South O' the Highway (and the North too)

Sag Harbor's Rudy Giuliani held a luncheon for his favorite tobacconist, Nat Sherman, last week. At the private party, Giuliani and guests could puff on their Nat Sherman cigars legally and celebrate the opening of the new Nat Sherman emporium on 42nd Street. Already open for business, the store held its grand opening celebration December 12 for celebrity customers like Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Bill Cosby, Jimmy Smits, Robert Downey, Jr., Joe Torre and Gov. Bill Richardson.

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Better buy an ab crunch, because OmniHealth and Racquet Club on Country Road 39 in Southampton will be taking a hiatus. The gym is set to close on December 31, but will likely re-open in spring or early summer after renovations and possibly with a new name. The gym is being sold to the Hamptons Gym Corporation, owned by Bruce Cotter and Alexis Stewart, daughter of Martha Stewart, which also owns the East Hampton Gym and Sag Harbor Gym.

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East Hampton music mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has found love again: with sassy pop singer Cassie. Combs has reportedly cut off the various "girls, girls, girls" he has around the world to focus on the "Me and You" singer alone. The two are holed up together in Combs' Miami home.

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The Bush Girls may have a red state-favored father, but that hasn't stopped them from enjoying New York. First Daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush were first seen at Huckleberry Bar in the uber-liberal 'hood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn last week, one of many sightings of the girls around town.

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It's been quite a month for our founder and Editor in Chief Dan Rattiner. Two weeks ago he had a two-word speaking part in a made-for-TV movie called Cyclops produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. Last Friday he was honored at Gurney's Inn in Montauk with the annual Nick Monte Lifetime Achievement Award. This Friday, his one-act play entitled Peterson's War, will be performed at 6 p.m. at Five Towns College in Dix Hills. And playwright Edward Albee of Montauk has submitted the introduction for his upcoming book In The Hamptons, to be published by Harmony Books in the spring.

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Mayor Bloomberg held a private lunch in City Hall last week to thank a bevy of important people for raising $800,000 via the annual Fete de Swifty event, the proceeds of which go to the mayor's fund to fight domestic violence. After the luncheon, there was more buzz that the Hamptons man may announce his candidacy for the Presidential election by spring.

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At its most recent meeting on December 3, the Suffolk County Legislature approved a nomination put forth by Legislator Jay Schneiderman of Montauk to appoint an East Hampton Town resident, Eva Growney, to the County's Council on Environmental Quality. Growney has been an active participant in Suffolk County projects as Director of the Peconic Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

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Academy Award winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg is reportedly looking to add some extra room to his East Hampton estate. Spielberg is in negotiations to purchase two properties in proximity to his Georgica Pond spread, adding six more acres to his compound. One of the properties Spielberg is eyeing is the home of the late Connecticut publisher Lionel Jackson, which includes a pond-fronting six-bedroom shingled house on Apaquogue Road on 3 acres with an asking price of $19.95 million.

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Senior Vice President of Gurney's Inn Angelo "piano man" Monte will be celebrating his 88th birthday on December 15.

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Something may soon be a twitter in East End real estate. Dede Gotthelf, owner of the Southampton Inn, has been seen in Manhattan lunching at Four Seasons and dining at Cipriani with Dolly Lenz and Dottie Herman of Prudential Douglas Elliman. Over the past 25 years, Gotthelf has amassed a Hamptons real estate portfolio estimated at over $100 million.

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Twelve beautiful women representing seven Latin countries graced the stage of the Miss Latina Hamptons 2007 competition at East Hampton Studios last Saturday night. The winner's prize, which went to Ms. Hannely Cruceta of Springs, was hefty - a website from LI Compu Service, a photo shoot and portfolio from Cyber Media, one-year membership to Radu Physical Culture, one year of service at Ricardo Rojas Beauty Salon, one year of dental service from Dr. Sheran of Hampton Bays Dental Association, a full scholarship to PMTS International modeling school, six hours of car service from East End Limousine, a cell phone from Montoya Communications, a trip for two to Las Vegas, Nevada, an exclusive modeling contract for Lu Berry Swimwear and jewelry from Yolanda Beauty Salon.

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