Breaking; lemons turn to lemonade: More trouble in more paradise (and NOT Tinsley and Topper’s). One of the town’s more social young couples, big bucks, very Old Line family, have been on the skids and heading toward the divorce courts. It was assumed that the guilty party was the wife, something of a citron presse, another one of those girls big on the social circuit and often solo. But, there’s a third party -- a girl in hubby’s soup, so to speak -- a very well known girl, very, in the midst of having her own famous divorce and a recently linked with a famous tycoon. Seen going in and out of the aforementioned couple’s apartment building, no one thought anything of it because they were all “friends” until, aha! ... her marriage ended. Now it’s “friends” no more. Observers believe the “famous” divorcee was seeing the famous tycoon only as a ruse to force her “new” man’s hand. And maybe it worked?  Ironically insiders are thrilled by the developments because the “famous” other woman is far more popular in the social set than the cuckolded wife.

Catching up is hard to do. Yesterday’s blind item about the socialite lady and her life away from the home fires was immediately assumed by a number of observers, and on the web at Gawker.com, to be Tinsley Mercer Mortimer who is married Social Registerite Robert Livingston Mortimer known to all as “Topper.”

The assumption was made by the Gawker columnist because I’d been quoted the day before in the New York Post  about Mrs. Mortimer’s photographic charisma and how it conjured up characters out of Scott Fitzgerald in my mind. And everybody in the social orbit knows that she’s been getting out a lot these days.

Tinsley and Topper

However, I was referring only to a quality that the young woman has, especially in photographs; a quality that may have nothing to do with her private life or even her personality. This quality has transformed her into one of the most photographed women in New York, maybe in the country right now.

I also said to Maureen Callahan, the Post reporter, that Tinsley Mortimer’s public image is a direct exponent of Paris Hilton --“photographed to fame.” She is definitely one of those social girls in New York, in a style/method clearly defined by Paris Hilton, who has monetized her photogenic talents. That does not mean that her social or intimate behavior in anyway resembles that of Paris Hilton. (Although it probably wouldn’t hurt her financial status.)

However. “A pretty girl is like a melody,” the great American songwriter Irving Berlin wrote a century ago. It still applies a century later, except in New York, the melody is now ka-ching, ka-ching. And they’ve got everyone humming it.

So, while the item I wrote about the socialite having the affair may or may not apply to Mrs. Mortimer, it definitely applies to another very social high-profile young woman who gets out and about without a hubby in sight. And besides her, there may be, for all I know, another -- and another, because in some circles it’s practically epidemic. And where are the husbands, you ask? Sitting at home? Maybe, maybe not. Yesterday’s Gawker reported that Tinsley’s Mr. was seen out with the boys one night at Scores. Although that easily could have been a bachelor party. And if he’d been seen there more than once? Could have been a trip down memory lane. What we do know is: he sure ain’t the only one.

Somers and Jonathan

Meanwhile not everything’s going to hell in a marital handbasket in this ole town: Jonathan Farkas, the real estate heir and his former wife, longtime girlfriend, longtime handholder and brightest light, Somers White, have re-married. Yes. I do, I do. I know this because Somers told me. Actually I’d overheard her telling someone else at the Graff party (Tuesday’s Diary) for Charlie Scheips and Christophe von Hohenberg and their book “The Day the Factory Died.” And so I asked.

Meanwhile, more catching up: Tuesday’s evening was billed thusly on the program: North Fork Bank and Safe Horizon present Justice Served/In Our Own Words – a Benefit Performance Celebrating The 10th Anniversary of “Chicago.”

One time only. And what a Time, and what an Only. For Safe Horizon – the Victim Assistance Agency that provides support, prevents violence and promotes justice for victims of crime and abuse and their family, this was a major achievement in their fund-raising – more than $1.2 million – for one night.

Safe Horizon has some 10 year numbers too, we were in formed by the organization’s president Gordon Campbell when he took the stage of the Ambassador Theater with mystery novelist and former D.A. Linda Fairstein just before the show was about to begin: in the past ten years there have been one million crimes committed in New York; in the past ten years Safe Horizon has taken 1.5 million telephone calls for help and assistance to the victims and their familes of crime and abuse. That’s why Safe Horizon needs YOUR help.

Meanwhile back at the show: The evening was introduced by the show’s composer, John Kander, during which he read a description of the story by his late collaborator, lyricist Fred Ebb. I’d seen the show once before, as well as the film and I loved both. But Tuesday night was something else. Because it was also a reunion – of many if not all of the great stars and performers who’ve appeared in the show, from the original Broadway cast: Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking, James Naughton, Marcia Lewis and Joel Grey, to so many of the great Chicago alums – Melanie Griffith, Brooke Shields, Wayne Brady, John O’Hurley, Huey Lewis, Marilu Henner, Lynda Carter, Chita Rivera, Rita Wilson, Ashlee Simpson and Kevin Richardson.

The opening number “All That Jazz” was performed by Chita and her boys, and they brought down the house, and it just started there and ran throughout the performance – the cheers, the whistles, the shouts, the thunderous applause. These performers who’d been there/done that, brought it all back in double-force. The energy in the theater was right there on the stage. And out they came one star after another and entertained, churning laughs out of the songs, the dancers, the actors. Everything fun and funny about the show was double-that on Tuesday night. I knew this time was going to be like something I’d never seen. And it was, right down to the last number with Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking performing their signature “Nowadays..” and was it the best?! A real Broadway thrill ...

There still is nothing better than seeing great live performers on a theater’s stage putting on a show.

More catching up: Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa came to town on Tuesday also as a guest at a breakfast given by Paul Beirne of Bernstein Global Wealth Management. Governor Vilsack, you may have read, plans to be a candidate for President in 2008. Mr. Beirne, whom you’ve read about on these pages, is a very civic-minded, as well as philanthropic-minded New Yorker and he’s always gathering interested people at these breakfasts at Bernstein. But eight o’clock in the morning is a little too early for this reporter, so I most often have to only dream about what I’m missing (which I know is a lot).

Also on Tuesday night was the 23rd annual Rita Hayworth Gala for the Alzheimer’s association. They raised a record $3 million this year. This evening was the brainchild of Princess Yasmin Khan who wanted to do something about the terrible disease that took her mother on a long, lingering world of living death, and with her myriad friends who participate every year, has raised tens of millions for the cause. This is an organization that is strong because of the connections so many of the committee members have with each other. It’s like a community project, but Big Time.

And also on Tuesday night up in the Bronx at that brand new (well, not really that new, just new to the greater community) citadel of New York culture, The Bronx Museum held an opening night reception with the Consul General of Brazil for the exhibition of: Tropicalia: Revolution of Brazilian Culture.

Which brings us up to last night in New York where at 8:30 in midtown the traffic was almost in gridlock. The phrase runs through your mind over and over: there are too many cars in this town. Or too many construction sites. Or too many double parkers. Or too many delivery double parkers. Or too many right and left turn arrows that are choking the intersections everywhere and especially midtown.

That’s what I was thinking when I was riding over the Mandarin Oriental for the LaGuardia Award Dinner, presented by the New School, honoring John L. Tishman, with a keynote address by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. This was an evening of the men and women who make New York today (maybe there was someone present who could be god-like and do something about the traffic). Philip Scaturro, chairman of the Board of Trustees made the opening remarks along with former Senator Bob Kerrey, now president of the New School. I missed Mrs. Clinton’s speech (someone referred to it as her “victory” speech) as she was late making the shuttle coming up from Washington and I was late for everything.

There isn’t a day that the senator’s name comes up that someone doesn’t say how “they hate her” here, “they hate her” there. Uptown, downtown, all around town. I can see disagreeing with her, but hating? Anyway, I was thinking of that when I left the Mandarin, thinking of those I know who “hated” her until they actually met her, and then all that changed. How will this affect her possibilities and realities? She is the modern old-fashioned politician. And smart, and knowledgeable, and vulnerable no matter what anybody thinks. And nice, even very likeable, when you meet her.

Meanwhile, down at the other end of 59th Street, a couple blocks up on Fifth Avenue at the Pierre, Queen Sofia of Spain and the Spanish Institute were honoring another successful politician (it’s still in the air), Mayor Michael Bloomberg along with Mercedes Junco Calderon, Eduardo Sanchez Junco and Mario Vargas Llosa. Senor Vargas Llosa is the famous writer. The Juncos are not so famous, but they know about fame and you know their brand of it, for they publish Hello and Ola, said to be the most financially successful weekly magazines in the world.

Queen Sofia Spanish Institute was founded in 1954 to promote greater wareness and understanding of Spanish culture and language worldwide while strengthening relations between the US and Spanish-speaking nations. The Institute continues to offer the public a number of substantive programs, including exhibitions, music recitals, book presentations, lecture and symposia, as well as providing multi-level Spanish language instruction.

As it happened I was given a ride home by a friend’s driver who used to work in police security and intelligence. He’d been assigned to provide security for the Queen in previous visits and he was crazy about her. He said she was a great lady, very friendly and fun to accompany on her jaunts, which included shopping at Bloomingdale’s where she joked with her security detail about her purchases. Quite unlike some other royals he’d watched over. Prince Charles, or his Pa. Uh-uh. Except Diana; lovely there, lovely, he said with almost a wistful sigh.

The common touch. Last night in New York.