South O' the Highway (and the North too)

Beth Ostrosky, who is serving as a chairperson for the GET WILD benefit on July 19, and her fiancé, Howard Stern, have asked those invited to their wedding to please give gifts in the form of donations to the Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons. The organization is the beneficiary of the GET WILD event honoring Ellen & Chuck Scarborough and Marcy & Michael Warren at the home of Liz Brown & Leslie Alexander. Info & tickets: Linda B. Shapiro, 631-329-5480

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B. Smith's of Sag Harbor has been the center of much national media attention lately. Over the July Fourth weekend, Sam Champion and "Good Morning America" taped a segment on entertaining with food at the waterfront eatery. This week, Fox Business News broadcasted their Business Report live from the restaurant. And owner B. Smith and her husband, Dan Gasby, were recently interviewed by Steve Gaines on the Hampton Channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.

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Stony Brook Southampton's Avram Theater is open for business after a $1 million renovation. The new and improved space kicked things off with an art opening by James McMullan, a Sag Harbor artist who has created more than 40 posters for Lincoln Center Theater, including the one-sheets commemorating Carousel, Arcadia, Six Degrees of Separation and the hit revival of South Pacific.

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Not only is Michael Paraskevas celebrating 20 years at Dan's Papers, he's also this year's Hampton Classic poster artist, an honor he's had three times before. Hampton Road Gallery in Southampton will host an exhibition of Paraskevas' work from August 1-14, with a special reception for the artist and the unveiling of the 2008 Hampton Classic poster on August 2.

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Nello Balan, owner of the popular Southampton nightspot, Nello Summertime, lost as much as $10,000 in business last weekend when a fog machine set off a fire alarm, and the fire department evacuated the building. The restaurant was not cited, but was warned to evacuate when the alarm goes off, and to not to use the smoke machine.

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Singer/songwriter/musician Jim Turner will perform at OSO at the Southampton Inn this Friday, July 18, from 8-11 p.m. Critics dub Jim an "eclectic original who is likely to perform anything from Jimi Hendrix to Noel Coward. His repertoire of rock 'n roll blues, folk, jazz, reggae, country, gospel, world, avant-garde and Celtic music includes over 1,500 songs." There is no cover charge for this event. OSO is located at the Southampton Inn, 91 Hill Street, Southampton. Call 631-283-1166 for reservations.

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Congratulations go to Fighting Chance, the first free-of-charge cancer counseling and resource center of its kind serving the East End, for being the recipient of a $50,000 grant from Swim Across America Nassau/Suffolk, the Long Island arm of the national organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. For more information about Fighting Chance, call 631-725-4646, or visit fightingchance.org.

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Last weekend, Nick & Toni's celebrated 20 years of making hungry Hamptonites very, very happy, and hosted the 4th Annual Great Chefs Dinner. Co-hosted by Nick & Toni's Toni Ross and Drew Nieporent, the event raised money for Jeff's Kitchen and the Hayground School, which was co-founded by the late Jeff (Nick) Salaway, Ross and others. Guests included culinary greats Tom Colicchio, Eric Ripert, Claudia Fleming, Alfred Portale, Jonathan Waxman and Marc Meyer, as well as Gwyneth Paltrow, Barry Sonnenfeld, Alec Baldwin, Isaac Mizrahi and Aida Turturro.

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Lauren Conrad, MTV's "it" girl and star of "The Hills," made an appearance at Lily Pond nightclub in East Hampton last weekend, where she served as hostess for a Svedka Vodka event.

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Local vocalists will once again have the opportunity to shine at the 33rd annual Hampton Classic Horse Show on Local Day, August 24, by participating in the 2nd Annual National Anthem Singing Contest sponsored by 88.3 WLIU-FM Radio. The winner of will perform the national anthem live in the Grand Prix ring prior to the $20,000 Nicolock Time Challenge, the first major open jumper class of the week. The winner will also be interviewed live on WLIU, and receive a gift certificate to the Hampton Classic souvenir booth, as well as other prizes. For more information, call 631-537-3177, or visit www.hamptonclassic.com.

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A slew of celebrities have been enjoying fine dining in the Hamptons lately. Gwneyth Paltrow and Chris Martin were spotted with their children at Cherrystones Clam and Lobster Shack in East Hampton last Thursday, and again the next day at La Fondita in Amagansett. Tutto Italiano in East Hampton recently served up Steven Spielberg, Joy Behar and Sam Champion. And Mary-Kate Olsen visited with friends at the Clam Bar on the Napeague stretch.

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