Four glasses of pinot noir. Three margaritas. Nine IPAs.
Since spending some time reporting at the Shelter Island Justice Court this week, I’m keenly aware of all the different ways one can reach the 0.08% blood-alcohol intoxication level that leads to D.W.I. busts. (Most D.W.I. defendants list every drink they consumed when they show up to court.) Nearly all the cases heard this drizzly Monday morning were related to driving under the influence. It was a long summer full of boozy nights.
The “D.W.I. King” attorney Ed Burke Jr.—whom my friend and former WSJ colleague Ellen Gamerman expertly profiled last year—juggled multiple cases simultaneously. No sooner had he conferenced with one client in the court’s basement than he jumped upstairs to represent another.
The courts aren’t the only venues popping off. Culture fans and bored retirees are invading the villages for the Hamptons International Film Festival, and booking up all the restaurants for the long weekend. In today’s free newsletter, more on HIFF, including the 'NAZA' controversy in Sag Harbor; plus the full story of Fabolous’s fabulously Hamptons music video; a non-oceanfront record in Montauk; Libbie Mugrabi leaves Bridgehampton for Florida to find a husband. And: Is the Lakers’ shooting guard Quentin Grimes the IRL “The Guest”?
But first, an exciting announcement: If you think our cult print issues are summer-only, think again. I’m excited to share that we’re working on a Thanksgiving issue with the support of a very special partner to be announced. I’m running a special for 20% off annual subscriptions along with a copy of the issue mailed to your doorstep. Subscribe via this link for access to the best of THC’s mischievous local news.
What Everyone’s Talking About
Last weekend’s nor’easter dredged up a ton of candy-colored sea glass onto east-end beaches. Happy hunting.
The indefatigable Save Sag Harbor committee will soon have a new target: A “pre-pre-submission” was presented for “bold” new plans for 2 Main St. and 22 Long Island Ave., which were purchased this year by Mavik Capital, according to the Sag Harbor Express. The plans would demolish the existing buildings (which now house K Pasa, Yummylicious, and others) and start fresh with a bigger structure.
Libbie Mugrabi told the New York Post she’s headed to Florida to find a husband following the foreclosure auction of her Bridgehampton estate on the Southampton court steps.
A Culloden Point mansion that sold for $23 million is being touted as Montauk’s highest-ever “non-oceanfront sale”—but it has panoramic views of Fort Pond Bay. Let’s call it ocean-adjacent.
Lakers coach JJ Redick told a hilarious story about his shooting guard Quentin Grimes coming to visit him at his Sag Harbor mansion—and mistakenly posting up at a neighbors’ house. JJ said he gave Quentin the address of his guest house, but the player ended up at another house in the neighborhood, where he posted photos from the pool tagged #hamptonslife. Oops.
Babe’s Enters the Rap Canon
Rapper Fabolous’s new video for “The Hoodoo Freestyle” could double as an influencer’s “perfect day in the Hamptons” Reel. Fabolous raps, “I could take you to the Hamptons in a blue-green Porsche and still hood enough to know how much Kool-Aid costs,” while strolling through Shadmoor State Park and Ditch Plains Beach.
But the real star of the video is Babe’s Sag Harbor, which caps off its viral first summer with an on-screen cameo and a lyric shoutout: “I’m trying to go to Babe’s with you, babe.”
The connection came about through the diner’s co-founder, the music entrepreneur and CEO of Good Talk, Jonny Shipes. He tells THC: “Fab’s the homie. He hit me when he got booked to do a show at the Surf Lodge and asked me where he had to eat while he was out east. I told him Babe’s for breakfast, no question. He mentioned he was shooting a video for a song about the Hamptons, and that’s really how it happened. It wasn’t some planned placement or marketing thing. He’s been back a bunch of times since because he genuinely likes the food. From the beginning, we wanted Babe’s to be a place that felt natural to the culture, where locals, artists, musicians and whoever else is out east all end up in the same room.”
Stars and Scandal at the Film Festival
The Hamptons International Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, which means an even higher frequency of Alec Baldwin sightings and lines around the block at local theaters for rush tickets. The Hampton Jitney will be running free loops between festival venues.
The lead-up to the festival has been marked by the controversy around “NAZA,” a British documentary co-produced by The Guardian about the Israeli army’s use of AI and automated surveillance in Gaza. When I met with Sag Harbor Cinema’s new-ish executive director Mark Lubell last week, he affirmed HIFF’s decision to proceed with the screenings despite objections from the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, which called for the screenings to be cancelled. Although Sag Harbor Cinema doesn’t play a role in HIFF’s programming, Lubell said he wants the theater to foster an open dialogue. Read Jack Motz’s story for The Express Group from last week about the nuance of the situation, and my pal Carson Griffith’s analysis at RPS.
Expect the two “NAZA” screenings to be fraught. If you go, I’d be very curious to hear what you think.
Here are some of the HIFF highlights I’d book a babysitter for. (Remember: nothing is ever sold out.)
Avedon: The Ron Howard-directed documentary about Richard Avedon will be followed by a Q+A on 10/10.
Wicker: Tickets are still available to the 10/12 closing-night screenings of this absolutely batshit-sounding movie, starring Olivia Colman, about a medieval woman who falls in love with a wicker man.
Club Kid: Jordan Firstman, better known to the public as a hairy millennial comedian, will receive a directing award at the 10/8 Guild Hall premiere of his salty-sweet directing debut.
Musk: Early buzz for this Alex Gibney-directed Elon Musk documentary has been exciting. It might be the most-anticipated doc of the fall outside of “You Can See Everything.”
Bunker: This is the East Coast premiere of Florian Zeller’s film about an architect who takes on a commission for a tech billionaire survivalist’s bunker, starring married couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Great occasion to re-read my mentor and friend Patricia Marx’s incredible story for The New Yorker about bunker shopping for the apocalypse.
The Debut: Jesse Eisenberg’s feature stars Our Lady of Montauk Julianne Moore as a housewife who throws herself into local theater.
*Lion’s Nook in East Hampton will be hosting Morning Talks throughout the festival, which are free to the public and feature panels like “Making a Movie on Long Island” and “Making an Impact with Documentary Film.” The restaurant’s owner Alex Rossi has really mastered the art of connecting with the local community.
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