on my thoughts and watching some tennis too! Novak Djokovic in Uniqlo. Quilted Cardigan Jacket from Joe Fresh, $89. A snippet from BCBG (left) and Rag and Bone (right). Closing out the Desigual show. Son Jung Wan. 1. DJOKOVIC is wearing Uniqlo attire. I love Uniqlo and hope you all visit the store. They have fabulous undershirts and sleepshirts as well as lightweight, but warm, parkas. Make sure to check it out if you don't already! 2. JOE FRESH is another love. I was walking home from dinner Wednesday evening and Paul Sinclair, a long-time fashion friend, was taking Marjorie Gubelmann home. He introduced me to Joe. I was like a kid and kissed him and told him what a fan I was! Seriously ladies, if you go to Florida or a warm climate frequently over the winter, go to Joe Fresh first. They have the very best lightweight packable parkas. Brilliant. Buy at least one or three in lots of colors. This is not extravagant. They are probably $50 at the most! 3. REBECCA MINKOFF ... I forgot to mention the great looking back packs in yellow, red, black. Do not have to be worn as a back pack. 4. SHOWS that deserve mentioning: Band of Outsiders, BCBG, Rag and Bone. Hopefully I will be able to see next season. Just names to know. 5. NEW YORK TIMES reviews. I give up. They are so down. Cannot believe them. Designers need a break. So does business! 6. FORGOT to tell you. That collection called DESIGUAL was designed by a Monsieur LaCroix! They are not allowed to use his full name. No wonder it was so cute and colorful. So is Christian and so were all his designs. He is a joy and I personally miss his collections and his personality in my life. 7. MISSED three collections today that I regret not seeing: PRABAL GURUNG, whose presentation seemed tight and precise and clean and sophisticated. It had, for me, one big problem. Everything was way below the knees. Very 1950s. And thus I see it as aging. SON YUNG WAN. A small collection that looked to me like a knockout. Glorious gilded beaded dresses, dramatic bias cuts. I confess to being guilty of overlooking the invite and not putting it on my calendar. Sorry Deborah. Sorry Son Yung. I would like to meet you! ALEXANDER WANG. Modern fun and clean. Short skirts (mini cheerleaders), laser cut leathers and jumpers, and a great group of clothes in menswear blue and white or pink and white shirtings. 8. TREATED myself to a pedicure this afternoon. Three young 20-somethings (two men and their lady pal) all sat opposite me, also having pedis. I realize this is no longer just a lady thing. It was perfectly normal! But what really got me was the lady next to me and the 20-somethings opening up their mini iPads. All confessed to owning the larger one which I swear by ... but all carry around the mini! Ah ha ... guess who is buying one tomorrow in between shows at Lincoln Center? iPad mini here I come!

Alexander Wang RTW Spring 2014.

Day 4: Sunday, September 8 When I fell asleep with late news on I swear they were telling me it was going to be rainy this morning! Well, aren't we lucky? No such thing. I also thought they said chilly so I dressed in my Sunday style: my favorite DL jeans and black Christopher Fisher cable sweater and Jodhpur boots. Wow, was I wrong! and I will tell you why after a bit of my meanderings. Andrew Testa for The New York Times. Awakened after a very nice Trazodone-induced sleep deliciously late at 8:30. Time for at least the Style section of the New York Times with a fascinating article about the dandy Hamish Bowles. I think he is fine and dandy in every way. 2 mugs of coffee and a hard boiled egg (yes I am trying once again to follow Dr. Dukan diet) and a nice leisurely shower and then to get organized. But OMG my iPhone was gone ... gone ... gone ... and I could not call it as I never used it as a phone! I just use it for mail and pictures and Words With Friends, thus had no idea of what the number was and no idea of where it was. One hour of panic and plans of how to attack ... I had searched and searched the two jacket pockets and the three different bags, purses, and clutches ... under the bed, in the fridge, in the bed, between the covers, in the closets ... it was gone! Heavy hearted I set off, realizing that my hoped for purchase of the mini iPad would be a negotiation for a replacement iPhone, number unknown. Hopped into a cab. Told him 475 Tenth Avenue (the Sean Kelly Studio) for the DEREK LAM show) hoping he could fly because we had 12 minutes to make it! He was wonderful and so was the Sunday traffic and he made it! He also got a very generous tip as when in his lucky passenger seat I felt the lining of my duffle bag and guess what ... under that lining lay my iPhone!!! So, Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'! Cathy Horyn in a white shirt and black jacket ; Nina Garcia in her Google Glass. I happily marched into this great gallery with my seat very near the entrance, getting to see everyone walk in. And they were all in my most usual uniform ... white shirts, black or denim bottoms, black jackets. Cathy Horyn was in denim cut-offs with a white shirt and black jacket (her column in the New York Times style section today was good so I forgive her for Thursday's); Linda Wells, EIC of Allure, was in a sheer white shirt, black trousers and black bra. Not sure how I feel about that black bra, but I love her. Nina Garcia was in a white-dotted sweater and black trousers wearing her Google Glass and laughing about them. Two other very young daddy long-legged ladies with 4.5 inch heels were wearing white oversized men's shirts and short, short shorts and looked divine ... but they were young, young, young and I think assistants as they were second rowers! DEREK LAM Another super KCD production. I know I rave about them all the time but they deserve the highest praise. I wish they were running the whole Fashion Week organization. They get it!!!! The show had 30 pieces. It was clean and neat. It was clear checked plaids in black and white, white leather, white poplin, white lace (that did not look like lace), navy, and yellow. It was, in this season for Spring Summer 2014, one of the few collections that had a "spring coat or topper."

Dark indigo denim wrap front coat with matching wide belt ... navy leather tall gladiator flat. Chambray denim wrap pea coat and wide belt with white lace pleated skirt. Black crepe fringed top over white lace tunic dress with great gladiator flat and gold wrap around bracelets.

Derek also had sleeves on many of his clothes for all those women of a certain age who say, "I won't wear sleeveless," and then ask me where to get clothes with sleeves. May I present Derek Lam! Bravo Derek for providing clothes for all ages, as long as the folks buying them feel confident and have kept in shape!!!!

Derek Lam RTW Spring 2014.

VICTORIA BECKHAM A collection I wish I had seen even though she is quite frankly not a designer, but a name. After looking at the pictures of her collection today I should have my mouth washed out with soap (do mothers still do that?) I was wrong. Her clothes are clean (the operative look this season ... yahoo!), neat, and happy. They are in white, in black, in black and white, and then in fuchsia or neon pink with white or with black or with black and white. Her lengths go from below knee, mid calf as in her finale pants to short mini kilts, with various stages in between. Congratulations Victoria!

Victoria Beckham RTW Spring 2014.

ALTUZARRA A name we should all know and a designer whose clothes we should all purchase! His firm was recently purchased by Kering (not to be confused with Keurig, my coffee maker!). It is either the Pinault organization or the Arnault one, newly named. Joseph Altuzarra's collection is beautiful. It is all based on striped men's shirting and simple shirt and skirt shapes with slits allowing for movement. Here, the below-the -knee lengths do not bother. They look right as you can see skin. Joseph has it right!!! Bravo to you for all great things. I hope to meet you as well!

Altuzarra RTW Spring 2014.

Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 1

Photographs by Giovanni Giannoni.

Contact DPC here.

LIZ SMITH: The Kardashian Conundrum ...

September 10, 2013, 6:02 am

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The Kardashian Conundrum: Should They Be Hated Or Ignored? (Just try Doing the Latter.) ... "50 Shades" of Great Co-star Chemistry ... Vin Diesel Tops "The Butler" ... Advice for "Ray Donovan" ... Unendening Raves for "Breaking Bad." Tuesday, September 10, 2013 by Liz Smith "I COULDN'T sacrifice my heart for a publicity stunt" said ... Kim Kardashian! (Some who loathe the Kardashians might paraphrase Bette Davis in "All About Eve" — "Nice speech, Kim. You can always put that publicity stunt where your heart ought to be.") Fair or not, the recent Lamar Odom business with Kardashian sis, Khloe, has pumped up the hate for the family. The feeling seems to be: if he's a crack addict, it's only because of his involvement with the K's. Absurd, of course, but the price that comes with selling your life and soul to reality TV.

AND SPEAKING of stunts — Wow, Miley Cyrus really got what she wanted out of that rump-bumping performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Worldwide attention and now, banned from the cover of Vogue, reportedly by order of editrix Anna Wintour! Ms. Wintour couldn't get down with the twerking. The way things have turned out, is it possible Miley was musing: "I hope this will get me booted from Vogue's cover." La Publicite!

A fan creation of "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie poster. E.L. James loved it so much that she retweeted it. OH, ALREADY the word is out about the "great chemistry" between Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson, the co-stars of the film version of "50 Shades of Grey." We are obliged to read between the lines and conclude the pair are genuinely, hotly attracted to each other. Hunnnam's girlfriend, jewelry designer Morgana McNelis is going to have to put up with a lot of this over the coming months. And dollars to donuts before it's all over we'll get the old Julie Christie/Donald Sutherland rumors that Charlie and Dakota "really did it!" At least in one of their onscreen sexual encounters. The material of "50 Shades" almost demands such steamy gossip. The Christie/Sutherland tale was hot stuff back in 1973. Many people went to their genuinely scary thriller, "Don't Look Now" to do exactly the opposite — look to see if they could see "all." These days it's still something to be curious about, but with the proliferation of porn, not all that curious.

GLAD AS I was to see Lee Daniels'"The Butler" dominate the top of the box-office for three weeks, I can't say I'm disappointed that Vin Diesel's "Riddick" finally un-seated it. I like Mr. Diesel in the same way I like Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock.") Great big guys who can play action and also have a kind of cuddly quality. Still going strong is "We're The Millers" which has now taken in about $130 million domestically. Jennifer Aniston's rom-coms might not be up there with the classic works of Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Jean Arthur, etc. But apparently they are quite satisfying for 21st century audiences and more importantly, the studios who pay Jen the big bucks. And that's always been the bottom line in show biz.

AS SHOWTIME'S"Ray Donovan" winds down its first season — Showtime picked it up for a second season as soon as the initial reviews were in — we have a few presumptuous suggestions. Please feel free to disagree. Distracting. Scintillating. The strong, strange "Southie" Boston accent employed by that very good actress Paula Malcomson who plays Ray's wife has got to go. Everybody will notice, most everybody will cheer. Whether it was the director or the choice of the actress, it is beyond distracting. Also, dialogue between Liev Schreiber and Malcomson must be improved. The way the pair speak and interact, one might get the impression they were newlyweds, just finding out about each other. (We have to assume Ray has been a tough customer for years, providing well for his family, while sometimes brutally "fixing" various Hollywood scandals. I know Malcomson is supposed to be a self-deluding, materialistic Carmela Soprano knock-off, but even Carmela didn't frantically ask Tony every single week, "What's going on?") Otherwise, though the show breaks no new ground, it is entertaining and intense, with Jon Voight, as Liev's father, giving the performance of his career, period. Rosanna Arquette appeared in a few episodes, but her poignant/amusing little arc ended tragically. Too bad, her brief stint was a reminder of what a good and unique actress she is.

"BREAKING BAD" continues to pump super doses of adrenaline to its audience. It's going to be a looooonnng week waiting to see who survived the desert shoot-out last Sunday. (Odd that these machine-gun type weapons seem to so often miss their targets. At least in TV and movies!) Between "BB" and the U.S. Open Women's Final, I almost had to call for an oxygen tank.

Contact Liz Smith here.

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Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part III

September 10, 2013, 7:55 am

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Carmen Dell'Orefice and fellow front rowers study a Ralph Rucci creation. Photo: Patrick McMullan.

by Ellin Saltzman Morning readers. I goofed, big time. Neglected to send the finale of Friday so please be patient with me! This portion happened after Derek Lam at 82 Mercer Street Sean Kelley gallery ... As I left 82 Mercer I found a subway uptown. The station agent told me getting to Lincoln Center was easy. Take the N t to Grand Central and transfer to the 1. Easy? It was a total delight to visit Grand Central. Came through the turnstile with a photographer and his skateboard following a great looking young woman who had sat in front of me at the show. The photographer kissed me and said, "Hello Ellin. I have missed you and Helen O'Hagan" (my pal and brilliant PR director at Saks Fifth Avenue). Ellin and Helen at a Fall Collection show a few years back. The fab Caroline Issa. Sean has been photographing all the collections for the past thirty years. He travels NYC by subway and skateboard. I did not recognize him but of course pretended to as I remembered all the years. I confess to feeling that women are easier to recognize over the years. We may get tweaked and wear makeup and color hair, but we are always memorable! At any rate this wonderful man Sean introduced me to the stunner. Her name is CAROLINE ISSA. She is EIC of an English publication called TANK. She is 33 and her credentials are brilliant, as are her looks. She is a must-get-to-know. My daughter in London says she is hot and fabulous. Amazing who you can meet on the subway. We all parted at Grand Central. Guess what? You do not need to have a gym membership. All you have to do is go underground in Grand Central and go up and down and across to who knows where ... in search of a particular line. Fabulous workout! Leg cramps all night but well worth it thanks to my Nike fuel band and Sean and Caroline Issa. REBECCA MINKOFF As I walked into the stage theatre at Lincoln Center after long waits on several lines (room has to be vacated first), I saw the president of Rebecca Minkoff. She was standing in front of my section. Happily, she said to me, "I know you know Dawn Mello!" My quick answer: "I sure do. She fired me from Bergdorf Goodman!" Dawn's response: "I just found out I have been spelling your name incorrectly. It is ELLIN not ELLEN." All I could say was "yup" and move up to my seat. Rebecca filled the biggest room for shows at Lincoln Center. She represents big business to the stores with her well priced and well designed handbags. And they are terrific. It was the first time I saw Ron Frasch of Saks Fifth Avenue. He still manages to look very jolly. But then again I read the figures of what he would be paid after the buyout if he was not part of the package ... Although Rebecca started in ready to wear, she dropped that and opened her handbag business. She is happily back doing both RTW and accessories. The collection was inspired by South American women. All models wore Frida Kahlo braids. All the clothes were happy and colorful and embroidered. "Let's all go to Mexico" was embroidered on a tee shirt paired with a yellow lace skirt and black baseball jacket. That summed up the spirit. Rebecca had live music. Janelle Monae and her band in black and white made everyone cheerful. Home via crosstown bus to Madison Avenue following a chic lady of a certain age with great looking patent leather pumps. They were ladylike and delightfully mature, and I couldn't help but ask her, "are you wearing Fiorentina pumps?" Of course she was and of course I realized why my grand kids call me "CHELLIN" (as in chatty Ellin).

Rebecca Minkoff RTW Spring 2014.

More from Day 4: Sunday, September 8 I was so looking forward to Ralph Rucci, but I had a big problem. The women's U.S. Open final was on and Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka had both won a set. The match was terrific. They both played unbelievable tennis in swirly wind conditions. Fortunately for me and for US Tennis, Serena was able to take the last set. She got her cup and an amazing amount of money and I got to Ralph Rucci on time!!! Speaking of money ... it just came over my internet that Neiman Marcus is going to be sold for over $6 billion!!! Amazing. And Saks sold for over $2 billion. Well, I was fortunate enough to work for Saks in its glory days, and Bergdorf Goodman as well before it merged with Neiman Marcus. Those were different times, different climes, different folks, different goals. They were fun and glamorous and exciting.

Backstage with Ralph Rucci, Iris Apfel, and Martha Stewart.

RALPH RUCCI The VIP first row sat on plastic chairs with backs, very grandly and happily. And it was a VIP group that I was fortunate enough to be sitting with. I know I am writing for New York Social Diary and should be able to list all the celebrities in attendance, but I do the clothes. David does the peeps! Yes, Martha Stewart was there, and Grace Jones, and Susan Gutfreund; some of the top editors such as Glenda Bailey of Harper's Bazaar,Hamish Bowles of Vogue (but not Anna). I wanted everyone to be there just as I want Ralph to be named designer of the year! He deserves it so much and this collection was a testimony to his enormous talent.

L. to r.: Carmen Dell'Orefice; Susan Gutfreund; Hamish Bowles and Jeanne Lawrence.

Linda Gaunt, PR firm director and a Saks Alum, had said this show was going to be very different; it was going to move. Move it did. In the past it was slow and one could see every detail of his exquisite workmanship. Now, it flowed with a lighter hand (perhaps because it is Spring/Summer and the fabrics were light and airy) or perhaps because Ralph's mood is lighter and more relaxed. The collection opened and closed in black and white. Already you know I loved it. The opening was a sheer white shirt with black tuxedo pants, followed by some above knee black and white look. The highlight of the opening was a black leather jacket, carved to resemble a Louise Nevelson work. It was great.

Ralph Rucci Spring 2014 RTW.

Ralph Rucci Spring 2014 RTW.

He had a series of slim dresses with button on or wrapped little aprons attached, which he called his "uniform dresses." Whatever group uniform that is ... sign me up! Besides navy, black, and white uniforms there was a glorious nude fleshy pink one. Perfect for a tall pale blond or redhead with absolutely no sun allowed. The bling and the shoes. Many of the models wore diamond like rings on every finger which dazzled. I realize there was no jewelry credit so I imagine Ralph created them. He did manage to recreate the classic but now out of business Rene Mancini sling back and Lucite shoe. The manufacturer is Max Kibardin. Ralph had some perfect cabane coats and is the only designer to date to show "tailleurs." How smart is he? His ladies and many ladies are not going to give up spring suits. And a clue to update one: wear the jacket with a solid unmatched skirt, or if you are daring with some beautifully cut and thinning jeans, you will look and feel at least ten years younger. The only problem may be that jeans, no matter how well put together, may not be accepted at your bridge club! Some of his other great looks are a black shantung tuxedo with back zips, a coral crepe lace-up sheath (surprise entry with color and jazz), black sheer insert reefer coat and dress, a white chiffon cage, white feathered dress, and a black paper rose jacket. DOUBLE BRAVO RALPH!!!!!

Ralph Rucci Spring 2014 RTW.

Day 5: Monday, September 9 This weather is too nice and too scary. Another beautiful morning. It reminds me of the days before 9/11. It also hopefully will push New Yorkers to the polls tomorrow to vote in the primaries. These are bad times and some of the candidates seem to be horrors. No matter what, get out and vote. And if you have never voted in primaries before (and I have not), do it now!!!! CAROLINA HERRERA She does get the crowd. Between her personality and attraction and Reinaldo's hand kissing they all come out for the 10 AM show (which of course started at 10:32). I really needed DPC there to tell you about all the folks. I do feel they get younger every year, and that is good news, as her collection does. Think her daughter helps the youth movement. The granddaughters were sitting in the front row. I remember them in hair bows and smocked party dresses with their back bows No longer!

A couple familiar faces in the front row: Uma Thurman and Michelle Dockery.

I bumped into Dr. Pat Wexler, who makes many in the audience look younger. I asked her how her kids were, as they were kids when I went to her. 31 and 26 and one is a lawyer ... why do I think everyone's children stay the same? Since I cannot list the various personalities who were there, except to tell you they all were, I will tell you about the look of the show ... The models (and there were 43) all had absolutely perfect hair done in elegant french twist by Orlando Pita. I saw one of them, Carolina, in outfit number three (a green bikini with a floaty chiffon skirt over it, pictured left) at the Apple store buying equipment, and her hair looked as perfect as it did on stage. I was in the 6th row and never saw below the waist, so I have no idea about the shoes. The makeup was Diane Kendal for MAC. Very pretty and natural. The jewelry, and this is where I got excited, was from SEQUIN. Sequin does marvelous costume jewelry at marvelous prices (and I mean that for real). Sequin I met first when working at bluefly.com. She was a joy to work with. I rediscovered them in Palm Beach on South County and on Worth and now I am told they are in Southampton as well (maybe I can get there now that the traffic has lessened). But if you do not know SEQUIN, find it!!!! The collection was inspired by Kinetic Art movement and Venezuelan artists Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesús Rafael Soto.

Carolina Herrera Spring 2014 RTW.

Carolina Herrera Spring 2014 RTW.

Carolina's clothes were definitely younger and easier and less constructed. At first I found it odd that she started with evening, but then wisened up in that I think that her business could be more evening than daywear. The days of the structured suit are probably gone for the moment. That doesn't mean do not buy, but it might mean go easy. Carolina did have a few above the knee (thank you very much) dresses, one in ivory suede to replace the suit. She had a smashing white crepe shaped gown with brown grosgrain neckline and a dress that screamed to me ... a black silk long shirt dress. Her colors were mainly ivory, black, porcelain pink and "sienna clay." Good job Carolina!

Carolina Herrera Spring 2014 RTW.

This morning Queen Sofia of Spain sat at the Carolina Herrera Show. This evening she sat watching Rafael Nadal win $3.6 million and the U.S. Open Tennis Championship trophy. Queen Sofia, front and center at the U.S. Open. I discovered a new way to meet men! After a sexy fashion show by a very attractive designer REEM ACRA, I walked by Sant Ambroeus ready to break the diet with a glass of rosé, some penne with tomato and basil, all while watching the men's final on my new iPad mini. My waiter was Serbian so he was very attentive and watching Djokovic! Two other gentleman came over to watch and chat and gave me their cards so I could call them (sure!). One said he would not only buy me a drink but also take me to dinner! On that happy note, I paid my bill and came home to watch the final set which was va va va boom for Nadal. A good day.

Reem Acra Spring 2014 RTW.

Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 1 Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 2

Photographs by Giovanni Giannoni, Rodin Banica, Alessandro Lucioni/Imaxtree

Contact DPC here.

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LIZ SMITH: Weeping with Laughter or ...

September 11, 2013, 6:23 am

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Bill Maher in Vanity Fair— Read Him and Weep with Laughter or Scream with Rage! Gwyneth Paltrow Says She Refuses To Be a Vanity Fair Cover Girl Anymore. (Can This Be The True Apocalypse?!) Wednesday, September 11, 2013 by Liz Smith “THE Buddha says not to dwell on the past, or dream of the future, but concentrate on the moment. Or maybe that was Dr. Oz ...” writes my pet complainer Bill Maher. Bill Maher and Liz. I know, I know. I am driving you mad with quotations and references from the 100th anniversary issue of Vanity Fair magazine, but the sucker is so big, that I discover new things I want to pass on everyday. Especially so since I doubt the majority of you read magazines anymore as many of you can’t keep your mind on a subject unless it is printed the size of the eye of a needle and nestled in your palm. My pal Maher comments better and more bitterly than most. He is followed in Vanity Fair, however, by some very thoughtful types who are equally skeptical of our recent history going back to World War I. Bill Maher once dropped everything and traveled to NYC and back to L.A. in one single night because I asked him for a favor — to read for Literacy Partners. He is naturally a sexy favorite of mine and someone I frequently agree with. (He goes on to say in his sum-up of the years 2000, that he dislikes thinking of “our” time now because it is all tied up with George W. Bush whom he refers to as “a privileged Texas dry drunk with a mean streak, a staggering lack of intellectual curiosity, and a Lennie-and-George relationship with something called Dick Cheney. On the bright side, God called Dick Cheney home. Unfortunately, he refused to go.” This is pretty devastating commentary but Bill Maher is no one to mince words and I think he has plenty of detractors out there who love those big billboards of the 43rd President all over the red states asking: “Miss me yet?” Bill says in the 2000s, we fortunately got Daniel Craig as James Bond but he mourns the fact that when Bush entered office there was a surplus. A year later, the budget fell to a deficit of $158 billion. The national debt had nearly doubled. We had two wars and passed the tipping point in climate change. We lost two towers, the Pentagon became a tetragon, New Orleans sank. We almost lost the banking system, and General Motors. NASDAQ lost 48 % of its value. All this Maher writes, including that Pluto is not a planet anymore but we’ve got Wikipedia. He says we began not listening to people while checking out our texts and white people no longer have to talk to their children on car trips. He equally knocks republican Sarah Palin and Democrat John Edwards. Maher claims that in the 2000s we have lost the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, the Sixth Amendment, the Seventh Amendment, and the Eighth. We gained “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” There’s a lot more if you want to lose your temper or die laughing.

I WROTE recently that the best thing in August’s Vanity Fair were the article and photos of “From Coast to Toast” by William Cohan and Vanessa Grigoriadis. These show from the air the dramatic erosion of the Malibu Beach and the Nantucket coasts which have literally disappeared before our eyes in recent years. Readers responded in droves, one saying, “I can’t imagine a better example of nouveau rich American wealth than a $100 million mansion built upon eroding sand.” Or this one: “Mother Nature will send these homes into the ocean, not because of the owner’s wealth but for building on coastal sites that should have remained nature preserves subject to the ebb and flow of the sea.”

Left: The coastline of Broad Beach, in Malibu, with a stone seawall protecting the houses (photograph by Mark Holtzman). Right: Houses on the edge of Sconset Bluff, on Nantucket, Massachusetts (photograph by George Riethof).

Shades of the Hamptons of Long Island and points everywhere else. And I don’t think the U. S. and state governments should allow or repay for any rebuilding on such sites. Let those who want to live dangerously pay the price for it. On the other hand, New York City has to shore up its defenses, its tunnels, its subways, its waterways and everything else because where will the world be without New York? But we shouldn’t keep building for people to live “on the oceans and on riverbanks.”

Malibu Coastline, 1972. Mark Holtzman.

Malibu Coastline, 2013, with its 13-foot Broad Beach wall. © 2002-2013 Kenneth & Gabrielle Adelman, California Coastal Records Project, www.Californiacoastline.org.

BY THE BY, on the subject of Vanity Fair, The New York Times had plenty to say about the venerable magazine the other day. According to the Times, plus a number of stars and publicists, celebrities don’t care for VF’s “harder edge” profiles, and “will no longer grovel to editor Graydon Carter.” Been there, done that ... The piece quotes an e-mail from Gwyneth Paltrow to a number of friends: “Vanity Fair is threatening to put me on the cover. If you are asked for quotes or comments, please decline. Also, I recommend you all never do this magazine again.” Yeah, right. Can’t imagine why VF would want Paltrow on the cover anyway. An issue with a dead celeb on the front would probably sell more. Vanity Fair is suffering a bit from the proliferation of online gossip, just as all of us who have toiled as entertainment scribes have suffered. But the magazine still makes money, still has moguls such as Harvey Weinstein in its corner, and is still, every month, a delicious reading morsel. I don’t think Graydon Carter is rending his clothes and pouring ashes on his head because Gwyneth Paltrow — or the equally irked Tom Cruise— will never again be VF cover subjects. He’ll survive and so will his monthly offering of entertainment.

Contact Liz Smith here.

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Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part IV

September 11, 2013, 7:25 am

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Oscar de la Renta closes out his RTW Spring 2014 collection. IMAXtree.

by Ellin Saltzman Day 6: Tuesday, September 10 I woke up this morning realizing that my 9 a.m. show was Tory Burch, which was being shown in the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. I remember Julia when she was a model for Adolfo. Top: Nancy Reagan in Adolfo. Above: Tory closes out her show. And I remember the dear Adolfo (who is still with us) and the clothes he designed for Nancy Reagan. And I remember going to Adolfo's shows where you might see six women happily in the same suits. My oh my, have times changed. TORY BURCH My invitation was to view the collection electronically and digitally. I had to accept the invite and log in at 9. I needed to do this first of all to see how it works as there are rumblings that this could be the future and that live shows might disappear within the next decade! Okay, if that happens everyone needs a large screen to watch the collection. Everyone needs to be sent a run-of-show lineup for them to print or follow because no matter how good you or your eyes are, it is extremely difficult to know fabrics. Tory's collection started over a half an hour late. Normal for every show, especially the early morning ones. The show was light and airy. Her clothes this season are lighter as well. Perhaps it is the Spring Summer mind set, because everyone's collections seem younger and more spirited. Tory, a great looking young lady, is happily designing clothes for herself this season. They are shorter, easier, sparkling. The setting was the coast of France and you could almost picture the models getting off their mini motors with baskets full of flowers from the market. Her long dresses are loose and informal as well ... great for summer parties.

Tory Burch RTW Spring 2014 ...

PRIMARY VOTING Had to do it. Hope you all did as well. Very depressed to see no one there. More depressed when the lady checking me in didn't know that SA came before SI. Decided to volunteer next primary or election to be a pollster. Have to take a course I am told! So look for me on October 1 if there is a second primary! MARC by MARC Showed in a new venue. A pier on West 15th. Really convenient if you had been playing something at Chelsea Piers! Hope they build a crosstown subway soon ... very soon. Marc by Marc was good clean living. His and her suits, jumpsuits, short suits. Neck scarves, sneakers. Pink, blue, clay, deep red, silver ... looking good, pinwheel prints. My favorites were Natalia (10) in the blush linen twill suit, clay (baby deer in Marc speak) classic his and her balmacaan (19 on Tian) or Maria. He had a great silver coat and a super Lurex tweed blue coat (39 on Holly Rose), a super men's letterman jacket and a fun dark red satin short short suit for the softball team. The girls wore blue blue blue eyeshadow and looked surprisingly good. Congrats Marc! A good healthy show!

Marc by Marc RTW Spring 2014 ...

TAHARI Elie Tahari is celebrating his 40th year in business and opening a big new store to show his Spring collection. It is a great space and should be a good store. The collection was terrific. When Elie and I embraced we talked about survival ... which is a bit freaky since we have known each other off and on for the past 40 years ... including some fun times with Kal Ruttenstein, the super fashion director of Bloomingdale's. Elie hugged me again and said something to me in Yiddish I think. I confess to not knowing a word of Yiddish except maybe oy, schmuck, and a few other choice words! At any rate, I am proud of his success and know it will continue. The collection was excellent. Lots of marvelous perforated leather pieces (dresses, coats, jackets and pants). Lots of white sportswear pieces, in cotton, eyelet, organza, chiffon. The palette was also pale pastel and very effective. I am sure it will be very saleable and successful. Here's to another 20 Elie!!! Or the way he is going ... it could be another 40!

Elie Tahari RTW Spring 2014.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA Oscar is back and pure and beautiful and ladylike and wearable and saleable and lovable. He cut his show back in attendance by half. The folks that I saw were Anna Wintour with Jonathan Newhouse, Cathy Horyn with her New York Times boss, Barbara Walters with Annette de la Renta and Mica Ertegun (I can see them all wearing Oscar next Spring).

Oscar de la Renta RTW Spring 2014.

Now the big question ... was John Galliano part of this collection? Not a chance. This was pure and pretty Oscar not going out on any limb but delivering lots of goodies! It was a thing of beauty. The collection opened with navy and white classic Spring colors, coats and suits and dresses that you know his fans will cherish. Outstanding was number 4 on Vanessa, a navy double-faced shaped wool crepe reefer coat with white crewel embroidery.

Oscar de la Renta RTW Spring 2014.

Oscar de la Renta RTW Spring 2014.

There were some great white lace pieces, and embroidered voile, bronze chain mail embroidered top and skirt (Kate in 31). Some smashing dresses in citron, chartreuse, aqua, and fuschia; some beautiful gowns that I know will be worn to the Met Costume Institute this year (and if they are not, they should be). All in all, it was a dream of a collection. Oscar is a dream of a man and talent.

Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 1 Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 2 Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 3

Photographs by Alessandro Lucioni/Imaxtree/Alessandro Lucioni; Robert Mitra.

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LIZ SMITH: Keeping Its Head Above Water! ...

September 12, 2013, 7:44 am

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The River House.

The River House — Keeping Its Head Above Water! Liza Minnelli — She'll Take Tom Hanks, Thank You Very Much. Thursday, September 12, 2013 by Liz Smith “THE MAIN purpose of the stock market is to make fools of as many men as possible,” said Bernard Baruch. Perhaps. But, not every woman! Bernard Baruch. The death of the feisty Muriel Siebert, the first woman ever to be allowed to buy a seat on the Stock Exchange, reminded me of what a character she was. I visited her often at her apartment in the posh River House on 52nd Street and the East River. She was fun, but with Muriel, one could seldom get a word in edgewise. These days, were she still with us, one assumes she’d have a lot to say about the current well-off resident-owners of River House and the dilemma caused by having their own River Club as part of the premises. The once ultra-private River Club is a large part of River House. It boasts a swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, an exercise room, dining rooms, an outdoor garden, entertainment space, and certain private enclaves throughout River House. The River House owner-denizens of same have been pondering since last Spring what to do about their River Club. Should they turn it over to new managers? Keep on keeping on? Or what?

View from the River House, 52nd Street and East River. December 15, 1931 (Photo: Gottscho-Schleisner).

And when I write “they,” these are terribly well-heeled persons who live in River House. For instance, they are the ultra-famous Henry and Nancy Kissinger, the distinguished Deeda and former Ambassador William Blair, the youthful Elizabeth and Jeffrey Leeds and so many more. In the past, River House was home to Blackstone founder Pete Peterson and “Sesame Street” Joan Ganz Cooney, as well as heiress Mary Lea Johnson and Broadway producer Marty Richards. Back then, River House was a bit exclusive. They said no to Gloria Vanderbilt because it was thought she might entertain her good friend Bobby Short on the premises. My! How changed things are.

A birthday scene at the late Marty Richard's apartment in 2007.

HISTORICALLY, many rich people have wanted to live in River House and have been refused. Many wanted to merely enjoy the River Club, but they couldn’t. Today, River House is sitting with a gold mine on its property and there are those who feel the famous address actually has an all but unsolvable “problem.” What if some R-E-A-L-L-Y rich person comes along and wants to buy the River Club — say a Middle East potentate, a Chinese oligarch — even a multi-billionaire, say like Michael Bloomberg, might make an offer River House owners couldn’t refuse. Some River-dwellers fear that someone who has many billions, might well be planning to do just that.

Renderings of the river landing from the original sales prospectus.

THIS could be a super platinum pay-off for River Housers. But despite such a pay-off — well, what if it happened? Would River House dwellers, simply for great gobs of money, like living there but losing all control over the Club which would then have its own priorities and dominance? And who might want the River Club space for their own? And how does someone even know what they want or want to hope for, in such a situation? It’s always problematical when billions are concerned!

The East River landing of the River Club ("for the convenience of members addicted to their yachts and motor boats"), in the 1920s. The landing fell victim to the construction of the FDR, in the 1930s.

Vintage views: The lounge at the Indoor swimming pool and the indoor tennis court at the River Club.

THE FALL issue of V magazine is a stunner, featuring entertainment icons of every era inside and on the cover. Lady Chameleon, that is, Lady Gaga, looking like a cross between Patti Smith and Iggy Pop is on the front. Inside, she gradually strips down to the almost altogether. (She kind of keeps her Calvin Klein white tank-top tee-shirt on. Kind of.) There’s an interview by Marina Abramovic and I’m sure to read it, once I get over the photos by Inez & Vinoodh. One interview I did read was Liza Minnelli’s. She is shown in a lovely shot by Terry O’Neill, quite dressed, questioned by my own Denis Ferrara. (Although they misspell his name in the mag.) Denis and Liza have known each other a long time. Liza tends to call everybody “honey.” But with Denis she means it. Liza Minnelli by Terry O’Neill. Denis and Liz. Of her apparent phoenix-like persona and ability to keep on keeping on, Denis asks if it becomes tiresome to always have to explain this? “No, it’s not tiresome. It’s just well ... I don’t think about myself. Look when I go to the theater, I want to come out feeling good. So that’s what I think about — am I going to make my audiences feel good? They’re all scrunched in their seats and have paid good money, and I try to do what I can to entertain them. We’re locked in a building for two hours, after all! When it’s over, I’m just tired. I don’t feel very indestructible.” Liza describes her concerts as “a conversation. A conversation that never bores me.” She’d love to act more: “People assume I’m not interested. But I am! Listen, I act when sing, I act when I dance. But I don’t have to sing and dance to act.” On the subject of screen work, Liza says she’d love to do something with Tom Hanks: “Every time I see him on screen, I trust him.” Liza thinks Madonna is “great ... I’ve always liked her. She’s fun to have dinner with. She’s not a wacko. She knows things. She wants to learn, too.” But my favorite part of the Q & A is when Denis asks Liza: “What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?” The star replies: "Oh, Jeez! So much. Well, one of the best things anybody ever said to me was ‘keep moving.’ But here’s the best advice I can give; 'stay curious.'" “And you have stayed curious.” “I have. But please don’t ask me to do anything more with a computer than turn it on. There’s curiosity and then there’s technology!”

NOW AND THEN: Speaking of Liza M. Looking through years of correspondence and photographs, autographed letters and books and the many columns and articles I've written, now and then one comes across a total mystery. And so I am showing you one of those just for the hell of it. I sent this newly discovered photo to Liza Minnelli to ask when and where it was taken? It had been sent to me as a kind of gag by the outrageous Hollywood press agent Michael Malansky who sent it with only the caption: "Which person doesn't have the face lift?"

Eva Gabor, who ignored the dress code ... French star Louis Jourdan ... the long lived Gregory Peck ... the youthful Liza ... her father, the gifted director Vincente Minnelli ... a take charge Frank Sinatra ... the ace Kirk Douglas ... the one and only Lucille Ball. Photo: Terry O' Neill.

(And I'll leave the wisecrack about facelifts alone as these days there don't seem to be too many stars of any age who haven't "had work done" and such a thing is commonplace and not funny or odd.) Liza responded immediately: " Great, great, picture! I love you for sharing it as I'd never seen it before and I thought and thought but for the life of me, I haven't a clue when it was made! Tell me if ever you find out." Detail of Liza and Vincente Minnelli. When I first looked at this photo, which has a credit for Alan Berliner, I thought perhaps it came from the late producer Alexander Cohen's "Night of 100 Stars" at Radio City Music Hall. The first of these "Nights" was produced back in 1982 when Alex Cohen was about the only power house allowed to park his limousine in Shubert Alley. I note that director Vincente Minnelli died in 1986, Lucille Ball in 1989, Eva Gabor in 1995, Frank Sinatra in 1998, Gregory Peck in 2003. The indestructible Liza is still working ... Louis Jourdan is age 92 and our friend Kirk Douglas is 96. They, too, are still kicking the gong around. The mystery was solved via’s Liza’s press rep, Scott Gorenstein, who probably knows more about Liza’s career than she does. He tells us: “The pic is from a tribute held for Vincente at the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs on Feb 19, 1983. Kirk Douglas put the evening together. It was an 80th birthday celebration for Vincente and a benefit for the Palm Springs Museum. Liza performed new material in tribute to her father, which she later incorporated into several of her shows.” Thank you, Scott!

Contact Liz Smith here.

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Ellin's Fashion Week Diary, Part V

September 12, 2013, 9:43 am

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Nanette Lepore backstage with her daughter and all her little helpers!

by Ellin Saltzman More from Day 6: Tuesday, September 10 After the Oscar de la Renta show on Tuesday evening I was unable to tell him in person how super I thought his show was. Why? His show was at 630 West 42nd Street and Zang Toi's was at 7 at Lincoln Center. I had emailed Zang personally to tell him I could not make it and received a warm and friendly (full of memories) email in response. We go back to when he worked in a tiny one room studio at the York Hotel and we wrote over the kitchen sink. Since then, many things have happened and he has developed an enormous fan club of followers and customers. His show was the only one so far to get a standing ovation. But then again, I am getting ahead of myself. My no-longer-missing cashmere crewneck (all thanks to Alex Bolen). Cory Stearns (wearing navy silk and wool tail coat) and Zang Toi walk the runway. Zang and VeVe assured me that they were planning to start their show late, as Suzy Menkes would be coming from Oscar as well. Suzy, whom you all must know, is the brilliant writer for the International Herald Tribune (if it is still called that ...) Zang offered to send a car for me; I said I would hitch with Suzy. Suzy did not know I was hitching with her ... but gratefully a cab appeared on 6th Avenue. In my rush, I left my favorite bright turquoise cabled cashmere crewneck draped on the back of the chair at Oscar. Now, why would I have a sweater when it was 85 degrees last night? A total affectation (and part of the look, my look). Guess what? Alex Bolen, head of Oscar, was kind enough to find my sweater. I love Alex and his wife; I love Oscar and his wife!!! ZANG TOI Zang has an amazing following with "his ladies," many of whom I am sure are readers of NYSD. Robert D. of the Palm Beach newspaper told me at Oscar that he was happily surprised by the number he knew. After seeing this show, I understand why!!! Corey Stearns opened the show. He is an award winning ABT ballet dancer and handsome and sexy as could be. What a classy way to open a show. He did the full runway and received great applause. The show opened with three Loro Piano (best Italian jerseys and wools) full-skirted long ballerina dresses. Two in dark navy (the must new color for Spring 2014) and one in black. They moved and exuded grace. He followed that with a great heavy black cotton twill pea coat shown with knee socks and clunky sole shoes. He had a great Loro Piano upturned collar reefer coat in black and navy (great together) over lean trousers, and a fabulous group of coats and suit jackets with a Ratti (Italian silk print maker) "ballet scenic backdrop" lining.

Zang Toi RTW Spring 2014 ...

Zang veered from his navy and blacks to create a ballet pink cashmere and silk cashmere cardigan wrap over a silk gazar tunic and leggings. Very pretty and very ballet babe! His finale were several black and navy gazar ball gowns with shrug covered shoulders. Cory Stearns led the models for their final march wearing navy silk and wool tail coat. Elegant, young, tasty collection ZANG!

Zang Toi RTW Spring 2014 ...

Day 7: Wednesday, September 11 Woke up this morning well aware of what the date was. Eileen Roaman will be dearly missed by her family and friends. It is my son David and his wife Elizabeth's 20th wedding anniversary. Yes, my son chose a wife with the same name as his sister, Elizabeth. He claims it was because his mom (me) was always forgetting names. I think it was more than that! They were introduced by Eileen Roaman, who sadly died three weeks ago from cancer at the age of 53. What a terrible tragedy for her mother Carol and her brother Brad, and a loss to all her friends. MICHAEL KORS As you all know from past seasons, I love Michael Kors. I am ecstatic about his success and gratified that he has continued to be his lovable huggable self. He is a true friend and a true American designer! As I was leaving the show Suzy Menkes said to me, "I am not understanding American fashion. Only Michael designs for the American customer." Suzy, I remember back when Michael was strapped for funds and the ceiling in his showroom fell down on you. You both have come a long way!!! I don't totally agree with Suzy about all American designers, but do agree that Michael personifies the look, totally! This collection is soft. It is romantic. It is sporty. It is modern. Everything moves, nothing is constructed. It is breezy. With the temperature at 90 degrees, one wanted to borrow the clothes and go back to East Hampton for a photo shoot.

Michael Kors RTW Spring 2014.

The collection opened with a white linen crepe jacket and a white full linen gauze skirt on Carmen walking with Simon in a great men's white linen double-breasted blazer and hemp linen wide-leg pants The collection continued in all shades of white, ivory, pearl. Some great indigo pieces and fabulous tan leather swing skirts. Michael had loads of crochet and cable knits. slashed full skirts, shorts, reefer and trench coats. His shoes were 1970s clunky and comfortable looking, his handbags went from clutches to totes. His accessories are dynamite and apparently that business is on fire (and should be).

Some dynamite accessories from Michael Kors.

Michael's sweater vests and shrunken cardigans should be emulated by all. He left his natural pale palette for nutmeg brown and white print dresses and separates as well as indigo navy and white and grass greens. One critique: I do not understand "undone hair." Otherwise, a totally perfect American designer collection. Hurrah! Michael!

Michael Kors RTW Spring 2014 ...

NANETTE LEPORE She showed in the Lincoln Center tents after Michael, and it seemed that many people stayed as we were all early. The audience was full of retailers; her business must be very good. There was Ron Frasch and Joe Boitano of Saks Fifth Avenue, Frank Doroff of Bloomingdale's, Josh Schulman with Linda Fargo of Bergdorf's, and Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus. I was seated with two young ladies who worked for Saks; the dot.com side, not the store side. On my other side were two ladies who worked for Macy's. Nicole who?, I was asked. When I asked them if they knew Nicole Fischelis, Macy's Fashion Director, they had never heard of her. They too were from online. How sad is that? I then and now do wonder how much more important Nanette Lepore is to their online business than their brick and mortar business. One girl said she was their partner. Need to research that. Think I will have dinner with Nicole (the one they did not know) and let you know! At any rate, Nanette's collection was short and sweet and fun and flippy. She opened with cute bright poppy red top, striped layered dance shorts, and a floral satchel. She had a bright red poppy jumpsuit (are you getting the drift? jumpsuits are a trend this coming Spring/Summer). Her bags were fun, too: collage, patchwork. I imagine they are good business for the moderate handbag department. She had an aqua (turquoise in my book) tunic top which could dress up a pair of white pants for summer nights and some blush print florals as well as blush leather shorts and blush embroidered gowns (blush is another trend!) A very happy collection which Nanette celebrated with her daughter.

Nanette Lepore RTW Spring 2014 ...

More from Day 7 This week has sped by. Much to do with the weather, no dealing with coats in shows, not miserable traveling through bad weather, clothes so far are upbeat (Spring Summer versus Winter, which will be early February). Also I edited the number of collections to write about and am giving you my crème de la crème. Sometimes I missed, and will confess to you where I did in my finale. I also owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Jeff Hirsch (otherwise known as JH) who is responsible for finding the photographs to go with my words, and doing some brilliant editing. Yes, I tried to photograph the shows and you would not have been happy with the results. Jeff is a godsend. DPC is fantastic. His support is never ending. He cheers me on. Cass Elliot singing "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Paul Cavaco, daughter Kylie, and his late wife Kezia Keeble. Why am I telling you all this now? Because tomorrow night after the Marc Jacobs show at 8, I know I will only be able to write about the clothes and may forget to do the polite things and curtsy as I do them. One thing I forgot: the music at Michael Kors show was "Dream a Little Dream of Me" It was California Dreaming with Cass Elliot aka Mama Cass. ANNA SUI Anna is a wonder. She was a stylist and worked with Steven Meisel once upon a time. Everyone who is or was anyone in the fashion business knows her, respects her, and cheers her on. Dr. Ruth was there with a sling on her arm sitting next to Nan Bush who is partner of Bruce Weber. Baby Jane Holzer was there with her granddaughter (a friend of my grand boys), Sofia Coppola, Paul Cavaco (now editor at Allure, but once founder of the brilliant PR firm KCD). Paul was there with his daughter Kylie and her daughter. Paul's wife was Kezia Keeble (the K in KCD). She died too soon, too early in the HIV crisis. Kezia was my assistant at Glamour magazine to come full circle. As I looked at the show I saw Kylie's profile and got really spooked. She looks exactly like her mother Kezia with her beautiful Roman nose. One difference is that Kezia was a dark brunette and Kylie is blond. Is this all too much for you? Sorry. It is just so fascinating to watch all these people grow up and be in and out of their lives but remain friends. Now how does this relate to Anna Sui? Anna worked with Paul and Kezia on many photography sittings and projects.

Anna Sui RTW Spring 2014.

The show opened with Karen Elson in a copper scallop sequin cape over a sand acacia wallpaper print chiffon dress (already we know this is going to be sweet and pretty and floats). Joan appeared in a space dye lace sweater vest over the same print chiffon dress, this time adding a scarf. Then came Karlie in a shallot print faille poncho and print chiffon dress with knit hat and scarf giving it a middle eastern look. I am mentioning all these models names because every top model works for Anna. Often Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista will make the walk! There were many chiffon prints, crochets, flat sandals. The colors went from bronze to sienna to purple to teal to mauve, to lavender, to blush (note that color that keeps reappearing), and chambray There were soft layers, sweater vests, voile pants, shorts, tunics, it all meshed and mixed. She also had an overall jumpsuit in beige heavy linen (the young apprentice in the lighting business next to me loved that. She was chubby and cute).

Anna Sui RTW Spring 2014 ...

Anna always has some great dresses and this season she did not disappoint. For her finale she had some midnight blue metallics and then Karlie, Joan, and Karen closed the show in gold "maiden faire" lace dresses. Everyone stood and cheered for Anna. As I left Lincoln Center for this season (which was a bit of a mess), I kissed the guards good bye. They are now my buddies. I bumped into one of them on the beach in Water Mill with his family, including his little grandson! Tomorrow's shows are off site.

Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 1 Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 2 Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 3 Click here for Ellin's Fashion Diary, Part 4

Photographs by IMAXtree.

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LIZ SMITH: Tick Tock, Tick Tock ...

September 13, 2013, 6:51 am

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Liz with Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is being honored by the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation on September 29th.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock ... Demi Moore and Tom Cruise Ignore the March of Time ... A "Breaking Bad" Spin-Off?? Okay, We'll See ... Molly Haskell's Amazing and Touching New Book, "My Brother, My Sister" ... Catherine Zeta-Jones Honored by NYC's Dance Alliance Foundation. Friday, September 13, 2013 by Liz Smith “AMY Van Doran is New York’s ‘Matchmaker to Extraordinary People.’ Her dream match for Demi Moore is Tom Cruise ... they’re both 51 and should try dating age-appropriate,” writes Amy. So reports Jane Ridley in the New York Post and I found this the best thing I saw in celebrity social media this week. Actually, Demi is only 50; she won’t be 51 until November 11th. And she and Tom were brilliant together when they co-starred in the acclaimed movie “A Few Good Men.” Tom and Demi in “A Few Good Men.” Van Doran’s idea that it is hackneyed and boring when older successful males pluck off the tree, girls young enough to be their daughters, and make them into trophy wives. (Anybody with money can do that! And this is usually what happens.) But Amy is suggesting that Demi and Tom should consider their futures and do something romantic with opposites in their age group. Maybe Demi and Tom, just “can’t handle the truth!” as Jack Nicholson so memorably bellowed in “A Few Good Men.” (Demi was seen the other day with her estranged younger husband, entrepreneur-actor Ashton Kutchner, age 35. They did, split however, recently without undue fanfare and in a privately negotiated peace. Good for them!) Of course, we know that Demi already has three perfectly wonderful daughters with Bruce Willis. However, Tom Cruise may still want more young children to mold in his own way.

Demi and Tom with their Exes.

AHHHHHH ... I really don’t know what to think about AMC’s planned “Breaking Bad” spin-off, “Better Call Saul.” This will be a prequel of “BB” before lawyer Saul Goodman met meth king Walter White. I never thought Saul was such a fascinating character, but as AMC has given us masterpieces such as “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad,” I suppose we’ll have to withhold judgment. As for the fate of Walter & Co., many fans want him dead. Certainly he has become a very bad man. But I have a feeling he’ll be the last one standing — I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse, Hank, Skyler and Marie all go to that big meth lab in the sky, with Walter ruined and on the run. (The flash-forward opening of the first episode of the season rather hinted at that.)

Click cover to order. WE'VE been convinced, pretty much, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for health’s sake and now writer Beth Goehring, who calls herself “a morning person,” has done a handsome little book about this subject — “Breakfast.” The work is from Assembly Press and is going to be followed by lunch and dinner books and although I was inclined to toss it aside, when I didn’t and looked carefully, I found it absolutely fascinating. Beth is the editor of “The Good Cook” and “Homestyle Books” and she gives full credit to designer Denis Kohler for her good-looking little tome with a wake-up “Cock-a-doodle-do” cover and its multi-plentiful quotes inside about the history of humans breaking their fasts. On page 7, Beth tells how to start your day in a quick and easy manner. How you can simply take a tablespoon of peanut butter, add a few fruits, nuts, an egg, etc. and put it all together and it spells what you need to get going. This is highly recommended for busy people!

Beth Goehring with Grace, who loves her breakfast.

IF YOU love or like Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones as I do, the Welsh-born beauty is being honored by the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation on September 29th at the NYU Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place. Contact Sam@SamMorrisPR.com for details. This dance foundation has awarded $8.5 million in college scholarships since 2010. I expect the New York Times will be covering this fully as it seems to me the Arts section is always more concerned with dance than anything else. And as Fred Astaire always opined: “What else is there but to dance?” He said he started his days after he retired in the '70s, by watching Michael Jackson and dancing privately to “Soul Train” on TV. P.S. This is going to be a really big night. It will be Catherine’s first major public appearance since she and Michael Douglas separated. The paparazzi and looky-loos will be out in full force!

Click cover to order. IF YOU are interested in transgender stories, or in understanding this mystery, be sure to read the new book out from feminist movie critic, Molly Haskell. She has written for Viking a touching, telling tale titled “My Brother My Sister: Story of a Transformation.” Molly tells of her shock and surprise and all the ramifications of her adored brother Chevey’s late life move to become a woman. This, after what had seemed a “perfect life” and two marriages to women. Molly herself is the widow of the much respected film maven — the late Andrew Sarris— who died last year. She brings a lot of admirable literary and historical background into this personal tale about confusion and clarity and heartbreak and self-realization. This is an amazing work of personal import. And welcome back to the world, Molly, you should be writing novels.

Contact Liz Smith here.

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