Hampton Habitués

Good News Gossip About Our Notable Friends And Neighbors

A Killer Vacation

It’s summertime in the Hamptons and all eyes are on us. Even when they aren’t actually. Case in point: the North Fork doubled for the South Fork during filming earlier this year for the upcoming Netflix feature Leave the World Behind.

Shooting in Riverhead and Wading River, the film, which stars Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Myha’la Herrold and Kevin Bacon, is supposed to tell the story of a two couples who try to survive a doomsday-type situation together at a remote Airbnb here in the Hamptons. Regardless of where the action was shot, what happens is one juicy story.

Based on the terrific book by Rumdan Alam, a National Book Award for Fiction finalist in 2020, it dives into some pretty deep waters, including class, race, life-and-death issues, and the human fallout that occurs when disaster strikes.

No word yet on when the film will be released. But if the movie is even half as good as the book, then you better get out the popcorn!

Riperts Repair with Repasts

Toques off to Eric Ripert and his wife, Sandra, who were both recently honored for their tremendous humanitarian efforts by City Harvest.

The pair was celebrated during the non-profit’s first in-person Gala since 2019, which raised a record-breaking $5.2 million. Held at Cipriani in New York, the fundraiser brought out the big guns to honor the Sag Harbor-based couple. Those in attendance included Benjamin Bratt, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, David Burtka, Neil Patrick Harris, and Richard Gere, among others.

Through the famed restaurant Le Bernardin, the Riperts have donated nearly 600,000 pounds of food and helped distribute more than 17 million free meals since they joined in 1997. Since May 2020, the three-star Michelin- and multiple James Beard Award-winning restaurant has prepared 400 meals a day, using City Harvest-collected food, for delivery to shelters.

Tasty TV 

Looks like The Hallmark Channel is adapting Katie Lee Biegel’s 2011 debut novel Groundswell into a movie. No word yet on who will star, but the made-for-television film is set to premier later this year.

Written by the Food Network star after her divorce from Billy Joel, the book and soon-to-be movie tell the tale of a young New York screenwriter who makes a pilgrimage to Mexico after her divorce. Once there, she learns to surf and feel free again.

Executive produced by Biegel, who will also be making an on-screen cameo, the as-yet-to-be-named film is being kept under wraps for the moment. Should be a fun one.

Forever Fighting 

If you’re a fan of reality television, especially of the dramatic confrontation type, then get ready to rumble with Forever Summer: Hamptons, which premiers in July on Amazon.

Brought to you by the folks behind the likes of Southern Charm, Camp Getaway and Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles, the coming-of-age docusoap “follows a group of college kids from widely different backgrounds, from wealthy New York City kids to humble townies” as they are “tearing up the town, testing friendships, and exploring love during the hottest days of the year.” Not necessarily my cup of Long Island Iced Tea. But to each his own.

Ending on a Good Note 

We gotta give it up for Ali Wentworth, who always dishes it up with dazzle and pizzaz. And she’s done it again in her newest book, Ali’s Well That Ends Well: Tales of Desperation and a Little Inspiration.

In it, the comedienne writes of her Covid fever dreams while quarantining in the basement of her East Hampton home; keeping the flame alive with her husband, Good Morning America journalist George Stephanopoulos; and binge-watching Love Island Australia with the whole family once they ran out of anything else to watch on TV.

Always relatable and funny, Wentworth does not disappoint with this book, which reads like a great phone call with your most outrageous friend.

Proud Leaders 

Finally, let’s give a big round of applause to Tom House, Robert Chaloner and Kathryn Szoka for their parts in the inaugural Hamptons Pride Parade. 

Held earlier this month in East Hampton, the LGBTQ+ event was led by Chaloner and Szoka, who served as Grand Marshalls, and organized by House, who is the president of Hamptons Pride.