SOCIETY
S O C I A L S A FA R I HOT PARTIES & GALAS By R. Couri Hay
PRINCE OF WALES, SOUTH FORK NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, ELIZBETH HURLEY, SUTTON FOSTER, FRIARS CLUB, HUMANE SOCIETY OF NY, PETER THOMAS ROTH & ELVIS Elvis Harry Styles didn’t make the cut to play Elvis Presley in the director Baz Luhrmann’s sexy and lush movie Elvis, which instead stars hot outbreak star Austin Butler as the King. Tom Hanks plays the singer’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, and Olivia DeJonge plays Priscilla Presley. Butler embodied Elvis so fully that Luhrmann didn’t realize that his southern drawl wasn’t the accent he grew up with. Austin Butler & Priscilla Presley Butler said, “My family says I don’t sound like me anymore.” He also said, “I’m trying to learn how to navigate a new lack of privacy; it can really be uncomfortable as I’m really shy.” Will Butler become the hunk of the decade and a star equal to Tom Cruise and Steve McQueen? That’s what the studio and Austin are hoping for. Elvis was known for his extravagant style and his love of both jewelry and firearms, even taking a gun to his bedroom when he went to sleep at night. He carried a Colt .45 automatic for protection, set up a shooting gallery for target practice at Graceland, and was officially appointed as a Shelby County deputy sheriff, which made it legal for the entertainer to carry arms. He possessed 37 guns at the time of his death in 1977. Now M.S. Rau in New Orleans has just obtained two of Elvis Presley’s favorite personal items. The entertainer’s .38 Smith & Wesson Model 36 pistol, yours for $78,500, and a ring with a vibrant blue lapis cabochon in a unique 14k gold setting that’s being sold for $24,850. rauatiques.com Party in the Garden Museum of Modern Art The rain didn’t hold back the beautiful people from hitting the dance floor to the beats of Anderson
Paak, who performed as DJ PeeWee. MoMA’s Party in the Garden in The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden followed a dinner that honored George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, Linda Goode Bryant, and Wolfgang Tillmans. Guests included a bevy of artists, including Cindy Sherman, Maria Kreyn, and Bentley Meeker. The latter also designed the glamorous lighting throughout the space. Also present were Martin Scorsese, Tamara Mellon, Michael Ovitz, Stavros Niarchos, Dasha Zhukova, Larry Gagosian, Thelma Golden, Marc Glimcher, Stephanie March, Marie-Josée Kravis, Henry Kravis, Mimi Haas, Sergio Nicolosi, and Michael Bloomberg (who’s in a race with Mayor Eric Adams to see how many NYC events they can add their pizzazz to). moma.org
South Fork Natural History Museum Sylvia Earle, Jim Ash, Richard Grasso, Jeff Keil, Greg Manocherian, Carl Safina, and crypto-pioneer Brock Pierce will be honored at Andy Sabin’s South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature Center. SoFo announced that they will be honored at the annual SoFo Summer Gala in Easthampton on August 6. SoFo’s stated mission is “to stimulate interest in, advance Andy Sabin with kids knowledge of, and foster appreciation for the from Snake Walk natural environment, with special emphasis on the unique natural history of Long Island’s South Fork.” sofo.org The Friars Club Attorney Arthur Aidala, who also serves as the dean of the Friars Club, organized a black-tie tribute to the comedian and SNL alumnus Tracy Morgan at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Two former mayors, Rudy Giuliani and Bill de Blasio, were present as Mayor Eric Adams presented Morgan with the Icon Award: the club’s top honor. Past recipients have included Tom Cruise, Tony Bennett, Robert De Niro, and Frank Sinatra. Adams asked Aidala, who is also the host of The Aidala Power Hour on AM970, if he could arrange a photo of him and the other two mayors. Unfortunately, de Blasio had already slipped out. When accepting the award, Morgan said, “Never give up.
Sharon Coplan Hurowitz
Social Life
