Richard Johnson – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com Breaking US news, local New York news coverage, sports, entertainment news, celebrity gossip, autos, videos and photos at nydailynews.com Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:06:29 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://www.nydailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-DailyNewsCamera-7.webp?w=32 Richard Johnson – New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com 32 32 208786248 RICHARD JOHNSON: Harvey Weinstein happy for ex Georgina Chapman and Adrien Brody https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/01/12/harvey-weinstein-watched-golden-globes-jail-georgina-chapman-adrien-brody/ Sun, 12 Jan 2025 12:00:12 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=8067095 Harvey Weinstein saw his ex-wife Georgina Chapman on the Golden Globes telecast and was happy for her.

Chapman’s boyfriend of six years, Adrien Brody, won Best Performance by a Male Actor for his star turn in “The Brutalist.”

Weinstein, behind bars for rape, has been shuttling between Rikers Island and Bellevue where he’s been treated for a bad heart and leukemia.

One source said Weinstein is happy for his ex and stated, “Brody is a good guy and she deserves that after what she went through with me.”

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Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler.
Kaia Gerber and Austin Butler. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber made a last-ditch attempt to salvage their relationship in Mexico over the holidays.

The genetically gifted duo stayed at the home of Gerber’s parents, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, at the exclusive El Dorado Golf & Beach Club in Los Cabos, Mexico.

The couple, together for about three years, officially broke up earlier this week.

Other boldface names at the posh resort included Glen Powell, who was on the most recent cover of Vanity Fair’s Hollywood issue, Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine and billionaire Neil Bluhm and his wife, Kimberly Paige Bluhm.

Butler and the supermodel kept a low profile while staying at the club where Amal and George Clooney also have a home.

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Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively (Getty Images)
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively (Getty Images)

The fight between Blake Lively and her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, has some interesting protagonists.

Lively has her husband, “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, on her side, while Baldoni has Steve Sarowitz, who made billions founding Paylocity before launching Wayfarer Studios with Baldoni.

Lively claims she was subjected to harassment while filming, but Sarowitz told Forbes magazine “the actual harassment and smear campaign both occurred and continues to occur against us.”

Sarowitz, who like Baldoni is a follower of the Baha’i faith, called Lively’s accusations “vicious lies.”

Since both sides are suing each other, this could keep going.

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Mark Kostabi.
Mark Kostabi. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Mark Kostabi rang in the new year by opening an exhibition of his art at Dorchester’s Hotel Eden in Rome.

Among the guests was Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, the sister of Qatar’s ruling emir.

Al-Mayassa chairs the Qatar Museums, and has an annual acquisition budget estimated at $1 billion. She bought a Gauguin for $300 million and a Cezanne for $250 million.

Also there were singer Greesi Desiree Langovits and White Zombie co-founder Paul Kostabi — who both performed as a trio with Mark on piano at the $1,000 per person (not including alcohol) sold-out dinner.

Kostabi also created a live painting, which was the first he signed in 2025 at the stroke of midnight while the revelers enjoyed the fireworks blanketing the eternal city.

The art market has been in the doldrums lately but Kostabi is selling art on television in Italy, QVC style, a long-standing Italian practice that his American art gallery, Park West, has embraced with success.

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Olga Namer performs at The Stress Factory Comedy Club at Stress Factory's 30th Anniversary Show on September 30, 2021 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Olga Namer performs at The Stress Factory Comedy Club at Stress Factory’s 30th Anniversary Show on September 30, 2021 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Bobby Bank/Getty Images)

Brooklyn born-and-bred comic Olga Namer wowed the audience at West Side Comedy Club for The Carlebach Shul’s 20th annual comedy celebration.

“Everyone tells me to date a nice guy, but nice guys are so boring,” Namer confessed. “I was on a date with a nice guy and I was like, ‘Should we get a third glass of wine?’ He said, ‘Ooo, you trying to get me drunk.’ And I was like, ‘No! I’m trying to black out!’”

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Out & About: Author Jean Shafiroff gave a party honoring The NY Women’s Foundation. Among the guests were +Body designer Julia Haart, Frank Schilling and Gabi Petrylaite, Nicole Noonan and Steven Knobel, and couturier Ron Dyce … “Dancing with the Stars” host Julianne Hough and hairstylist Chaz Dean, whose clients include Brooke Shields and Kelly Bensimon, did a sexy, impromptu tango at the show’s 33rd season finale after-party.

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8067095 2025-01-12T07:00:12+00:00 2025-01-10T15:06:29+00:00
RICHARD JOHNSON: Jennifer Lopez sets thirst traps to win Ben Affleck back https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/22/richard-johnson-jennifer-lopez-sets-thirst-traps-to-win-ben-affleck-back/ Sun, 22 Dec 2024 12:00:04 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=8043471 Jennifer Lopez is not dating, though she still goes out regularly looking glam and getting her picture taken, because she’s hoping for a reconciliation with Ben Affleck.

“She is still hoping for a miracle reconciliation,” said my well-placed source. “J.Lo has made sure her Instagram is full of thirst traps.”

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New Year’s Eve in New York City has gone digital with nycnewyears.com, the platform of John Nova and Nacer Hamai, dubbed “The Digital Nightlife Kings.”

As the ball drops in Times Square, the pair will co-host 85 events, topped by parties at the Marriott Marquis, Bar 13 and the Dream Hotel Downtown.

A Queens native, Nova brings the borough’s gritty authenticity to the platform, while Hamai, an Algerian immigrant who grew up in Brooklyn, adds a multicultural perspective.

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Yankee Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera signed a white and blue Yankees jersey and presented it to Gov. Kathy Hochul when the pair joined Somos Community Care founder Dr. Ramon Tallaj to distribute over 4,000 toys to children in the South Bronx at the organization’s annual Toy Drive.

The legendary pitcher talked about “the importance of the holidays” and “community doctors who work in the neighborhoods” as he stuffed bags with toys for several hours. The line to Santa and the three good Samaritans stretched down and around two blocks.

As the music played, Gov. Hochul, Rivera, and Dr. Tallaj danced with the kids as they distributed the gifts to the happy youngsters.

Tallaj told the assembled, “Together, we’re building a lasting legacy focused on making a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.”

Governor Kathy Hochul distributes toys with Mariano Rivera at the Community Care Toy Giveaway in the Bronx on December 18, 2024. (Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)
Governor Kathy Hochul distributes toys with Mariano Rivera at the Community Care Toy Giveaway in the Bronx on December 18, 2024. (Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

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From Deb of the Decade to matriarch, it’s been a glorious journey for Cornelia Guest.

The well-born daughter of C.Z. Guest is in “Oh, Canada” with Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, Michael Imperioli and Jacob Elordi.

Elordi plays the younger version of Richard Gere’s character, and Cornelia plays Elordi’s mother-in-law.

“His character is a bit of a naughty boy. I have to straighten him out,” Guest told me. “I’m the matriarch of the family. I definitely channeled C.Z.”

The movie was directed by Paul Schrader, who wrote “Taxi Driver” before he helmed 23 films, including “American Gigolo.”

“I’m a huge fan of Paul Schrader,” Guest said. “He’s quite the character, smart as a whip.”

Cornelia Guest walks the runway at the Dennis Basso fashion show during New York Fashion Week - September 2023 at 583 Park Avenue on September 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Cornelia Guest walks the runway at the Dennis Basso fashion show during New York Fashion Week – September 2023 at 583 Park Avenue on September 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Guest has known Imperioli for decades since they were in acting classes at the Strasberg Institute.

Having appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” with Andy Cohen, and “Good Day NY” with Rosanna Scotto, Guest said, “I’ve been a busy girl.”

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The craziest story in “Mafia Takedown” by retired FBI agent Mike Campi is about a female colleague who had sex with an informant for three years.

Undercover FBI operative Michael D’Urso, who had flipped 20 years earlier and helped convict two mafia bosses, complained he’d been used.

“She demanded to have sex every time we met,” D’Urso told Ganglandnews.com reporter Jerry Capeci.

“She’d get there early before everybody and we’d have sex. It became a mandatory routine. And if couldn’t be before, it had to be after. She wouldn’t let me go.”

The book, from Skyhorse Publishing, reports D’Urso was married while being pressed into service.

“He complained that he was a married guy who was forced to cheat on his wife with a woman who’s not his type in order to get the living expense money from the FBI that his family needed to live with while he was working for the feds,” Capeci told me.

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“Gypsy” — starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald — is getting standing ovations at the Majestic Theater.

The musical inspired by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee is Broadway’s ultimate tale of mothers and daughters, ambition and fame, and the lengths we’ll go in pursuit of the American dream.

Among those who went to previews are Michelle Obama, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise, Bryan Cranston, Nicole Scherzinger, Lane Bradbury (the original Dainty June), F. Murray Abraham, Billy Porter, Betty Buckley, Jason Alexander and Kerry Washington.

The show, directed by George C. Wolfe, features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, who collectively have armloads of Tonys and other awards.

Even people who have never seen the show will know the songs, including “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” and “Let Me Entertain You.”

Audra McDonald and Joy Woods in "Gypsy." (Julieta Cervantes)
Julieta Cervantes
Audra McDonald and Joy Woods in “Gypsy.” (Julieta Cervantes)

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Composer Karen LeFrak, whose pieces have been performed by the New York Philharmonic and have received over 38 million streams, had a group of her compositions performed at National Sawdust, Brooklyn’s groundbreaking concert hall.

Guitarist Sharon Isbin performed several of LeFrak’s works with the orchestra of St. Luke’s under the baton of Elizabeth Askren, including “Habanera Nights Urban Tango” which had the audience dancing in their seats.

Leading the applause were Karen’s husband mega-developer Richard LeFrak, Francine Lefrak and Rick Friedberg, Gail Hilson, Justin Ellis, Marc Johnston, Elizabeth Helgeson, Charles Letourneau, and Paola Prestini.

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Out & About: Legal eagle Arthur Aidala, who has represented 50 Cent, Alan Dershowitz and Rudy Giuliani, has just been recognized by Crain’s NY as one of the city’s 101 “Notable Leaders in Law” … DJ Prince Hakim, the son of Kool & the Gang’s Robert Bell, performed alongside the Rockettes at one of their holiday parties … The NY Phil’s performance of Handel’s Messiah with conductor Ton Koopman, soprano Maya Kherani and tenor Kieran White drew a sold-out crowd including interior designer TC Chou and divorce attorneys Martha Cohen Stine and Harriet Newman Cohen.

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8043471 2024-12-22T07:00:04+00:00 2024-12-20T15:59:01+00:00
JOHNSON: RocNation employees worry about fallout from Jay-Z allegations https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/15/rocnation-employees-worry-fallout-jay-z-allegations/ Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:00:17 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=8033368 Employees of Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation are worried, now that he’s accused in a lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, denies the allegations and said in statement aimed at lawyer Tony Buzbee, “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one! Whoever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?”

The case could affect Roc Nation’s sports management business and its production of the Super Bowl halftime show.

“This could lead to losing contracts and losing jobs,” said one Roc Nation employee. “We are all in shock and pray for the best outcome.”

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Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Adrien Brody attend the LA premiere of 'The Brutalist' last week.
Getty
Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Adrien Brody attend the LA premiere of ‘The Brutalist’ last week. (Getty)

“The Brutalist” starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones has received an avalanche of nominations and become one of the awards season’s buzziest movies.

It follows the life of László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and immigrates to the US, where he struggles until a wealthy client changes his life.

Executive producer Thomas Pierce, the founder of the Children’s Oncology Support Fund (COSF), would only smile and cross his fingers when asked about the movie’s Oscar chances.

Pierce also shared that Jay Leno, Robin Thicke, and a Swedish songbird Zara Larsson will perform during the festivities surrounding COSF’s Aspen Snow Ball held in the Colorado ski town Feb. 5-9.

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Jay McInerney
AP
Jay McInerney. (AP)

“Bright Lights Big City” author Jay McInerney, his wife Anne Hearst and their pal financier George Farias gave their annual holiday party at Wendy Carduner’s private club Doubles in the Sherry Netherlands hotel.

Anne’s sister Patricia Hearst held court at a table surrounded by pals including Paula and Tony Peck, the son of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck, and interior designer Baroness Milly de Cabrol.

As the clock ticked guests started to notice Anne was missing. McInerney explained she’d had “some bad crab meat and she had a bad reaction so she’s home in bed.”

The party roared on in Doubles which was decked out in holiday lights, reindeer, sleighs, and a groaning 20-foot buffet table centered with a giant rocking horse surrounded by desserts.

McInerney, looking dapper in a green velvet jacket and a red tie, greeted Kip Forbes who said of Trump’s victory, “The next four years aren’t going to be dull.”

Also in the mix was the Mayor of Southampton Bill Manger; astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; Create Aroma founder Nicky Hammond with his sister Charlotte and mother Dana Hammond; Valesca Hermes; lawyer Richard Farley and his wife Chele; Quest magazine publisher Chris Meigher and his wife Grace; shutterbug Patrick McMullan, and uber publicist Alison Mazzola who organized the party.

All the attendees left with a glass jar of peppermint candies and their photos with Santa Claus.

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Barbara Kavovit, Ian Reisner, Antoine Verglas, Rebecca Herrero and Peter Thomas Roth attend 'The Art Bodega Holiday Party'.
Santiago Felipe/Getty Images
Barbara Kavovit, Ian Reisner, Antoine Verglas, Rebecca Herrero and Peter Thomas Roth attend ‘The Art Bodega Holiday Party’ on December 9. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

Not even the rain and the cold weather stopped guests from attending the 2024 Art Bodega Magazine holiday party at Palm Verde.

Publisher Rebeca Herrero, with developer Ian Reisner, drew Meredith Marks of “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” former “RHONY” Barbara Kavovit and Dina Lohan with her son Dakota Lohan.

Demonstrating the need for efficient coat checks, one woman who couldn’t locate her coat grabbed Dakota’s and put it on and refused to take it off.

“Dina was such a wonderful and patient mom waiting to retrieve it from the lady who wouldn’t let go of it,” said one source. The missing coat eventually turned up.

Many models followed photographer Antoine Verglas around hoping to be featured in future issues of the glossy, bumping into Candace Bushnell, Nicole Miller and Serafina’s owner Vittorio Assaf.

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Dr. Norman Rowe celebrated the opening of his new office in Palm Beach by partying at Le Bar with actress Leesa Rowland and “Baby” Jane Holzer, who told Andy Warhol when he asked her to be in a movie, “Sure! Anything beats being a Park Avenue housewife!”

The event raised funds for Center for Family Services in Palm Beach County.

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Drake, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole and Doja Cat have all been spotted at parties hosted by NYC Party Guide founders Yuval Eder and Tal Goldfus.

This year on New Year’s Eve they’re hosting 14 parties including ones at the Hotel Chantelle, Arlo Soho, Mr. Purple, the Georgia Room, and on the Sir Winston Yacht Party Cruise moored at Pier 34.

These bashes will attract a bevy of top models and the celebrities that love them, all eager to pop magnums of champagne and ring in the new year as the ball drops in Time Square. For tickets visit nycpartyguide.com.

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Out & About: Paul Shaffer joined Micky Dolenz at the former Monkee’s City Winery show. The two go way back to the famed days of “In Concert” impresario Don Kirshner … The “Jersey Shore” cast reunited at their infamous old share house to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Porterhouse Party brought the meat to the meet up. The cast feasted on dry-aged steaks and some even gulped shots from bone marrow luges … Lithuanian gallerist Aura Copeland hosted a birthday blowout for real estate developer Moishe Mana at Mana Wynwood in Miami that drew Mayor of Miami Francis Suarez, fashion exec Maria Buccellati and art collector Gary Nader.

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8033368 2024-12-15T07:00:17+00:00 2024-12-13T15:20:10+00:00
RICHARD JOHNSON: Eric Garner documentary seeks justice and an Oscar https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/08/richard-johnson-eric-garner-documentary-seeks-justice-and-an-oscar/ Sun, 08 Dec 2024 12:00:49 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=8024148 Ten years after the Staten Island chokehold death of Eric Garner a new film is looking for justice and maybe even an Oscar.

New Yorker Brad Bailey’s short doc is called “Her Fight, His Name: The Story of Gwen Carr and Eric Garner.” It tells the story of Gwen Carr’s undying effort to keep her son’s case alive. It had a Manhattan screening earlier this week.

“I shut down for a long time after his death. To this day I have never watched that video,” Carr says.

Garner, stopped by police on suspicion of selling “loosie” cigarettes, was captured on a bystander’s video as he was put in a chokehold by Staten Island cops. He died after saying “I can’t breathe” 11 times.

Eric Garner
On July 17, 2014, Ramsey Orta took video of former NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo putting Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold and pulling him to the ground while arresting him for selling loose cigarettes in Staten Island. (Ramsey Orta for New York Daily News)
On July 17, 2014, Ramsey Orta took video of former NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo putting Eric Garner in a fatal chokehold and pulling him to the ground while arresting him for selling loose cigarettes in Staten Island. (Ramsey Orta for New York Daily News)

A series of protests followed and then-mayor Bill de Blasio promised action. One of the cops involved was eventually fired.

“The film is about a tragedy that shaped our national discourse through the lens of motherhood and resilience,” said director Bailey.

Carr added, “There’s no sense in someone else telling it and you being an extra in your own story.”

And for other victims, Carr says, “As long as they’ve got a mother, they’ve got a voice.”

Whether Academy Award voters hear that voice we’ll know on Dec. 17 when the shortlists for nominees are announced. One mother surely has her fingers crossed.

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Baseball fans who remember David Justice helping the Yankees win the World Series in 2000 will get to see his daughter, Raquel Justice, in “Dexter: Original Sin.”

Raquel, 20, a senior at LMU (Loyola Marymount University) in LA, plays Sofia, who catches the eye of young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) with her looks and quick wit.

It’s not the biggest role, but she’s in eight of the Paramount+ 10 episodes premiering Dec. 13. “My face will be shown a good amount,” she laughed. The new series, set in Miami 15 years before the original show, finds young Dexter learning to control bloodthirsty urges.

Fomer MLB player David Justice (R) and his daughter Raquel Justice (L) attend the game between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on December 11, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Former MLB player David Justice (R) and his daughter Raquel Justice (L) attend the game between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on December 11, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

With the guidance of his father, Harry (played by Christian Slater), he adopts a Code to help him find and kill people who deserve to be eliminated.

Raquel, who began acting when she was 12, is set to spend her final semester in Spain. Then maybe there will be a second season.

“I hope so, and I hope I’m in it,” she said.

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If Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie could stop fighting, they could co-star in a movie together about the Hotel Martinez in Cannes.

Producer Danny Rossner optioned the recently published book by Phillip M. Kenny about the hotel. “I have all the rights,” he told me.

He’s have Pitt play the hotel’s Italian owner, Emmanuel Martinez, a courageous activist in the French Resistance movement, who helped Jews, refugees and spies escape Nazi terror during World War II, as the Germans commandeered his hotel.

“If we can help Pitt and Jolie put their differences aside, they are world class talents, and they fit like a glove for this story,” Rossner said.

Angelina Jolie (L) and Brad Pitt attend the WSJ. Magazine 2015 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art on November 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine 2015 Innovator Awards)
Angelina Jolie (L) and Brad Pitt attend the WSJ. Magazine 2015 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art on November 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine 2015 Innovator Awards)

The former couple fell in love 20 years ago filming “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.” They had six kids before divorcing five years ago. But they are still litigating over their vineyard in France.

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A dramedy about dementia seems like a tough sell. But “Here’s Yianni!” — starring Joe Cortese and Julia Ormond — is winning over audiences at festivals around the world.

It closes the Dances With Films Fest in Manhattan Sunday night, and Cortese, who plays the title role, is thrilled. “Everyone is raving about it. It won Best Film at the Arpa festival in L.A. We got Best Actor and Best Actress at the Fort Lauderdale festival. We got rave reviews in the Torino Festival in Italy,” the veteran actor said.

“We’re headed to St. Augustine,” he adds.

The film was shot in Asbury Park over 23 days and costars Eric Roberts and Kevin Pollack. Pal Diane Warren helped produce and also contributed the theme, “Remember to Remember.”

The story is about an aging Greek diner owner who thinks he’s a talk show host. The film also candidly deals with the family fallout.

The story walks a fine line but Cortese says almost everyone walks out with “a smile on their face and a tear in their eye.” So if you go tonight, bring Kleenex.

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Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin — a seventh generation descendant of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt — is having a busy December.

The entrepreneur and recording artist just threw an event in Miami with ARTEdeFashion, a platform for Latin creatives to connect with the global luxury market. The power gathering took place at the New World Center in Miami Beach.

After hopping a jet to New York, she will be throwing an event at the Mark Hotel on Wednesday for her new line of handbags, a collaboration with designer Ximena Kavalekas.

“Being an entrepreneur isn’t just about building a business,” she said. “It’s about turning uncertainty into opportunity.”

Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin attends 28th Annual CaringKind Forget-Me-Not Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on June 03, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)
Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin attends 28th Annual CaringKind Forget-Me-Not Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on June 03, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)

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The Children’s Oncology Support Fund Dinner hosted by founder Thomas Pierce and Monica Elias at Coco’s at Colette drew a stellar crowd.

At the 32-person dinner were Ivy Getty, the great-granddaughter of J. Paul Getty; Kayla, Kimberly and Steven Rockefeller, grandson of Nelson Rockefeller; “Sex and the City” author Candace Bushnell; and skincare mogul Peter Thomas Roth.

Young ballerinas courtesy of Youth America Grand Prix did the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy,” and Michael James Scott, who plays the genie in “Aladdin,” sang Christmas anthems.

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Annette Tapert Allen, Alex Hitz, George Gurley, Grace and Chris Meigher, and Carolyne Roehm hosted a book party at Doubles for socialite Katherine Bryan’s new decorating coffee table tome, “Great Inspiration.”

Guests included Mai Hallingby, Sharon Bush, Cece Cord, Susan Gutfreund, Joan Jedell, Muffie Potter Aston, Grace Hightower, Mark Gilbertson, Debbie Bancroft, and Wilbur Ross.

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8024148 2024-12-08T07:00:49+00:00 2024-12-09T08:27:07+00:00
RICHARD JOHNSON: Yankees great Mariano Rivera, Red Sox star David Ortiz help needy NYC families https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/12/01/richard-johnson-yankees-great-mariano-rivera-red-sox-star-david-ortiz-help-needy-nyc-families/ Sun, 01 Dec 2024 12:45:35 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=8015647 Two baseball icons have put their longstanding Yankees-Red Sox rivalry to the side for now — and it’s all for a good cause.

Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and Dr. Ramon Tallaj, founder of SOMOS Community Care, kicked off the giving season by distributing 4,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to underserved families in Washington Heights.

On Dec. 14, beloved Red Sox star “Big Papi,” aka David Ortiz, will host SOMOS’ annual toy drive in the Bronx, where the group will hand out gifts to more than 400 families.

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Chuck Zito isn’t too upset he was arrested, handcuffed and spent 10 hours in custody because of the Florida dealer plate on his 1968 Chevelle SS.

Zito, the former Hells Angel who starred in “Oz,” was stopped after crossing the Throgs Neck Bridge by cops cracking down on toll evaders.

“There’s a lot of good cops out there. I support the police,” Zito told me.

The actor has four Harley-Davidson motorcycles, “all choppers,” and five classic cars, including a ‘51 Mercury, ‘57 Chevy and a ‘68 Dodge Charger.

The ‘68 Chevelle SS is worth more than $80,000, he said. “Do you think I’d drive it with no insurance?”

But Zito, who has done hard time in prison, isn’t too worried. “I’ll get a lawyer,” he said.

Actor Chuck Zito returns to the courtroom during former President Donald Trump's trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024 in New York City. (Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images)
Actor Chuck Zito returns to the courtroom during former President Donald Trump’s trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024 in New York City. (Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images)

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Marilyn Chris stars in “The Giggling Granny,” a solo play about serial killer Nannie Doss, who murdered five husbands in Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas and Oklahoma between 1927 and 1954.

“It’s a true story about the most mesmerizing, innocent and likable serial killer you’re ever going to meet,” said a source.

Chris, who acted for 18 years on ABC’s “One Life To Live,” is a Broadway veteran of “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Lenny” and “Kaddish.”

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How many gowns are enough for Jean Shafiroff? The philanthropist changed her outfit four times while hosting a pre-Thanksgiving party at her Park Ave. apartment.

Besides benefiting the Mission Society, the event honored young designers Malan Breton, Nabys Vielman, Ese Azenabor, and Victor deSouza.

Shafiroff didn’t want to play favorites, so she wore frocks of all four.

Jean Shafiroff attends the 26th Annual Angel Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on October 28, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Marleen Moise/Getty Images)
Jean Shafiroff attends the 26th Annual Angel Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on October 28, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Marleen Moise/Getty Images)

Guests included photographer Patrick McMullan, divorce expert Nicole Noonan and her husband, real estate mogul Steven Knobel, Candace Bushnell, PR guru R. Couri Hay, Fern Mallis and +Body’s Julia Haart.

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President-elect Donald Trump played a round of golf with Elon Musk at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., as more than 100 dogs frolicked with their owners in the clubhouse.

Designer Andrea Stark, Adrien Arpel and Tri-County Animal Rescue founder Suzi Goldsmith hosted their 10th Annual Peppermint Bark and Brunch.

Guests toasted Lois Pope, the widow of National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope, who gave $250,000 to maintain the organization’s no-kill rescue mission of saving some of the most abused dogs and cats in the country.

Attendees posed with their pooches and indulged in a lavish brunch which also included a doggie buffet.

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Juju Chang of ABC News’ “Nightline,” hosted the 92nd St. Y’s 9th Annual Extraordinary Women Awards. The night honored Melissa Walker, the founder of Jazz House Kids, publisher Zibby Owens, social worker Erin Pond Friedland, and choreographer Marcella Hymowitz.

The entertainment was provided by Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo, who sang “Sunlight to My Soul,” and New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns, who performed to “Sara Solo.”

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Wild Tomorrow, the nonprofit wildlife conservation group that protects and restores habitats for threatened wildlife in South Africa, raised a record-breaking $1.15 million at their annual gala at The Plaza Hotel.

The 400 guests included interior designer TC Chou and ABC’s “The Bachelor” contestants Zac Clark and Blake Moynes.

Bongi Duma, of Broadway’s “The Lion King,” wrote, produced and performed an original composition “Far Away” to a standing ovation.

****

Out & About: Geraldo Rivera and attorney Arthur Aidala talking about Trump’s pick of Pam Bondi to be attorney general at Rao’s … Divorce attorneys Martha Cohen Stine and Harriet Newman Cohen dining at Indian speakeasy Veerays, whose chef Hemant Mathur is up for a Michelin star for his stellar cuisine at the new hot spot at 213 E. 45th St. … Daniel Boulud at his newly opened La Tête d’Or by Daniel, his first steakhouse at 318 Park Ave. South, requesting a bluesy musical selection from DJ Prince Hakim, the son of Kool & the Gang co-founder Robert Bell.

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8015647 2024-12-01T07:45:35+00:00 2024-11-30T15:54:20+00:00
JOHNSON: Ellen DeGeneres move to U.K. about more than politics, source says https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/11/24/ellen-degenres-uk-move-more-than-politics/ Sun, 24 Nov 2024 12:00:12 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=8007663 Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi didn’t really move to England because Trump won, according to an insider. They were heading abroad regardless.

Earlier this week, sources told TMZ the couple moved to the U.K. because Trump’s victory left them “very disillusioned” about living in the states and resolved to “get the hell out.” But it appears they’d been considering a change for a while.

“They always wanted to have a new start once Ellen retired from her TV show,” said my source. “They were tired of their California life.”

People in their circle thought they would move to Australia since Portia is from there. But they apparently listened to their Montecito neighbors Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on where to live in England.

DeGeneres has been open about being “kicked out of show business” after staffers complained of a toxic workplace.

****

Lyle and Erik Menendez in Beverly Hills Municipal Court court in 1991.
AP
Lyle and Erik Menendez in Beverly Hills Municipal Court court in 1991. (AP)

Ryan Murphy and the cast of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” get an “A” from a man who lived through it.

Roger Smith was second in command to Jose Menendez at their video distribution company. He testified at the first trial.

“Javier Bardem [who played Jose] got the perfect blend of charm and evil,” Smith told me.

Smith came to believe the sexual abuse suffered by the boys after Leslie Abramson arranged a two-hour meeting with a leading sexual psychologist.

“Jose was a macho Cuban known to be cheating on his wife with other women,” Smith says. “But this kind of parental domination isn’t about sex, it’s about control.”

The two boys were perfectly cast. But Chloe Sevigny was “too classy” according to Smith. “I had dinner with Jose and Kitty at least a half dozen times and she was an alcoholic living under his thumb.”

As to whether or not the publicity from the series gets the boys out early, Smith says that’s a tough decision.

“They’ve done way more time than necessary. Gavin Newsom has to decide the political downside of letting them out.”

****

Allen Roskoff
Getty
Allen Roskoff. (Getty)

Gay activist Allen Roskoff isn’t happy Donald Trump got reelected.

He also isn’t happy with Mayor Eric Adams, Queens DA Melinda Katz, Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, South Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres and several other “notorious hackmeisters” featured on the invite to his 35th annual holiday party on Dec. 20.

“It’s a legendary party. People wait with anticipation to see who gets skewered,” Roskoff said.

The invitation shows Trump and First Lady Melania with Hitler mustaches. Matt Gaetz has his arm upraised in a Nazi salute.

“The worst is yet to come,” proclaims the invite, accompanied by clips of “Springtime for Hitler” from Mel Brooks’ classic “The Producers.”

Among past guests are Lance Bass from NSYNC, Jamie-Lynn Sigler from “The Sopranos,” “Law and Order” franchise actors Kathleen Chalfant and Kathryn Erbe and Kyan Douglas from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Invites also went out to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, State Attorney General Tish James, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Rep. Jerry Nadler.

Mayor Adams attended previous parties, but isn’t invited this year “since he turned far right,” Roskoff told me.

Roskoff, who heads the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, told me, “We are about to have a president who is a stark raving lunatic with unqualified and dangerous cabinet members and appointees. We are building a resistance to save democracy.”

****

Brooke Nevin and Michael Traynor.
Getty
Brooke Nevin and Michael Traynor. (Getty)

 

Brooke Nevin has been acting Hollywood since she was 14, but the 41-year-old has avoided multiple hook-ups.

She’s been steady with actor Michael Traynor for 20 years, and they have a 6-month-old son, Griffin.

“I’ve never swiped right in my life,” Nevin told me with a laugh.

The actress is promoting “F*** Marry Kill” a Liongate/Buzzfeed movie coming out Dec. 6 about some young women afraid their dates are serial killers.

“It’s a fun, irreverent, rom-com, thriller, mystery mashup,” said Nevin, who plays the older sister of one target.

Nevin is broadening her resume by directing and producing and has a film out soon titled “Jingle Bell Love.”

****

Wilbur Ross.
Getty
Wilbur Ross. (Getty)

Wilbur Ross knows how to to launch a book. After several parties in the U.S. for “Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life,” Ross went to Harry’s Bar in London.

His guests included architect Norman Foster, Emilia and Jose “Pepe” Fanjul, Laurence Graff, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild with her beau Lord Saatchi, and Lord William and Lady Annabel Astor.

After the bash, Ross and his wife, Hilary Geary, were the guests of the Duke of Marlborough and his sister, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill at Blenheim Castle.

After he caught his breath, Ross flew to California for another book-signing at the Nixon Foundation.

****

How do you take a song that’s 47 years old and get it back in the Top Ten?

For music curator Brad LeBeau, you choose the right record; get a contemporary mix and the promote it to the right ears.

The Village People’s “Goddess of Love” — which came out 47 years ago — has given the band their first Top 40 record in 40 years.

“The group has taken on mythical proportions since they first hit the scene in 1977. And this track was a natural,” said LeBeau.

LeBeau’s firm Pro Motion — which has worked on records by Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Madonna — just celebrated its 40th anniversary.

****

This year’s New York Comedy Festival wrapped last Sunday after 11 days, more than 300 shows and 160 acts at more than 100 venues across the city.

But one special event was at Gracie Mansion where Mayor Eric Adams honored the founder and queen of comedy Caroline Hirsch and her partner Andrew Fox for creating the festival 20 years ago.

The Mayor recalled growing up in South Jamaica, Queens with his five siblings watching Flip Wilson’s show.

“We were able to forget that being dyslexic and being bullied in school and being called dumb students would engulf your entire life. You see comedy as a performance. I see it as a life raft.”

The mayor also recognized the significant impact comedy has on the city’s economy. More than 20 years later, laughter is still the best medicine.

****

Charli XCX.
Getty
Charli XCX. (Getty)

After “Saturday Night Live” ended and the cast celebrated at Mermaid Oyster Bar, Charli XCX and her crew partied at Fushimi.

Charli, who hosted the show and was its musical guest, unwound with cast members Kenan Thompson and Michael Che while JPatt from The Knocks performed and included a track from Charlie XCX’s “Brat” album to the delight of the late night party crowd.

****

Broadway star Michael James Scott, who started out in the “Book of Mormon” and now stars in “Aladdin,” will sing songs from his holiday album, “A Fierce Christmas,” at a benefit dinner for the Children’s Oncology Support Fund (COSF) on Dec. 3 at the private club Coco’s at Colette.

The party also serves as a kick-off for the Snow Ball Gala in Aspen on Feb. 8.

The Coco dinner, with guests including Candace Bushnell and Peter Thomas Roth, will be hosted by media executive Monica Elias and COSF founder Thomas Pierce, who is getting Oscar buzz for “The Brutalist,” which he produced. The film stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

****

Lauren Bush Lauren, granddaughter of President George H. W. Bush, was honored at a party hosted by James Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui, who own the Wally Findlay Galleries.

The gallerists donated 25K to help Lauren and her non-profit FEED provide school meals to the underserved in Africa and around the world.

Lauren’s husband David Lauren (son of designer Ralph Lauren), mother Sharon Bush, Quest magazine’s Christopher Meigher, musician Lucia Hwong Gordon, divorce attorney Daniel Stock and socialite Lauren Day Roberts checked out the paintings of Bronx-born artist Ronnie Landfield and Hugo Greenville at the gallery’s East 57th Street location.

****

Out & About: Leonardo DiCaprio, Janelle Monae and Robert De Niro are all expected to return to Miami Art Basel on Dec. 6 for the annual international art fair as famous for its parties as the art. Santina Semadar Panetta, the artist known for her neo-pointillism technique, will be exhibiting with Artifact Projects at the Red Dot Fair from Dec. 4 to Dec. 8 … The victims of the Twin Towers tragedy and the war in Ukraine are being honored in videos by artists Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov in an exhibition at Mriya Gallery in Tribeca. The works are displayed using FRMD, a new digital art service that is revolutionizing how art collections are shown … Natasha Lyonne, producer Steve Garrin and Park West Gallery COO John Block at the Netflix screening of “His Three Daughters” at AMC Theatres, Lincoln Square.

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8007663 2024-11-24T07:00:12+00:00 2024-11-22T15:58:41+00:00
RICHARD JOHNSON: Pete Davidson booking bupkis after canceling NBC show, says source https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/11/17/pete-davidson-bupkis-trouble-booking-projects/ Sun, 17 Nov 2024 12:00:26 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7998429 Pete Davidson is having trouble booking new projects after canceling his show “Bupkis” in March 2024 for its approved second season, a source tells me.

Following the cancellation, the comic voluntarily sent big payments to his co-stars — Edie Falco, Joe Pesci and Bobby Cannavale — for the work they’d lost.

Now it seems Hollywood is taking a break from Davidson. His management team is trying to book him as guest-host of “SNL” to revive his career.

Davidson is working on a Netflix comedy special and has small parts in some movies in post production.

But when he canceled “Bupkis” he canceled himself, said my source.

****

Richie McGinniss, Chief Video Director for the Daily Caller describes the fatal shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum by Kyle Rittenhouse during the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse on November 4, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Richie McGinniss, Chief Video Director for the Daily Caller describes the fatal shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum by Kyle Rittenhouse during the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse on November 4, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Mark Hertzberg-Pool/Getty Images)

Richie McGinniss is lucky to be alive.

The 35-year-old video reporter has covered violent Black Lives Matter and MAGA demonstrations and says he was nearly shot by Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020.

His self-published memoir “Riot Diet” out this month explains how he became a political lightning rod after testifying at Rittenhouse’s murder trial.

“I interviewed Rittenhouse 13 minutes before the shooting,” McGinniss told me. “I saw him fire four shots in seven seconds.” Two men died and another was wounded. “Kyle Rittenhouse was turned into either a hero or a white supremacist.”

McGinniss, who voted for Obama twice, testified at Rittenhouse’s murder trial, which ended in acquittal.

Kyle Rittenhouse enters the courtroom to hear the verdicts in his trial prior to being found not guilty on all counts at the Kenosha County Courthouse on November 19, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse
Kyle Rittenhouse enters the courtroom to hear the verdicts in his trial prior to being found not guilty on all counts at the Kenosha County Courthouse on November 19, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Sean Krajacic – Pool/Getty Images)

“Just by being there, you become part of the story,” McGinniss said.

Armed with only cellphones, McGinniss and his squad use the power of internet video to place viewers directly among the demonstrators and police.

In “Riot Diet,” McGinniss hopscotches from the Memorial Day riots in front of the White House after the death of George Floyd, to the clash of guards and Proud Boys in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).

His videos were posted to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram — racking up tens of millions of views.

“There’s a big difference between seeing something on your phone and living it firsthand,” McGinniss said. “You have to know when to run and when to stand your ground … I usually just ran.”

****

Michael McCarty attends the opening of the new Chrome Hearts Gallery & Cafe to celebrate their 3-Year Anniversary in the Miami Design District on December 5, 2017 in Miami, Florida.
Michael McCarty attends the opening of the new Chrome Hearts Gallery & Cafe to celebrate their 3-Year Anniversary in the Miami Design District on December 5, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Chrome Hearts)

Bette Midler called Michael McCarty “the best host in the world.” Martha Stewart said the secret to his restaurant Michael’s on West 55th Street is “the camaraderie and also the Salad Nicoise.”

They were jammed on Wednesday night as the joint celebrated its 35th anniversary.

“It’s a party everyday,” said film guru Sandy Kenyon.

The restaurant’s manager Steve Millington explained that the place “knows New York and New Yorkers.” And how to make them feel special. He once took Joan Rivers’ fur coat and — instead of checking it — wore it around the restaurant in an impromptu fashion show.

ABC Radio’s Mark Simone said, “They introduce everybody to everybody. Michael is like a headhunter, a matchmaker, it’s like a family and the Cobb Salad is great.”

Publicists love this place. Ana Martins said, “It’s all about the media. They’re all here all the time.”

McCarty barely budged from the front door, greeting well-wishers with wife and artist Kim. He looked around the packed room and sighed, “We just have great clients.” Here’s to 35 more.

****

"Boop!" the Betty Boop musical.
“Boop!” the Betty Boop musical.

“Boop!” the Betty Boop musical arrives on Broadway at the end of April.

“I played the title character,” deadpans costar Erich Bergen. “I’m the exclamation point. I’m tall, loud and very particular about punctuation.”

It was all part of his funny stage banter as the emcee for The Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards last Sunday night at the Edison Ballroom.

Fans in the audience included Jerry Seinfeld, Chelsea Clinton, Rory Kennedy, Ali Wentworth and Jeremy Piven whose new movie “The Performance” screened for media this week at the Soho House.

“I’m very proud of it,” the former “Entourage” star said.

The as-yet-unreleased film — adapted from an Arthur Miller short story and directed by Piven’s sister Shira — is about a Jewish entertainer conflicted about performing for Nazis in 1936. It’s a long way from Ari Gold.

“It’s the best performance of my career because this character goes through more than any character I’ve ever played,” Piven said.

****

Former first lady Melania Trump looks on as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 06, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Former first lady Melania Trump looks on as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 06, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Melania Trump isn’t just saying no to Dr. Jill Biden’s invitation to tea at the White House.

The once and future First Lady has already made it perfectly clear to her husband and his transition team that she won’t be on call around the clock.

Melania is going to be a part-time First Lady and she’s only going to do it “on her own terms.”

While she is looking forward to welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to D.C. and helping her husband host important state dinners, everything on her calendar will need to be cleared by her personally.

“No one’s going to be making Melania’s schedule but Melania,” said one insider.

She and the President have already agreed that she’s free to spend as much time at Trump Tower in Manhattan safeguarding their son Barron as she feels necessary.

“Being a mother is at the top of her agenda,” said my source.

She is currently vetting her White House staff which will be very small. Melania was burned by her former senior advisor Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who betrayed her every confidence in “Melania & Me” released in 2020.

Melania is going to be holding all her cards tightly to her chest and her lawyers have already drawn up extensive NDAs for everyone that she will come in contact with.

If you want to know what Melania is thinking, she tells acquaintances to read her book “Melania” which was released in October.

****

Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for BFI)

Julianne Moore was on the Salon Art+Design Fair’s committee at the Park Avenue Armory’s opening night which benefited the Dia Art Foundation. Starchitect Peter Marino, Candace Bushnell, attorney Jason Goldman, Robert Couturier, Aby Rosen, Nicole Miller, Francisco Costa and Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch were among the collectors seen walking the aisles.

Glamorous Isabelle Bscher’s Galerie Gmurzynska was the talk of the fair. Her booth featured rare works by French sculptor Henri Laurens and Hungarian photographer László Moholy-Nagy.

Also making the scene was Huma Abedin, who is now engaged to Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire George Soros.

The brunette is now acting more like an uptown trophy wife than a working mom married to disgraced politician Anthony Weiner.

Long known as Hillary Clinton’s BFF, she now sports blazing diamonds instead of briefing books as she makes all the right stops on the city’s philanthropic and cultural circuits.

Abedin was seen inquiring about a $38k white couch with a marble base at Maison Gerard.

****

For those glum that Saks Fifth Avenue sacked its holiday sound and light show, take heart.

The lighting of the Fifth Avenue Snowflake at 57th Street is happening on Friday, Nov. 22, at 6 p.m. thanks to George and Christine Stonbely and the Fifth Avenue Association.

Special guests of honor will be chef Daniel Boulud, chair of City Meals on Wheels, and Metropolitan Opera soprano Angel Blue.

****

Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Town & Country)

Mariska Hargitay, the star of “Law & Order SVU,” showed she not only has flair for the dramatic, but a comedic side as well while being honored at the Hope for Depression Research Foundation Luncheon at the Plaza Hotel.

After an introduction by Audrey Gruss, the organization’s founder, Hargitay said, “Thank God I have an honorary doctorate from John Jay College because otherwise I’d be really super insecure right now with all these doctors in the room.”

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7998429 2024-11-17T07:00:26+00:00 2024-11-15T15:00:21+00:00
RICHARD JOHNSON: Rita Hayworth’s daughter opens up about mom’s Alzheimer’s struggle at benefit https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/11/03/richard-johnson-rita-hayworth-alzheimers-association-benefit/ Sun, 03 Nov 2024 12:00:33 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7978217 The late Hollywood goddess Rita Hayworth was remembered by her daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan while she hosted the 40th anniversary of The Alzheimer’s Association’s Imagine Benefit.

“My fight against Alzheimer’s began in 1981 when I became a caregiver for my mother when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. I knew at that moment that this would become my life’s work.”

Leslie Odom Jr. sang “The Room Where It Happens” from “Hamilton.” Leading the applause were Sharon Bush, David Hyde Pierce, Peter Thomas Roth, Huma Abedin, divorce attorney Dan Stock and designers Jason Wu, Helen Yarmak, Peter Som and Josie Natori.

The benefit garnered $1.2 million, adding to the $90 million that has been raised since the group’s founding in 1984.

Rita Hayworth in 1950.
Rita Hayworth in 1950. (Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

****

Director Doug Liman can sniff out great talent.

He found Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau for “Swingers,” directed the first “Bourne” for Matt Damon, married Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” and took Tom Cruise to the “Edge of Tomorrow.” You get the idea.

But big names and blockbusters aren’t his only passion. “My favorite film ever is ‘The Truffle Hunters,’” Liman said. “Those filmmakers have a new film coming out called ‘Gaucho Gaucho’ which premiered at Sundance.” The doc is about Argentinian cowboys and cowgirls known as gauchos and how they survive in a modern world.

Liman hosted a party at his downtown loft Monday night with tapas and Argentinian malbecs. Director Michael Dweck also greeted new fans with a few clips and conversation.

Matt Damon and director Doug Liman at the premiere of "The Bourne Identity" at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, Ca. Thursday, June 6, 2002.
Matt Damon and director Doug Liman at the premiere of “The Bourne Identity” at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles on June 6, 2002. (Kevin Winter/ImageDirect)

Where does it go from here? On a streaming platform called Jolt where you can saddle up on Dec. 1. How far it rides from there is yet to be seen.

****

How do you launch a new wine? Product placement.

Vin Diesel, Tina Fey, and Steve Carell are among the dozens of stars scheduled to be in scenes with Frank Schilling and Gabi Petrylaite’s new sparkling rosé Aphrodise.

The couple’s bubbly has appeared or will appear in over 50 shows on Netflix, Hulu, Prime and Apple TV.

The entrepreneurs’ wine will also feature in upcoming episodes of the “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That” with Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis.

Petrylaite said, “Whether they’re at a bar, a dinner party or they have a bottle in their hand; during a romantic scene we’ll have a lot of these moments in TV and film productions.”

It worked for Grey Goose.

****

Agnes Gund, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Liliana Cavendish, Yvonne Force Villareal and interior designer TC Chou led the way to The Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory that benefited the Henry Street Settlement.

Over $1 million was raised to provide vital social services to 50 thousand New Yorkers in need.

Also in the mix was Galerie Gmurzynska’s Isabelle Bscher, Mathias Rastorfer and Adam Lindemann, who had a booth for his gallery Venus Over Manhattan.

****

Denzel Washington plays Macrinus in Gladiator II from Paramount Pictures.
Denzel Washington as Macrinus in “Gladiator II.” (Paramount Pictures)

Out & About: Want to deck yourself out in ancient Roman bling like Denzel Washington in Ridley Scott’s new film “Gladiator II” which hits theaters Nov. 22? M.S. Rau in New Orleans has unearthed original pieces from BC, including Roman rings with Neptune and Ceres and other Roman deities … Christy Cashman’s book “The Truth About Horses,” that’s being co-produced for the screen with Jane Seymour, was awarded the Distinguished Favorite Fiction honor at the NYC Big Book Awards … Kimberly Paige Bluhm, who’s married to billionaire casino magnate Neil Bluhm, hosted lunch for 50 women at Casa Tua in Aspen. Guests included Jamie Tisch, Amy Phelan, Holly Hunt and Susan Crown, whose family owns the ski resort.

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7978217 2024-11-03T07:00:33+00:00 2024-11-01T15:54:43+00:00
JOHNSON: The News’ Jimmy Breslin remembered in new book https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/10/27/johnson-the-news-jimmy-breslin-remembered-in-new-book/ Sun, 27 Oct 2024 11:00:44 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7968962 Late Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, who was sent letters from Son of Sam in 1976, is remembered in “Jimmy Breslin: The Man Who Told the Truth.”

The book published this month is by Richard Esposito, who was at New York’s hometown paper from his copyboy days to Metro Editor and then editor of the Sunday News.

It’s an intimate portrait of a complicated man that captures the power of Breslin’s writing, and also his occasionally outrageous, larger than life newsroom persona.

When serial killer David Berkowitz sent his first Son of Sam letter to The News, Esposito recalls Breslin remarked on the murderer’s grasp of the semicolon. He then made a point of telling whoever would listen “he writes better than most of the reporters in the city,” Esposito recalls. That wasn’t enough.

Esposito then remembers him walking through the newsroom, muttering and bellowing that if Berkowitz were on staff they could get rid of a bunch of the less talented hacks sitting there. Breslin’s gifts won him a Pulitzer.

Telling the truth was Breslin’s gift, and the book captures that across five decades of American history, when Breslin was often at the center of events.

****

Dave Grohl and Jordyn Blum.
Getty
Dave Grohl and Jordyn Blum. (Getty)

The Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, 55, probably won’t be financially drained because he fathered a daughter outside his marriage.

Jordyn Blum, 48, the mother of their three children — Violet, 18, Harper, 15, and Ophelia, 10 — was photographed without her wedding ring but she has not filed for divorce, yet.

Grohl — inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, as part of Nirvana in 2014 and as a member of Foo Fighters in 2021 — is worth an estimated $330 million.

Top divorce lawyer Martha Cohen Stine said the Grohls live in California, a no-fault community property state where all wealth acquired during the marriage is considered the couple’s joint property and generally split equally.

But there is a big but. “None of this applies if the couple signed a prenuptial agreement,” said Stine, whose firm has represented Laurence Fishburne, Andrew Cuomo and Kerry Kennedy, and comedian Louis CK.

“It is likely that David Grohl and Jordyn Blum signed a prenuptial agreement prior to their marriage given that Grohl had already been divorced when he married Jordyn,” Stine said.

Grohl was previously married to Jennifer Youngblood from 1994 to 1997.

“It is unlikely that the prenuptial agreement would call for a penalty for infidelity. As a rock star he would probably never agree to such a clause.”

Marilyn Chinitz of Blank Rome LLP — who has repped Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, and Wendy Williams — said the Grohls should sign a post-nuptial agreement.

“Remaining monogamous is the obvious way to demonstrate that you are committed,” Chinitz said.

“But after that ship has sailed, providing your spouse with the security of assets and support is another important way to convey that message of good faith.”

Grohl said of his wife and children, “I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness.”

****

Mariia Grazhina Chaplin.
Getty
Mariia Grazhina Chaplin. (Getty)

The World Influencers and Bloggers Awards, which take place every May in Cannes, are bringing their glamor here for a presentation dinner Oct. 30 at the Mark Hotel.

The founder of the awards is Mariia Grazhina Chaplin, a former beauty queen from Ukraine who was a TV presenter and a journalist prior to dedicating herself to WIBA.

At the last gala were supermodel Coco Rocha, who has 2 million followers on Instagram, and actress Kelly Rutherford, who resides in Monaco now to be close to her children.

Then there is Khaby Lame from Senegal whose TikTok videos have totaled 4 billion views.

“I love the energy of New York and would like to work here more often, tapping into the huge pool of talent in United States,” said Chaplin.

****

November is right around the corner as is The Day of the Dead and the New York Comedy Festival, which celebrates 20 years of raising spirits.

So it’s fitting that Joan Rivers will be celebrated at Dead Funny at The Apollo produced by daughter Melissa to support God Loves We Deliver with jokes being delivered by Rachel Brosnahan, Nikki Glaser, Matteo Lane, Michelle Buteau and Randy Rainbow.

Another late comic, Gilbert Gottfried, will be remembered at Still Screaming at the Hard Rock Hotel on Nov. 13 hosted by his widow Dara and friends Richard Kind, Susie Essman, Dave Attell and Judy Gold.

****

Noel Ashman is a believer in never giving up your dream.

The former nightclub owner, who has produced 16 movies, told a class at the School of Visual Arts: “Get used to rejection because you will have it constantly … the ones who will succeed will get rejected 100 times but finally succeed on the 101th try.”

Ashman was a guest lecturer at the class taught by Charles Kipps, who wrote “Fat Albert” and many “Law & Order” episodes.

“I tried to be upbeat,” Ashman told me. “But i did say ‘Believe in yourself or no one else will.’”

Past guest speakers in Kipps’ class include actors Chris Noth and Holt McCallany (“Mindhunter”).

****

Mary J. Blige speaks onstage during the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 19 in Cleveland.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Mary J. Blige speaks onstage during the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on October 19 in Cleveland. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Mary J. Blige accepted her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio with a confession.

“It’s been a long time coming, and there were times in my life I didn’t think I would be here, but I’m here,” Blige said.

“If you’re a fan of Mary J. Blige, you know that I needed God. I needed something other than men.”

The singer went on to thank Dr. Dre and Method Man, “my two lifelong friends.”

During the afterparty at the House of Blues, she told her fellow inductee Robert Kool Bell and the rest of the Kool & the Gang that his 1974 hit “Summer Madness” was her “favorite song.”

After midnight, Jennifer Hudson took the stage and sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls.”

Bell’s son DJ Prince Hakim spun into the wee hours for guests including Common, Dua Lipa, Demi Lovato, Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Kelly Clarkson, Dave Chappelle and Billy Idol.

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Out & About: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Yvie Oddly kicked off the spooky season by hosting a costume extravaganza at Club Circo. On Oct. 31, the Times Square hot spot will host a Halloween bash featuring smoking cocktails in skeleton-shaped glasses … Cantina Rooftop owner Pedro Zamora will celebrate El Día de los Muertos, aka the Day of the Dead, on Nov. 2 when guests can leave offerings for their deceased loved ones on a special altar … Megan Thee Stallion — in town to premiere her new documentary “In Her Words” and to be honored with a God’s Love We Deliver award — was also spotted having a celebratory dinner at Fushimi in Midtown … Wanda Sykes, rocking an Oh Mary! T-shirt, power lunched with actor Tim Bagley at Carnegie Diner and posed for a photo with the Carnegie’s general manager Tasos Zapantis on the way out.

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RICHARD JOHNSON: ‘Law & Order: SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay to be honored https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/10/20/richard-johnson-law-order-svu-star-mariska-hargitay-to-be-honored/ Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:00:51 +0000 https://www.nydailynews.com/?p=7959351 “Law & Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay will be honored by Audrey Gruss, the founder of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), at their 18th Annual Luncheon at the Plaza Hotel on Nov. 12.

Previous honorees include Dakota Johnson, Anderson Cooper and Michael Phelps.

Gruss shared the news at a cocktail party for the organization’s Junior Committee at Double’s, the private club in the Sherry-Netherland hotel headed by Wendy Carduner.

The party featured a pajama fashion show hosted by Elizabeth Meigher,  Gillian Hearst and Melissa Breitbart.

Earlier in the month, Meigher’s father Christopher Meigher, the publisher of Quest magazine, and its diarist David Patrick Columbia welcomed Martha Stewart, Deborah Norville, Somers Farkas and Margo Langenberg, who are all on the publication’s prestigious 400 List of notable New Yorkers.

Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was also on hand receiving kudos for his new bestseller “Risks and Returns: Creating Success in Business and Life,” which was given out to the departing guests.

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From left: Eric Roberts, Cathy Moriarty and John Savage (Getty Images)
From left: Eric Roberts, Cathy Moriarty and John Savage (Getty Images)

Eric Roberts, Cathy Moriarty and John Savage all were in films nominated for Best Picture Oscars. Now they are in movie together, “Beyond the Rush,” written and directed by Rob Sayegh.

“I wrote the story as a senior in high school,” Sayegh told me. “Thirty-two years later it’s a feature film.”

Sayegh helped finance the film about drug abuse and child sex perversion. “I put up all my own money, over a million dollars. I sold all my crypto and all my stock.”

Moriarty, Oscar nominated for her work “Raging Bull,” said, “He put his heart and soul and his whole entire life into it.”

Eric Roberts, who was nominated for “Runaway Train,” said, “I play a guy who is totally nuts. It was a day at camp for me.”

The self-effacing actor joked he is still impaired from a 1981 car accident that put him in a coma for three days. “I’m told I have some brain damage, but that’s okay.”

Asked if his sister Julia Roberts was okay with his recently published memoir, “Runaway Train: or, The Story of My Life So Far,” Roberts said, “I haven’t talked to her about it.”

His wife Eliza told me, “She’d let us know if she were upset.”

Savage said,” There’s so much humanity in this film. It’s a love story.”

An activist who worked to end apartheid in South Africa, Savage is the proud grandfather of Zoltan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Of his top-notch cast, Sayegh said, “I was blessed and grateful they’d even looked at my script.”

“Beyond the Rush” opens Nov. 9, Veterans Day, at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival.

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Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson attends the premiere of “Shell” during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. (Jeremy Chan/Getty Images)

Kate Hudson thinks fashion “empowers women with not just clothes but confidence.”

She was honoring Max Mara at the Plaza Tuesday night for the Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars Gala.

FGI President Maryanne Grisz says “We’ve been honoring the best of the best for forty years.”

Out on the red carpet Zac Posen said he looks for “flair” and “pizazz.”

Dennis Basso thinks fashion means more today than it did 40 years ago “because the young people are focused and interesting.” He also thinks fashion was more “pigeonholed, but today anything goes.”

Nicky Hilton Rothschild likes simple stuff. “In Venice last summer I wore a black satin dress with a really stunning tuxedo jacket.” Okay, that’s her simple.

Others there to honor tasteful taffeta and smart schmattas included designers Elie Tahari and Stan Herman, model Coco Rocha, State Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright, TikTok phenom Dixie D’Amelio and the always fashionable philanthropist Jean Shafiroff who declared her dress “Kardashian style, it’s almost too sheer.”

And about the night that helps discover new talent? Shafiroff got serious: “You might be sitting beside the next Coco Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld.”

Then she daintily picked up her 10-foot train and headed for the ballroom.

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Steven Maglio of East Harlem and Debi Maldonado of Astoria both moved to The Bronx and first met while attending Herbert H. Lehman High School.

They married in 1984, moved to New Jersey, and had four children and five grandchildren. They will re-enact their wedding at his “NOT Just Sinatra” show at The Cutting Room on Thursday.

After his set, Steven will come off the stage to join his wife, Debi, in the middle of the nightclub.

Surrounded by their children and friends serving as witnesses, they will pledge the same vows they made 40 years ago.

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Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (Getty Images)
Alec Baldwin and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (Getty Images)

Alec Baldwin got off scot-free after accidentally shooting the cinematographer on his movie “Rust.” But his rookie armorer is seven months into an 18-month sentence for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

Jason Goldman, who represents Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, said it is shameful that his client is incarcerated while Baldwin, who fired the gun, is free.

“His legal team was able to get a look at what the evidence was because she was tried first,” Goldman said. “She had an unfair shake.”

Baldwin’s six-shooter was supposed to be loaded with blanks, but fired a live round.

Goldman is planning to appeal. “Overturning the conviction is important. We think the jury got it wrong.”

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382932 12: Jewel Girl Barbie has realistic bending and twisting with her new soft twist waist, perfect for posing in the "24/7" mix ''n match fashion collection which allows girls to create up to 24 different teen glam looks. (Photo courtesy of Mattel, Inc./Liaison)
Barbie (Mattel, Inc./Liaison)

Barbie, the first grown-up doll, was ahead of the times when she hit it big in the ‘60s.

A new show, “Barbie: A Cultural Icon,” at the Museum of Arts and Design shows that Barbie is Black and Hispanic, disabled and blind, with hair of every hue and length, including one Barbie who was completely bald.

At a dinner party dance on Wednesday, Robert Best, v.p. of Barbie Product Design at Mattel, was honored for his decades of service and spoke about the importance of inclusivity.

Madonna’s 12-year-old daughter Estere dee-jayed for the likes of Francine LeFrak and Rick Friedberg, and Todd Cohen and Rebecca Hessel Cohen of LoveShackFancy fame.

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Out & About: Omar Hernandez will kick off the Halloween season Oct. 25 at his OHLALA supper club at La Goulue on East 61st Street … Shoe designer Vanessa Noel celebrated her birthday at her store on East 64th Street with jeweler Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia, divorce lawyer Ken Jewel, socialite Susan Gutfreund and dermatologist Dr. Howard Sobel … Leonardo DiCaprio, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey and Adam Sandler are a few of the stars who have enjoyed meals by caterer Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs. Now, for the first time, everyone with money can eat like a celebrity over the holidays by ordering at EACateringtogo.com.

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