Dan's Papers - August 3, 2007 - Whispers With Gina Glickman

Thousands of VIPs, including Neil Hirsch, real estate mogul/chef Andrew Borrok, Madame Tongs and Prime 103 restaurant owner Jean-Luc Kleefield, Biba Boutique owner Barbara Blatt, Dr. Andrew Mark Klapper, Celebrity Trainer Radu, Nello Summertime's Nello Balan, and Core Development Group CEO Josh Guberman, jammed-packed themselves into opening day of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz Polo Challenge on the JetOne Jets Field. Actress Debra Messing hosted the festivities with her three-year-old son, Roman Walker Zelman, in tow. Messing was still glowing, even days after she received the news of her 10 Emmy nominations for her latest role in the hit TV series, "The Starter Wife." Messing revealed, "Oh gosh, it's overwhelming and so gratifying, I can't even put it into words. We went down to Australia for four months and it was a labor of love and we just prayed that people would watch it on USA and the fact that so many people found us and really just hooked right into it right away, and that the Academy acknowledged us the way that they did. It's just overwhelming!" As I was interviewing Debra, all I could see was a TV screen and Grace's face inside of it. Messing shared what life after "Will and Grace" is like. "She's always in me, she's always with me. I am still sisters and brothers with Megan and Eric and Sean -- we still are incredibly close. I'm just so proud of what we did and I don't think we could have done more, better. I felt it was time for us to finish. I think it was the right time to finish." When this new mommy isn't at work or bench-pressing her son, she cherishes her down time. "I really love my solitude and because there's so much activity and there's so much noise in life. I love to be there at my home with my husband and my son and my dog and to curl up on the couch." The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, surprised fans with a visit. She quietly relaxed in a VIP tent, exclaiming, "The weather couldn't be more gorgeous! The beautiful people are here! It's wonderful!" Aretha admitted she spent part of the day shopping at Saks in Southampton. "I bought a hat and I bought a couple pairs of shoes." Now we know the Queen of Soul is spiritual when it comes to her music, but Aretha proved she even takes a spiritual approach to shopping. She could care less about designer labels and when I asked Aretha what kind of hat she purchased, she replied, "I don't know, I just gravitated to it. The hat worked, with respect to what I'm wearing, so I was being very thoughtful." Ms. Franklin had no idea that she chose a white Pucci hat. Her choice was strictly function over fashion. Aretha isn't planning on performing out East this season, but she has a greatest hits album coming out, featuring special guest artists Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. Aretha also shared, "I have three originals that are on that album, myself and Fantasia, and myself and John Legend."

Meanwhile, Danny Masterson deejayed for the crowd while his girlfriend of three years, Bijou Phillips, was posing for pictures alongside other notable faces including B. Smith, Beth Ostrosky, James Lipton, Jeffrey Chodorow, Katie Lee Joel, Kim Raver, Leven Rambin, Michelle Rodriguez, Ralph Lauren, Reggie Jackson, Samantha Cole, Vito Schnabel, and Wilmer Valderrama. The famous face of Ralph Lauren's latest campaign is model/athlete, Nacho Figueras. Nacho didn't play in the opening match, but was on hand with his wife, Delfina Blaquier and their 8-year-old son, Hilario, to support his team, Ralph Lauren's Black Watch.

The Clintons are back! Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and President Clinton hit the campaign trail out East with several events all weekend! Jaci and Morris L. Reid will open their home to anyone willing to pay the minimum contribution of $250 to Hillary Clinton for President. Jaci Reid told me, "We made this event affordable so anyone can participate and support The Clintons! Now is your chance to be a part of the process and actually meet the Clintons face to face and ask questions!" Join hundreds in what is sure to be a historical event, this Friday, August 3, 2007. 8-10 p.m. at 68 Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. For more information or to RSVP, email or call (212) 213-3717.

This Saturday evening, The Hampton Social Concert Series at the Ross School continues and presents the one and only Billy Joel! BJ will be performing live! The piano man stopped by the venue last Saturday with his wife, Katie Lee Joel, to check out Dave Matthews' performance. The Joels were in great spirits and mingling with a talented crowd, including Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Edie Falco, Aida Turturro, Joan Allen and Chris Noth. Billy admitted he was a fan of Matthews and that his favorite song of Dave's was "Crash." Billy proudly shared, "My daughter graduated from Ross." His only daughter with supermodel/activist Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray, performed live at the Ross School last year to honor her mother at Ross' Starlight Ball. Alexa is quickly following in her dad's footsteps, performing live in venues worldwide. You may be able to score some last-minute tickets to Billy Joel's performance, which is sure to be one of the most incredible events to attend this summer, with a star-studded audience! Log onto for more information.

Attention all you watch fanatics. London Jewelers is hosting the 4th Annual Watch Fair this Friday, August 3, from 12-8 p.m. and Saturday, August 4, from 6-8 p.m. on Main Street in East Hampton.

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.