Photo: Charbonneau

More Images In The Scrapbook For BetteHeads: Click Here

More Pics: Click Here

And More Pics: Click Here

Vanity Fair’s annual soiree at Mortons wouldn’t be complete without a little unusual fun. The tent like building set up by the party organizers was so full around 12:30 a.m. that I actually feared for my life. Just about everyone from the show was there, with some added extras coming and going: Madonna and Guy Ritchie were spotted, as were Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise (“they stayed a minute,” someone said).

But it was more like 1:30 when Peter O’Toole, age 74, and his daughter got up and started disco dancing to the deejay. I believe the song was Madonna’s “Holiday.” O’Toole looks a little fragile himself, but he still cuts a mean rug. Paparazzi hustled over to shoot this moment, and I can only hope O’Toole — who was athletically twirling his partner — is all right today!

The Vanity Fair party quickly divided like a high school cafeteria into cliques. The main one — the cool one — was commandeered by Oprah Winfrey. She had BFF Gayle King, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Mary J. Blige, Suzanne De Passé, and Kanye West in her inner circle, with appearances by Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Forest Whitaker and his knockout wife Keisha (best gown of the evening, selected by star stylist Philip Bloch), as well as Chris Tucker and his brother Darryl, not to mention two young beauties: Sanaa Lathan and Gabrielle Union.

Adjacent to Chez Oprah: the Al Gore contingent, where the former vice president took pictures with Jon Bon Jovi and Leonardo DiCaprio, and basically bathed in the limelight of winning an award no one will take away from him today! Immediately behind him: a whole conversation pit with Larry David, his wife Laurie (who co-produced the Gore doc), the “Inconvenient Truth” director Davis Guggenheim and wife Elisabeth Shue, as well as producers Lawrence Bender and Scott Burns, who had the heavy task of escorting one of my favorite actresses, Radha Mitchell.

And then, for a while, there was just what seemed like chaos: Queen Latifah chatting with Macy Gray, and coordinating with Spike Lee to go see Prince’s show down at Teddy’s at the Roosevelt Hotel. (My friend Norah Lawlor quipped: “Is Prince is in the business of giving after parties now?” Answer: yes.) Rachel Griffiths and husband Andrew came by to say hello, while Troy Garity and fiancée Simone Bent talked about their upcoming September wedding.

Newly minted pop star James Blunt wandered by, having just performed across the street with Elton John at his annual AIDS fundraising bash. They did “Tiny Dancer.” How did it go, we wondered?

“I pulled it off!” he crowed.

Naomi Campbell strutted past. She wore a metal dress, designed by Azzedine Alaia, that was composed of gold ball bearings. It swayed and clanked. Someone said she came with Sean Penn. “Look at that!” a well known actress exclaimed. “She’s the only person in the world who can wear that dress!”

Just beyond, I ran into Kid Rock, who was hitting on a gorgeous maybe-Latina brunette. We talked about his loyalty to late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, to whose funeral in Turkey he flew. Listening to the story of Rock’s goodness, the brunette got a little closer.

“You don’t have to help me!” Rock said, with a sly smile. “I’m doing OK.” Will he be at Ertegun’s April 17th memorial in New York? “I AM the memorial!” he said. Rock — whose actual name is Bob Richie — for all of his celebrity persona, is aces.

More pop stars: the infinitesimally wonderful Aimee Mann and husband Michael Penn, perched on a settee in the middle of a crowd. I nearly stepped on them. “I’m on crutches,” Aimee said. “Foot surgery.” Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman surveyed the room, too. Suzanne Somers made her annual visit. The Band’s Robbie Robertson, record producer Richard Perry, James Taylor, Liv Tyler with husband Royston Langdon hung out with Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines worked the room with “Heroes” husband Adrian Pasdar, Bette Midler was spotted and several people swore they saw Prince in person, just fleetingly.

Mortons and Oscar: End of an Era?

You understand, dear readers, none of this is real. It’s just the Vanity Fair fantasy, and it may have been more than ever because this, sources say, was the last round up at Mortons after 13 years. The restaurant made famous for its Monday nights of stars and Hollywood execs is being evicted by its greedy landlord at the end of the year.

“He wants to put in retail shops,” a source told me. “He asked for triple the rent.” Apparently Peter Morton offered to buy the building outright, but his attempt was declined. Will Mortons relocate? It’s too early to say. But everyone in town is bidding for the party, including the Bev Hills Hotel, the Four Seasons and undoubtedly Wolfgang Puck.

So just to tell you a few more names of those who may be among the Departed (get it!): Martin Scorsese did his victory lap at Mortons last night, and there were appearances by Harvey Weinstein, Peter Saarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal, the aforementioned Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, Djimon Hounsou, Martin Landau, Gael Garcia Bernal, Guillermo del Toro, Adriana Barraza, Joy Bryant, Penelope Cruz, Kirsten Dunst, Jerry Seinfeld, Joey Pantaliano, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Craig, the immortal Fred Willard, Sidney Pollack, Sharon Stone, Brett Ratner, Victoria Posh Spice Beckham (she will not go away, sorry), Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Sean Combs, Ed Zwick, Vince Vaughn, Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet, Catherine O’Hara, Chloe Sevigny, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon — separately — Jesse Bradford, Amy Adams, Jessica Biel, James Franco, Faye Dunaway, Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer, Wyclef Jean, will.i.am, Eve, Melissa Etheridge, Michael C. Hall, and – in an unlikely cameo —Leonard Cohen.

The parting shot: “Departed” screenplay winner William Monahan, standing by himself for a minute, holding his Oscar at one of the cocktail tables. Was he happy? You betcha. Was he overwhelmed? I guarantee it.

Nicke Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily February 24, 2006

Ostensibly, it’s in honor of Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. But if you ask me, Barry Diller’s annual Oscars picnic today, complete with four buffet stations, is the ultimate mogul meet’n'greet.

Sure, on Friday night, Bryan Lourd’s party got the stars (but would it kill him to actually serve dinner?) and Ed Limato’s got talent and execs. And tonight Jeffrey Katzenberg’s got money ($50,000 a ticket to benefit the Motion Picture Home), which is why Clint Eastwood, Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Rick Fox, Serena Williams and Alan Horn put in an appearance at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool where the cabanas were taken over by McDonald’s, L’Oreal, Lexus, and Target. But Diller’s luncheon sur l’herbe (VIPs sitting at picnic tables with a careless let-them-eat-cake air) was filled with cashmere polo-shirted raw power — and a few has-beens for comic relief.

I’ve sleuthed out who was there this afternoon between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., and even I’m impressed. Let’s put it this way, I’m told Jann Wenner’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head — if, for no other reason, than that he was small fry among all the Big Media bigwigs. But super-casual gatherings like this also come with pitfalls: Jeff Zucker probably didn’t want to run into Les Moonves. Just as Jonathan Dolgen and Tom Freston didn’t care to chat with Sumner Redstone. On the other hand, everyone did want to come up to Larry Mark and congratulate him for Dreamgirls. Even the moguls were eying Anderson Cooper in his tight-fitting grey T-shirt. Sidney Poitier was lunching with Sherry Lansing. But when David Geffen arrived, he was greeted like a visiting potentate. And, of course, Diller (in green cargo pants, no socks and Puma sneakers) played host at his Beverly Hills mansion with wife Diane Von Furstenberg (in one of her signature wrap dresses). Complaints came in to me about this year’s food (”the worst I’ve had — ever”). The only edible offerings were those little cups of lobster or tomato bisque soup served on trays like appetizers, and the entrées of Philly cheesesteak and lobster club sandwiches.

The guests included (in no particular order, so don’t draw conclusions): Michael Eisner, Bert Fields, Rupert Murdoch, Jack Valenti, Brad Grey, Harvey Weinstein, Ron Meyer, Joel Silver, Jeff Robinoff, Kevin McCormack, Tom Rothman, Jim Gianopulos, Larry David, Warren Beatty, Bette Midler, Laurence Bender, Penny Marshall, Sheryl Crow, Hugh Jackman, Bryan Lourd, Jeff Berg, Jim Wiatt, John Goldwyn, Larry Gordon, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Sandy Gallin, Dominick Dunne, Bob Colacello, Jeff Greenfield, Arianna Huffington, Fran Leibowitz, Bob Daly, Cheryl Tiegs, Howard Rosenman, Jason Binn, Sydney Pollack and Shirley MacLaine. My favorite line from the afternoon: one of “Chuck’s” valet parkers running down Coldwater Canyon shouting, “Get Joel Silver’s Maybach.” That’s the $400,000+ business jet on wheels, in case you didn’t know.

Visit Ms. Finkee’s Oscar Rundown: Click Here

THINK and Killer to Partner
From: PRNewswire | Date: February 22, 2007
Photo: Killer Films (Thank you, Cris!)

NEW YORK, Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ — Killer Films, one of the leading forces in independent filmmaking for over 12 years, and independent film distributor THINKFilm, today announced an exciting new partnership whereby Killer will develop and produce films that THINKFilm will finance and distribute on a worldwide basis.

The deal, which is jointly announced by Killer principals Christine Vachon, Pam Koffler, and Katie Roumel, together with THINKFilm President and CEO Jeff Sackman and Theatrical division Head Mark Urman, is effective immediately, and is consistent with THINKFilm’s new mandate to increase the scope and size of its slate and get involved with select projects from their earliest stages of production.

“Since our inception we have aimed to collaborate with people who share our taste and our approach,” says Killer’s Vachon, “and we believe that the THINK team and the Killer family coul dn’t be more like-minded and compatible.” Urman adds, “We are thrilled to formalize this deal with Killer. They have the most amazing track record and depth of experience, yet have managed to retain the joy and enthusiasm of absolute beginners.”

Randy Manis, THINKFilm’s Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Business Affairs, who negotiated the deal with CAA and John Sloss and Dan Steinman of Sloss Law Office, describes the partnership as follows: “We have created a unique construct that allows each company to benefit from the other’s strengths in all areas of film production and distribution, effectively replicating the structure of a studio specialty division. THINKFilm will have the right to finance any or all of Killer’s productions and, where it is not so involved, the company’s International Sales division will play a key role in setting up the films overseas.” Manis concludes that “Killer’s development slate is teeming with compelling, cutting-edge material. With a guarantee of superio r distribution, both here and around the world, these films, and many new ones, will be able to move forward at a rapid pace.”

About THINKFilm

THINKFilm, a privately held production and distribution company with offices in New York and Toronto, recently ushered in a new era after being bought by film financier and producer David Bergstein, who is now the company’s Chairman. Boasting five Academy Award nominations in as many years, with the recent “Best Actor” nomination for Ryan Gosling in HALF NELSON ( http://www.thinkfilmhighlights.com/), and a win for the documentary BORN INTO BROTHELS in 2005, THINKFilm’s current releases include: AVENUE MONTAIGNE by Daniele Thompson on February 16th; Jake Kasdan’s THE TV SET starring David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver and Ioan Gruffudd on April 6th; David Wain’s THE TEN starring Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba and Winona Ryder on August 3rd; and the 2007 Sundance prize-winner IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON about the history of the Apollo missions to the moon on September 7th. For more information, please visit http://www.thinkfilmcompany.com.

About Killer Films

Founded in 1995, Killer Films, run by Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler and Katie Roumel, has had a particularly productive year. In addition to producing four films, the company opened its first Los Angeles office, headed by Jocelyn Hayes Simpson. 2007 also marks the seventh year of collaboration between Killer and John Wells Productions. The company is partially funded through a unique partnership with JWP, and John Wells serves as an executive producer on each Killer film. Current and recent Killer productions include Todd Haynes’ “I’m Not There” with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, and Heath Ledger; Tommy O’Haver’s “An American Crime” with Catherine Keener, Ellen Page, James Franco and Bradley Whitford; Tom Kalin’s “Savage Grace” with Julianne Moore; “Then She Found Me” which is co-written and directed by Helen Hunt, and starring Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick; and Ira Glass’s “This American Life” which is Killer’s first foray into episodic TV and will air on Showtime in March. Prior films on the roster include “Far From Heaven” which received four Academy Award nominations in 2002, Kimberly Peirce’s Academy Award-winning Boys Don’t Cry, John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,’ and Mark Romanek’s “One Hour Photo” with Robin Williams. For more information, please visit http://www.killerfilms.com.

Web site: Killer Films

Web site: Think Film Company

Show: American Masters
Episode: (#2001) “Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built”
Network: (PBS) Public Broadcasting Service
Date: Wednesday – May 2, 2007
Time: 9/8c PM
Duration: 2 Hours

About: American Masters: (#2001) “Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built”

Photo: Alan Light

Ahmet Ertegun, a young Turk — literally — had a passion for the African-American music he heard in segregated clubs in Washington, DC, in the 1940s. He sent these sounds to England, where they merged with the European sensibility, and he brought this revolutionary new genre back across the ocean. He found Ray Charles, he introduced Eric Clapton to Aretha Franklin, he signed the Rolling Stones. He created talent and taste, he defined careers, he changed lives — Ertegun and his small Atlantic Records label determined the course of what we have listened to for decades.

“Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built” follows Ertegun’s remarkable career and its impact on the evolution of the world’s most popular musical genre. The film, produced by Thirteen/WNET New York and Warner Music Group, features rare, private and classic clips, performances and studio sessions of Atlantic recording artists.

Includes 1938 Ertegun Family home movies and performance clips from the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival’s Tribute to Atlantic Records and Ahmet Ertegun.

Features interviews with James Blunt, Solomon Burke, Chris Blackwell, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, David Geffen, Taylor Hackford, Mick Jagger, Mick Jones, Leiber and Stoller, Kid Rock, Ben E. King, Henry Kissinger, Wynton Marsalis, Sergio Mendes, Bette Midler, Paolo Nutini, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Percy Sledge, Jann Wenner, Jerry Wexler and family members.

About: American Masters

AMERICAN MASTERS, which pioneered the television biography genre, continues to offer insightful profiles of important figures in America’s artistic and cultural life.

PBS SERIES PAGE: American Masters

Luxe Life
Robin Leach
Feb 22, 2007

Photo: Robin Leach and Bette Midler

There maybe one special sweetener in the contract that Bette Midler is currently negotiating with the Caesars Palace executives to take over from Celine Dion when the Canadian songbird winds up her four-year residency this coming December at the Colosseum. And it involves chicken quesadillas!

Turns out that she’s a regular at star chef Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in her downtown Manhattan neighborhood. The Food Network star told me that he happily opened up his Caesars Palace outpost just for Bette to enjoy the spicy chicken quesadillas in quiet and privacy while she’s been visiting Sin City this week.

So when Bette begins her run here she now knows that the taste treat will be available to her whenever she wants; in the restaurant or delivered steps away to her dressing room!

Mister D: BTW, The NBA or whatever playoffs featured Cristina and Mary J. Blige at half-time. A guy sang the National Anthem, not Bette, thankfully. I guess the guy was more “bangable.” LOL

Luxe Life
Robin Leach
Vegas Pop – Las Vegas, NV

STRIP SCRIBBLES

The divine Miss M has really been out and about during her rush visit to Vegas this weekend.

Bette Midler turned up early Sunday to watch Prince’s midnight Saturday show and, on an earlier night-crawl, went to see my old friend Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce burlesque show at Mandalay Bay.

Bette has been telling close friends here that she will be moving here and wants to check out all the Vegas shows to better understand the city’s entertainment and beat them all at their own game!

For the second consecutive night, Black Eyed Peas star Will. I. Am. was at Prince’s concert but this time he joined His Royal Badness on stage for a sing-along with Diddy and Bette leading the applause!

Love, Mister D

By LIZ SMITH
From NY Post
February 18, 2007 4:25 AM EST

‘ONE DOOR closes, another one opens, but it is hell in the hallway of uncertainty,” says that wise philosopher Billy Norwich of Vogue.

BETTE MIDLER is the favorite girl of Verdant magazine, a publication dedicated to things like “The Greening of Christopher Buckley” and other choices for better living. There are luscious photos of the Divine Miss M inside.

Now Bette tells me her New York Restoration Project will find a spot and build a little park in honor of the late governor of Texas, Ann Richards. This week, the project, which will cost in the range of $250,000, received a $10,000 kickoff gift from Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner.

So if you’d like to remember that un-native New Yorker – Ann – do send along a contribution to 31 W. 56th St., New York, NY 10019.

Incidentally, Bette’s Restoration Project has partnered with the DelGreco outdoor-furniture line. Making hay while the sun shines to make NYC look good!.

Mister D: To give the new mag a chance, I’m not reprinting the interview here, but will provide a link to it. I would encourage all the “greenies” out there to pick up an issue or subscribe. It could be Liz Smith is talking about a more current issue. This one looks as if it were from September.

For Interview: Click Here

To Subcribe: Click Here

It’s not big news, but it’s been quite a while. Think the questions over, then vote.

Love, Mister D

PS: Have A Great Weekend

For Bette Midler: Bootleg Betty Polls – Click Here

Mister D: I can think of far more neocons that we could take out of context as within, but I digress. Frankly, I don’t know how these people can even bitch about what celebrities have to say after the poor way this administration has handled almost every single thing they’ve tried to accomplish and failed. This is probably the worst time in history that I have ever witnessed since Nixon. I was such a naive young lad and believed everything the government doled out. And then Nixon came along. He destroyed everything I believed in, and I remember crying. I was so let down. On that day I was impregnated (well, somehow) with cynicism and distrust. I still try to hold on to my innocence and trust, but it is increasingly hard in times like these. My glasses are no longer rose colored, just a shade of blue, with a black trim around them. (my Bette reference for the day) Dramatic? I can’t help it. It’s just me, but I’m working on becoming a drone. I haven’t too far too go!

Card: Miss M Productions

Oh, by the way, this is the quote used for Bette:

“I got a letter from the Republican Party the other day. I wrote back, ‘Go f— yourself.’ George Bush is a fan of mine — he came to see me in the Seventies. His coke dealer brought him.” (An oh so obvious joke.)

If you’d like to see all the celebrity lunacy out there: Click Here

Love, Mister D