Yesterday’s news included a story of the Kalikows, my friends of a quarter of a century. We have dinner together. We’ve been to each other’s homes.
Peter and Mary, his wife of more than 30 years, raised two children. Daughter Kathryn, 27, educated in the best schools, made the papers — including The Post, which Peter owned one time in the ’80s — for a drug problem.
First off, some incorrect report had Kathryn “caring for her mother, who was ill.” Bull. No. Not true. Not ill. Last month at a restaurant, I even told Mary how great she looked.
Growing up, this beautiful child was always a handful. Her mother knew it. Her father knew it. I knew it. Her mother would talk about it. And things were always Kathryn’s way. What Kathryn wanted. Her mother would give in. It was easier. And she loved her kid.
Her father and I discussed that yesterday. “She was strong-headed,” I said. “Strong-willed,” he said.
Peter: “Drugs are today’s scourge of society. So many of these kids deal with this stuff. Wish I could tell other parents what to look for. I can’t. Because everybody’s different. Remember, Kathryn spent time out of sight. She lived in Vermont when she was at school.
“All things people tell you to look for have been in my head since this happened but . . . as I think about it . . . looking back now . . . there was only one thing I noticed. An increase in her spending money. I noticed she was drawing cash.
“Most times she was fine. I knew at one point she was drinking. And then she got off that. But who knew . . . who would suspect . . .
“Mary’s with her right now. On their way to rehab, as we speak. My job is real estate. That’s what I know. I don’t know how to handle heroin addiction. Well-trained people know what to do with this and how to combat it, and we’re taking her up today. Kathryn is saying she wants to stay clear. And clean. She wants to stay sober. She wants to get free.
“Look, all my life I’m a type who tries to look at the bright side. I’ll consider this the same as root canal. It’s lousy. Painful. Nobody likes it — but what can we do? We must get through it. You have to get it done. Let experts do what they know how to do. No choice. You have to get it over. If my kid stays clean and free, we’ll be OK.”
STARS drop from NBC faster than meteorites from outer space. After the smashing of “Smash,” the sound of bodies falling can be heard round the whirl. Latest to end upright? Debra Messing. She already landed another pilot on CBS. So far the premise is unclear, the thing’s untitled, but definite is she got a job.
TV’s miniseries “The Bible” coming out in a Spanish version. With subtitles . . .
Please, I don’t know how to describe this and I’ll report on it tomorrow, but yesterday I attended a drag seder in Dr. Brian Saltzman’s super-high-class Museum of Arts & Design restaurant, Robert. Like I say, I’ll report on it tomorrow.
HISTORICAL research unearthed a hidden diary that reveals Mrs. Crockett said to Davy: “Would the King of the Wild Frontier mind putting the seat down in the throne room?”
ATLANTIC City’s $2.5 billion Revel, which filed for bankruptcy, is sold out for Rihanna’s April 26 appearance . . . Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban played a Texas Hold ’Em loser in Lou Gossett’s 2006 movie “All In.” Now he’s on ABC-TV’s “Shark Tank.” Fellow panelist Barbara Corcoran: “I never saw anyone who wants to win more.”
EASTER. Holiday. Hearst’s Michael Clinton, a globetrotter, is out with “The Globetrotter Diaries.” His tip: When you’ve boarded and hear them announce: “Mechanical difficulties. Back to you shortly,” that flight’s often canceled. It means, fast call the airline before everyone else. Nail options. Grab the next plane. Even if you didn’t book with them, American Express Platinum desk will help you out of a jam.
FROM Rabbi Yaacov Kaploun’s Moses and Aaron Foundation — which I don’t know — came round Shmurah Matzoh plus this note: “From wheat untouched with water or any moisture from when it was cut from the field until it was hand-baked. It’s the food of Faith. Evidence of trust our ancestors placed in Divine Providence.”
SO there’s this hot-shot attorney with page-one cases and a VIP medical scientist with page-one cases. They live on the phone. A high-profile, guarded, unlisted land line with its high-profile, guarded, unlisted answering service. It’s kaput. For weeks. They’ve screamed, complained. They live in a high-class West Side building. On their cell, they’ve tried to retrieve wherever their super-private messages went.
So there’s this big TV star living in a high-class East Side building. His landline phone’s gone poop. No ring. No dial tone. No answering. No reception. No nothing. No working. He’s screamed, complained. It’s dead for weeks. He’s existing on e-mail.
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.