Latest news with #Leifer
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Richard Johnson: Chelsea Clinton twins with daughter at ballet gala
NEW YORK — Chelsea Clinton arrived quietly with two of her three children, Charlotte and Aiden, at the Youth America Grand Prix ballet gala at Lincoln Center. 'The daughter looks just like her mother,' said one fan. Sitting nearby was another political dynasty: Judith Pisar and her daughter Leah, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken's mother and sister, respectively. Opening on stage was Mick Jagger's baby mama (and YAGP alumna) Melanie Hamrick. Partying later with them was Mick's son Lucas Jagger, 25, whose mother is Luciana Gimenez. Hamrick's co-host Andy Cohen told the crowd, 'Hello New York City! Hello ballet fans! I was called the Baryshnikov of Bravo tonight, I'm going to keep that! I'm changing my Instagram bio immediately.' **** Carol Leifer — the inspiration for Elaine on 'Seinfeld' — never gets credit for a joke that's become overused. On the SDR Show with Ralph Sutton, Sutton revealed that he saw Leifer live when he was 12, and still remembers her line, 'I don't have any kids … that I know of.' Leifer said how it's become so universal, no woman who uses it now has any idea that it stemmed from her comedy routine. Plugging her new book 'How to Write a Funny Speech for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah & Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place,' Leifer covered working her one weird year on 'Saturday Night Live.' **** Always dapper Mayor Eric Adams was overheard complimenting the suit of PR guru R. Couri Hay during the image maker's birthday party at the opening of the restaurant La Piazza at 20 East 49th Street. Hizzoner told Couri he was sticking to his 'plant-based' diet, so the hotspot's critically acclaimed chef Fabrizio Barretta — who was flown over by owners Juljan and Ledjo Musabelliu from their flagship restaurant in Venice, Italy — made sure the mayor got the right dishes. Ann Dexter-Jones, the wife of Foreigner's Mick Jones, designers Julia Haart and Nicole Miller, Liliana Cavendish, travel writer Joe Alexander and lighting guru Bentley Meeker were all there. So was Michael Gross, whose new tell-all will be about St. Barts and the stars and billionaires who frequent its beaches. Others in the fun mix were Liz and Todd Shapiro, NY Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, Herb Karlitz, designer TC Chou, and plastic surgeon Dr. Tony Berlet and his podcaster wife Kerry Berlet, whose popular show, 'Once Upon a Surgery,' features in-depth interviews with her husband's patients. **** Mariah Carey, Blake Lively, Joe Rogan, Charlie Sheen, Goldie Hawn and rapper Macklemore are all collectors of contemporary pop artist DeVon. Charles Saffati and Claude Pardo, who helm Carlton Fine Arts, will host a reception for the artist on May 14 to celebrate his solo exhibition at 543 Madison Ave. Following in the artistic lineage of Andy Warhol, DeVon will show portraits of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. He will also feature paintings of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison well ahead of the release of the band's biopic, a four-part film series coming out in April of 2028. 'It's my way to make a difference in this world. To inspire people to live their life as if it were their own heroic story,' says DeVon. **** The volatile stock market could be preventing unhappy couples from divorcing. Top divorce lawyer Martha Cohen Stine, who has represented Laurence Fishburne and Andrew Cuomo, said, 'You may think that the strain of a bear market likely stresses marriages and leads to increased rates of divorce. 'But in fact, a bad economy may deter the spouses from pursuing a divorce because the value of their assets has decreased and there is not enough money to fund two households. Lawyers call this the 'affordability constraint.' During tough economic times, the inability to sell homes, depleted savings, and job insecurity sometimes make splitting up a financial impossibility.' So think it through before you file for a divorce you might not be able to afford. **** For lovers of all things Italian comes a three-day event, May 13-15, curated by the Italian Trade Commission at its townhouse on Madison and East 67th. A fashion show will be followed by cooking demonstrations, yoga classes and wine tastings representing 90 different brands. Check it out at **** King Charles' brother Prince Edward attended an intimate lunch at the New York Junior League to announce the league's partnership with the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. The Duke's Award program, started by his father, Prince Philip, 69 years ago, develops skills through experience for young people ages 14 to 24. Bronze, silver and gold medals are given out to those who complete their chosen activities and adventurous journeys. Over a million medals have been given out in over 120 countries. After lunch, the prince went to Newark, New Jersey, to meet with 300 students. ________
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Student returns lost backpack filled with luxury jewelry, diamonds, cash
BOROUGH PARK, Brooklyn (WPIX) — Amid the fog of international travel, a group of Jewish students studying in Jerusalem was handed a backpack — that none recognized as their own. Fortunately for the rightful owner, these students believe in doing good deeds, or mitzvahs, as part of their daily lives. After returning home for the Jewish holidays, a Brooklyn, New York, exchange student — who prefers to remain anonymous — never expected a lost bag, and the attention that followed, to land in his lap at Newark Airport. Eggs under $4 sold by skincare store 'The Ordinary' in NYC A cab driver had mistakenly handed over the backpack while unloading the student's luggage. 'The yellow cab comes back, opens the window, says, 'Someone left this,' hands it over to me, and drives away,' the student, 20, recalled. Before he could tell the driver it wasn't his, the cab had already sped off. The student was stunned when he opened the bag in an attempt to find its rightful owner. 'First, I saw a laptop,' he said. 'Then I started opening other areas and seeing jewelry.' 'I was shocked,' he added. 'It looked like expensive stuff.' Inside the bag, he found a custom diamond-encrusted pendant, Rolex watches, loose diamonds, other jewelry, and cash — with an estimated value over $100,000. He immediately told his mother, who advised him to call Shmira, a Brooklyn public safety group. Shmira volunteers took the backpack and began investigating. 'This is what we do,' said Levi Leifer, director of the Shmira chapter. 'This is our mission, our 24/7.' The group eventually found a phone number linking them to the bag's owner, who told Nexstar's WPIX that he works in New York City's Diamond District but would not provide any additional information. 'Was he a distributor? A wholesaler? A customer? I'm sure, with time, we'll get more clarity on the story itself,' Leifer said. Kidnapped 6-year-old girl discovered during traffic stop: Kansas troopers After confirming ownership, Shmira invited the ecstatic man to their Borough Park office. 'While he's talking, we see fear, assuming the bag is empty,' Leifer said. 'But when he opened it, he couldn't believe it. You had to see his eyes.' 'He was very, very excited, looked very happy.' Blown away by the students' honesty, the owner offered a reward, which they declined. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Yahoo
Student returns lost backpack filled with luxury jewelry and diamonds
BOROUGH PARK, Brooklyn (PIX11) — Amid the fog of international travel, a group of Jewish students studying in Jerusalem was handed a backpack—one that none of them recognized as their own. Fortunately for the rightful owner, these students believe in doing good deeds, or mitzvahs, as part of their daily lives. More Local News After returning home for the Jewish holidays, a Brooklyn exchange student—who prefers to remain anonymous—never expected a lost bag, and the attention that followed, to land in his lap at Newark Airport. A cab driver had mistakenly handed over the backpack while unloading the student's luggage. 'The yellow cab comes back, opens the window, says, 'Someone left this,' hands it over to me, and drives away,' the student, 20, recalled. Before he could tell the driver it wasn't his, the cab had already sped off, and was stunned when he opened the bag in an attempt to find its rightful owner. 'First, I saw a laptop,' he said. 'Then I started opening other areas and seeing jewelry.' 'I was shocked,' he added. 'It looked like expensive stuff.' Inside the bag, he found a custom diamond-encrusted pendant, Rolex watches, loose diamonds, other jewelry, and cash—with an estimated value over $100,000. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State He immediately told his mother, who advised him to call Shmira, a Brooklyn public safety group. Shmira volunteers took the backpack and began investigating. 'This is what we do,' said Levi Leifer, Director of the Shmira chapter. 'This is our mission, our 24/7.' The group eventually found a phone number linking them to the bag's owner, who told PIX11 he works in New York City's Diamond District. But would not provide any additional information. 'Was he a distributor? A wholesaler? A customer? I'm sure, with time, we'll get more clarity on the story itself,' Leifer said. After confirming ownership, Shmira invited the ecstatic man to their Borough Park office. 'While he's talking, we see fear, assuming the bag is empty,' Leifer said. 'But when he opened it, he couldn't believe it. You had to see his eyes.' More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State 'He was very, very excited—looked very happy.' Blown away by the students' honesty, the owner offered a reward, which they declined. A lost bag of diamonds, returned by a group—a cut above the rest. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Raise a Glass to the Messy, Cringey Wedding Toast
Some of the most dismally wrongheaded performances I have ever seen have been wedding toasts — and I used to review Off Off Broadway theater. There was the groomsman who made the toast all about himself and the bridesmaid whose anecdote about the married couple's first date included the bride's first impression about the groom's appearance that was too harsh to be laughed off. So many hack advice dispensers ('Never go to bed angry') and generic chin strokers ('Was it Shakespeare who said …'). Bad toasts have become a popular comic trope in movies and TV and sketch shows like 'Saturday Night Live.' Catastrophic ones provide reliable laughs in cringe comedy. Think of Steve Buscemi's drunken, resentment-filled best man toast in 'The Wedding Singer' or Steve Carell's corny tribute to an employee in 'The Office' ('Phyllis and Bob. Their celebrity couple name would be Phlob'). But as a critic who appreciates a big swing, I'd like to come to the defense of one of the most demonized comic forms: the risky toast. We need more 'Domingo' speeches, not fewer. The common fear of public speaking is the core of the new book 'How to Write a Funny Speech … for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation & Every Other Event You Didn't Want to Go to in the First Place,' an inspired piece of service journalism by the comedians Carol Leifer and Rick Mitchell. Mitchell, a stand-up and Emmy-winning producer, and Leifer, a comic who has written for 'Saturday Night Live,' 'Hacks' and 'Seinfeld,' are seasoned professionals. Leifer is an especially accomplished and respected veteran and has worked on many award shows, especially the material written for celebrities to present awards. This is tricky work requiring diplomacy and comic chops, exactly what you need to figure out the right thing to say at your aunt's third wedding. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
