Dan's Papers - June 29, 2007 - South 'O the Highway... (and the North too)

Socialite Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos and her husband, Paul Kanavos, are reportedly going to contract to buy a brand new Joe Farrell 11,500-square-foot mansion on more than two and a half acres on Captain's Neck Lane in Southampton for $17 million. The house reportedly has a steam room, sauna, wine cellar, media room, New York City apartment-sized closets and two butler's pantries.

Southampton heiress and paparazzi princess Paris Hilton was released from a Los Angeles-area jail shortly after midnight on Tuesday after serving 23 days for violating her probation on a reckless driving conviction. She was beaming as she got into her parents' SUV. Hilton is scheduled to give her first post-jail television interview to Larry King on Wednesday during his "Larry King Live" show on CNN. ABC and NBC dropped rival offers for the interview last week. Rumor has it that the possibly reformed party girl plans to spend some of her millions building a halfway house for recently released inmates.

Frequent Hamptons visitor Ivanka Trump recently returned from a romantic getaway to France with New York Observer publisher Jared Kushner aboard Rupert Murdoch's yacht. The happy couple and their host sailed past Nice on 183-foot sailboat, Rosehearty, named after his Long Island estate, which is currently on the market.

East Hampton's Renee Zellweger has just signed on for her second year as Honorary Chair for the South Fork Breast Health Coalition's Third Annual Birdhouse Auction, to be held on October 13 at the Southampton Cultural Center. Karyn Mannix, Susie Roden and Karen Saco will so-chair the event.

Quogue's multi Tony Award-winning director, Arthur Laurents, will direct his own icon, Gypsy, which will run from July 9 to 29 as part of the "Encores" series at the New York City Center.

East Hamptonite Nathan Lane will be honored at The Trevor Project's Harmony, Heart & Humor Gala this week at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Malcolm Gets, Gilbert Gottfried, John Glover, Tim Gunn, and Christopher Sieber will all help celebrate the funnyman.

Celebrities turned out in droves last weekend, descending upon Hamptons eateries like a flock of seagulls. Soccer players Claudio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter dined at Wildthyme Restaurant and Bar in Southampton. MSNBC's Dan Abrahms also ordered a meal there with a lovely brunette dinner date. Julianne Moore shared a cup of gelato with her daughter at Tutto Italiano in East Hampton. Ed Burns and his daughter also stopped in for a slice of pizza and Chevy Chase and his wife, Jayni, picked up sandwiches and roses there as well. Of course, no restaurant tops Nick & Toni's for celebrity clientele. Beth Ostrosky, Mark Feuerstein, Harvey Weinstein, Chevy Chase, Howard Schultz, Richard Wilpon, Michael Lynne and Kelly Klein all dined at the East Hampton staple over the weekend. On Friday night, Alec Baldwin was back at Wei Fun in East Hampton with his girlfriend, Nicole Sidel, crunching on crispy shrimp and mung bean noodle salad. Even celebrities have to eat!

East Hampton boutique Blue & Creeme is selling $500 sneakers with 18k gold laces. The flashiest sneakers on the basketball court are designed by socialite DJ and entrepeneur Nick Cohen and Keith Richards' daughter, model Alexandra Richards. The shoes are called "U.E.S.," short for Upper East Side, one of the only locales where you might find someone wearing them.

Ellen and Chuck Scarborough will host Sneakers del Arte, a kick-off party for Ellen's Run at their Southampton home on Saturday, August 18. The Honorary Chairpersons are Dan Rattiner and Christine Wasserstein. Event Chairperson is Annette Heller. Artists who have created their own signature designs on the Stephon Marbury athletic shoes to be auctioned are Billy Joel, Ross Bleckner, Dale Chihuly, April Gornik, Robert Wilson, Betsey Johnson, Jack Lenor Larsen, Dan Rattiner and many more. All proceeds will benefit the Ellen P. Hermanson Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer services. For information, call (631) 329-5480.

Emmy Award-winner Felicity Huffman has been filming Phoebe in Wonderland in various Hamptons locales with Patricia Clarkson and Elle Fanning, the little sister of Dakota Fanning. Felicity and her husband, actor William H. Macy, have taken this opportunity to explore Southampton in recent weeks and has been spotted shopping and dining all over town.

A core group of young collectors from New York's Museum World -- the Young Collectors' Councils at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum -- will vie to make the first bids at Vered Gallery's semi-annual July Auction this Saturday from 9-11 p.m. The art buffs will check out 125 lots, including those by Steven Klein, Massimo Vitali, Willem de Kooning, Louise Nevelson, Ross Bleckner, Eric Fischl, Cindy Sherman, David Hockney, Hunt Slonem, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol. All the proceeds for lots designated as such will be sold to benefit Friends of the Israel Defense Force, providing financial aid for the families of Israel's volunteer army. All lots can be viewed on line June 29 - July 8th www.veredart.com. The gallery's Last Bid Party is on Sunday, July 8 at 3 p.m. The hammer falls at 5 p.m.

There is obviously no bad blood between Southamptonite Kimora Lee Simmons and her ex-husband. This past week, Kimora strolled down the streets of Los Angeles accompanied by Djimon Hounsou, star of the movie Blood Diamond, who was wearing a t-shirt from Russell Simmons' new Phat Farm Atman Collection.

Quogue resident Howard Cowan, president and founder of Cowan Financial Group, has been awarded Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company's highest honor, the National Chairman's Trophy, for a record 19th time.

This year's Annual Tent Party, on the grounds of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church in Southampton, celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the cornerstone-laying of the historic church. The cocktail reception will include hors d'oeuvres by Two Brothers Catering and dancing to the music of Vivian and The Merrymakers. Proceeds from the Gala go to SHJ & M special programs. Sponsors for the event are P. J. McBride Tents, Herbert & Rist Liquors, Peconic Beverages, Topiaire Flowers, Berkoski Ice Company and Southampton Publick House. There will be a special Mass preceding the party celebrated by Bishop William Murphy at five p.m.

Fitness personality-turned-self-help-guru, Patricia Moreno, will be in town this week to teach her sought-after classes at Summer Kicks Fitness in East Hampton. For more information, call (631) 324-5333 or email summerkicks@aol.com.