More than 400 revelers attended the Carnegie “Beach Ball” which benefited the Save the Bay Foundation and took place at the Carnegie Abbey Club overlooking the shores of Naragansett Bay near Newport.

Event designer Richard Carbotti created an exotic Carnegie Abbey beach scene just for the evening where the guests were swept away on summer breezes, sipped exotic cocktails, passed vintage cards carrying surfboards on rooftops and watched frisbees fly and volleyballs bounce while roller-bladers whizzed by.  There was a specially constructed boardwalk and a magnificent “Save the Bay” sandcastle created just for the occasion. There were bamboo beach bars, Tiki lounges and private cabanas with settings for dinner. Guests danced the night away to the music of “Chico’s Vibes” wearing flip-flops. They dined on filet mignon and watched the incredible dance troupe the New Century Dance Company of Miami which has performed for President Clinton and with Jennifer Lopez. All was followed by a fabulous summer fireworks display (which Carnegie Abbey Club events are famous for).

Host Brian O’Neill led the live auction which included coutside seats to the Boston Celtics, a New port Mansions carpet, a visit to Bovey Castle in Scotland where Madonna was married. The two top selling auction items were the private cocktail cruise on Whitehawk, a 204 foot ketch-rigged classic sailing yacht donated by Brian O’Neill ($11,000) and an art gallery talk and cocktail receptioin at William Vareika Fine Arts in Newport specializing in 18th, 19th, and 20th century art ($10,000).

Proceeds from the Beach Ball go toard fulfilling a $500,000 pledge to Save the Bay from the Carnegie Abbey Club.

Just prior to the big bash in the tents on for the Southampton Hospital gala on Wickapogue Road, Leonard Barton newly opened exquisite Bravura Art and Objects Gallery on Nugent Street was the setting for a champagne fueled afternoon tea (did we say tea?) for the co-chairs and committee of the 3rd Annual On Our Toes in the Hamptons Gala featuring the world acclaimed Evidence Dance Company on August 26 at Nova’s Ark in Bridgehampton.

Barton an international fine art print publisher and collector recently opened Bravura to showcase his unique collections of Murano glass, Oceanic, pre-Colombian and African artifacts, as well as, the works of his step-father abstract surrealist Nahun Tschacbasov whose works hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art , The Whitney Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art , D.C.’s The Hirshhorn and numerous private collections Barton’s mother Irene Zevon also prominent on the Hamptons art scene in the 60s and 70s is also represented in the gallery.

Gala co-chairs Joyce Mullins-Jackson with her husband the Honorable Bernard Jackson and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis welcomed the dance-ophiles many who had flown in especially for the party.

Loida Lewis arrived with a car full of visiting artists from The Philippines who were raving about her art filled Lily Pond Lane compound. Evidence board chairman Reginald Van Lee who had delivered the keynote address to the national conference of Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte, North Carolina at lunch, hopped a jet to La Guardia and a helicopter to Dune Road Southampton. Absent was Evidence founder and director the darling of the dance press Ronald K. Brown. He had a good excuse -- he was appearing in a solo turn at the Korean Arts Festival.

Enthusiastic supporters of the 20-year-old Africa American dance troupe on hand were Sally and Michael Alex, Nadia Fattah, Diane Sadowski, Sylvia Winrich, Imogene Willis and Tony Palmerio, artist Wanda Murphy with husband Sam, Justine DiAnni, Henry Feldman, Sharon and Kees van Liempt, Steve Ernst, Jamie deRoy, Sandra Arcara with Errol Rappaport, Tony Vargas, Alfredo Martinez, Florence Anthony, Audrey Bernard and scores more.

Honorary chairs for the gala are author Susan L. Taylor and her husband Khephra Burns, vice-chairs are Gail Perkins Atkins and Charles N. Atkins, Saundra and Don Cornwell, and Debra L. Lee.

More than a few guests went hom e laden with rare Murano glass sculptures, fine prints and one-of-a-kind jewels as Bravura donated a portion of the afternoon’s sales to the dance company.

They held a kick-off party at the showroom of Bentley Autos, hosted by the company’s General Manager J. Kyle Racine, for the up-coming gala for the Children’s Memorial Medical Research Institute (on December 9th) in Chicago.

The gala, inspired by the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 (remember that one kids?), was entitled “Chicago – A Fair To Remember.” It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. More than 1000 guests are expected and they are planning on raising $5 million for the Institute.

The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 brought fame to, among others, a belly-dancer called Little Egypt, who became a household name across America. There is a very famous society matron in New York who long long ago (although not THAT long ago) when, as a young unmarried woman, that lived in another fabled town (on the other coast), could get up on a table (after playing a mean game of poker) and do a wild belly-dance that earned her the nickname of ... Little Egypt. Zut alors! as they say. But that was then and this the Almighty Now. Tut-tut.

Meanwhile, back to business: the MRIC has raised more than $73 million to fund creative research in an amazing array of disciplines. Over the years, the MRIC support has led to advanced investigation in cancer, heart disease, genetics, microbiology and neonatology. In 1991, the MRIC began its affiliation with Children’s Memorial Hospital. Since then, the MRIC has been a principal benefactor of Children’s Memorial Research Center, one of a handful of free-standing facilities in the nation devoted exclusively to pediatric research.

Committee members at the Bentley showroom were Alan Freeman, Mimi Sherman, Elizabeth Steele, and Judy Weistzman of Chicago. From the north shore were Gail Gassner and Ellen Suslow of Highland Park and Steven Jacobsen of Gurnee. The co-chairs of the Gala are Deborah Beitler of Highland Park and Nancy Berberian of Chicago’s Lincoln Park.

They had a fund-raiser for the Fresh Air Fund, (and a store promoter) for the new Payless Fashion Lab on Fifth Avenue and 39th Street. Guests assisted West Coast artist Keith “K-Dub” Williams in painting one of his famous outdoor murals which was donated to the Fresh Air Fund and installed at the Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Mariah.

Guests were also invited to place bids on various items to help raise money for the Fresh Air Fund. For those of you who don’t know about it, the Fresh Air Fund, an independent non-profit agency that was founded in 1877, has provided free summer vacations for more than 1.7 million (!!) city kids from the toughest neighborhoods. There are a lot of people out there, fully grown and even getting up there, who remember how great it was to be in a Fresh Air Fund program. It made and makes a big difference, and can change a child’s life forever. If you want to make a donation or volunteer your time, you can call 1-800-367-0003.

The event last week at the Payless Fashion Lab brought out a big crowd including Patricia Field, Alvin Valley, Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky, Matt Rubell, Laura Poretzky, Donald and Susan Newhouse, Sarah Lane, Peter Hunsinger, Karen Robinovitz, and Rachel Moore. They were bidding on an original K-Dub painting, a signed Shaq O’Neal jersey, a “Shaq”-sized Dunkman Game Shoe and a gift certificate to a fun-filled Build-a-Bear party. Payless’ Fashion Lab is said to be extremely well-organized and engineered – like a lab – and was designed by Callison, the number one retail design firm in the world. Before the end of the year Payless hopes to have 10 Fashion Lab stores in their vast chain. And more fund-raising parties for worthy charities too, no? Why not?

Last Wednesday night at Marquee in New York, Paris Hilton appeared at a party to celebrate the release of her debut pop album. Yes, she sings! The album's lead single, "Stars are Blind," reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, where it currently sits at No. 28.

Mediagenic is the newly coined word they use to describe this wonder-heiress who began her career on hot summer nights getting herself photographed by Patrick McMullan et al at the local clubs on the South Fork. She and her sister Nicky were were all of 14 or 15 or 16 (?). Young anyway. Within a year, they were the faces of their generation. (Sorry ladies, but it’s true.) Within two years they were the “it” girls around Manhattan. Within three years people were saying this was ridiculous and they were finished. And within four years, Nicky, by choice had withdrawn some from the spotlight and Paris took center stage.

Within five years Paris was a TV star with her own reality TV show and her own in-house feud with what’s-her-name, Nicole Something-or-other. Then a porn video came out in bold-faced headlines promising that it was the end for Paris’ career. Hahaha, as they those about those laughing all the way to the bank. It’s what? – ten years later and Paris Hilton is thismuch from being Show Business Establishment.

Who wudda thought? Not those Southampton matrons who feigned shock at it all: how can she?/how can they? about Paris and her devoted parents Kathy and Rick. Someone told me Paris made $7 million last year. If the album hits you know there will be more. And more and more and more. The kid’s got legs (I mean in show biz terms, we already know she’s got the other legs).

"Paris" (Warner Bros. Records) was made with the help of some of the hottest producers money can buy, including Scott Storch (50 Cent, Beyonce), Jonathan "J.R." Rotem (Rihanna) and Dr. Luke (Pink, Kelly Clarkson).

Among the songwriters who contributed to the set were Kara DioGuardi (Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Ashlee Simpson), Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Cyndi Lauper), and Sheppard Solomon (Natalie Imbruglia).

Rappers Jadakiss and Fat Joe appear on the album track "Fightin' Over Me."

So you see, nothing but the best for our Paris. Next thing you know she’ll be playing the stadiums with the Rolling Stones as her opening act. Anyway this week Paris goes on tour to promote “Paris” (the name of her debut album) in the party capitals of the nation like ... well, the Big Apple, and LA and Miami. There will be store signing parties and disco parties, and Paris, camera-ready and now warbling like a ... canary? A mockingbird? A nightingale? A little sparrow? (probably not).

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