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Long Arm of the Law Reaches Hamptons
In the wake of the World Trade Center disaster, law enforcement officials aren’t leaving anything to chance. A source tells us that the FBI made a recent stop at Cozy Cabins, a wayside motel on seven acres in Wainscott, after a Pakistani couple approached the owner of the property – which wasn’t officially on the market – in an attempt to purchase it. “Yes, they were here,” the owner says of the Feds’ visit, “and they looked around.” And the potential buyers? “They’re a very nice couple who’ve been in America a long time,” he continues. “They own another building in the Bronx and have children.” Not giving any more details, the owner said, “The sale is still pending.” A spokesman for the FBI could not confirm or deny the bureau’s visit, but added, “We have many agents working on many fronts.”
Stars Still Come Out in New York
While celebrities everywhere are committing millions of dollars to disaster relief, some are also making sure to follow Rudy Giuliani’s advice to get on with everyday life. Harrison Ford, who is separated from his wife, Melissa Mathison, shopped for a mattress at ABC Carpet & Home last week – fellow-shoppers were all a-giggle at the sight of him bouncing up and down on various styles. Kristen Johnston, co-star of the upcoming Off Broadway production of The Women, stopped by Henri Bendel to check out some Anna Sui dresses. And Rupert Everett even got in a little nighttime fun at the Lure, the meatpacking-district leather bar, where he was spotted chatting up a muscular young fellow in a dark corner.
Pamela Anderson’s in the Doghouse
Photographer Christopher Ameruoso has exclusive pics of Pamela Anderson crawling around on all fours – and no, we’re not talking about another X-rated home video. Anderson posed inside the doghouse with her golden retriever for Ameruoso’s new book, Pets and Their Celebrities. “She liked it so much that she called me again to take pictures when she rescued a one-eyed pug,” Ameruoso told us. He also photographed Kate Hudson and her dog, Angie Everhart with her cats, and Nicolette Sheridan on horseback, among others. “Shooting Bo Derek was like realizing a childhood dream,” he said. “We got her galloping on a white horse through fog on a hill.” But some of the pets he shot – a sampling can be seen on TakeGreatPictures.com until the book comes out in November – weren’t so cute and cuddly. Even after he’d braved Slash’s giant snakes, Michael Des Barres’s hairless rat, and Tippi Hedren’s tigers, Ameruoso’s scariest moment came when he brought along Anderson’s VIP co-star Natalie Raitano to shoot rapper Ice-T and his two pit bulls. “The dogs started lunging at her,” Ameruoso said. “She was petrified, but Ice-T grabbed on to their collars to hold them back.”
Bill Maher Gets a Vote of Confidence
Arianna Huffington is on a campaign to save Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect. Huffington is blasting White House spokesman Ari Fleischer for scolding the P.I. host last week after Maher made comments that some considered to be unpatriotic. While discussing whether or not the terrorists were cowards, Maher said, “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly.” Since then, Sears and FedEx have pulled their advertising and some ABC affiliates have cancelled the show. Fleischer said it was “a terrible thing to say,” adding, “this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.” Huffington has sent out an email urging P.I. fans to sign a petition to save the show at www4.PetitionOnline.com. “Now we have Ari Fleischer as the ‘National Nanny,’ ” Huffington told us. “You better watch what you say or he’ll put pepper in your mouth.” In her email, she also urges supporters to call ABC and the network’s parent company, Disney.
Chris Kattan: He Had The Right Idea
On a recent Friday night, we spotted Saturday Night Live player Chris Kattan along with several friends, including actress Natasha Lyonne, at the Hog Pit in the meatpacking district. Shortly after the group was done dancing to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama on the jukebox, at about 2 a.m., a man wearing a hard hat and tool belt walked in the door. Everyone immediately started cheering and applauding, thinking he was a rescue worker. However, a bartender explained the man was actually one of his regulars, a Verizon worker. “He’s a phone guy,” he told Kattan and friends. “He’s been getting that all day.”
HAMPTONS REPORT Sources tell us that Chevy Chase has sold his East Hampton shack. The actor bought the shingled, three-story Lee Avenue home for about $3 million over a decade ago and sold it in August for $10 million to Rallye Motors CEO Peter Terian. John Golden, the Sotheby’s real-estate agent who handled the deal, declined to comment.
SOUNDS GOOD Things are coming along quite nicely for the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, which are set for October 19 at the Hammerstein Ballroom and will air on VH1 on October 23. We’ve learned that in addition to Alicia Keys and Lenny Kravitz, rocker John Mellencamp has signed on to perform during the fashion-meets-music fête. Mellencamp will perform his new single, “Peaceful World.”
With Catherine Townsend and Aric Chen.