“Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep”
Ladies and gents,
Yeesh — I turn over my column to a guest contributor one time and all hell breaks loose!
Speaking of lightning rods, I attended the ACRIA Holiday Dinner to see my longtime buddy Larry Kramer be honored, along with Bruce Weber, for their lifelong dedication to AIDS-related causes. The event took place at the Hudson-adjacent Skylight Modern, and Larry just about blew the room into New Jersey with a rousing 20-minute rant. I’m delighted to report that he remains every bit the firebrand he ever was! And I can think of no more compelling subject for a documentary than he, so kudos to Sheila Nevins for green-lighting the upcoming HBO film on him. Sheila, of course, was present for the event, as were Judith Light, Amanda Seyfried, Donna Karan, Sam Shahid, Calvin Klein, Isabella Rossellini, Grace Coddington, and David Kuhn. Larry’s award was bestowed upon him by none other than Oscar-winning, Tony-winning, BAFTA-winning, Golden Globe-winning actor/director/photographer extraordinaire Joel Grey. Weber’s award was bestowed upon him by Kim Kardashian.
Turning focus to the film world for a moment, MoMA is presenting a retrospective of Robert Altman‘s films, and I suggest you all run (or pedicab) over there to see his masterpieces on the big screen. It’s running through January 17, and for a complete schedule visit: I ran into Kathryn Altman at a recent screening of Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, where I gushed about the new book, Altman, she put together detailing her late husband’s life’s work. We reminisced about the Christmas party we attended back in 1992 (the year Bob – as his friends called him – released The Player). My memory of the evening is fuzzy, thanks to Joanne Carson’s contribution to the festivities (little cigarettes containing what she insisted was “Truman’s [as in Capote’s] herb”). Kathryn’s memory was far sharper, reminding me that I insisted on performing a fully choreographed rendition of “Broadway Baby” that was apparently so terrible that Estelle Getty got mad and left the party, later claiming, “I haven’t seen a performer with so little regard for an audience since Andy Kaufman read The Great Gatsby cover-to-cover at The Comedy Store!” Then we all got the munchies and gorged ourselves on Mexican food until the sun came up. Merry Christmas!
Tidbits from around town…
Spotted the divine Matthew Goode having breakfast at Lamb’s Club.
Caught Jonah Hill enjoying a few drinks at Blind Barber.
Finally, happy 10th birthday to the Barrow Street Theatre – a true gem of New York City and the crowning torchbearer of Off Broadway. I hope that Scott Morfee and Tom Wirtshafter are basking in the glow of their accomplishments in that space, including the glorious, record-breaking production of Our Town. Currently in the space, Every Brilliant Thing is bringing in crowds (including the likes of Arianna Huffington, Mamie Gummer, Jackie Hoffman, and Patricia Duff) and leaving them laughing through tears. The premise of the show involves a list of everything that makes life worth living. High on my list? The Barrow Street Theatre!
As always, a toast of something sparkling to you and yours!
Kisses,
