Dan's Papers - July 4, 2008 - Whispers by Gina Glickman

It's time to celebrate America the Beautiful, Hamptons-style, and that usually means invite-only or word-of-mouth events. So, slip into something red, white and blue, and follow this holiday map to good times!

Thursday, July 3. A lucky few will be kicking off the holiday weekend with TV personality, author and professional matchmaker, Samantha Daniels, who is hosting one of her fabulous Red, White and Blue theme parties at her private home. We hear Samantha is taking the night off, but you can bet there will be sparks flying between guests, thanks to her strategic party planning, which includes Strip Poker, Naked Twister and Spin the Red Bull.

Friday, July 4. Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York City" reality stars will be celebrating their Season II contracts at Jill Zarin's 5th Annual July 4th bash, draped in Zarin Fabrics and catered by Creative Cuisine. Jill always delivers amazing gift bags, to boot. Guests will feast on a seafood bar, sushi, passed mini-meals and ice cream sundaes topped with red, white and blue sprinkles. Bethenny Frankel will tend bar, servin' up her signature Skinny Girl Cocktails. If you are desperate for an invite, try signing up for Zarin's newsletter at .

Hands down, the all-around best event on July 4th for any age is the 21st Annual American Picnic Fireworks by Grucci in Southampton! This is a memorable experience packed with all kinds of activities including carnival games, picnic dinner and the most incredible Grucci fireworks display on the East End. The best part of this event is that all proceeds benefit the children of the Southampton Fresh Air Home! Call 631-283-5847 for event and ticket details. Saturday, late night, the place to be is outside at Lily Pond nightclub! We hear the East Hampton hotspot will celebrate with a HUGE surprise performance. The mystery singer will perform the national anthem. We also hear that the V1 Jets Royale package is 90 percent sold out at Lily Pond for the July 4th weekend. The package, which is featured on Lily Pond's bottle menu, includes two tickets aboard a V1 Jet from New York City to East Hampton, chauffeured Bentley service from the airport to the club and a Jerabaum of Cristal with your Lily Pond table. The package sells for $10,000 a pop. Speaking of mystery guests, last Saturday, V1 Jets threw Dina Lohan's "Living Lohan" Hamptons screening - the lovely Dina spent the entire night (until 2:30 a.m.) in the VIP booth with a group of her closet friends. A spy reports, "Dina had the best time, she hung out with friends and drank bottled water all night."

Saturday, July 5. Stop by designer Lisa Perry's fabulous Mod-style exclusive Sag Harbor boutique for a sparkling cocktail or two. Then head over to Bay Street Theatre to spend the evening with Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Sean Connery, Regis Philbin, Dan Rather, John Travolta, Jesse Jackson, Richard Dreyfus, Jay Leno and Ted Koppel, who will all be brought to life on Bay Street's stage through the comedic genius of Darrell Hammond at 9 p.m. If you like to celebrate your independence with a five-star bang, then get on London Jewelers' client list for a private July 4th party hosted by the Udell family, which kicks off with a sommelier experience by Robert Bohr of CRU restaurant, a dinner tasting with chef Tom Colicchio from Craft Restaurants and a big finale with a concert by Lionel Richie. Plus, be the first to preview The Hamptons Hublot Watch presented by Jean-Claude Biver.

Sunday, July 6. Get on Peggy Siegal's PR power list for a private invite to attend the premiere screening of the upcoming film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, from visionary writer/director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy), hosted by Caryn and Jeff Zucker, Felicia Rosenfeld and David Linde. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy. VIP Guests will discuss the sequel over supper at CittaNuova.

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."