Being a book-lover herself, GO Girl is
no stranger to Brooklyn’s literary scene. In fact, she rarely
goes anywhere without her dog-eared copy of her favorite thriller,
"The Low-Carb Bartender." So it was no surprise to
her when she was asked to attend the Brooklyn Public Library’s
black tie gala, staged inside the Central branch on Nov. 17.
Just as it does for all ladies of a certain age, the time has
come for the library to get her facelift. The Grand Army Plaza
landmark is currently undergoing a renovation to its front entrance
and plaza that will include an outdoor cafe, performance space
and landscaping. Beneath the plaza, which is expected to be completed
next fall, a new 200-seat auditorium is being constructed.
GO Girl wholeheartedly supports any venue that stages readings,
as she’s opposed to actually doing the reading herself.
On the night of the gala, klieg lights pierced the sky, guiding
guests to a tented side entrance, where they followed a red carpet
into the swinging party.
As if the prospect of meeting DUMBO’s own Willy Wonka, Jacques
Torres, wasn’t enough of an incentive to RSVP "oui!"
to the soiree, the evening’s host was actress Cady Huffman, who
won a Tony award for her performance as va-va-voom Ulla in "The
Producers," opposite Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, GO Girl spotted the tall, flaxen-haired
Huffman across the children’s library. GO Girl recognized the
curvy actress, shimmering in her pale orange silk gown, from
the billboard that had smiled down upon her for years from high
above the Gowanus Expressway.
Huffman told GO Girl she had cleared her schedule to emcee the
gala at the request of her Park Slope friend, Art Chang, a trustee
on the Brooklyn Public Library Foundation board.
The blondeshell, who currently plays Dr. Paige Miller on the
ABC soap opera "One Life to Live," confided that she
is now looking to move her family – three cats, a dog and hunky
husband Bill Healy – from Manhattan and into a home in Carroll
Gardens, Cobble Hill or Williamsburg.
Clearly a fan of the borough, the actress revealed that her gown
and accessories were made by Brooklyn designer Yvonne Chu. Even
Huffman’s Lila Dulany jewelry was ordered from Chu’s Atlantic
Avenue boutique, Kimera.
But the question on GO Girl’s martini-addled mind was not what
Huffman was WEARING but what she was READING. GO Girl’s latest
idol confided that "my husband gives me required reading"
such as her current assignment, "The Telling" by Ursula
K. Le Guin.
"I like reading Harry Potter books," she said. "Fantasy
books that are easy to bring on the subway. I’m excited to see
the new [Potter] movie this weekend."
GO Girl nodded sympathetically when the Santa Barbara native
said that she doesn’t have much time to read for fun, because
she has to read scripts for work.
"The other day, I had to know 40 pages," said Huffman.
"It’s a crazy way to read." GO Girl could sympathize
because she is often made weary by reading the nightlife listings.
There are things we trend-setting blondes must do for our public.
GO Girl is now waiting with bated breath for the release of the
big screen musical "Romance & Cigarettes," directed
by Park Slope’s John Turturro, in which Huffman plays the role
of Roe.
Brooklyn Heights biographer Ron Chernow ("Titan: The Life
of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.," "Alexander Hamilton"),
one of three luminaries to be honored at the gala, told an attentive
GO Girl that he is currently penning a bio of George Washington,
so he has "little time for pleasure reading. I have a lot
of obligatory reading. To research each of my books, I have to
read a couple of hundred books and it’s often tedious, required
reading."
Despite his workload, Chernow said, "I just finished reading
Ian McEwan’s ’Saturday.’"
Later, during his acceptance speech, when the audience was more
concerned with chatting over their entrees than hearing a lecture,
Chernow shushed the crowd from the podium, "I’m not going
on unless you’re quiet."
But GO Girl didn’t hear what the shush-meister said after that.
Loosened up by an open bar, the crowd was ready to do battle
at the live auction, run by Sotheby’s pro Marsha Malinowski.
Although the evening’s conspicuous no-show turned out to be Torres,
he was there in spirit, as paddles shot up like nerds’ hands
in an Advanced Placement class in frantic bidding for a one-day
chocolate-making class with the master himself.
While fanning herself with one of the large paddles, GO Girl
accidentally bid $500 on a day making biscotti with foodie Jane
Brody, but happily, someone outbid her. Although the library’s
foundation is certainly a good cause, GO Girl was NOT going to
spend an afternoon in the kitchen – unless someone was giving
her a pedicure there.
In all, $355,000 was raised in the auction.
At the end of the affair, GO Girl traipsed onto Eastern Parkway
with the satisfying weight of another top-notch giftbag on her
shoulder and jotted down the dates of two intriguing, upcoming
events at the library: talks by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns
on Dec. 6 and pop culture commentator Toure on Dec. 10.
Although cocktails won’t be served, GO Girl might make an exception
and attend.
For more information about supporting the Brooklyn Public Library,
visit the Web site at www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
