Hampton Habitués

Good News Gossip About our Notable Friends and Neighbors

May is for Money
Looks like it’s time to roll out the welcome wagon for another super-duper heavy hitter. 

Howdy neighbor to Bernard Arnault, the CEO of luxury brand LVMH. The world’s richest man, according to Forbes, bought himself a prime piece of property in East Hampton last month with some of his $211 billion. Let’s pop out the Veuve and cheers to that.

It should be noted that, naturally, there are several other East Enders who also made the Forbes list. Notably close to the top are Michael Bloomberg, of Southampton, who came in at number 7 with an estimated worth of $94.5 billion, and Julia Koch, also of Southampton, who is at number 17 with $59 billion. 

Turn the Page
We’re happy to report that Book Club: The Next Chapter is a thing. Now out in theaters, the film stars four of our favorite ladies, including Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen formerly of East Hampton. 

The sequel picks up right where the first one left off. Except here, the gal pals have packed it up and headed to Italy for a fun girls’ trip. We’re in it practically for the scenery alone. Ciao bellas!

Action Adventure
Another fun film that’s just been released is Fool’s Paradise, which looks to be one incredibly entertaining romp. 

Written, directed, and starring Charlie Day, the movie reminds us of Being There-meets-Dave but with a bit more frantic pace. It’s positively steeped in talent, including Wainscott’s Edie Falco, Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Ray Liotta, Jason Sudeikis, John Malkovich, Common and Jillian Bell. 

The satire features Day in a dual role — method actor who won’t leave his on-set trailer and his “every guy” doppelganger, who is picked fresh from the street to stand in. Falco plays the actor’s agent, who, along with a various producers, publicists, and various other Hollywood folks, appears to be in on the fix.

Looking Good
Celebrity designer and OG Queer Eye cast member Thom Filicia, who recently bought a home in North Haven, has a couple of new collections out and they look comfy.

For Vanguard Furniture, it’s The Boyden Series, which features mix-and-match sectional pieces, including an armless chair, corner chair, corner curved chair, armless chaise, loveseat, double chaise lounge, ottomans, etc. He’s also just added five new rugs to his Thom Filicia for Feizy collection. 

Filicia says his newest is driven by lifestyle and usability, not fads. We’re guessing that a few new East End-inspired lines are imminent. Can’t wait to check them out. 

Cheers
Congratulations to East Hampton’s Jake Bongiovi, who recently got engaged to his longtime love, Millie Bobby Brown. The pair of actors have been together for three years. Bongiovi is the son of Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea. Brown is the star of Stranger Things and the Enola Holmes films, which she also produced. 

Kudos are also in order for Frankie Kadir Vaughan. The former full-time East Hampton resident and current Public Arts Coordinator at Purchase College in Westchester County just had his Handle with Care public art installation blown up bigger than life in Times Square in April. His work was created in response to the censorship crusade against the LGTBQ community. 

Hiding in Plain Sight
East Hampton’s Robert Downey Jr. has secured himself an actor’s dream role as a master of disguise in The Sympathizer. Set to stream on HBO’s rebranded Max in 2024, the film — executive produced by Downey Jr and his wife, Susan Downey — is based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the spy life. Also starring Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, Alan Trong, Ky Duyen and Sandra Oh,the espionage thriller features the many different faces of the very versatile Downey Jr. It appears to be extremely juicy.