Dan's Papers - June 13, 2008 - Whispers with Gina Glickman

As if the full-on VIP treatment from helipad arrivals, chauffeured Cadillac Escalades and overnight stays at the Grey Goose Manor aren't enough to entertain the young, rich and famous. Now, there seems to be another trend developing in the late night scene out East. The luxurious late-night venues are featuring live entertainment. This past Saturday evening, singer-songwriter Katy Perry had her Hamptons album release party at DUNE in Southampton. Her popular single, "I Kissed a Girl," is #2 on iTunes, and we hear Madonna is a big fan of hers, too! Tableside were Chris Heinz and his wife, Sasha, Fergie's man, Josh Duhmel and oil heir Brandon Davis, who ended the evening at LILY POND in East Hampton, where actress-turned-singer Taryn Manning debuted her new single, "Runaway."

Lily Pond co-owner and nightlife entrepreneur Michael Satsky revealed why these intimate performances are a perfect way to premiere a new single or help brand upcoming talent. "Celebs are attracted to clubs and playing for their peers in intimate settings, assuming it's the right club, of course. Mixing pleasure and a little self promotion at a club is a good thing."

The Surf Lodge in Montauk debuted opening weekend with a memorable waterside live performance with Julian Marley, who created such a huge buzz for the hotel that this past Saturday was packed and several famous faces stopped by, including, "Sex and the City"'s Jason Lewis, supermodel Tyson Beckford and Molly Simms, who all cooled off to the beats by DJ James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. The Surf Lodge's co-owner Steve Kasuba is a driving force behind the hotel's live performances. "People have really responded to the performances and live music at The Surf Lodge. It adds value to the weekend experience. It's something to do during the in-between time before dinner and the rest of the night. Also, we are entertaining a whole bunch of people who aren't into spending their late nights in an indoor nightclub. The beauty of the East End is in the gorgeous surroundings. I mean, really, what's better than having a beer at sunset, on a deck, off the water, while listening to some great music?"

Thanks to Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum, owners of NYC's Tenjune and EMM Group, the performance trend doesn't stop at the clubs. Remm and Birnbaum are known as one of the pioneer venues to incorporate performances into the normal scope of their nightclub schedule, and this summer they are taking the "performance trend" private, into their luxury entity, The Estate, in Sag Harbor. Remm and Birnbaum both strongly agree with the performance trend this season. "Performances offer our patrons a way to connect with their favorite artists in an intimate setting, a rarity we are excited to continuously offer our guests at Tenjune, as opposed to the trend in celebrity appearances, where guests have no interaction with the talent. Performances are special one-time-only occurrences that guests feel special to be a part of, as do we. The entire venue is united by the performer on stage, which creates an amazing energy in the room. We will continue to host intimate performances on the grounds of The Estate throughout the summer for those spending time in the Hamptons to enjoy, taking advantage of the beautiful backdrop."

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

Entertainment & Feature Correspondent, Director, Writer and Executive Producer Gina Glickman can be seen on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends starring on News 12 Long Island's "What's Hot in the Hamptons." Log onto hamptons.com and check out Gina's "Main Street" series.