As the old saying goes...timing is everything. And no one seems to know that better than one of our favorite Hampton social staples, Don Peebles.

While the rest of the country is busy being bailed out and foreclosed, Don Peebles seems to be sitting pretty on a $4 billion development project portfolio that's full of luxury hotels, residential high-rises and a slew of commercial developments. With projects changing the landscape from New York to San Francisco, Don Peebles knows a thing or two about building wealth. And, thankfully, he's all too willing to share some of the strategies and secrets that made him a multi-millionaire by the age of 27 and the CEO of one of the nation's most successful real estate investment firms.
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Merry Christmas New York!

From lizasatthepalace.com:

Liza Minnelli will bring her unmatchable magic to Broadway, when she stars in her new show “Liza’s At The Palace…!” opening Wednesday, December 3rd (6:30PM) at the Palace Theatre (Broadway & 47th Street) for a limited engagement through December 14th. Produced by John Scher/Metropolitan Talent Presents & Jubilee Time Productions and directed and choreographed by Ron Lewis, the evening will feature an incomparable Minnelli songfest including many of her personal favorites and signature hits, followed by a dance-filled tribute to the groundbreaking late-1940s nightclub act of Minnelli's godmother, Kay Thompson. Gary Labriola will serve as Executive Producer.
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Priceless!

Alec Baldwin penned his latest column for The Huffington Post in defense of Sarah Palin's appearance on SNL. And we have to agree - what did you expect? It's comedy people!

Vanity Fair brings us Svetlana Egorova and The Rise and Fall of a Russian Hedge-Fund Trophy Wife. It is genius, no?

Gawker.com proves what we've always known. Conservative's have a hungry lust for big hair and desperate strippers.

According to Page Six, Elizabeth Taylor might need a designated wheelchair driver next time she's rolls into the Abbey in Hollywood.

Kevin Smith admits there's just no room for Ben Affleck in this Porno!

85-year-old Sumner Redstone is about to put the fortune in Fortunato. Yesterday Redstone filed for divorce from his wife of 5 years, 46-year-old Paula Fortunato, citing that ol' standby - irreconcilable differences. Redstone, who is said to be worth about $9 billion, give or take a take a bill or two, was quick reach a monetary settlement. Pre-nup or no pre-nup, Paula should fair quite well.

All this week we will be highlighting the events and films from this year's Hamptons International Film Festival. It was another great year for the festival, full of brilliant films, A-List celebs and an atmosphere only the East End could deliver!



One of the films we were most excited to see premiered at this year's Hamptons International Film Festival is Patrick Read Johnson's, '77. Despite its world premiere at HIFF, '77 is still in post-production, so we will forego our review until the movie's final release, but suffice it say there's a good reason we made it our first choice of films from the festival to highlight. And we're certainly not alone in our praises of the Screenwriter/Director. Patrick Read Johnson was the winner of HIFF's 2008 Heineken Red Star Award, an award created to provide increased exposure and visibility to independent film by recognizing and rewarding filmmakers and their work. The Hamptons International Film Festival, on behalf of Heineken, presented this 2nd annual award to Patrick Read Johnson for his self-inspired, nostalgic feel-good flick.

'77

(USA, 2008, 106 mins)
Golden Starfish Award Narrative Competition
World Premiere


Director: Patrick Read Johnson

Screenwriter: Patrick Read Johnson
Producers: Leigh Jones, Gary Kurtz, Fred Roos
Editors: Katherine Thomas, Alain Blair, Patrick Read Johnson
Cinematographer: David Blood, Kenneth J. Seng
Music Composers: Alan Parsons, David Russo

Cast:
John Fracis Daley, Colleen Camp, Austin Pendleton, Neil Flynn, Steve Coulter

Synopsis:
Part autobiography, part fever-dream, ’77 is the inspired true story of a young man’s cinematic awakening. Patrick Read Johnson (John Frances Daley, TV’s “Freaks and Geeks”) has been a committed film geek since experiencing Kubrick’s 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY as a child, and has passed the time in his small hometown of Wadsworth, Illinois piecing together cheaply made sequels to the sci-fi classics that move him. A visit to Hollywood and a meeting with American Cinematographer editor Herb Lightman (Austin Pendleton), and Pat finds himself talking special effects with a certain Steven named Spielberg, and watching an advance screening of a little film called STAR WARS. Filled with stylistic and visual nods to the films that inspired him, ’77 is Johnson’s nostalgic love letter to the era that birthed the blockbuster, as well as a heartfelt ode to small town ennui. Truly a cinephile’s delight.




Related Articles:
Festival Countdown: Film Spotlight #2
Festival Countdown: Film Spotlight #1
Hamptons Film Fest. Announces Lineup

OK, so by now we all know that the New York Post broke the news this morning about the existence of a sex tape showing Peter Cook and Diana Bianchi getting their inappropriate lust on.

Now, in plenty of time for the 5 o'clock news, statements from all of the parties’ lawyers are pouring in.

Let's start with Diana Bianchi's attorney, Rosemarie Arnold, who gave Entertainment Tonight her exclusive statement: "Diana was in a relationship with Peter Cook. It does not surprise her that there are photos of her in his possession. However, she was unaware that he was videotaping their sexual encounters. In my opinion, Peter Cook is a wolf. He went on Barbara Walters in a tie and claimed he was a lamb. But you can put a tie on a wolf, he’s still a wolf. We are weighing our legal options concerning this matter."

And we can't forget Cook's attorney, Norman Sheresky, who saved his comments for The Insider: "I have never seen such a video but if there ever was one and if it exists, it would sure dispel any idea that sexual relations between Peter and Ms Bianchi was anything but consensual."

The quotes wouldn't be complete without a word from Robert Cohen, Christie Brinkley's legal eagle, who gave his statement to the very paper who reported having seen stills from the alleged sex tape: "Nothing about Peter Cook's behavior shocks us. We don't know anything about this tape. We never saw it and we never heard about it. Christie's concern is for the sake of her children and she hopes this video is kept private."

And there you go. Our first sex tape update.
Something tells us it won't be the last!

Related Articles:
Christie Brinkley Comments on Cook's 20/20 Interview
Update: Judge Denies Brinkley's Request
Christie Brinkley Files Restraining Order Against Peter Cook
V Is For Victory!
Game Called In The 6th Inning!
Day Six: Is The End In Sight?
Brinkley Unleashes The Duo Dux
Holy Breaking Brinkley News Bat Man!
Day Four: Psych Says Cook Also Likes His Ego Stroked
Day Three: Brinkley Closer To Her Own "Independence Day"
Day Two: The Saga Continues
Cook: The Three Thousand Dollar Perv

See All For: Christie Brinkley

Yesterday we hit the streets to cover the demonstrations and protests outside of Hofstra University, where the final Presidential Debate was being held.
As we walked along Hempstead Turnpike, encountering everything from Pro-Lifers with graphic messages to "Rednecks For Obama," one thing was clear - everyone had a passionate message. Some chose to shout their views to passers by, some dressed from head to toe in American flags, and some even hung handcuffs from their wrists to demonstrate the unfair treatment of illegal immigrants. But of all of protesters we met, one man truly struck a chord with us.

Johnny Phillips, a musician from Babylon, spent hours outside of Hofstra University - singing and strumming his way through the political protests. Opting for a guitar instead of a banner or bullhorn, Johnny, a former manufacturer of ammunitions during the Vietnam War, serenaded the hundreds of protesters and spectators gathered at Hofstra with his message of peace. "This time I couldn’t let it go by without being out here protesting and setting an example for my children and my grandchildren," Johnny told us of his reasons for his peaceful protest against the war in Iraq.

We want to thank Johnny for allowing us to bring his message to our readers. We hope that Johnny's presence at Hofstra yesterday will remind us all, no matter which side of political scale your beliefs may fall, that we do have a voice. And the first step in making change happen, is getting your voice heard.

Hats off to all of the protesters, Republicans and Democrats alike, for stepping up and being heard.

Hey everyone!

First let me apologize for the infrequency of posts this week. We've been covering so much of the debate and the protests - along with the start of the Hamptons Film Festival and the Brinkley/Cook saga that refuses to die...it's been a busy week. So busy that we've been stretched a bit thin and it's been hard to find the time in between editing and uploading to all of the news outlets we supply content for, that we haven't been able to update our own news.

And just when we thought we'd have a morning free to play catch-up, we got the call about a possible pipe bomb at MacArthur Airport and breaking news on a Peter Cook sex tape! Does it ever end?

Considering that we have to be back in Sag Harbor by 3pm for the Hamptons International Film Festivals "A Conversation With...Jacqueline Bisset" on top of everything else, today isn't looking good for updates. BUT - we promise we'll be back with a vengeance tonight, after all of the HIFF events, with a boat load of updates and a little inside scoop!

In the meantime, we'd like to officially announce that BlogHamptons.com is actively seeking interns. Writers and photographers interested in covering events ranging from movie premiers to hot Hamptons parties should drop us an email that includes current samples of you work. For photographers, we prefer to view an online portfolio, but if you must send photo samples through email, please limit the file size of each image to 1.5 MB. At this time, we are looking for writers and photographers to cover events in NYC and on the East End. All candidates must have the ability to upload remotely and photographers must have their own equipment, including a Digital SLR (minimum 8 MP), and external flash.

If you're interested in covering some of the hottest events in town for Blog Hamptons, please email lisawagner@bloghamptons.com.

All submissions will be kept confidential.