A-Poe Is a Smash in HarlemPlus, Bill Clinton and Rachael Ray, together again? And Helen Hunt is reacquainted with Matthew Broderick’s goods!
gossipmonger
Eli Manning’s Little Town Blues Have Melted AwayEli Manning and Yogi Berra sang “New York, New York” together at Rao’s. Male madam David Forest says Marc Jacobs used to employ his services. Mariah Carey shot a video on the rooftop of Lenny Kravitz’s Crosby Street apartment. Mayor Bloomberg celebrated his 65th birthday with Steven Ratner and others at Michael’s. R.E.M. front man Michel Stipe got into a go-cart accident two weeks ago but is fine now. Blackstone Group co-founder Pete Peterson sold his River House digs to financier Jeffrey Leeds for $10 million.
party lines
Bono Celebrates Orangeman Lou Reed, Confesses He Owes Him MoneySo remember the mysterious, quasi-postmodern Unnamed Event With Lou Reed from last week? Big news! Turns out the thing did have a name; it was “Syracuse University awards Lou Reed with the George Arents Pioneer Medal.” (The medal is apparently Syracuse’s highest alumni honor. More interesting, Lou Reed is also apparently a Syracuse alum.) But we also learned that Reed might have more than just an alumni award coming to him. Why was Bono there, we asked the U2 front man. “Because I am in a state of genuflection,” he told us from behind his sunglasses. “I would carry Lou Reed’s luggage; I probably have carried his luggage! There are about nine or ten U2 songs that he deserves royalties for that I don’t think he’s ever received.” Um, wow. Is that really something you’re supposed to admit? We hope Reed’s into that whole debt-forgiveness thing, too. —Genevieve Leon
Earlier: It’s Not a Lou Reed Event Without Andy Rooney
gossipmonger
Breakups and the CityFormer Sex and the City partners Candace Bushnell and Darren Star are no longer speaking after Star sold a show similar to the one Bushnell was working on to a different network. Matt Lauer once had an awkward bathroom experience with Tom Brokaw. Kate Moss will launch her clothing line at Barneys on May 8. Alt Coffee on Avenue A is being turned into a stroller shop. Britney Spears may give Allure a tell-all regarding her family infighting. Lesley Stahl denies being the source of anti-Katie Couric rumors. On her way back to New York City, real-estate queen Barbara Corcoran boarded the wrong flight and ended up in Syracuse. Tyra Banks ate with Clay Aiken at Jean Georges. Andy Dick accosted two employees at a Chelsea club.
cultural capital
Patti Smith Rocks Carnegie Hall, Tibet
Death loomed large at the Philip Glass–curated benefit concert for Tibet House U.S. Monday night at Carnegie Hall, when a parade of legendary talents — among them Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Michael Stipe — performed numbers in honor of deceased friends. And as if that weren’t depressing enough, when the thrilling succession of reimagined hits and covers stopped, we suddenly realized that all our idols onstage talking about death will die, too. Oh, God.
There were chanting monks, a beautiful, minimalist set from Sigur Rós, and Ben Harper. Debbie Harry happily danced to an acoustic version of “Heart of Glass.” And then came Lou Reed, the first to sing about getting old. Ray Davies harkened back to the Kinks’ glory days, getting the crowd to sing along with “Lola,” “Sunday Afternoon,” and “Dedicated Follower of Fashion.” He admitted to being foggy about why, exactly, he was there: “This is a great event. I’m not sure of all the details, but the spirit moved me.” And then he, too, got wistful about age. “Being in a band at this point in my life is a separation anxiety of the worst sort,” he said. “We never know when we’ll meet again.”
