Lunch: The British Are Coming

DIANE CLEHANE We're still exhausted from hob nobbing with last week's overflow of A-listers, so we were almost glad things were a bit more subdued at 55th & Fifth today. It gave us a chance to catch up and chat with some our favorite regulars. Imagine my chagrin when I stopped by Matt Blank's table and Showtime's CEO told me had I switched my weekly reservation to tomorrow, I'd be chatting with some of the biggest stars of his network. On Thursday, Matt and entertainment president Bob Greenblatt are hosting their own "British invasion" at table one when the entire glorious cast of The Tudors the dreamy Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Peter O'Toole and Natalie Dormer will be breaking bread with the network's other stars including Tracy Ullman, whose show State of the Union, will premiere March 30, the same night as the new season of The Tudors. Thank God, something to watch! (I've been completely depressed over the fast approaching season finale of HBO's In Treatment...) Also in attendance, says Matt, will be Billie Piper, who stars in and we're not kidding the upcoming Secret Diaries of a Call Girl, which will premiere in June. Talk about timely. Perhaps the newly unemployed Eliot Spitzer can make a cameo appearance. Here's the rundown on today's crowd: 1. Gerry Imber, Jerry Della Femina and the gang with Fox News' Monica Crowley. 2. Showtime's chairman and CEO Matt Blank with über producer Michael Davies. 3. "Mayor" Joe Armstrong and Glamoureditrix Cindi Leive (Glad you hear you're a loyal "Lunch" reader!). The Mayor was celebrating with his friend Cindi over a glass of red wine and a few asparagus spears about her big news. Minutes before lunch, Cindi found out Glamour is a finalist for the fourth year in a row for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence. No woman's magazine has ever been so honored! The worthy competitors: Time, People, National Geographic and Martha Stewart Living. Congrats! Before Cindi and Joe tucked into their lunch, we unanimously decided New York's Spitzer cover this week is one for the ages. Brilliant! 4. Norman Pearlstine and a young gent no one seemed to know ... 5. Producer Herb Siegal and guest. 6. The New York Observer's Jared 'How's Ivanka?" Kushner (who knew he was so tall?) and a distinguished looking grey-haired gent toting tons on papers. (And yes, a few were salmon colored.) 7. Vogue's style guru Andre Leon Talley and the soul of Manolo Blahnik, George Malkemus. I sat down over coffee with Andre and George to chat about the upcoming Sex & The City movie. Andre shot some pivotal scenes for the film with Sarah Jessica Parker (We're sworn to secrecy, sorry) and George, of course, supplied shoes to the production so Carrie Bradshaw can step out in her signature style. Isn't it all so fabulous?? 8. Two stylish young gals clad all in black and a handsome mystery man whose Blackberry was buzzing. Missing in action: David Patrick Columbia, where are you? 9. The new president of The Atlantic, Justin Smith, with Ed Koller, so we're told ... 11. James Patricof of Hunting Lane Films. 12. Larry Asmead. 14. CNBC's Jonathan Wald, who was nice enough to introduce me to his guest, his dapper and debonair dad Richard. Being the good son that he his, Jonathan brought his father to Michael's for a proper birthday lunch. How will the charming Mr. Wald be celebrating this evening? "I think my wife will let me have a second martini," said the birthday boy. Cheers! 15. Don Welsh, Tony Hoyt and an unidentified pal. 16. Fabulous fashionistas IGM's Fern Mallis (the indefatigable ringleader of the iconic "Tents" at Bryant Park in case you didn't know) with Jaqui Lividini and another gal. Have fun in India, Fern! 17. Pamela Keogh with former HarperCollins art director Joe Montebello. My pal Pamela's new book, What Would Audrey Do? comes out on April 17. God knows what advice the iconic Ms. Hepburn would dole out for the style-impaired and mannerless masses that make the simple task of taking public transportation a truly grating experience but I'm certainly going to pick up this timely tome to find out. 18. Latina's president Cynthia Lewis. 19. Gene Norden. 20. Producer Beverly Camhe. 21. Quest's Chris Meigher. 22. Paul Blake. 23. Ed Rollins (Happy Birthday!) and Bob Bradley. 24. A gaggle of social swans who we think flew in from Palm Beach. We're particularly intrigued by the tall blonde man with the blonde pompadour ... 25. I was thrilled to catch up with my old pal Steve Solomon, who I hadn't seen in ages. Steve gave me one of my first big projects when I launched my public relations consulting firm, Madeline Communications, back in the gasp! nineties. We worked together on making the now rich and famous Barbara Corcoran the ubiquitous media presence she is today. A long time lieutenant at Howard Rubenstein, Steve is an executive vice president at the firm and is one of the nicest guys in the biz. Today he was dining with Michele Harris, CEO of Smarti Solutions. Great to meet you! 26. Armani's George Kolasa and pals. 27. Jim Mitchell with a pal named "Conrad" ... 29. Larry Miller, who, we're told is a "regular" at Michael's on the west coast. 30. McGraw Hill's Rick Kranenburg. Please send comments and corrections to DianeClehane AT mediabistro Dot com and lunch at mediabistro DOT com.

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Lunch: The British Are Coming — Tomorrow!

Noah Davis

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