Ladies prove they have enough energy for both coasts
The rich, the famous, and the fashionable don’t let a snowstorm keep them from a free meal. Despite several inches of the white stuff, when KOJI IMAI opened the doors to his new restaurant, Megu (62 Thomas St.) for a preview tasting, the house was packed. We’d make the journey again just to see the décor.
The soaring main dining room boasts a huge hanging temple bell and a pond. JOHN LEGUIZAMO, VANESSA VON BISMARCK, PAGE SIX’S PAULA FROELICH, HELEN and TIM SHIFTER, GENE PRESSMAN, JACQUELINE and LOLA SCHNABEL, VINCENT GALLO, TIFFANY DUBIN, BETH RUDIN DEWOODY, TATUM O’NEAL and Benihana’s ROCKY AOKI were nestled into high-backed white leather banquettes as they downed oyster shooters with sake champagne, tofu, Hagashi toro steak, and an endless assortment of sashimi.
We were partial to the Kobe beef and green asparugus tempura, which we scarfed up in the upstairs bar lounge, amid its stunning wall of bolts of antique Kimono fabric. We sat with casting agent DOUGLAS PERRETT and Ford model JENNIFER OHLSSON, who was busy on the phone trying to get model Marcus Shenkenberg away from a basketball game to do an interview. Seems these friends are planning on launching the fashion ‘zine MMM (Male Model Madness) during fashion week. They say MMM “will be a satire on all things male model from an insider’s point of view.”
Wine glasses had to make do (they have a long stem, right?) when Italian winemaker ECCO DOMANI feted its 2004 Fashion Foundation Awards winners–– LIBERTINE, ANDREW HARMON, DOO-RI, JEFFREY CHOW, DEREK LAM—at Barneys. The overflow of intern/models caused one photographer to comment, “There’s a lot of underage drinking in the room.” And narcissism. These underage pretty things made great use of the full-length mirrors throughout, posing and fussing.
Fashion editors, writers, stylists, designers, and wannabes all dropped by for a glass of the red/white stuff while founder FABRIZIO GATTI––who looked like he might be more comfortable in the vineyard––had to shout above the lush crowd in order to toast the winners, who received $20,000 each.
“I’m just arm candy tonight, and it’s wonderful,” joked documentary maker RIC BURNS, who was at The Room to Grow charity auction at Christie’s to support wife JULIE BROWN’s organization, which provides free toys, clothes, and other basic necessities to low-income families with children under age three.
UMA THURMAN must have taken the red-eye back from the Golden Globes the previous evening in L.A. because she arrived ready to go for a New York evening. Thurman doesn’t just give from her checkbook, either. She donates her time and is dedicated to the cause, said Brown. She also gives her children’s clothes “and they’re beautiful,” Brown added.
Thurman was radiant in black satin. Flitting about the room she dodged questions, saying “I’m sorry but I’m bidding” during the silent auction.
For example? A set of desk filing equipment. For her divorce papers from ETHAN HAWKE, possibly? She pondered a package from Fresh Direct, but instead bid on a Bulgari watch. Shame she was overbid by $100––her boyfriend, ANDRE BALAZS, could use one since he arrived late, but immediately took up duty rubbing the small of her back.
Thurman also worked the non-silent auction, to which she donated a “date package” that included accompanying her to her next premiere, a “Kill Bill” signed script, and a sword. An older gent paid over $50,000 for the lot.
When all was said and done, over $700,000 was raised.
On the culture frontier, the pro-gay and rarely silent COURTNEY LOVE has gone solo with a fiercely rocking new album, “America’s Sweetheart.” Love tosses bitchy barbs, wails about drugs, and even exposes her delicate side. Just don’t expect any traditional love songs from this sweetheart.
“Well, it’s very hard for me to write a straight-up relationship song, probably because it’s hard for me to have a straight-up relationship,” Love said.
But ELTON JOHN’s oft-collaborator, BERNIE TAUPIN, was able to inject at least a little love into the song “Uncool,” which he co-wrote.
“There are very obvious not me lyrics, it feels really weird to sing them,” Love admitted to us while praising Taupin. “I was nominated for a Grammy for my song ‘Malibu.’ Bernie Taupin and VAN DYKE PARKS had a discussion about the composition of ‘Malibu’ in the L.A. Times. It was the only piece of press I would save. They seriously discussed the very complicated composition of that song, they got the way I write, and it was really neat.”
Let’s discuss our suddenly complicated feelings for a far cuddlier female gay musical icon. Apparently, OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN refused to let one of her songs be used in Showtime’s “The L-Word.”
“She wouldn’t let us use the song ‘Physical,’” writer/director ROSE TROCHE revealed. Apparently, Miss Xanadu had a problem with the show’s queer content.
Troche shrugged it off: “It’s sort of a DONNA SUMMER moment.”
More “L-Word” fun facts! In the same way Toronto doubles for Pittsburgh on “Queer as Folk,” Vancouver doubles for Los Angeles on “The L-Word.” Some nine months were spent shooting on location in the Canadian city and much of the cast rented apartments or homes within close proximity to each other.
“There was a lot of walking back and forth to each other’s houses at night in our pajamas,” star ERIN DANIELS said.
As for whether lesbian lovin’ occurred off screen, the cast and Troche proffered only denials or flirtatious hints.
“I’m sure there was all over the place,” Daniels laughed. “There always is!”
However, sexual fiction met fact when the show’s writers put together a top-secret real-life chart of which lesbians working on the show had slept with whom.
“The chart [the chracter Alice makes] in the show is based on the one we did!” Troche laughed. “GUINEVERE TURNER started it at the writer’s office in L.A. and it was crazy, getting really big. And those of us who really slept with a lot of people were called ‘hubs.’”
Those charts are going to get even more marked-up, that’s for sure. We hear the show was just green lit for a second season.
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