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UR dear friend, noted arts philanthropist and founder of Step Up 4 Vets, Dame Patricia Kennedy, was promoted to Dame Grand Cross of Merit in the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George at the first West Coast investiture for the order and the Royal Order of Francis I celebrated at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.　

Lady Patricia Kennedy is only the second American woman ever to receive the highest honor of the Order which has been bestowed on only six women in its history. The honor is given to individuals who contribute time and treasure to humanity, the arts, science, and peace through interfaith dialogue.

A highlight of the weekend hosted by Lady Kennedy was an elegant white tie ball.

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HERE was no mistaking that the season was kicked into high gear with Avenue Shows annual Antique, Art & Design at the Armory drawing an enormous crowd for its special preview.

Event co-chairs Ellie Cullman, Jamie Drake and Dr. Eva Anderson-Dubin filled the historic space with New York’s most fashionable design-centric collectors for a first look at a stunning array of the finest in art, antiques and design.

Champagne flowed like the River Seine to quench the thirst of fashionable folk such as Barbra Streisand, Jean Shafiroff, Cassandra Seidenfeld Lyster, designer Berry Brown, Anka Palitz, Margo Langenberg, Robin Cofer and Dominick D’Alleva, TV producer Wendy Neuss, Polly Onet, Martha Glass, Gary Andreassen and his wife actress Katherine Andreassen, image guru Montgomery Frazier, Felicia Taylor, Debbie Bancroft, artist Terry Fugate-Wilcox, dealer Dallas Boesendahl, actress Cindy Guyer.

Also Dawne Marie Grannum, Dr. Penny Grant, Janna Bullock, Prince of Chintz Mario Buatta, Zak Ambrose, Eleonora Srugo, Vevlyn Wright, Kathleen Giordano, Avenue Magazine’s Julie Dannenberg and Peter Davis, and fabled Hamptons chronicler Dan Rattiner and wife Christine Wasserstein.

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UCCESSFUL women’s wear manufacturer and developer Cyrus Hakakian is close to transforming the historic Westbury Theater into a new performing arts and special events center. Built as a vaudeville theater in 1925 and later converted to a movie theater, the property will be the linchpin in the revival of downtown Westbury.

Opening is slated for March 2012 when he’ll bring a roster of Broadway headliners, classic films, jazz and children’s programs to the Gold Coast venue.

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HOUGH fans of Harlem’s 5 and Diamond Restaurant adore the culinary wizardry of Executive Chef David Martinez, they were thrilled when he invited his friend, Chef Darryl Burnette, of BG Restaurant at Bergdorf Goodman, to create an upscale but down home dinner for the restaurant’s wildly popular Sunday Supper Club.

Burnette delivered big time with such riffs on southern fare as Mac & Cheese Spring Rolls, Shrimp & Grits with Pork Belly, Ham & Biscuits.

Famed opera singer Gail Blache Hill and a crew of singers offered a variety of tunes ranging from gospel to calypso to opera to the delight of the packed house at the popular eatery owned by Lia San Filippo and Selene Martinez.

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HE premiere of Season 2 of HBO’s justly acclaimed Boardwalk Empire at the Ziegfeld Theater was packed with stars Steve Buscemi, Gretchen Mol, Michael Kenneth Williams, Kelly MacDonald and producers Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg.

Following the screening, luxury buses transported some 1.600 guests to the Waldorf-Astoria where the Grand Ballroom had been transformed to a 1930s casino complete with gambling tables and scantily clad showgirls.

We caught up with actor-singer Jeremiah James who had just returned from a 10-month run as the lead Billy in Carousel at London’s Savoy Theater. Next up for the powerful tenor (who is also a member of the gold selling Sony musical quartet Teatro) is his new solo album.

He recently starred in a revival of The Countess of Storyville at the Amas Musical Theater Lab. James is currently recording with executive producer/composer Jonathan Brielle. New Yorkers will soon get a chance to catch this amazing young talent off-Broadway before the year’s end.