South O' the Highway (and the North too)

After an intense 18-month battle for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton was believed to be recuperating with husband Bill at the East Hampton home of venture capitalist Thomas H. Lee and his wife, Ann Tenenbaum. Bill was seen golfing and relaxing at Wyborg Beach, and neighbors confirmed frequent Secret Service and police patrols. There were also reports that John McCain was in the area, but we've been unable to confirm this.

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A casting call for the CW's "Gossip Girl" at Southampton's Pink Elephant last weekend didn't result in many instant celebrities when only a handful of television-hopefuls showed up, but the crowds were out in full force once actors from the popular show came to town. Stars Chase Crawford, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick and Laighton Meester all stayed at the Southampton Inn while shooting Hamptons scenes for the upcoming season.

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East Hampton resident and "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric has taken her reporting to the small(er) screen - on YouTube. Couric devotees can sign on anytime, and catch their favorite newswoman behind the scenes, and up close and personal.

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As her divorce from Peter Cook goes to trial, Bridgehampton's Christie Brinkley is pushing for an open courtroom. Her attorney claims that there's even more to the story than has been revealed, and in defense of her and her family, Brinkley wants the "unfiltered truth" known.

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Bargain Chic, the Animal Rescue Fund's new "designer showhouse" chaired by ARF's original co-founder, Sony Schotland, will launch the charity's new thrift shop by having designers use thrift shop furnishings to decorate the space. Participating designers include Jeffery Howard Brodersen Interior Design, Rocco Liccardi, Sandra McConnell with Chris Obetz and Tony Urrutia, Joan McGivern Interiors, Wendy Seewagen Interiors, Sharon Zambrelli Design and Sony Schotland. The new shop, located at 17 Montauk Highway in Sagaponack, will be open for bargain-seekers Saturday and Sunday, June 28 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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East Hampton's Dr. Robert Schwalbe celebrated the release of his new book, Sixty, Sexy and Successful, and his 42nd anniversary with wife Janie at The Merrin Gallery on Tuesday, June 17. Enjoying pre-Columbian art were family and supporters including his Hamptons neighbors Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper, event planner Harriette Rose Katz, Senior Vice President of Related Properties David Wein, Dr. Susan Levine, Michele Gerber Klein and Sharon Bush.

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East Hampton's Martha Stewart will have a bit more page space in her passport. Apparently, the United Kingdom doesn't feel so warm and fuzzy about the leading lady of lifestyle's fleeting criminal past, and has barred her from crossing its borders.

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Hamptons resident and author Tom Wolfe recently jumped to the defense of newspapers everywhere. In an interview with Charlie Rose last week, he said, "As newspapers are declining rapidly ... I would just point out, all news today comes from newspapers. All of it. Television has never initiated a successful story in its life. When they have a big story, it's always wrong."

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To some, young Hamptonite Tinsley Mortimer leads an exciting, glamorous life of shopping, parties and benefits. To others, like execs at MTV, Mortimer actually needs to get more of a life. The network shot and has already canceled the socialite's reality show, claiming that she looked great......but that nothing much happened.

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Acclaimed West Coast portrait photographer Phillip Stewart Charis will make a rare East Coast appearance to display his work in the booth of the prestigious Wendt Gallery at ArtHamptons, July 11-13. Charis, whose portraiture has been likened to the works of John Singer Sargent, Joshua Reynolds and Gainsborough by curators, critics and press, will show works from his six-decades-long career.

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Southampton's Paris Hilton was spotted out and about in the Hamptons recently, taping her new reality show, "Paris Hilton's My New BFF." Hilton gave several contestants, all competing to be her best friend, the true Paris party experience at The Estate nightclub in Sag Harbor.

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East Hampton's Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld have charged in court papers that author Missy Chase Lapine decided to sue them for plagiarism and slander in shameless promotion of her sequel, The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen).

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Hamptonite Russell Simmons recently designed a watch for Ernst Benz's limited-edition "Time for Change" collection in support of the nonprofit organization, Chrysalis. His design features the seven Hindu charkas, Sanskrit numbers and the word "Atman," meaning "spirit of man," centered on the dial. Twenty-four numbered watches were made, celebrating 24 years that the Chrysalis foundation has been helping economically disadvantaged and homeless people become self-sufficient through employment opportunities, and will be sold exclusively at Saks this fall.

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