Hampton Habitués

Good News Gossip About Our Notable Friends And Neighbors

Martial Arts
Deep, respectful karate bows are in order for Montauk’s Ralph Macchio, now starring in season four of Cobra Kai. 

The star of The Karate Kid movies, on which the popular Netflix streamer is based, has returned for another round that’s sure to have fans smiling ear to ear. This season, his character Daniel pairs up with former nemesis, Johnny, played by William Zabka, to put evil sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) and his Cobra Kai dojo out of business. Now 30 years after their original conflict, the owners of the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos decide to join forces to take down Cobra Kai at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament. 

The crowd-pleasing series is worth it this go-round just to watch Mr. Nice Guy Macchio tackle the ridiculous (ahem) “manly” Eagle Fang training regime, which includes shoveling coal, bare-knuckle pushups, and combat with a tennis ball machine. Gotta love this guy!

Fan Favorite
Water Mill’s Jennifer Lopez is also back on streaming screens — this time in the new romantic comedy Marry Me. In theaters and available to view on Peacock, the light comedy follows pop superstar Kat Valdez (Lopez) as she jumps into marriage with a total stranger, played by Owen Wilson, live and on the concert stage after she discovers her fiancée has been cheating on her. Who doesn’t love a good J. Lo rom com? 

Scene StealerWe’ve got the popcorn ready for Amagansett’s Neil Patrick Harris’s next role. We’re placing bets that he’ll be sure to chew the scenery, in the best possible way, as Nicholas Cage’s agent in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which comes out in April. 

Also starring Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish and Sharon Horgan, the film follows Cage playing a fictionalized version of himself. Broke and broken down, he’s forced to take a $1 million role — attending the birthday party of a criminal superfan. 

As for Harris, stay tuned for more news on the five-time Emmy winner. His next projects include roles in The Matrix franchise and the limited series It’s a Sin for HBO Max. Can’t wait!

All the Money in the World
We’re also very excited to catch Abigail Disney’s riveting documentary about pay inequality called The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales. In it, the East End and Hamptons International Film Festival frequenter, a harsh critic of wealth inequity and outspoken advocate for the wealth tax, takes aim at her family’s former business. 

Produced by Ms. Disney and two of her siblings — Susan Disney Lord and Tim Disney — the film draws attention to the Disney corporation as the “ground zero of the widening inequality in America.” In it, the disparities between leadership and regular workers are shone in harsh relief, as are the subjects of the evolution of capitalism, shifting governmental economic policies and racial injustice. First screened at Sundance, the doc is currently in search of a distributor. 

Local Love
Be on the lookout for our very own Matthew O’Connor in season four of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The Hampton Bays resident and actor, whose full-time job is dispatcher for the Southampton Town Police Department, booked a co-starring role opposite series star Rachel Brosnahan on the Amazon Prime hit. 

Shoutouts are also long overdue for Joe Pallister, also of Hamptons Bays, who we also just caught on season one of The Flight Attendant. Currently streaming on HBO Max, Pallister plays badass killer Josef Jazar in episode five, “Other People’s Houses,” opposite Zosia Mamet. Unfortunately, Pallister meets an untimely end in the episode, but he’s got a couple of great scenes. If you haven’t caught it yet, you’re missing out. This compelling series stars Kaley Cuoco in a surprisingly riveting dramatic role. Totally worth it. 

A Sing & a Don’t Miss
Amagansett’s Scarlett Johansson joined lots of other A-listers in the animated holiday movie Sing 2. In this one, she voiced (and sang!) the character of rocker and teen porcupine Ash. Other big names in the movie include Bono, Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, Taryn Egerton, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale, Halsey, and Pharrell Williams. 

Sag Harbor’s Jimmy Buffett just showed up on our small screens again, guest starring as himself on CBS’s Blue Bloods in January. The singer-songwriter has also played the recurring role of helicopter pilot Frank Bama on the CBS procedural Hawaii Five-O.