South O’ the Highway (and the North too)

Southampton’s Ferregut Tower Gallery is pleased to display 87 pen and ink drawings created over the past 40 years by Dan Rattiner in the upcoming show, “Ode to the East End.” The show opened on February 8 and run until March 20. A reception for the artist is February 18 from 5-7 p.m. Call (631) 287-0798 or visit www.ferreguttowergallery.com for more information.

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Congratulations to Hamptonite Nicole Miller who is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her eponymous label this month.

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There has been some speculation among the Broadway set that Hamptonites Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Mel Brooks will be reuniting once again to let even more people experience The Producers on Broadway with the luminous cast.

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Tim Gunn, the illustrious new Chief Creative Director of Liz Claiborne, Inc. and ex-host of “Project Runway” and ex-Design Department Chairman at Parson’s School of Design, will be hosting the Have a Heart cocktail party and auction to benefit the Bailey House along with fellow Bravo Network star, designer and Sag Harbor resident Jonathan Adler. The event will take place on Thursday February 15 at the Puck Building in Manhattan.

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Southamptonite Lydia Hearst has paired up with Heatherette designers Richie Rich and Traver Raines to create a limited edition handbag. Only 100 of the handbags will be made. One of them appeared at the February 9 Designers for Darfur Charity Fashion Show, and is now up for auction on eBay. To bid on one of the looks from the fashion show, visit www.ebay.com/designersfordarfur.

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Southamptonite Tim Schifter, husband of former Vogue editor, Helen Lee, and Le Sport Sac head honcho responsible for Gwen Stefani’s LAMB line, just signed a deal with Hamptonite Jill Stuart to produce her first line of handbags and accessories.

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This month, Hamptonite Donna Karan is traveling to Israel to accept her new position as Honorary Fellow at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. When she returns to the United States, she will once again be hosting Super Saturday, her designer garage sale to benefit breast cancer.

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Hamptonite Howard Stern has been hinting that wedding bells could be ringing for America’s favorite shock-jock and his Hamptonite main squeeze, Beth Ostrosky, as early as this upcoming spring.

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Sag Harbor’s Julie Andrews and daughter Emma Walton Hamilton have had a very busy month. While fulfilling their roles as national ambassadors for Kids Night on Broadway and signing copies of their book, The Great American Musical, on Broadway last week, they produced a private concert reading of their original musical, Simeon’s Gift, at the Bay Street Theatre. The private reading featured music by Ian Fraser, lyrics by John Buccino, and music direction by David Krane, as well as the directing talents of Marcia Milgrom Dodge. The cast of readers included Max von Essen, Carolann Sanita, Josh Walden, Everett Bradley, and Christy Morton, with narration by Julie Andrews. The show is being developed for full production at the Bay Street Theatre next November, followed by a national tour in 2008.

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Southampton’s Laura L’Esperance was one of the chairs of The Winter Antiques Show’s annual Young Collector’s Night benefiting The East Side House Settlement, which was a big success. Afterwards, many headed over to Doubles to unwind at a dinner dance organized by Junior Committee members Allison and Jay Aston, Marisa Noel Brown, Miguel Duenas, Nicole Hanley, Donna Johnson, Samantha Leas Gauntt, Elizabeth Meigher, Nick Papanicolaou, Tatiana Papanicolaou, John Royall, Georgina Schaeffer, Ann and George Baker IV and Wendy Carduner. Guests included Hamptonites Tana and Bill Dye, Harrison LeFrak, Melissa Berkelhammer, Michael O’Neal, Lisa and Philip Gorrivan, Robert and Victoria Lindgren, Thorne Perkin, Daria de Kooning, Chantal McLaughlin, Edward Barsamian, Elizabeth Hartnet and Philip Thomas.

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Hamptons regular Anait Bian kick-started her Fashion Week festivities with a high-tea presentation at The Plaza Athenéée. Lydia Hearst sat front row beside Luigi Tadini, A Fashionable Life radio co-hosts Jayne Chase and Jen Goodkind, Alison Minton, Kathleen Giordano, Melissa Berkelhammer and Emma Snowden-Jones.

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While on break from her wildly successful morning news broadcast, Australian TV host Kerri-Anne has been skiing in Whistler, British Columbia with Hamptonite Kelsey Grammer, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Hamptonites Christie Brinkley and Alec Baldwin, who all turned out for last week’s Fairmont Hotel Ball.

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Next week, NBC’s Al Roker will be hosting East Hamptonite Lee Schrager’s celebrity BubbleQ, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Champagne barbecue, at the Delano Hotel on Collins Avenue. East Hamptonite Martha Stewart will also be on hand to receive her Lifetime Achievement Award and Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York City will be honored with a Tribute Dinner. Gabriella Hamilton of Prune, Andrew Carmellini of Avoce, Alfred Portale of Gotham/Bar &Grill, Tom Valente of Ouest, Tom Collichio of Craft, and Patrick Neely of Neely’s Barbecue, are all scheduled to attend. Other guests at the festival will include the Food Network’s Rachel Ray, Giada di Laurentis and Michael Chiarello, as well as Hamptonites Michael Braverman and Jeffrey and Linda Chodorow.

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BeKind founder and East Hampton resident Frances Hayward returned from New Orleans last week after she escorted her rescued shepherd Amigo, who reigned as Grand Marshall on his own float at the Mardi Gras’ Barkus Parade for animals, despite losing a leg to cancer last year.

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Ferregut Tower Gallery Director Yolanda Merchant will curate Christophe Von Hohenberg’s photographs at the Gershwin Hotel during Andy Warhol Week (Feb 19-23.) The images are from his book, The Day The Factory Died, published last fall by Empire Editions. On February 20, Chris will be on hand to sign copies of his book.

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Southampton’s Dana Hammond Stubgen is joining Joanne de Guardiola, Somers Farkas, Sharon Bush, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Cynthia Lufkin and Karin Luter to chair The Strang Cancer Prevention Center’s Garden of Hope Gala on Monday, March 12th at New York’s Metropolitan Club. Dana’s pal Dr. Michael P. Osborne, President of Strang, is the honoree. Iris Cantor is the Honorary Chair and Nelson Peltz is the Corporate Chair. There should be a strong young contingent at the event, with Junior Chairs Lauren and Ashley Bush and Miles and Oliver Hammond. Also on the committee are Matilda and Mario Cuomo, Janna Bullock, Frances Hayward, Audrey Gruss, Tony Ingrao, Jamee Gregory, Randy Kemper, Andrea Stark, Michèle Gerber Klein, Patty Raynes, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Michelle Marie, Joel Allen, Elaine Sargent and Gerald Tsai, Jr. For tickets, call Susan Bell Special Events at (212) 874-5457.

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Bay Street Theatre’s 2007 winter benefit, Crazy Rhythm: A Night In Manhattan, will be held at The Rainbow Room in Manhattan on Monday, February 26. The evening’s entertainement, directed by Bay Street Theatre’s co-artistic director Murphy Davis and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, will include singer Mary Cleere Haran and dancers Josh Walden and Lea Kohl, as well as a surprise celebrity guest. . For further information or to purchase tickets, please call Julie Fitzgerald, Bay Street Theatre’s Director of Development, at (631) 725-0818