Lunch At Michael's: Orlando Bloom & The Usual Suspects

DIANE CLEHANE It was a full house at 55th & Fifth today. We're always more than eager to check out the regular crowd of media types and Broadway babies, but it's those random celebrity sightings that really get our attention. The A-lister on today's menu: Orlando Bloom, who had staffers and social swans alike swooning. "He's so cute!" squealed one excited diner while powdering her nose in the ladies room. My pal Randall, the always helpful bartender, reports that the dreamy Mr. Bloom is just the latest cast member of The Lord of The Rings to make an appearance. Evidently, Ian McKellen was in last week. Here's hoping Mr. Bloom sets off a string of visits from his costars in Pirates of the Caribbean. Where are you, Johnny Depp? 1. Haven maven Chris Madden, husband and partner Kevin Madden and company vice president Barbara Marx, entertaining some well-dressed business types. The design doyenne reports she had a swell time at her swanky party last week at the Gramercy Park Hotel to celebrate her 30th year in business. "It's not always the most fun to host a party but we all really enjoyed ourselves," reports Chris. The A-list crowd that toasted Chris and her team included Cathie Black (who told me she doesn't get to Michael's as often as she used to because of the fabulous cafeteria in Hearst's newish digs), Bride's editor-in-chief Millie Martini Bratten and "The Prince of Chintz" Mario Buatta . By the way, thanks for the invite. Great goodie bag! 2. Former city council president Andrew Stein with three serious looking young turk types who no one seemed to recognize. 3. Our good pal 'Mayor' Joe Armstrong who was nice enough to introduce me to the charming Wayne Lawson, Vanity Fair's executive literary editor. Nice to meet you! 4. Orlando Bloom and Robert Benton, whose latest film, Feast of Love, starring Greg Kinnear and Morgan Freeman, is earning raves from some critics (like Andrew Sarris in the New York Observer) and barbs from others. For those who have chided the Oscar-winning director for making a sudsy chick flick, Benton offers this retort: "It isn't sappy. It's about the downside of love." For what it's worth, I've seen it and I loved it. 5. Jonathan Wald. 6. Jesse Kornbluth, Marshall Cohen & Wendy Goldberg. 7. Nick E. Rubinstein. 8. New York Social Diary's David Patrick Columbia with Brooke Duchin and a dapperly dressed gentleman. 9. Gucci's James Knight. 11. Joan Jacobson. 14. Steven Swid. 15. Walter Sabo with Parade's Ira Yoffee. 16. Producer Joan Gelman (loved the shades!) with Sandy Perl and Lisa Jacobson, who, we're told, is the granddaughter of the late Toots Shorr. 17. Ed Blier. 18. Ed Klein, who stopped to chat with me at the bar about his latest book, Katie: The Real Story. When asked whether he's heard anything from Katie Couric's camp at CBS about the book, the best-selling author reports there's been "total silence." When I told him more than a few folks I know were intrigued by the dishy chapters he served up on Katie's early years, he replied: "I found them the most interesting, too, because it hadn't been reported before. I was surprised by how many people were willing to talk on the record." I'm sure you weren't the only one. 20. Bill Migouri. 21. NBC bigwig Alan Wurtzel. 22. We couldn't see... 23. Gordon Davis with a Mr. Lichenstein. 24. Mrs. John Morgan and a few chatty gal pals. 27. John Carter. Please send comments and corrections to DianeClehane AT mediabistro Dot com and lunch at mediabistro DOT com.

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Lunch At Michael's: Orlando Bloom & The Usual Suspects

Noah Davis

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