Friday Night Fights

You can almost guarantee some late-night cruel intentions from the newly single movie star.

 
Lance Bass and Riechen Lehmkuhl, right, with Elena Baronoff of Exclusively Baronoff Realty at a less bloody party earlier this year. File photo

By Jon Warech

Former reality TV star Reichen Lehmkuhl of Amazing Race fame hosted a book-signing for his autobiography, Here’s What We’ll Say, at Social Miami on Friday night. By his side, as always, was boyfriend/former boybander Lance Bass, whose coming out party put the two back in the Hollywood spotlight. The couple chatted with locals, sipped cocktails and snapped photos for everyone, all while promoting the book that depicts life as a gay male in the military. The excitement of the night came via a reality TV reunion, first for Lehmkuhl with his first place Amazing Race partner (and former flame) Chip Arndt, and second with the AR runners-up Kelly Parks and Jon Corso making a surprise visit. I expected more juice from the old boyfriend versus new/much-more-famous boyfriend but they seemed to get along. And all was cool with the runners-up too, until Corso accidentally bumped into the wrong guy while walking downstairs to the hotel lobby. A fight broke out and Corso was left bloody. Ironically, he was helped out by another former reality star, Big Brother’s Hardy Hill, whom locals know as VIP host with the Opium Group. Had cameras been rolling it would have made a great episode for any of the popular reality shows, but nothing was better than the live performance, which Corso described to Lehmkuhl in detail at Mokai following the signing. The two buddies along with Bass and Parks partied hearty at a table adjacent to the DJ booth well into the evening, and even with blood all over his shirt, Corso looked like he was having a good time. Bass and Lehmkuhl cooled off Saturday at the Delano with chicken wings and a dip in the pool, while Parks and Corso disappeared into reality TV oblivion.

SINGLE IN THE CITY

Aside from Britney hitting K-Fed with divorce papers, the biggest celebrity gossip circulating this week was the breakup of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, who part ways just as Phillippe’s career seems back in action with the film Flags of Our Fathers at a theater near you. Of course when something goes wrong there is always a Miami connection, so it was a no-brainer that Phillippe (as cover stories hit newsstands) fled to our fair city for some top secret partying. Details are fuzzy, but sources say he was first spotted at the airport and then last Wednesday night partying at the Forge. I wish I had the time (and money) to stake out Gold Rush all week, because you can almost guarantee some late-night cruel intentions from the newly single movie star.

STYLE DIRECTOR SET TO TURN NICKY O INSIDEOUT

Nicky Hilton is catching some heat these days as some design partners at the new Nicky O Hotel on Ocean Drive are scoffing at the amount of actual “designing” done by the heiress. But, beyond all the whining over celebrities getting all the credit, there is a bit of exciting news with regard to the hotel. Joining big-name fashion types such as Nicole Miller, Roberto Cavalli and Heatherette in designing the suites is Abby Kellett, the style director at Florida InsideOut magazine, who is designing the Ocean Drive magazine suite for her sister publication. The one-bedroom suite will reflect the glamour lifestyle associated with OD and will be filled with the latest in European furniture design from companies such as Luminaire and Ligne Roset. “I’ve been given complete free rein as far as the budget and design go,” says Kellett. “I met with Nicky to show her the design, which she loved – especially the ’20s-style jewel-encrusted wallpaper, which I’ll be using in the bedroom.” The hotel is set to open in time for the Super Bowl, while Hilton herself will return Dec. 9 to host the “Give a Lift for Paralysis Benefit” gala at Thomas Kramer’s Star Island pad.

LOCAL BAND BREAKS ONTO MTV SCENE

Fallen From The Sky (JMB Record$), a Boca Raton-born, high-energy rock ’n’ roll quintet, was selected to participate in MTV2’s Dew Circuit Breakout, and out of 150 bands is now in the top six and looking to win the grand prize. The ultimate battle-of-the-bands competition, Circuit Breakout has musicians display their musical prowess as they face a showdown in cities across the United States. Fans can help FFTS make it to the final three bands — who will face off live in the MTV Times Square Studio for this year’s grand prize — by voting at www.dewcircuit.mtv2.com.

UPCOMING…

The William Morris Agency and Fantasma Productions’ Second Annual South Beach Comedy Festival is back and better than ever with a star-packed lineup of shows from Jan. 17-20, 2007. In association with Comedy Central, the festival welcomes performers such as Roseanne Barr, Jim Breuer, Margaret Cho, Andrew Dice Clay, Mike Epps, Greg Giraldo, Lisa Lampanelli, Artie Lange, Bill Maher and Jon Stewart to the various stages around town. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. through all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information visit www.southbeachcomedyfestival.com. In addition to the headlining performances, the festival will hold an open call on Jan. 6 at The Improv Comedy Club in Coconut Grove for aspiring comedians to win a chance to perform on the Free Comedy Stage on Lincoln Road.

WISH UPON A STAR (OR TWO)

Local VIPs gathered in droves Saturday night at the InterContinental Miami downtown for the 12th Annual InterContinental Make-A-Wish Ball, which featured a performance by Macy Gray and a comedic live auction emceed by Pauly Shore. Everyone was dressed in their finest attire (including Jorge Perez and Thomas Kramer, doing their best Beatles impression in Nehru jackets) and the packed house raised $675,000 for the foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Run by Gala Chairman Shareef Malnik, it was really a special night and tons of fun for all party-goers. The highlight of the night: Nanine Linning, who hung upside down from a chandelier while pouring Perrier Jouët for boozers who admired the blood rushing to her head. Afterward, Shore, who has Natural Born Komics (filmed here in South Beach) and a documentary of the mock-umentary Pauly Shore Is Dead coming out soon, hit South Beach for party-hopping that included stops at Santo, Mansion, Mokai and Snatch. Linning, however, was carried back to her room and never heard from again.

SPOTTED…

• Actor/comedian Jon Lovitz sipping Arnold Palmers (lemonade mixed with iced tea) on the beach outside of The Delano last week.

• Hip-hopster Tone Loc performing for the masses at Mansion on Friday night.

• Former President Bill Clinton popping in for a surprise visit at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s 10th Annual Miami Recognition Dinner on Saturday at the Loews Hotel.

• Ludacris watching the Mayweather-Baldomir fight in a VIP suite at The Park Sports Club in Hollywood on Saturday night.

• Dontrelle Willis partying at Ink on Saturday night and the “Secret Society” party at BED on Monday night.

• Flavor Flav bowling Monday night at Lucky Strike’s “Get Lucky” Monday party before partying at Mansion alongside Venus Williams and Trina.

Got the 411? Send comments, questions and news items to Jon@miamisunpost.com.