Monday, April 4, 2011

Daniel Radcliffe auctions off books - and not 'Harry Potter'

Daniel Radcliffe doesn't just act in 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,' he plays out the title in real life too, auctioning off copies of the book - without really trying.

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Daniel Radcliffe doesn't just act in 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,' he plays out the title in real life too, auctioning off copies of the book - without really trying.

Daniel Radcliffe is winning applause for his Broadway musical debut as J. Pierrepont Finch in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," but he's already added another role to his resume: auctioneer. After Saturday night's rousing curtain call, Radcliffe put his business skills to work on the audience, seeking donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. To raise money, the "Harry Potter" star auctioned off an autographed copy of the "How to Succeed" book that he uses in the show. A bidding war broke out, which Radcliffe ended by offering two audience members each a book at $4,500 apiece. Radcliffe uses an American accent in the show, but during the auction he reverted to his English accent. His "How to Succeed" co-star John Larroquette joked, "You?re British? It's OK; I'm married to one!"

Russell Simmons is a man of sure words

Russell Simmons woos with words ? of the written variety. On Thursday night, the mogul handed over a copy of his book, "Super Rich: A Guide to Having It All," to a pretty young woman who was discussing her devotion to yoga at the Crosby Street Hotel after-party for the Cinema Society & Coach screening of "Source Code." But after he slipped the hardcover into her hands, he remembered ? out loud ? that he had already promised that very copy to Tika Sumpter, with whom he'd shared a long chat earlier in the evening.

Meanwhile, the "Gossip Girl" actress had found a doppelganger in Sarah Kunst, the director of special events for Dan Abrams. Earlier in the night, a partygoer had confused Kunst for Sumpter, and the actress was enjoying hearing the recap ? until we reminded her that Russell still owed her a copy of his book. The stunning starlet whipped out her phone and hurried off to find the (now bookless) music mogul.

Shontelle's teen following

A tour of duty on the bar mitzvah party circuit typically ends in eighth grade or so, but Shontelle is still going strong. The R&B songstress spent her Saturday night chilling with thirteen-year-olds at the Brynwood Country Club in Armonk, New York, celebrating the newly minted womanhood of Amanda Glassman ? daughter of an exec at Shontelle's record label. She took photos with guests and eventually performed a short set. According to one reveler, Shontelle "could not have been kinder and more patient, even posing for a group shot with all the teens and tweens in the photo area." Teens AND tweens? Now that's patience. Mazel tov, Amanda! Upcoming events at the Brynwood Country Club include a ladies mah jongg luncheon Wednesday.

Royalty might dig an 'Empire State of Mind'

The sun never sets on the British Empire ? or Jay-Z. At least, that seems to be Simon Le Bon's thinking. Classic '80s band Duran Duran performed at a party for Paper Magazine's Beautiful People Issue, sponsored by Absolut Wild Tea at Good Units last week, and the now-corpulent singer offered an unexpected prediction for Kate Middleton and Prince William's royal wedding song: "Empire State of Mind." A long-shot, maybe, but we like the idea. Le Bon also had a plan B. He added wryly, "We'd like to think it would be our own song, 'Ordinary People.'" Guess we'll have to wait and see.

In remembrance of Don Hill

Don Hill, you will be missed. A source at the Charles Bank Gallery on Thursday night for Oh Land's performance for Vs Magazine told us Nur Khan, who reopened downtown hotspot Don Hill's with Paul Sevigny last fall, was sharing his grief over the loss of the nightlife veteran with the Danish singer after her performance. Khan had "just found out" and was telling Oh Land. Although the petite beauty never met Hill, she called the situation "so sad" and reminisced about a photo shoot "a few months back" at his namesake venue.

Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo:
fdigiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith: cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer: mfischer@nydailynews.com

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