New York, July 28, 2009 – The Cinema Society held a star-studded screening of Adam, the little film that was a big Sundance hit.  Star Hugh Dancy has spoken earnestly about portraying this character with Asperger’s Syndrome, but noted that he also sees humor in the role.  “The nature of the condition is all about miscommunication and taking things literally,” he told us.  “While we tried to be careful about that and not make the character the butt of the joke, we also tried to make the most of that humor, and the lightness, and balance the more serious aspects.” 

Dancy is winning in the role, as is co-star Rose Byrne as his love interest.  Amy Irving, who plays Byrne’s mother, doesn’t remember much about the shoot.  “I was just home from a very blissful honeymoon, and I was extremely happy and I’m a little foggy about what I did when I was out there,” Irving said.  “I was about three feet off the ground during it.”  The man who shared that honeymoon, Ken Bowser, was by her side at the screening. 

Claire Danes, Duncan Shiek and Eva Amurri joined fashionistas Zac Posen, Yigal Azrouel, Charlotte Ronson and Rachel Roy for dinner later at the Gramercy Park Hotel. 

July 22-23, 2009 – Arista Records held back-to-back listening parties on both coasts to introduce Whitney Houston’s comeback album “I Look to You,” which drops on September 1. 

On July 22, Whitney and her mentor Clive Davis hosted Alicia Keys, Martha Stewart, Gayle King and music industry heavyweights L.A. Reid, Swizz Beatz and Benny Medina in the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center to hear the new album. 

The next night, Houston and Davis were at the Beverly Hilton where Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Halle Berry, Jane Fonda, Magic Johnson and Barbara Davis were among the stars checking out the record. 

These followed a listening party in London the previous week. 

Photos: courtesy Sony Music

New York, July 15-18, 2009 – It was more like “Mandela Week” as New York City celebrated Mandela Day with a slew of events from a reading in Washington Square Park to planting in Jackie Robinson Park to an interactive exhibition at Grand Central Station in celebration of South African leader Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday. 

While Mr. Mandela was not able to travel to the U.S., his wife, Graca Machel attended a dinner and auction on Wednesday hosted by former president Bill Clinton.  Clinton toasted his old friend Mandela, and urged the crowd to bid on the auction items with an anecdote:  “Even back when my wife was not Secretary of State, I bid on, paid for and won rum provided by Fidel Castro.  And I still have it; as far as I know, I violated some American trade law,” Clinton related, to much laughter. Among the guests at the star-studded dinner was Victoria’s secret model Karolina Kurkova, who made her first public appearance after announcing her pregnancy, and dutifully showed off her gleaming engagement ring and her fiancé, film producer Archie Drury.

The Mandela Day festivities culminated on Saturday night with a glittering concert at Radio City Music Hall featuring Stevie Wonder, Forest Whitaker, Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Will.I.Am, and Wyclef Jean.  Even with that lineup, all eyes were on French First Lady Carla Bruni, who sang two songs with rocker Dave Stewart.  In fact, odd but wonderful duets were a hallmark of the concert: Aretha Franklin sang with Josh Groban; Alicia Keys with Angelique Kidjo and rapper Lil’ Kim joined Cyndi Lauper in a strangely delightful rendition of Lauper’s classi Time After Time.

New York, July 15-16, 2009 – David Beckham made his annual summer New York area appearance with the L.A. Galaxy, and handily trounced the New York Red Bulls 3-1 in Thursday’s soccer match. 

As a quasi-ambassador for Major League Soccer, Becks also held press conferences before and after the match.  At one on Wednesday at the W Hotel in Hoboken, NJ, Beckham was visibly freezing from the air conditioning – something he should get used to if he wants to stay in America, which he says he decidedly does, despite having spent the last six months playing for Italy’s AC Milan club.  He said his family is happy in L.A., and he’d like to stay there.  “My family is happy. We don't like moving around, we don't like unsettling the kids and that for us is the most important thing,” Beckham said.

About the fact that many fewer fans came to Giants Stadium to see him play this year - just 23,000, about half the number that turned out last year, and a third of those in the stands in 2007 - Becks acknowledged that people might be losing interest in him, but he also noted the economy.  “We're in a recession. Maybe that's part of it."

New York, July 15, 2009 – Paul McCartney previewed his New York City concerts slated for this weekend with a free performance atop the marquee outside the David Letterman studios in midtown Manhattan.  Thousands of fans crowded the streets, and Sir Paul didn’t let them down, performing a 22-minute show that included Beatles classics like Get Back and Back in the U.S.S.R. 

McCartney was in high spirits, waving and shouting to passengers riding on a passing tour bus.  He quipped, “Hey, it’s Bruno!” when a taxicab passed bearing an for the Sacha Baron Cohen movie. 

Earlier in the afternoon, during a sound check before the show, he played Eleanor Rigby.  Curtains enclosed the marquee during that pre-show rehearsal, and we caught site of McCartney peeking out to check out the crowd. 

McCartney’s Letterman appearance was historic, falling 45 years after the Beatles first appeared on the same stage on the Ed Sullivan show, turning the band into a household name. 

New York, July 7, 2009 – We were surprised to see that Sacha Baron Cohen was, for once, not in character as Brüno when he appeared on the David Letterman show to promote the movie.  Cohen arrived at the taping dressed in a suit, and to the disappointment of fans waiting outside, dashed inside without fanfare. 

After the taping concluded, fans waited…and waited…and waited for Sacha Baron Cohen to come back outside.  What could be taking him so long, they wondered.

Finally, after quite a long time, the comedian emerged from the studio and it was clear what had taken so much time – he had changed into full Brüno regalia.  And then, Cohen proceeded to camp it up to the maximum, posing suggestively, signing autographs up and down the street, and basically putting on a show.  “I was laughing so hard, I nearly dropped my camera,” one photographer told us. 

With Joy E. Scheller

New York, June 29, 2009 – Mariah Carey apparently plays all the parts in a new music video she was filming at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan on Monday, including a male bellhop/doorman type character, and a male stalker who the Daily News assumes to be Eminem. 

But being dressed as men was not the only change we noticed in Mimi.  The notoriously demanding diva was in a great mood, laid back, hard working and self-effacing during the video shoot.   She took direction, laughed, got the scenes down fairly quickly, and apologized to the crew when she screwed something up. 

Mariah laughed at herself when she couldn’t figure out how to operate the iPhone her hoodie-clad male character had to use in one scene.  She kept turning it around every which way, attempting to snap a photo with it.  Obviously confused and embarrassed, Mariah kept her cool and laughed at her ineptitude and apologized for causing the delay.  (Funnily enough, the Apple store was directly across Fifth Avenue from where she was standing.)

Mariah seemed to really be into making the scenes come alive, and maintained her completely un-diva-like demeanor through multiple costume changes, with crowds of onlookers and paparazzi watching the entire time.

Mariah's professional behavior was in glaring contrast to Jennifer Aniston's hostility on her film set this week.