The Brooke Astor auction has some hard sells. Furniture looks old. And her initials dot every piece of luggage. Maiden name, Russell. They spell BRA.
JAVIER Bardem in GQ’s October issue: “I don’t believe in God, I believe in Al Pacino.”
On an “actor’s insecurity. One day you’re liked, the next it’s, ‘Ah nah, not that guy.’ If you suck, you just keep moving.”
About watching himself on-screen: “I can’t watch that f – – king nose, that f – – king voice, those ridiculous eyes.”
BONNIE Lautenberg, wife of Jersey’s Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, has photographed every US senator. Her “How They Changed Our Lives, Senators as Working People” begins Oct. 7 at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City . . . Yoko Ono creating pearl and crystal tags on “Wish” trees at SoHo’s Swarovski. Julianne Moore and Elizabeth Olsen hung their wishes on them. Probably for Oscars.
TORY Burch and Tommy Hilfiger at Fashion 4 Development’s lunch. Evie Evangelou emcee’d . . . Deena Cortese of “Jersey Shore” at Just Restaurant in Old Bridge . . . Nov. 29 Fortuna’s Fifth Ave showroom hosting an estate jewelry auction . . . Actress Leesa Rowland’s vegan cooking show “Two City Girls” launched on YouTube . . . Signs of fall. Beautiful faces are all getting facials at Lia Schorr’s 57th and Lex institute.
RICHARD Thomas’ “An Enemy of the People” opens Thursday. Samuel Friedman Theatre. Ibsen’s vintage play, now an updated version, is about a doctor who wants a town’s industry shut because it’s toxic. Richard plays his brother the mayor in a case of both being right and both being wrong.
“Broadway’s exciting,” Richard said. “Great street to play on. Theaters are beautiful. Audiences are different here. They’re sharp. Broadway is the best thing you can ever do. My first job was at the Manhattan Theatre Club.
“New York’s an international cultural center. A theatrical community. It has intellect, discrimination, discerning people who go to theater. Some places are more sedate. Here you play to those who’ve known lots of stagecraft.
“Matinees, with mostly older folk, have seen more than anybody. A crowd that knows what it’s looking at.
“Born and raised here, I was hired to do a series in LA. So I moved there. Two years later I woke up and said, ‘Holy s – – t. What are we doing here . . . what’s going on,’ and we moved back. Between my wife and me, we have seven kids. Oldest, 28, youngest, 16.
“I said, ‘Let’s sell the house,’ which we did in 10 days, and now we’re back in civilization, where I can walk out my front door and I’m in the theater. My 16-year-old wants to be a couturiere. My two stepdaughters want to be in show business.”
Richard also discussed his 65 percent hearing loss. “I’ve worn different kinds of hearing aids. Now I have Oticon. They get smaller and smaller, and with them I hear great. I’ve worn them since I’m young. It’s an impairment not a profound loss. Without them I couldn’t work in the theater.”
EVENTS like Valentino’s big-time opera night last week have panic attacks over seating. But possibly one backside never sat down. Next to Anne Hathaway at Very Valuable Valentino’s table — a classier position than at a White House State dinner — seemed there was an empty chair, which got quickly removed, and the guests quickly reassembled. Had it been for her fiancé, Adam Shulman? Or the perpetual non-arrival of Elijah? Or will everyone humph and tell me I’m wrong?
MADONNA and the new Madonna, Gaga, two shy wallflowers who despise publicity (Gaga in a balloon, Madonna kissing Britney), are supposedly feuding. Might they be plotting to do something together? . . . And movie studios who despise publicity for newly released films, have they personally, legally cootchy-coo’d Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart to co-tromp the red carpet for “Breaking Dawn: Part 2?
CYNTHIA Nixon, about the Blue Card Holocaust victims fund-raiser in which she’s involved: “This began in 1934, and we’ve raised $18 million to help repair their lives. One-third live in poverty. I’m not Jewish, but my children’s father is. My kids are raised Jewish. They’ve been bar mitzvah’d.”
ANOTHER side of spirituality is Deepak Chopra. Have one day in his life: morning speech at the Clinton Initiative. Then a VH1 appearance. Followed by inability to navigate traffic because Obama was in town, so a delayed arrival at my house. Back-to-back was a 92nd Street Y lecture, a screening of his son’s new movie about him, which concluded with a Q&A, and he wound up hitting “an after-party with the Clinton people.”
THE political debates are coming. Wow-eee. Should have all the titillating passion and throbbing excitement of Barney Frank’s sex life.
I WON’T be writing tomorrow, so we’ll speak again Thursday — and a good holy day to you all.
SEVENTH Avenue fruit and veggie dealer named Alam. His stand contains the sign: “Wendy Williams gets her bananas here.”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.