December 1st, 2005

  With characteristic royal aplomb, the Duchess of Cornwall survived her baptism of fire fanned by the most jaundiced (read: yellow!) of New York journalists on her and Prince Charles’s state visit to the U.S. Even so, she has to be glad to be out of the murky spotlight shined on her by these scuzzy scriveners who must have plumbed the depths of detritus to come up with the headline that referred to Camilla as “the Queen of Frump” and “Frump Tower.” How rude! Why, Paris Hilton and Tara Reid have been treated better and with greater respect.
   We personally know Camilla Parker Bowles to be a lady of impeccable breeding and refinement, a woman who will sit one day at the right hand of the king of England, not as his queen, mind you, but as his consort, much as Queen Elizabeth has in Prince Phillip. This alone should dictate a more respectful tone. As members of the fourth estate, we extend our most sincere apologies to Prince Charles and the Duchess for the verbal indignities they were forced to endure while guests of our government.
Charles and Camilla will be holidaying in Klosters in the Swiss Alps and will be joined there by Prince William and Prince Harry, as will William’s girlfriend, Kate Middleton. Also joining the family will be Camilla’s son, Tom, and his charming wife, Sara Buys, who is the fashion editor of Harpers and Queen, and Camilla’s beautiful daughter, Laura Parker Bowles. The family gathering at Klosters will take place after Christmas because Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip are hosting their annual Christmas family get-together at Buckingham Palace.
Following their Klosters ski-trip, Charles and Camilla will travel the short distance to Gstaad, where they’ll be entertained at the wonderful chalet of Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot. Annabel’s son, Ben, and Camilla and Annabel’s brother, the adventurer Mark Shand and his wife, actress Clio Goldsmith, will be on hand also. Joining the group will be Clio’s sister, Jemima Khan, and her long-time boyfriend, Hugh Grant. Many other friends are also expected to attend the New Year’s fun at the Gstaad chalet.
We have a tip for the Prince and the Duchess and their hostess, Annabel Elliot: Since we understand that Jennifer Aniston (and possibly her companion of the moment, Vince Vaughn) are flying via private jet to the luxury Swiss resort for a little R & R, perhaps you will want to consider extending an invitation to Jen and her coterie to join the festivities. Between schusses down the slopes, Camilla and Jennifer can sit and sip their hot grog and trash the tabloid press. We don’t know what Camilla will be wearing, but Jen will be sporting some terrific new ski duds, including a pair of Bogner’s sable boots that sell for $4,325.
Yves Saint Laurent and his longtime partner, Pierre Berge, have put their Deauville chateau on the market for 20 million euros and word here is that Angelina and Brad are winging their way east to look at it. The extraordinary residence sits on 75 acres on the bay overlooking Le Havre. It seems the couple is just fed up with the paparazzi and that this would be the perfect, out-of-the-way, getaway/hideaway. Famed decorator Jacques Grange turned this chateau, which was built in 1874, into a dream palace, with murals and paintings inspired by the works of Marcel Proust.
From the edge of the estate the house is virtually invisible, surrounded by gardens and a forested park, leading to a private entrance to the Deauville race course. The December House and Garden has a spread featuring the chateau. Lending credence to the speculation that Angelina and Brad may be spending more time in France is the news that they are taking French lessons from a private instructor. But when we called their spokespersons, we could not get confirmation on any of the above.
Some people define gossip as “dishing the dirt.” We prefer to call it “reporting the rumors.” Since so many letters from you, our loyal readers, indicate that’s what you like, we have some items that should cause a few raised eyebrows among even the most blasé of you.
Ever since Desi and Lucy established the paradigm of a working couple with I Love Lucy, replicating their success has thus far been nigh impossible. While Kitchen Confidential may not be another I Love Lucy, series stars Jamie King and Bradley Cooper are poised to become the new millennium’s ideal of a husband-and-wife team toiling together in TV. It was working on the Fox TV series that brought them together and, as Jamie told us recently, “We help each other out.” When we pressed her to expound, she glowed when talking about working with Bradley, “He’s just sweet in his being just how he is.” Between bites of a hot-fudge sundae, Jamie fairly gushed, “How he treats me is really pretty sweet.”
Leonardo DiCaprio as George Clooney? Well, they are both actors at the top of their game and passionate about their respective causes. But there is another parallel: Leo is trying to put together a consortium of friends to build “a hip, young, and cool” hotel and casino. Just like Clooney, DiCaprio loves Vegas and he loves gambling. So he figures why not open a gambling Mecca and make some money while having some fun? Can you imagine the crowds such a venue will attract, especially if his partners in the venture —Tobey Maguire and Ben Affleck—join him at the blackjack table?
As proud parents of Beatrice, our jet-setting Pug, we often find ourselves at Doggie Styles, the canine boutique in Beverly Hills. And when we do, we invariably run into other dog lovers, as we recently did when Jessica Alba came in to buy some treats and toys for her Pugs. She told us that she has been advised by her father, a realtor, to invest her money in real estate. So she and her boyfriend, Cash Warren (word has it that the two are engaged), are house hunting. “Something in the neighborhood of $4 million,” she said, “in Beverly Hills or Bel-Air.” We wished her luck, of course. After our encounter with the beautiful Latina, we heard from a tipster that Jessica and Cash looked at Paris Latsis’s Beverly Ridge mansion that is said to be listed for around $14 million.
At Spago in B.H., we ran into Jarhead director Sam Mendes and his wife, Kate Winslet, as they waited for their car from the valet parking attendant. He has been receiving kudos for the film and we offered our congratulations. “I could never have made the film without Kate,” Sam said, eliciting a warm smile and sweet kiss from his lovely partner. “She agreed to the move to L.A. with me and the kids while we made the film.” Kate was wearing a Temperley dress and told us she’d just purchased it. We asked about the children, and Sam said they were great and he pointed to the “to go” box that Kate was carrying. “Some of Sherry Yard’s desserts,” she said, explaining they’d had some of the delicious sweets with their lunch.
“Yes, it’s true. I am using Regenix,” People magazine’s 20th Sexiest Man Alive, Matthew McConaughey, said to us when we ran into him and Penelope Cruz dining at MR CHOW in B.H. Regenix is the topical treatment for hair loss and the follicly challenged hunk is a satisfied user. A recent report about Matthew’s hair mystery speculated that he may have had a hair transplant, is wearing a toupee or has been taking human growth hormones.
We told him we wish we’d had this product 15 years ago when we began to lose our blond locks. Matthew denied reports that he is anxious to get Penelope, his girlfriend of 19 months, to take the matrimonial plunge and waltz down the aisle. Penelope added, “We’d rather wait a year than throw something together. I don’t want anything less than my dream wedding.” She also got us up to speed on two of her projects—the Pedro Almodovar-directed Volver and a biographical film about Salvador Dali and his wife, Gala. Although only in the script stage at this point, she said she would like to play Gala and would like Antonio Banderas to portray our friend Dali. We told her we could share some great stories about our 20-year friendship with the Dalis, how they put the two of us up in a suite at the St. Regis Hotel for more than two years and about sitting for Dali while he painted our portrait.
Also dining at MR CHOW were Rosario Dawson, star of Rent, and her hunky boyfriend, Jason Lewis, who’s most famous for playing Samantha’s boy toy Smith Jarrod on Sex and the City. “From the day we met, it’s just been perfect,” Rosario said in front of a blushing Jason. “He’s become my best friend and we’re so supportive of each other. He’s wonderful.” “And you’re wonderful,” Jason interrupted. Their professed love notwithstanding, the two acknowledged that marriage is a long way off. Kids? “I’ve always thought I’d adopt,” Rosario answered. “There are just so many children out there who’re born into devastating circumstances and need unconditional love. I want to do that.”
Rosario said working in Rent, the film version of the huge Broadway musical, is like returning to her roots. The story tracks the lives of a group of young tenement dwellers in New York’s East Village, trying to define themselves against a backdrop of HIV/AIDS and poverty. As Rosario told it, it is easy to relate to her character of Mimi, who is based on the consumptive heroine of the opera La Boheme. “I grew up in a squatter’s apartment with no electricity or running water,” she related. “In fact, on the first shooting day, we were on the corner that I lived on.” She grew up around people living (and dying) with HIV/AIDS, and knows well its alienating effects.
It is her hope that Rent will raise people’s consciousness about the disease and help create a dialogue about the problems endemic in it. Rosario and Jason have just moved to our area from New York and are setting up house together. She said that in addition to her current involvement with HIV/AIDS charities, she hopes to become involved in the new Elizabeth Taylor Center at UCLA. “She’s really a role model and one of my idols,” she concluded.