'Hollywoodland' hits Hamptons

By LIZ SMITH

Dunne

Allen

Pitt

THE HAMPTONS sizzled last weekend when Dominick Dunne descended from a private jet to preside over the kick-off screening for "Hollywoodland," the story of the first "Superman" - George Reeves. Dominick had flown to Long Island from his home in Connecticut across the Sound. ... Dominick already had one long true life experience as a Hollywood producer. He remembered that Eddie Mannix, played in the movie by Bob Hoskins, was once called "Louis B. Mayer's bulldog" and the film, to be released Sept. 8, tells the tale of how Mrs. Mannix had a fateful romance with George Reeves. ... On hand were the pic's Diane Lane (she plays Toni Mannix) as well as Adrien Brody as the inspector and director Allen Coulter who is fresh from HBO with "Sex & the City" and "The Sopranos" under his belt. Glimpsed greeting Dunne were Barbara Walters, Joan Ganz Cooney and Pete Peterson, who were his hosts along with his former daughter-in-law Carey Lowell. Also, Calvin Klein, Clarissa Bronfman, Glen Williamson, Cornelia Guest, Arianna Huffington, Chuck Scarborough, Al Taubman, Nachos Figueras and Robert Wilson.

THE TOWN of Old Saybrook in Connecticut is forging ahead with its plan to turn its town hall into the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center & Theatre. This community on the Connecticut River is fully behind the project and many Hepburn fans are on board. Hepburn grew up in Old Saybrook and its neighboring Fenwick and moved back there when she retired. You can donate to have a balcony, the main lobby, the stage or dressing rooms, even bricks named as your gift to Hepburn's memory. When I think of the many actresses who have cited the Great Kate as their idol and mentor, I'd think every one of them would want to be a part of this tribute to her as the number one film actress of her generation. Address the Center at 300 Main St., Old Saybrook, CT 06475.

WOODY Allen's "Scoop" was screened "intimately" at the Museum of Modern Art on July 26, followed by dinner at Le Cirque. Everybody who was anybody who was still in humid Manhattan was there, melting. Women who elected to walk cross-town from MOMA to Le Cirque had to immediately rush to the ladies room to repair damage to their paint jobs. Among the throng: Marie-Jose and Henry Kravis, Liz Cho, Nora Ephron and Nick Pileggi, Stone Phillips, Anna Wintour, Bebe Neuwirth, Lally Weymouth, Mort Zuckerman and Gerald Schoenfeld. Peggy Siegal presided.

DAME SHIRLEY Bassey, whose over-the-title singing did as much for the James Bond films as Sean Connery's 007, is selling off 300 of her most extravagant gowns to raise money for England's leading children's charity ... Samuel Jackson will be the voice of God in a CD set of the New Testament to be released in September. The Old Testament follows in 2007. The Old Testament deity, so full of fire and brimstone, will really give something for Jackson to sink his teeth into. ... Happy to learn that Sir Paul McCartney has some good news at last. Daughter Stella expects a second baby for grandpa.

I CAME back from my vacation fearing I'd find my longtime friend Sirio Maccioni in a funk over a mealy-mouthed review of his new Le Cirque. I experienced the new restaurant as it begins to hit its stride since opening a few months back. Service and food were superb. But the best thing of all was to see a rejuvenated Sirio strolling his domain with an unusually calm demeanor. He said, "Never have I had such a July in New York, not in 36 years! We are filled for lunch and dinner. I am very happy."

HOLLYWOOD is marveling at Brad Pitt and the manner in which he came back home from his travels abroad with Angelina Jolie and their three children and plunged back into work. Brad is bumping up his bank account and his career by committing himself to one movie after another. He is already filming "Ocean's Thirteen" and has "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" in the can. He has obligated himself for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Dallas Buyer's Club," "Chad Schmidt" and he is in talks about Ayn Rand's classic "Atlas Shrugged."

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