Billy Joel

Billy Joel and wife Katie Lee held an end-of-summer barbeque in Sagaponack, where Howard Stern played beer pong against Ivanka Trump.  [NYDN]

Levi Johnston, the young gentleman behind 17-year-old Bristol’s Palin’s pregnancy, has changed his Myspace status to “In A Relationship” but still seems a bit ambivalent about his new role. [US Weekly]

A group of “concerned citizens” calling themselves Anonymous plans to picket the opening night of Katie Holmes’s Broadway debut in All My Sons in an effort to “save” the actress. We wish them the best of luck. [The Scoop]  read more »

Olatz Schnabel is upset over reports that her husband, director Julian Schnabel, has been seen out with "Miral" author Rula Jebreal. [P6]

Exes Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley attended a performance by daughter Alexa Ray Joel in Sag Harbor. Brinkley's latest ex, Peter Cook--Alexa once him described as an "evil stepfather who once forced her head into a bucket"--was also there, for some reason. [NYDN]

The girls of Danity Kane are reportedly so upset over creator P. Diddy's favoritism towards member Dawn Richard that none of them showed up to her birthday party. [NYDN]  read more »

Self-described "die-hard rock fan" Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined music legends Billy Joel and Clive Davis today in announcing the development of a new 25,000-square-foot annex to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, located at 76 Mercer Street in Soho.

The new annex, opening in November, will include such priceless artifacts as Johnny Ramone's Mosrite guitar and the graffiti-clad phone booth from defunct legendary rock club CBGB.

"We're in a landmarked area of great cast-iron buildings," Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said of the location, which was picked "for a variety of reasons," he added.  read more »

Mary-Kate Olsen may speak with federal investigators regarding the January death of Heath Ledger, whom she was allegedly dating at the time, though she's reportedly requesting immunity from prosecution if she does. [NY Post]

The first photos of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twins Knox and Vivienne have been published by People magazine. [People]

The photos sold for over $14 million; the money will go to charity. [AP]  read more »

Residents of the Hamptons will be doing their part to raise money (and the average contribution figure) for Barack Obama's Victory Fund at an August 17 fund-raiser with special guest Caroline Kennedy, according to an invite sent in by a reader. (Obama will not be in attendance.) The hosts of the event are Ross Bleckner and Dorothy Lichtenstein, and the co-hosts include just about everyone in Hampton's society.

According to an invite, illustrated with an Obama portrait and bearing a "Carpooling Encouraged," reminder, co-hosts in alphabetical order include Alec Baldwin, Christy Turlington Burns & Ed Burns, Barbara Lee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Carl Spielvogel, Laura Durning, Jason Epstein, Katie Lee and Billy Joel, Ellen Chesler & Matt Malow, Obama veteran donors Jay Johnson and Brian Mathis, Isaac Mizrahi, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rosie Perez, Jane Rosenthal, Russell Simmons, and Robert Zimmerman, among others.  read more »

New York Magazine's Vulture blog put together this little video of the street scene outside Shea Stadium for last week's "epic" Billy Joel concerts. Witness a lot of inebriated Long Islanders opining about their "white man's jesus," including self-titled "New Age" fans (fratty brodudes) and moms who rocked their son to sleep with the Piano Man's songs.

In their show review, they called Mr. Joel, "the city’s unabashedly cheesy and unexpectedly profound musical ambassador."

“Thank you, Shea Stadium,” he said, according to Jada Yuan, waving good-bye with a tear in his eye. “Don’t take shit from anybody.”

Katie Lee Joel—food columnist, cookbook author, Extra! correspondent, Iron Chef judge, former Top Chef host and third wife of singer-pianist Billy—was recently recounting her March 24 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

“I made a meatloaf, and she liked it!” said Ms. Joel, 26, between bites of an avocado salad at the cafe Sant Ambroeus on West Fourth Street, near the townhouse she shares with her husband and two pugs (they also have homes in Miami and on Long Island). “My husband’s not big on doing TV. But he likes Oprah, and he knew that it was important to me.”  read more »

The Piano Man is good at writing charmingly saccharine and enduring karaoke standards, but isn't as gifted at selling his real estate. Maybe his luck will change now that nearly a year and a half after listing his 14.2-acre waterfront estate in Centre Island for $37.5 million with Daniel Gale/Sotheby's International Realty, Mr. Joel has turned to the omnipotent Elliman broker Dolly Lenz to sell the estate, according to a listing on her Web site.  read more »

CONCERTS:

Kanye West, Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, and N.E.R.D. Can we say power tour?! Catch their Manhattan date May 13 at Madison Square Garden. [On Sale: Saturday, Feb. 23 at noon]

Call him dad rock, but Billy Joel’s July 16 show, which was to be the last concert ever at Shea Stadium, was the fastest sell out in Shea’s history, with 50,000 tickets disappearing in just 48 minutes. In fact that was enough to prompt Mr. Joel to add a second concert two days later, which is now being billed as Shea’s official musical close out. (Sorry ‘bout that early birds!) [On Sale: Saturday, Feb. 23 at 9 a.m.]  read more »

Billy Joel just added another concert date to close out Shea Stadium. He'll play another final show on Friday, July 18. The July 16 date was the fastest sell out in Shea history, with than 50,000 tickets sold on www.507TIXX.com in 48 minutes. Tickets for the second go on sale this Saturday, Feb. 23 at 9 a.m. at www.507TIXX.com and by phone at (718) 507-TIXX.

In more Shea-related rock news, a new documentary called The Clash Live: Revolution Rock will air on PBS March 1 at 11 p.m. and March 5 at 2 a.m. It'll be a preview of the April 15 DVD release which will include clips from The Clash's famous 1982 performance at Shea.  read more »

Billy Joel will have those Mets fans feelin' alright at Shea Stadium the night before the all-star game. On July 16th, "The Last Play at Shea," starring the Top 40 star, will be the final concert at the stadium before the Mets move to their new digs at Citi Field.

"Shea Stadium is one of the most hallowed venues in rock and roll history and it's an honor to help throw Shea the ultimate concert farewell party," Mr. Joel said in a statement obtained by the Czar. "As a sports fan and a music lover, I will always have a place for Shea Stadium in my heart. I thank the Mets for giving me and my fans a chance to rock Shea Stadium one last time for the ages."  read more »

“I have never done a complete dinner for this many people!” marveled Katie Lee Joel (wife of Billy), 26, in an exclusive phone interview with the Transom.  read more »

And apparently, Mr. Joel is a man of considerable appetites.  read more »

Here's what you'll be eating if you are one of the lucky ones with $3,000 to spend on Saturday's Billy Joel concert in the Hamptons Social @ Ross series in East Hampton (hey! Edie Falco danced shoeless at the last gig--Dave Matthews!)

- Deviled Eggs
- Chilled Cucumber Soup
- "BLT" Cherry Tomato Cups
- Mini Lobster Rolls
- Raw Bar

* Hot Appetizers--and more!--after the jump.  read more »

Linda Stein managed the Ramones in their heyday. Since then, she’s brokered for Sting, Billy Joel (after his ‘sad liquid problems’) and a bounty of super-wealthy well-knowns.  read more »