Dan's Papers - July 13, 2007

It wasn't pure patriotism that attracted hundreds of Hamptonites to Diddy's July 3rd Holiday bash at The WhiteHouse in Hampton Bays, it was Diddiotism. Loyal Diddy fans shelled out forty bucks and dressed in white to pay homage to their favorite media mogul {no, it wasn't his annual "White" party}, then patiently lined up in droves and waited for hours and hours, just to catch a glimpse of Sir Diddy, who arrived at 2:45 a.m. When I asked Diddy why he was so unusually late he smirked and replied, "You can't come early to a Diddy party, baby." Combs literally just jetted in from London, where he had performed "I'll Be Missing You" at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium earlier in the week. Combs has an estimated net worth of over $346 million and has successfully dominated the charts, runways and the big screen, so when I asked the mogul what his next step is, he took a deep breath and sighed, "I wanna learn how to relax, take a vacation. I'm a workaholic -- I love what I do." Combs made sure to keep his promise and partied with the masses well into the wee morning hours. Diddy even shared his fan appreciation with me and said, "I'm blessed to be able to party with everybody out here in the Hamptons, those who supported me so much. I usually have private parties, but to open it up to the public and let them come hang out and kick it, it's a good feeling." His fans agreed -- Diddy was worth the wait.

Meanwhile, Stereo by the Shore, Dune, StarRoom and Pink Elephant had their celeb-hosted holiday events all week and several VIPs, from Beyonce and Jay-Z to Cameron Diaz, Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson were all spotted, some out late, makin' the clubs rounds and guest DJ-ing.

This past Saturday in Sagaponack, 350 guests, including Calvin Klein, Mary Boone, Rory and Elie Tahari, Amanda Hearst, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Phil and Shelley Aarons, Bruce Weber, Nan Bush, David Salle, Gillian Hearst-Shaw, Angela Susan Anton, R. Couri Hay, Jason Feinberg and Michael Musto, gathered at the former house of Truman Capote, now owned by artist Ross Bleckner, who graciously donated his home this year to host the annual ACRIA fundraiser, Cocktails at Sunset. The event was the highest-grossing event they have ever held for the charity, raising 150K -- that's 40K more than last year -- to benefit Aids research.

Saturday evening at the Stereo Estate, several VIPs, including Mandy Moore and DJ-AM, feasted on Red Bull and burgers before hitting SBTS. Across town, Akon landed in East Hampton to host one last holiday party at StarRoom and join the after-party for The 11th Annual Heart of the Hamptons Gala, which raised more than 500k to support the fight against heart disease. The masses went wild when Lil' Jon jumped into the crowd alongside Akon and guzzled down a bottle of Patron.

The events are really starting to heat up out East. This Saturday, rub elbows with everyone's favorite, talented, TV morning show hostess, Kelly Ripa and her handsome hubby, Mark Consuelos, who are both hosting the opening of an exhibition for famed artist Russell Young from 6 - 11 p.m. @ The Keszler Gallery in Southampton.

You still have a chance experience the one and only Prince live in concert, with a side bar performance with David Blaine, this Saturday evening, 7/14. Prince's performance is a part of The Hampton SOCIAL @ Ross concert series, with upcoming live performances by Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds, Billy Joel, James Taylor and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Tickets for Prince are still available, at 3k a pop, which includes an intimate performance, gourmet food and drinks, luxurious lounges and exclusive art exhibits. Log on to www.discoversocial.com for more details.

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.