The Hamptons were overwhelmed by charity events and kiss-kiss who cares benefits this weekend. All day Saturday I kept hearing about this or that insufferable event. In the humidity, there is little irony.
But then Bebe Buell and her band came to Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett and rocked the place with original songs from her album “Sugar” (www.bebebuell.org) and covers like Leon Russell’s “Superstar,” and “Baby Baby”–the latter set the place on its collective ear. Even the Lilly Pulitzer girls and the boys in Polo shirts and shirts danced up a frenzy. It was like the club scene in “Animal House.”
First, in the afternoon, Bebe and company (including husband Jim Wallerstein) made an appearance at the polo matches in Bridgehampton. That’s Mercedes Benz Polo at Blue Star Jets field, in case you didn’t know.
Dressed in leopard silk print, Bebe was not the usual Lilly Pulitzer type who replaces divots. Flashbulbs popped, and people in the know asked for actress daughter Liv Tyler. Bebe and band were a welcome relief.
Over at Stephen Talkhouse, no less than rock impresario Ron Delsener showed up for the surprise set following the subdued Subdudes, as well as Liz Derringer, and a host of Buell’s fans from her shows in New York at the Hiro Ballroom. The show was a hit, and the BB band may return to the Hamptons during the film festival in October…
And speaking of the Hamptons International Film Festival: on Saturday morning at the Maidstone Hotel, the ubiquitous Alec Baldwin participated in a Q&A about the current state of indie films, sponsored by Mont Blanc— the watches and the pens. (The watches are stunning.)
During a lovely breakfast, Alec was interviewed by the WSJ’s Christopher Farley and joined by HIFF’s Karen Arikian.
Alec said: “There are almost no great films made today.” I think we can all agree with that. He also said: “The movie business is in the potato chip business.” He praised former female studio execs like Sherry Lansing, Amy Pascal, and the late Dawn Steel. He got a nice watch from Mont Blanc as a parting gift. We got very crisp bacon, a Mont Blanc catalog, and a non Mont Blanc pen with the WSJ logo. The HIFF runs October 7th to the 11th…
