Ryan O’Neal Hit On His Daughter at His Girlfriend’s FuneralPlus, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are still making out all over the place, Billy Joel wants Katie Lee back, and more dysfunctional celebrity relationships in our daily gossip roundup.
Breaking Hanukkah Special: ScarJo Half Jewish!But she’s so icy and Scandinavian, right? Only half! Other dreidl spinners: Jennifer Connelly! Shia Labeouf! And Cindy is misbehaving in London. In the Judeo-Christian gossip roundup.
Billy Joel Self-Pops Cherry for ObamaDid he REALLY have to put it that way? Plus, Tom and Gisele are probs getting married — awesome, you guys! In Monday’s gaggle o’ gossip.
Jude Law Brings His Pillbox Hat to Halston RoleIt looks like 2008 is the new 1978. That is, it will be the year of Halston. Not only will the fashion house, purchased last year by Harvey Weinstein with the creative help of Tamara Mellon and Rachel Zoe, show again at New York’s Fashion Week — but it turns out that a Weinstein movie is in the works about the iconic designer’s life. And Jude Law is in talks to play the lead role! Which not only means that we get to see Jude Law play gay again, but also that we’ll get to see a whole bevy of celebrities played by younger stars. We can see it now: Zach Braff as Studio 54 owner Steve Rubell, Anne Hathaway as Bianca Jagger and oh! Oh! Amy Winehouse as Liza Minnelli!!
Jude Law to Play Halston? [Fashionista]
The A to Z of What’s Hot for 2008 [Daily Telegraph]
Earlier: Can Harvey Resurrect Halston?
cultural capital
When Peggy Met LizaPublicist Peggy Siegal was on Barbara Walter’s Sirius Radio show today — we know, right? Everyone has one of those things now — talking about how the best thing she ever did for her first client, Liza Minnelli, was, er introduce her to controlled substances.
I walk my way up and I get to the rope [saying] “Liza’s in the car, Liza’s in the car” and there was Steve Rubell who owned it who I went to Syracuse with he said go get her I take her to the velvet rope — opens up — he grabs her, he kisses her, he gives her God knows what in her pocket, they go off into the sunset and they forget to open the rope for me and that’s how Liza met Steve Rubell, that’s how all that trouble began with Studio 54 and that was probably the only good thing I did for her.
But one imagines that night at Studio 54 wasn’t just a turning point for Liza, but for Peggy Siegal. Picture her there, standing in front of the closed velvet rope, abandoned by her famous friends, left literally and metaphorically out in the cold as the beautiful people float by her. What was young Peggy saying to herself, do you think? That moment, ladies and gentlemen, is the kind of moment that makes a publicist.
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The Lohans: Reunited and It Feels So SoberDemi Moore freaked out at the Miss Sixty fashion show when she found out her driver couldn’t bring her car around. Kathleen Wiley thinks the Clintons stole a manuscript of her new book, which she says contains information that could damage Hillary’s presidential bid. A photo of jet-riding “Money Honey” Maria Bartiromo and husband Jonathan Steinberg in Hamptons magazine happens to be opposite an ad titled, “Planning on Having an Affair?” Liza Minelli will sing the national anthem before the U.S. Open men’s final because everyone else will be at the VMAs. Vanessa Hudgins’ rep confirmed that the nude photo of her that’s making the rounds is authentic. Kim Porter may still love Diddy, exhibited by the fact that she gazed into his eyes at Tenjune.
photo op
Good Morning, Baltimore
If you’ll allow our cold, hard heart to be warmed for just a second: A little more than a year ago, Nikki Blonsky was serving ice cream on Long Island and preparing for her high-school musical; last night the movie she stars in — Hairspray, with John Travolta as her mother — premiered at the Ziegfeld, and she got to mug for photographers with Liza Minnelli. We’d be smiling that big, too. (Oh, and you’ve got to see Liza’s full outfit — those pants! — after the jump.)
Related: Big Girl Now [NYM]
party lines
Liza RapsIt was not particularly surprising to find Liza Minnelli at last night’s amfAR Honoring With Pride benefit. It was entirely surprising, however, when Liza broke into a rap on her way into the Rainbow Room. “There’s always a man that you love,” Liza quasi-rapped for us. “There’s always a man that you didn’t love. There’s always a man that you love to love, and a man that you love too much.” She’s working on a new album inspired by her godmother, Kay Thompson, and the rap will be on it. “She was the first rapper,” Liza told us, proudly, of Thompson. Um, okay. If you say so. —Brett Amelkin
CORRECTION, June 7: Minnelli is work on an album of songs associated with Thompson. She is not working on an album with Thompson, who died in 1998, as that item initially stated.
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Blowin’ in the WindBobby Kennedy Jr. says he and his uncle Ted aren’t as opposed to the proposed Cape Cod wind farm as a book says they are. Liza Minnelli and Isle Werther are fighting over a dress. Barneys creative director Simon Doonan is happy to be a “card-carrying fag.” Boxing will go upscale when three Ford models replace the traditional ring girls at the upcoming welterweight championship at MSG. Former Justin Timberlake flame Cameron Diaz and current Justin Timberlake flame Jessica Biel will both be at the MTV Movie Awards, which may be awkward. Adam Carolla noted that Rosie O’Donnell is a fat female lesbian, and thus has “triple coverage as a minority.” President Bush’s chief domestic policy adviser, Karl Zinzmeister, reportedly said he’d never hire another woman because they “just get pregnant and leave.” Dean McDermott broke up with girlfriend Mary Jo Eustace via “Page Six.”
party lines
They Like the Nightlife
At Monday night’s Nightlife Awards, honoring cabaret, jazz, and comedy, performers dished about life on the boards. And about gift bags.
Swag bags, pro or con?
“I never take them. Every gift bag I’ve ever gotten has gotten three kinds of hand cream, a CD of Aida, and a copy of In Style magazine. Give me free Botox or free hair transplants, or a $2,000 gift certificate to Armani for some underwear. Although nowadays, a flu shot would be good too, and harder to come by than Botox.” —Charles Busch, playwright and drag queen
What’s in your fantasy swag bag?
“A kazoo, a can of SpaghettiOs, and a forty of Colt 45.” —Daniel Reichard, Jersey Boys actor
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Thrice-Married Giuliani Is McInerney’s Love ExpertAt Jay McInerney’s wedding to Anne Hearst, Rudy Giuliani spoke about love and Dan Aykroyd got the crowd dancing. Salman Rushdie is impressed with his son’s game, and vice versa. Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun is in the hospital and not doing well. Kurt Cobain wanted to divorce Courtney Love, a new book claims. Lauren Davis “totally disregarded her responsibilities” as junior chair of the Winter Wonderland Ball Friday night to go party at Bungalow 8 and the Gramercy Park Hotel instead. Britney Spears has a new music-producer boyfriend, and he looks just like K-Fed. Beyoncé Knowles calls her onstage persona “Sasha,” admits to not liking her. Penélope Cruz dropped off Orlando Bloom before heading to the TomKat post-honeymoon party. People ate and bid on a lot of truffles at the Four Seasons Saturday. Andrew Sarris was in the restroom during the vote for Best Animated Feature at the New York Film Critics Circle’s awards, and his choice (A Scanner Darkly) ended up losing to Happy Feet by one vote. Someone claims that Ed Burns’s band is better than the Rolling Stones. A former reporter is suing NY1 for fostering a sexually hostile workplace, but execs of the cable channel deny the charges. Keanu Reeves chatted up a cheesy blonde. Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl spent $6,920 shopping on Saturday afternoon. Columnist Mark Steyn compares the group who drafted the 9/11 Commission Report to the group who attended Liza Minnelli’s wedding. George Clooney once got his mother a table saw for Christmas.
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Donald and Graydon: Hair Fight!“Without Si Newhouse,” Spy punching bag Donald Trump says, “Graydon Carter would be just another overweight editor with bad hair.” Eliot Spitzer will likely choose one of four people to replace embattled State Comptroller Alan Hevesi: a Latino, a woman, a banker, or a guy who donated a kidney to his daughter. Both Britney Spears’s family and the L.A. Department of Children and Family Services are disturbed by her recent pantyless partying. Did Augusten Burroughs pull a James Frey? The crazy family depicted in Running With Scissors says so. John Mayer made a script suggestion to Kiefer Sutherland regarding 24. Sex blogger Jessica Cutler pulls out of a panel on blogger book deals because she is currently being sued. Pam Anderson and Kid Rock are hosting rival New Year’s Eve parties in Las Vegas. NBC honcho Jeff Zucker and the L.A. Times disagree on whether he’s about to promote someone. A model confused Charles Barkley with Gnarls Barkley. Wyclef Jean visited Haiti again, wants to open a resort there. Terrence Howard is one of the few black guys who support Michael Richards. East Hampton hotspot Star Room is on sale for $4.25 million. “Page Six” was name-checked on Law & Order. Da-dum. Liza Minnelli recently attended a perverted rock musical. Liz Smith really likes Dreamgirls. Cindy Adams really likes Barack Obama.
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You Will Not Get to See Britney and K-Fed Have Sex. And You Are Thankful.Breaking: There is no Fed-Ex–Britney sex tape! (At least not for public consumption.) Josh Hartnett is in New Zealand, no longer with Scarlett Johansson. Barbara Bush (the young one) was robbed in Argentina. Heather Mills didn’t much enjoy her marriage to Paul McCartney. Taye Diggs and Ashlee Simpson are “just friends.” Some people are mad about former Citigroup chairman Sandy Weill’s new book. NBC has better morning-show and evening-news ratings than ABC, and don’t think the Rock Center folks let the Disney kids forget it. MSNBC correspondent David Shuster eats his blog, literally. Paris Hilton went on a charity date with the highest bidder (she also may or may not have thrown up on stage in Las Vegas). Debutante season is here! Wall Street bonus season is here! Liz Smith compares Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes to David Gest and Liza Minnelli. Cindy Adams has a breakdown of what different stars will be doing on Thanksgiving. (Matt Dillon, believe it or not, will be eating.)
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It’s Not Easy Being a PatakiBreaking: Tinsley Mortimer shops for her own groceries! Kevin Federline is broke, steals food and booze from a restaurant. Emily Pataki failed the bar exam. How Kennedyesque. Former Tom Cruise sparring partner Brooke Shields is going to his wedding, perhaps as a publicity stunt. Nicole Kidman probably isn’t pregnant, Ivanka Trump maybe had a boob job, but Tom DeLay definitely nominated about-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Time’s Person of the Year. Dave Chappelle bowed out of a gig for HBO, and HBO isn’t happy. Axl Rose brought some strippers to Soho House. Borat’s cultural learnings may soon be available in a Barnes & Noble near you. (Meantime, he’d do well to avoid getting into a fight with fellow Kazakh Wladimir Klitschko.) Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a London concert; the crowd liked him. George Gershwin and Ed Bradley were honored at Lincoln Center, where it is discovered that Mr. Gershwin used to be quite the ladies’ man. Liza Minnelli played a $1 million bat mitzvah pro bono. A former America’s Next Top Model winner ditched Tyra Banks as her manager, changed her last name. Angelina Jolie was going to adopt an Indian kid, but Madonna scared her off.
