Friars roast undercooked
OY. The Friars. Its famous roasts — which probably predated Queen Victoria and have been the theatrical club’s financial mainstay, celebrity credential, onetime big-time party time — has gone the way of the pull-chain toilet. Forget past roastees like
Trump. This one’s Gary Busey. With the feds currently inspecting the organization’s finances, also forget a jammed, crammed Grand Ballroom at large bucks per table.
The gala was to be June 23. It was to be at the Sheraton. Now not. Even waiters are staying home.
The new news is it’s switched to June 22. And it’ll be squished into the Friars in-house dining room. And it’s $200 per, which is maybe negotiable. And no super hot shot VIP-biggie roasters like usual. In fact, so far no names at all.
Regulars, fearful the place mightn’t even be there long, are even dropping away.
Bits & pieces
NO confirmation from Buckingham Palace, but Her Maj’s favorite sip is Dubonnet — and fave family member is Edward and Sophie’s little girl . . . DISSING stores and Internet, fashionistas are ordering custom clothes from the fashion district’s designer Henry Schickerling of Tosca.
Odds & ends
CATHERINE ZetaJones, who played Olivia de Havilland in “Feud”: “She lives in France. We were scheduled to meet when I was in the South of France, but then came the terrorist attack last year, so we never met” . . . ALFRED Molina, who’s been making movies for more than 40 years: “I live in California. I’d prefer to live in New York. Such a terrif ic city, but too expensive. Who can afford it?”
Waiting on Oprah
LAST week, HBO held a screening and party at Tao for their f ilm “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”
Dealing with racism, it stars Oprah.
It had been in the works half a dozen years, but lay unmade because they wanted Oprah for it, and her schedule didn’t allow until recently.
AT La Guardia: “Next month’s Memorial Day. Vacations f ill your year. Travel in June, get pictures back in August, bills back in September, health back in November, and your luggage back in December.” Only in New York, kids, only in New York.