Dan's Papers - July 11, 2008

From an American Idol to an American Icon, this past Saturday was the perfect time to be out East. London Jewelers, the Udell Family and Hublot Watches joined together to celebrate their partnership and host hundreds of VIP guests including Top Chef's Tom Colicchio, Charlie Walk, Mark Birnbaum, Eugene Remm, Bethenny Frankel, Michael Hertenstein, Samantha Daniels, Bill Collage and Darius Bikoff, who were all greeted by Mark, Candy, Randi and Scott Udell, Hublot president Michael Margolis, Nicholas Courcoux, and PR power mom Lizzie Grubman and her crew, at a private estate in Water Mill. Guests enjoyed the unveiling of an exclusive Hublot watch collection of 60 timepieces and an intimate performance by the one and only, Lionel Richie.

Guests were seated at long communal tables and feasting on five-star fare when, suddenly, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest popped up onstage and formally introduced Richie to the crowd. "I didn't think I'd be working tonight," he joked. "Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Lionel Richie!" Richie took over the room and kicked the energy level into high gear, successfully delivering hit after hit, including "Penny Lover" "Truly" and "Dancing on the Ceiling."

VIPs sang along as they stood up and danced alongside Seacrest, who also mingled with friends and posed for pictures. The beloved TV personality was thrilled to be out East and shared, "I'm here by happenstance. I just happened to luck ou,t and Lionel was in our backyard. I should come more often. It's been great. Lionel is one of the greatest artists of all time. He's been on "Idol" before and as you can see, he's a crowd pleaser." Speaking of "Idol," Seacrest revealed that he plans to stick around the hit show, and is gearing up for another season. "I'm in! As long as they keep picking up my deal! We are going out and auditioning in three weeks, and doing it all over again."

Post-performance Richie took the time to sign a few autographs and pose for pictures with fans. Lionel graciously shared with me what it was like to perform out East. "The crowd was wonderful. It's a holiday, so when you catch them in that kind of mood, it's the best."

Richie was in great spirits. I asked him how he felt about having a daughter in the public eye (Nicole), who is now as famous as he is. Richie laughed and slowly replied, "How about that? And little Harlow has only been here five months, and she's famous! What the heck is going on?" Richie's eyes lit up as he started talking about his first grandchild, Harlow Richie Madden. "I'm so proud and so happy! I'm a G-Pa!" he shouted. Lionel even shared the advice he gave Nicole: "I told Nicole, slowly. Keep it the first for a minute, get warmed up, and then keep it going." Yet the famous G-Pa admitted he doesn't want Nicole to stop with just one grandchild. "Oh yeah, I want a multitude. But I want Nicole to enjoy life for a minute." In the meantime, baby Harlow can join her G-Pa on the road in 2009, when Richie goes on a worldwide tour to promote and perform his highly anticipated upcoming album.

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 for more celebrity action with Gina, on her "Main Street" series. www.ginaglickman.com