South O' the Highway (and the North too)

Hamptons resident Donna Karan is expanding her business. As part of its 20th anniversary, DKNY is launching a maternity line for spring, called The Happy Birth-Day Collection. The 18 pieces will include pull-on skirts and karate pants, and stretch materials in black, white and gray. Priced from $75 for leggings to $525 for a long dress, the line will be available at DKNY boutiques, as well as Bloomingdale's, Bloomingdale's Direct, Macy's East and Macy's West.

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East Hampton resident Rory Tahari, the vice chairman and creative director of husband Elie Tahari's label, will be publishing her first book next fall. The project will be a "collection of approximately 75 checklists on topics including parenting, moving, traveling, financial planning, taking care of your home, preparing for a hospital stay, planning a funeral and more."

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Rumor has it that Lipstick Jungle has been cancelled, but star and Southampton resident Brooke Shields isn't throwing in the towel yet. Shields says execs have not been instructed to knock down the sets, and that NBC president, Jeff Zucker, is trying to figure how to please advertisers when the show's biggest audience fast-forwards through commercials while watching on DVR.

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Amagansett's Sarah Jessica Parker will be the voice for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new audio guide tour on "Costume: The Art of Dress." In the first audio guide by the Costume Institute, available at the museum from November 25, Parker will guide visitors through approximately 20 pieces of art from the permanent collection, including costumes depicted in paintings and sculptures. Parker taped the audio tour in a recording studio during the summer.

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Newsday compiled a list this week of some of the top spots to grab a cup of coffee on Long Island, and two Hamptons companies made the grade: Java Nation in Sag Harbor, and Hampton Coffee Company in Water Mill and Westhampton.

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Hamptonite Russell Simmons will be serving as an ambassador during Global Entrepreneurship Week, a first-ever worldwide series of events to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship and encourage young people to become more innovative and entrepreneurial. Simmons will host the Race to BE, a national competition that will engage innovators in three industries, in three cities: fashion in New York, music in Austin and film in Los Angeles. During the Week, five finalists from each category will compete in an on-site challenge with each winner receiving $5,000, a mentoring opportunity, a possible internship and post-event PR for their winning concept.

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Celebrating a successful year of extraordinary economic activity generated by the film production industry on the East End and recognizing the efforts of elected officials to make it happen, County Executive Steve Levy and the Suffolk County Film Commission, in cooperation with the East End Production Task Force, will welcome elected officials, Chambers of Commerce and business owners to a special "Thank You" networking cocktail reception on Thursday, December 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Southampton Inn. The event will feature several guest speakers, including Mitchell Kriegman, co-owner, East Hampton Studios, and Mike McGowan, president, Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. Representatives from HRH Resorts, the Enclave Inn, Nichol's Restaurant, Grant Wilfley Casting and Watermill Lumber will also share their positive experiences and present the benefits of local production in our communities. Interested attendees and those who would like to share their experiences should RSVP by November 26 to Janet Scheel at 631-853-4747 or janet.scheel@suffolkcountyny.gov.

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Three hundred people attended the victory party for President-Elect Barack Obama at the East Hampton home of Linda Shapiro and Mort Kassover on Saturday, November 8. The celebration was a culmination of almost a year's work on the Obama campaign.

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