By Dan Rattiner

Dan’s Papers would like to welcome Robert S. Chaloner to the Hamptons, and congratulates him on his new role as President and Chief Executive Officer of Southampton Hospital.

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Pamela Fiori will host a celebration for the publication of Best Friends by Pricilla Rattazzi, a portfolio of fourteen photographs featuring celebrities and their dogs, as seen in the December issue of Town & Country. The event will take place on Wednesday, November 29th from six to eight p.m. at the Stanley Wise Gallery in New York City; a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Animal Rescue Fund in Wainscott.

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Southampton’s Stuart and Janice Becker were delighted at the success of last week’s 21st Career Transition for Dancers Jubilee, “One World, A Spectacular Global Celebration,” sponsored by Rolex, which raised over $1.2 million. Janice, who served as dinner chair alongside anniversary co-chairs Patricia Kennedy and Anka Palitz, helped pack City Center for performances by 20 dance companies and stars like James Earl Jones, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Jane Powell and Mercedes Ellington. A sneak preview of the new ballet Puerto Rico, commissioned by Patricia Kennedy and written by jazz genius Eric Lewis, was a highlight of the evening. Puerto Rico will premiere with the Joffrey Ballet this spring.

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Last week, William, Frederick and Lawrence Benenson celebrated the 100th Anniversary of their firm, Benenson Capital Partners LLC, and the legacy of the late Charles B. Benenson, with cocktail receptions and an exhibition of Benenson’s art collection, now on display at the Fletcher-Sinclair mansion. Senator Charles Schumer, former Mayor David Dinkins and Reynold Levy, President of Lincoln Center, Beth Rudin deWoody, Laurie Tisch, Billie Tisch, Carole Lieberman, Dottie Herman, Stuart and Vicki Match Suna, Scott and Robyn Perrin, Patricia Kennedy, Bill Rudin, Nicole Brewer, John Bolaris, Penny Lieberman, Alan Suna and David Arena were among the notables who attended.

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Southold’s Alan L. Bain, President of the American-Scottish Foundation, presented the foundation’s highest honor, the Wallace Award, to Euan Baird, former CEO of Schlumberger Ltd., at the foundation’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Mike Wallace of “60 Minutes” and his wife Mary, a distant relative to Scottish hero William “Braveheart” Wallace for whom the award is named, were among the guests, many of whom wore Highland attire.

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Dan’s Papers photographer Barry Gordin spotted Lee Radziwell congratulating the stars after the opening performance of Grey Gardens on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The play focuses on the childhood of Radziwell and her sister, Jaqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.

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Lawyer Benedict Morelli has purchased 1000 copies of the book The Boy of Steel and will distribute them to school children and charities. The book’s author, Ray Negron, will donate all profits from the sale of the book to cancer research and education.

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Sag Harbor’s Kelly Ripa was seen waiting in line at the book signing for Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook in New York City last week.

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The Lodge Bar and Grill opened this week on Race Lane in East Hampton in the former home of Leif Hope’s Restaurant and The Laundry. It will be managed by Michael Gluckman of Bamboo, and Colin Ambrose, owner of Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor and former owner of Estia’s in Amagansett, will be the Executive Chef.

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At the MTV European Music Awards last Thursday, P. Diddy announced that he will no longer wear jewelry in public. P. Diddy told reporters, “I’ve gone beyond bling. I’ve got nothing to prove with jewelery. I am at a level all on my own now.”

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East Hampton’s Ralph Lauren has just disclosed the location of the two newest additions to his empire of eponymous stores, both of which will be in Moscow, Russia.

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Paris Hilton plans to take her show “The Simple Life” to new heights by training to be the first celebrity in space over the course of the show’s fifth season.

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The other Hilton Hotel heiress, Nicky Hilton, will follow in her family’s footsteps this December when she opens the first hotel in a soon-to-be chain of Nicky O Hotels in Miami, Florida.

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Amagansett’s Alec Baldwin has received rave reviews for his latest film, The Departed, which remained the fifth-highest grossing film in the box office this past weekend, despite its having been released over three weeks ago.

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Calvin Klein has announced plans to open his seventh eponymous store as early as March of 2007. The Beijing location will be the designer’s first attempt at entering the Asian market.

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On Monday, Nickelodeon’s pre-school network, Noggin, launched its first on-line charity auction featuring lunchboxes designed by celebrities such as Sag Harbor resident Kelly Ripa, Ray Romano, Reba McIntyre, Patricia Heaton, John Lithgow, Isaiah Washington, Rosie O’Donnell and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. The proceeds of the auction will benefit First Book, an organization that provides books to underprivileged parents and children.

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This coming weekend, Michael Bolton and Phoebe Snow will be performing to benefit The Retreat of East Hampton and The Michael Bolton Charities. Nancy Grace of CNN and Court TV will act as master of ceremonies. The proceeds from the benefit will go towards the shelter and protection of victims of domestic abuse, and educational programs that promote awareness of this problem.

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Chris Boudouris has bought McNamara’s Liquors in the Bridgehampton Common. He’s expanded the racks and has put in a wine chiller. For 24 years he was the owner of a liquor store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he also had a tasting room.

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The Russian Tea Room has reopened. It has been closed since the late Warner LeRoy bought it in 1992 and after spending a staggering $32 million in a failed attempted to make it a sort of mate with his wildly successful Tavern on the Green, lived to see it closed down again. The reopening of the restaurant, unknown to the new owners, took place on November 3, which unknown to the owner was the first anniversary of the motorcycle death of Warner’s son Max in an accident in Hollywood. The LeRoys homestead in Amagansett on Town Line Road has been chopped up into six grand McMansions surrounding the family’s famous homestead.