Dan's Papers - June 15, 2007 - Whispers with Gina Glickman

The rain certainly didn't put a damper on Hampton nightlife this past weekend. Friday night, Nick Cannon played guest DJ at DUNE. His fiance, model Selita Ebanks, set the tone as she danced alongside her hubby to be, while Supermodel Yfke Sturm, Stella Keitel, Charlotte Freund and Scott Wilpon celebrated Nick Weil's 25th birthday. Across town, Gossip Extraordinaire, Cognac Wellerlane, celebrated her birthday Vegas-style, at Oaklands Restaurant, in Hampton Bays. Wellerlane dazzled the crowd dressed in an authentic Vegas Showgirl sequined white ensemble. She was surrounded by hundreds of well wishers including Shane Gritzinger, Count Vlad from Vladicouture, Ron Caparella, Lorenzo Brieba, Patricia Parenti, Owain Morgan, Joe Manuella and Paris Felinni.

Saturday evening, the crowds parted, as the Queen of R & B, Mary J. Blige entered The Pink Elephant nightclub in Southampton. Mary's husband of four years, record producer Kendu Isaacs, never left her side, as Blige gracefully mingled with VIP's. MJB, who visits the Hamptons often, was taking a break from recording her upcoming album. MJB had her honey-colored hair loosely pulled back and was wearing a flowing, halter-style, black and white polka-dot dress with peep-toe, red patent wedge heels and huge gold hoop earrings -- she looked absolutely flawless. In person, Blige exudes an intense raw vulnerability, a similar quality that she shares in her lyrics and music, creating songs that depict her own life struggle on her path to self-realization. Blige often talks about her past and what is was like growing up in a dangerous housing project in Yonkers, New York. Even in the club, MJB isn't afraid to open up when I asked her, "Because of all the suffering in your past, all the pain, do you ever feel guilty when you achieve certain career goals and experience success?" Blige smiled and seemed to understand exactly what I was insinuating and replied, "No, I do not, because I know hard times to the tenth power and I know how it feels to hate yourself and your surroundings and to hate what you see when you look in the mirror. Every single day I struggle with that, still, so every single day I appreciate when I don't feel like I hate myself. I don't feel guilty, to answer the question, I'm happy and proud of myself because I've come a long way." These days, MJB admits she really appreciates the simple things in life. "I hate to train but I love to train, I love to eat, I love to shop, I love to make records with my husband. I love to have fun with him, I love my girlfriends." Even now, with all her fame and fortune, Blige works hard to keep her priorities straight. She said, "You take care of the most important things, you think about yourself and about your husband and your children, God first, of course, and then everything will fall in place, because you can't do everything, and when you line those things up properly, everything that you need to do will come to you, and you won't have to change it." As MJB posed for pictures and worked her way through the club to her table, she laughed and shouted out, "From the 'hood to the Hamptons!" Even with her massive influence on music and R & B today, Blige will never let herself forget where she came from and it is through her rise to superstardom that shows achieving the American dream is possible -- Mary J. Blige is living proof. But, more importantly, its positive thinking and actions that win every time. Take it from Blige's inspirational life motto, "Love yourself and don't let anybody tell you that you can't or it's impossible, anything is possible if you love yourself."

Athlete turned model, Amanda Beard, bares all in the July issue of Playboy Magazine, and you can get a sneak peak this Saturday evening as she makes a grand appearance at Stereo by the Shore. Satsky and crew plan to transform SBTS into a mini Playboy Mansion for the night, so, bring your bathing suit!

Until next week-- Life is short, you only live once, so party on!

Entertainment & Feature Correspondent, Director, Writer and Producer Gina Glickman can be seen Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends starring on News 12 Long Island's "What's Hot in the Hamptons" and log onto www.Hamptons.com for more celebrity action with Gina, on "Main Street" series.