South O' the Highway (and the North too)

Pop icon Elton John is planning a memorial concert for Linda Stein, the slain real estate agent to the stars and former manager of the Ramones. Stein was a friend and a supporter of Elton John's AIDS foundation. The proceeds of the concert are going to breast cancer research.

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Owner of Amagansett's Cyril's Fish House, Cyril Fitzsimmions, is one of 50 marines profiled in a new book by a former New York Post Page Six editor, James Brady of East Hampton, titled Why Marines Fight. The former marine's fish and booze beach house is frequented by the likes of Billy Joel, Christie Brinkley, David Letterman, Paul Simon, Keith Hernandez, Pat La Fontaine and Ken Moran.

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West Coast women may soon be heading east: Teenage singing sensation turned tabloid phenomenon, Britney Spears, was spotted shopping for a West Village condo, hoping to start over in New York, while Jessica Simpson, who earns a similar epithet, is apparently interested in a $4 million Chelsea loft.

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Broadway is dark tonight! Because thousands of Broadway stagehands walked off the job on Saturday, leaving 26 theaters with the show unable to go on. Following the lead of the Writer's Guild of America, Stagehand union Local 1 decided to go on strike after three months of tense negotiations with producers and theater owners over wages and hiring practices.

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East Hampton's high-priced real estate transaction, the sale of the De Menil estate for a record-setting $105 million, may be beat by real estate tycoon Leonard Blavatnik. Billionaire Blavatnik has signed a letter of intent to buy a triplex at Manhattan's Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side for a record-breaking $150 million. The apartment has almost three-quarters of an acre of indoor space with 23 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms, as well as a 2,300 square-foot roof terrace.

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Along the same lines as Blavatnik's real estate deal, recent findings have the rich getting richer: despite the nationwide real-estate slump, the average price of homes in New York City has gone up 20 percent since 2006. In Manhattan, the average condo sold for $1.455 million this past year, up 25 percent from a year ago. Brooklyn and Queens have seen soaring sales as well.

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WordHampton took home two prizes at this year's MarCow Creative Awards competition, an annual event that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals. The Public Relations firm was awarded MarCom's Platinum Award for its work on Long Island Restaurant Week, as well as MarCom's Gold Award for its work on Napco, an alarm and electronics company that WordHampton represents. Established in 1992, WordHampton is a leading public relations agency with offices in East Hampton and Riverhead.

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Westhampton Beach restaurant Finn McCool's gets some time in the TV spotlight on Wednesday when celebrity chef Gordan Ramsay visits it on his reality show "Kitchen Nightmares." McCool restaurateur Andrew Mazzio, a retired Southampton police officer, learns some strongly-worded lessons from the fiery chef.

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The 1st Annual Nick Monte Lifetime Community Leadership Award for Gurney's Inn will be presented to Dan Rattiner of Dan's Papers on Sunday, November 18 at 1 p.m. for his community leadership throughout the Hamptons. For more information call Ingrid Lemme at (631) 668-1737.

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The Hamptons and the tabloids heated up last week with wind that Paul McCartney, beloved Beatle, was canoodling on the beaches and restaurants of the East End with Nancy Shevell, a politically connected millionheiress. The two were spotted at Nichol's, a popular lunch spot and pub in East Hampton as well as White's Pharmacy on Main Street, Sho Win and the East Hampton movie theater. The poised and pretty Shevell, a meat-eating Republican, is a big departure from Heather Mills, the activist that Paul previously heated up the Hamptons with.

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Never a couple to miss out on philanthropic fun, Hamptonites Kelly Ripa and Mark Conseulos hit the New York Comedy Festival benefit last weekend for the Scleroderma Research Foundation at Caroline's on Broadway. The two were among many who helped make the event a success.

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