Christie Brinkley: Gimme Shelter
Christie Brinkley is taking no chances. We’re told the anti-nuclear activist and model is planning to construct a bomb shelter in the backyard of her Southampton home. And our sources report that, as a further precaution, Brinkley recently shelled out $12,000 for biohazard suits for herself, architect husband Peter Cook; their daughter, Sailor Lee, 3; Brinkley’s son with Richard Taubman, Jack Paris, 6; and her daughter with Billy Joel, Alexa Ray, 15. Brinkley’s rep insists no suits have been purchased and that the only thing they’re building is an art studio.
Natasha Lyonne’s Hard-Rock Life
Add Natasha Lyonne to the roster of actresses who yearn to sing. Lyonne is set to perform at CBGB this Wednesday with rock band Lard Dog & the Band of Shy. Lard Dog lead singer Steven Erdman tells us that Lyonne, performing as “Neighbor Sue,” is planning to jump up from the audience to belt out “Little Bird,” a tune written by late Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. Erdman says Lyonne has sung with the band several times since 1995, when she crashed at his apartment for several months. That was before her career took off, first with Woody Allen’s quasi-musical Everyone Says I Love You and then with American Pie.
Affleck and Damon Explore Chyna
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon got a pictorial body-slam from World Wrestling Federation champ Joanie “Chyna” Laurer last week. At the premiere of the Oscar winners’ new HBO series, Project Greenlight, Laurer walked up to the two, whipped out a couple of copies of the new Playboy featuring her on the cover, autographed some full-frontal shots, and handed them to Affleck and Damon. As Damon posed for a pic with Laurer, Affleck cooed, “We’re both big fans.”
Bouley Exits Ground Zero
David Bouley’s days of feeding relief workers have ended. Bouley’s contract with the Red Cross to serve up to 35,000 meals per day was canceled on November 19, just two weeks after the New York Observer reported that fellow restaurateurs were outraged by the profits Bouley was allegedly making on the deal. A Red Cross rep insisted that the decision to scale back the relief effort was made simply because there were fewer people to feed: “Whether he’s making a profit really wasn’t our concern.” As of next month, the Salvation Army will be the only organization providing meals.
Following the Moomba Money Trail
Investors in now-defunct Moomba are demanding that Jeff Gossett, the lounge’s former front man, open his books. About ten investors recently received an anonymous letter from one of their fellow backers urging them to contact Gossett’s lawyer and demand to see financial records. “I want to know where my money is,” one investor told us. Gossett not only closed Moomba in April to open a Los Angeles outpost without informing his backers; now he’s sold the twelve-year lease to the space for about $300,000, about $450,000 less than investors believe it was worth. Investors also tell us that they have not received licensing fees in exchange for using the Moomba name on the West Coast. Gossett’s lawyer says he has not received any requests from investors.
Corey Haim: Reality Bites
Fallen teen idol Corey Haim has been reduced to selling parts of his anatomy. Michael Kronick, owner of celeb-memorabilia site Startifacts.com, told us that The Lost Boys star was in his Las Vegas office autographing pictures and “happened to have a tooth handy, since he had just come from the dentist.” Kronick put Haim’s molar on eBay and fetched a high bid of $150, but eBay removed it a few days later because the auction site prohibits the selling of body parts. Kronick says the tooth is still available for sale through his firm, as is Haim’s hair: “We’ve been selling clumps of it for $99 a pop.”
WISH UPON A STAR: After the recent Apollo Theatre concert benefiting the Team Roc youth-empowerment foundation, Jay-Z was joined backstage by a 15-year-old cancer patient he had met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The kid got the chance to show off his musical talent when Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash took him up on his offer to rap for them.
MORNING GLORY: Bronx Democratic county chairman and Fernando Ferrer campaign manager Roberto Ramirez and gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Cuomo held court at the Regency last Wednesday. Our spy reports that they had quite the animated conversation over a 90-minute breakfast meeting.
With Catherine Townsend and Aric Chen.