Long before “The Bear” and all the raves and awards that have come with it including a recent Golden Globe, a 13-year-old Jeremy Allen White was already getting great reviews.
White played the part of Jem, Scout’s older brother in the Brooklyn-based Brave New World Repertory Theatre’s 2005 production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Brave New World used house porches on a tree-lined street in the Ditmas Park section of Brooklyn as the stage, with the audience of hundreds seated in the closed-off street.
Some 19 years later White is nearly naked showing off his muscles in ads for Calvin Klein underwear.
He should come in March when Brave New World Rep kicks off its 2024 season with a new play, “Leni’s Last Lament,” which has Hitler’s controversial filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl, portrayed as a misunderstood victim as she attempts to edit and reassemble her notorious past into a more palatable portrait.
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Anh Duong — who’s been a ballerina, a fashion model and a movie actress — is a painter now, and her favorite model is herself.
“I had models once, but they were always late, or sick,” Duong told me. “So I decided to use myself.”
A show of Duong’s recent works opening Feb. 8 at Isabelle Bscher’s Galerie Gmurzynska on E. 78th St. includes a painting of herself in the arms of a young man.
The image poses the question, “How far can you lose control and still be in charge?” Duong said.
She won’t name the stud. “The guy exists, and he knows he’s in the painting, but I’m not going any further.”
Duong, who painted as a child, started up again when she was with Julian Schnabel.
“We were at the Warhol estate in Montauk. Julian saw a sketch and said, ‘You should be a painter.’ The next day he bought me canvases.”
But Schnabel never tried to teach her. Duong said, “He didn’t influence me. He inspired me.”
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Italia Tornabene embraces her colorful history as a porn star without reservation.
Her memoir “Suits to Stilettos” details her journey as a determined single mother navigating through higher education, earning an Associate’s in business administration management, a Bachelor’s in legal studies, and a Master’s in criminal justice.
She candidly discusses misconceptions about the sex industry: “There’s a lot of misunderstanding about this line of work. It’s not just physically demanding; it’s a mental and emotional marathon. It’s a pity that our society, and its laws, are so rigid and outdated regarding adult entertainment.”
Reflecting on international perspectives, she adds, “My friends in Amsterdam and Germany view it as a normal career path, a consensual choice between adults. I hope our society can eventually adopt a similar, more open-minded stance.”
As a survivor of sexual assault, Tornabene discovered unexpected healing in the sex work industry. It was there that she found peace.
“It provided a safe space for me to reclaim my body, my voice, and my sense of self,” she said.
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Cold weather was not enough to scare off Russian models from going out on Jan. 13 for Russian New Year. Large groups gathered at Serafina Meatpacking, Russian Samovar and Cipriani.
Caviar was abundant, provided by former model Anna Dozortsev, co-owner of Ikraa Caviar, whose clients include the artist Domingo Zapata and “RHONY” Ubah Hassan.
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While it might seem crazy to think about the Hamptons while there is snow on the ground, those spring wedding invitations will be coming sooner than later.
Two popular inns are out of commission for now.
Huntting Inn in East Hampton, which houses Ralph Lauren’s favorite restaurant The Palm, unexpectedly closed for much-needed renovations.
Shocking staff and patrons, Hedges Inn, which hosts events during the Hamptons Film Festival, was damaged Monday night by joy-riding teens who crashed into the front of the hotel.
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A Feb. 22 fundraiser for the Nelson Mandela Memorial Garden could get canceled because the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) has sued.
Mandela’s eldest daughter Dr. Makaziwe Mandela was scheduled to auction off nearly 100 lots, including his walking sticks and letters Mandela wrote describing his life behind bars, plus gifts from former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
The treasures at Arlan Ettinger’s Guernsey’s auction house are valued at $3-5 million and will be available to view at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Feb. 17 and 18.
But not if SAHRA is successful in its suit.
“This is not only to protect and promote a commitment to conserving South Africa’s rich cultural heritage but also to contributing to the global discourse on responsible cultural heritage stewardship,” the agency said.
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Out & About: Brooke Shields and Candace Bushnell have both served as grand marshalls of Audrey Gruss’s Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s Races of Hope. The organization is hosting their 6th annual Palm Beach Race to Defeat Depression on Feb. 17. Expected attendees include Sharon Bush, Sophie Mahlkvist and Park Ave. plastic surgeon Dr. Lyle Leipziger … Interior designer Campion Platt is working with Ecogensus founder Bjornulf Ostvik on a line of luxury furniture made from recycled household garbage. Some pieces will be on display at Holiday House’s tabletop event at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach on Feb. 26 to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation … Ice T toasted author Mark Minevich and his new book “Our Planet Powered by AI” over dinner at Dominica ambassador Paolo Zampolli‘s residence in Gramercy Park.
