Today’s quiz: What do Robert De Niro, Jonathan Farkas (whose family owned Alexander’s), Francine LeFrak (whose family built LeFrak City) and Rwanda’s president have in common?
Answer: A cuppa java.
July 1’s Fortune magazine, Page 20, writes about Mrs. Grace Hightower De Niro “bolstering the central African nation’s economy” by importing its coffee beans.
The back story: LeFrak, long aiding Rwanda’s poverty-ridden women, today sells their not-for-profit Same Sky bracelets in top markets. The son of Rwanda’s president attends college here. In New York, businessman Farkas asked about the country’s output. The president, wanting “trade not aid,” said they export coffee.
Farkas’ socialite wife, Somers, thought her friends, philanthropist Hightower and De Niro, who has restaurants and connections, might be supportive.
Hightowers’ Coffees of Rwanda has just launched.
P.S. I know the story because we’re all buddies. Dinner together a Sunday ago: Me, Jonathan and Somers Farkas, Francine LeFrak and Realtor husband Rick Freiberg, and the Catsimatidises — Margo and John the maybe mayor.
So look for Hightowers’ Coffees of Rwanda to show up at Whole Foods — or — Catsimatidis’ Gristedes.
Age selection
Legal types defending Boston’s James “Whitey” Bulger, on trial for multiple murders, discussed jury selection with A-1 New York litigators.
They were told: A youthful jury can sit through a lengthy trial, seniors can’t. His FBI deal to rat out compatriots will make seniors vote guilty. Young ones won’t care. The elderly are horrified by his actions. Young ones — raised on madness and mayhem movies, photos of bodies in war, cop shows, youngsters’ videos depicting bloody killings and shootings — are inured to it all.
They were told: An older jury will convict. A younger jury might acquit.
I told you so
Excuuuuse me, but this week blogs and newspapers reported Hillary gear — T-shirts, mugs, caps, everything but her hairdresser’s phone number — for sale. None mentioned that I’d first reported it long enough in advance for them to rereport it. Nice that they rerereported it. Not nice that they gave me no accreditation.
On a Wing and a prayer, a sequel
HBO’s “Gasland Part ll,” a follow-up to Josh Fox’s Oscar-nominated doc “Gasland,” about “gas industries contaminating our democracy,” is on July 8.
Debra Winger, involved in producing the documentary: “I’ve lived Upstate 22 years. Gas is a fossil fuel. Their companies are trying to get us to drink Kool-Aid. You know what I say to them: ‘Frack you.’ ”
Pointing to her husband, writer Arliss Howard, she said: “He’s so great. He’s carrying my bag. Long ago I saw Mel Brooks and his wife, Anne Bancroft, walking Madison Avenue. Carrying her bag. I said: ‘That’s the kind of husband every girl should have.’ And Arliss said: ‘I’ll try to match him.’ ”
Deen’s speechless
Excuuuuse me again. Paula Deen on the “Today” show? She answered nothing. Zero.
Anything asked was answered with how nicely she was raised, how greatly she’s loved, how smelly everybody’s being. She answered zilch. Crisco isn’t as smooth.
Cycling for soul
Christine Quinn’s new passion — other than to move into Gracie Mansion — is her love of SoulCycle. She told attorney Michael Stutman: “I hate exercise but tried it because a friend in my office kept talking about that. The music’s so loud that I can scream, yell and no one notices and I’ve lost over 20 pounds in a few months. We try to go two times a week and twice with Kim [Quinn’s wife] weekends. Sometimes we get to events right from SoulCycle.”
Sign on a West 34th psychic’s door: “Readings, $2. Pay cash, and you get an extra question.”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.