Hampton Habitués

Good News Gossip About Our Notable Friends and Neighbors.

Who’s ready for summer?  With a season that’s already jam-packed with amazing events, we sure are! And we predict that this one might just be the best summer yet! From fundraisers to plays, concerts, movies and more, the East End is once again center stage — here in the Hamptons and beyond. 

Breakfast of Champions
East Hampton’s Jerry Seinfeld makes his directorial debut with Unfrosted, now streaming on Netflix. Also credited as a writer and starring in the project, the film is loosely based on the creation of Pop-Tarts breakfast pastries and the ensuing competition between American-based rivals Kellogg’s and Post Cereal in trying to come up with the perfect shelf-stable alternative to breakfast in a bowl. 

This film features practically as many stars as there are sprinkles on the sugary breakfast treat. Actors in the ensemble include Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Dan Levy, Bill Burr, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant, Peter Dinklage, Jon Hamm, Cedric the Entertainer, Bobby Moynihan, Max Greenfield, Tony Hale, Fred Armisen, Dean Norris and East Hampton’s John Slattery. For fans of comedy, nostalgia, and a bit of silly good-hearted fun, this one takes the … er, breakfast baked good. 

Dynastic Drama
East Hampton-based John Slattery, Talia Balsam and their son, Harry Slattery, star in a family affair that we absolutely cannot wait to catch at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor this summer. Now staging, The Subject Was Roses, a Pulitzer Prize- and two-time Tony Award winning play by Frank D. Gilroy, is the first Mainstage production of the season. 

The drama, which features a breakout star turn by the younger Slattery, tells the tale of a World War II veteran who returns home to the Bronx after his service. Packed with powerful emotion, the play touches on the fragility of love, familial relationships, and reconciliation. 

Family Affair
Whilst on the subject of talented troupes, applause all around for Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. The mother-daughter authors are at it again with another amazing kids’ book. This one, Waiting in the Wings, is about a real-life family of ducks that hatched in the courtyard at Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater. A celebration of the impact of the theatrical arts, the book is sure to be a hit. 

Putting It on the Page
Also out on bookshelves is Ann Liguori’s Life on the Green: Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf. The paperback, which was released last month, includes interviews with Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, Jan Stephenson, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Nancy Lopez, and more. Love it!

Buy This Book
Iconic artist Audrey Flack also has a big book out and it’s a heck of a read! The memoir, With Darkness Came Stars, is a beautifully written tome that brings the reader inside the East Hampton resident’s amazing life. 

This one has it all — Flack’s challenges in navigating the sexist art world, escaping an abusive marriage, and her struggles of raising children as a single mother. And yet, the book is a celebration of beauty of light. No surprise, since this amazing lady exudes it herself. 

Cottage Core
Speaking of beauty, Aerin Lauder has launched AERIN Collections for Summertime Entertaining at Williams Sonoma. The recently launched collection includes tabletop and furniture lines inspired by Lauder’s home in East Hampton. The unique pieces, curated for summer entertaining, feature her trademark timeless designs and simply sophisticated style. 

The End
Looking ahead, it just wouldn’t be summer without a big blockbuster action franchise film. One of this year’s hottest Labor Day pics will most likely be Transformers One. 

Starring Montauk’s Scarlett Johansson and produced by East Hampton’s Steven Spielberg, the animated movie tells the as-yet untold story of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Other actors lending voices include Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Keegan Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm.