Richard Johnson: Tom Cruise seems ‘enchanted' by Ana de Armas
NEW YORK — It's hard to tell whether Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas are just friends helping promote their films by hanging out together or something more.
Cruise is hawking 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning' and de Armas is plugging 'Ballerina.'
A source who saw them in a private room at Annabel's in London said, 'He looks enchanted by her, and she looks very happy with him.'
But don't forget, they are actors.
Cruise, 62, was expected to end the series with this, the eighth 'Mission Impossible' movie, but it's already grossed over $450 million worldwide, so we'll see.
Cruise has been working on other ideas, though, including a movie version of the old Lee Majors TV show, 'The Six Million Dollar Man.'
It would have to be six billion today.
In case you weren't glued to the tube in the '70s, Majors played a grievously injured astronaut, rebuilt by the government with superhuman powers.
Cruise's films have grossed billions worldwide, so he'll be back on the big screen soon for sure.
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Elon Musk — who has at least 14 children with four mothers — provided a laugh at the Literacy Partners Annual Gala at Pier Sixty.
During her speech, '60 Minutes' star Lesley Stahl asked any women in the audience who had a child by Elon Musk to please raise their hand.
'Statistically, there should be at least six of you,' she quipped.
Honoree Bob Woodward recalled Carl Bernstein coming to him in the late 1980s and suggesting they interview Donald Trump.
'Are you f–king serious!' Woodward replied, commenting that Bernstein — who was present in the audience — 'has the best nose in the business.'
Also honored were Knopf editor Erroll McDonald, TV correspondent Cynthia McFadden and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Oprah Winfrey slipped into the Literacy Partners gala through a side door, skipping the red carpet and the paparazzi. She gave a speech about the importance of reading before disappearing into the night.
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Christine Mack loves discovering and helping emerging artists.
Her Mack Art Foundation provides a studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and a nearby apartment so they can work.
'I've never had so much fun,' she told me. 'Art brings people together. Art is not for the rich. It's for everyone.'
Mack will be honored Aug. 23 at the Southampton Arts Center Summerfest, where she'll show some of her collection of artists like Rashid Johnson, Kenny Scharf, KAWS and Keith Haring.
On June 28, the Center will host its annual kick-off party, 'Whimsy: Motown Magic,' which will feature dancing to the classics — from 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' to 'Superstition' — performed by That Motown Band.
Hosts include Jamee and Peter Gregory, Kara Ross, Sylvia Hemingway, Lauren Roberts, Nicole and Allen Salmasi, and the center's co-founder J. Whitney Stevens.
Mack, who finances her foundation by buying and selling art, explained how easy it is to help young artists. 'I'd buy their first painting so they can pay their rent.'
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Musicians Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe set tongues wagging as they dirty danced into the wee hours in the club at the Public Hotel on the Lower East Side.
The pair had performed earlier in the night at the Blue Note Jazz Festival, where Jones hula-hooped to a song in sheer black tights, a thong, and one of her gigantic signature red and black headdresses.
Later at the club, Monáe, who identifies as pansexual and non-binary, wore a black beret with patches, oversized red heart-shaped glasses, and red gloves as the two embraced and danced to the music.
Monáe took to the mic several times to serenade the crowd, who went wild as the two mixed and mingled with their fans. Grace told friends that she and Monáe have a song coming out this summer.
The pair were out swinging until nearly 5 a.m.
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Grammy-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and composer Karen LeFrak have released 'Romántico,' a new CD of world premiere recordings.
LeFrak, the wife of real estate tycoon Richard LeFrak, has composed over 200 pieces and released 17 albums that have received over 45 million streams since 2021. She has also had her works performed by orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center.
Her next work, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, has been commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and will be performed next year.
The new CD is available on all platforms, including Spotify, Amazon, and at karenlefrak.com.
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Former congresswoman Carolyn Maloney attended her former spokesperson Adrien Lesser's birthday dinner at Shun Lee Cafe along with 'Sex and the City' author Candace Bushnell, designer Julia Haart, CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, former NYC nightlife mayor Ariel Palitz and longevity doctor Amanda Khan.
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Out & About: Gurney's, a Montauk favorite with everyone from Scarlett Johansson to Naomi Watts, has a new restaurant, Gigi's, opening this week, headed by chef Justin Lee who was previously at Mina Group and French Laundry … Foursome, a new Turkish restaurant, whose name references its four owners — Haldun Kilit, Kaan Sekban, Tuba Demircioglu and Oya Mungan — is serving up Mediterranean fare at 9 Jones St. The new hot spot is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their rainbow-colored pancakes, celebrating Pride Month, have gone viral on Instagram … Gallerist Quang Bao from 1969 Gallery gave a dinner for artist Radu Oreian and his solo show 'That Magic Light' at Au Cheval's secret subterranean room on Cortlandt Alley and Walker Street. The show will be up until Saturday.
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