Va, Va, Va- Vivienne!

Never mind that Lilith, the iciest of all of television's repressed ladies, wouldn't be caught dead in anything as slinky as a Vivienne Tam number. That certainly didn't stop actress Bebe Neuwirth from coming out to support Tam as she unveiled her fall 2009 collection at her store in SoHo tonight. Also in the house was Bachelor bachelor Prince Lorenzo Borghese. This year's line was inspired by the idea of "nothingness," says the designer. She explains: "During this period of global economic turmoil, the idea of the return to a state of emptiness and simplicity from which to renew our lives seemed particularly timely."

For more photos, click here. Judge for yourself whether you think Tam's aiming for nothingness actually results in "somethingness." And whether Lilith would in fact ever wear a Vivienne Tam dress. 

Cutting a Rug Outside the Classroom

The floor of the Roosevelt Hotel was thumping on Wednesday night during a star-studded benefit given by the  American Ballroom Theater for the Dancing Classrooms project. The program, which came to national prominence in the films Mad Ballroom and Take the Lead, brings dance instruction to fifth graders throughout the New York City area. The group's goal is to use ballroom dancing as a means of instilling confidence and changing young kids' lives in ways that contemporary dance never could. Among the supporters at the gala, which raised upwards of $250,000, were actress and dancer Bebe Neuwirth, one-time Miss America and current Ugly Betty star Vanessa Williams, Broadway star Karen Akers, Kevin McKenzie (artistic director of the American Ballet Theater) and Martine van Hamel (a principal at American Ballet Theater for more 20 years). The assortment of dances (salsa, merengue, samba, the foxtrot and the paso doble) kept things in the ballroom warm despite the violently chilly winds outside. The final dance of the evening, however, brought the room's temperature down a bit. It was—you guessed it—"The Last Waltz." 

For more photos, click here.

Drew Lachey, on the Brighter Side of Life

Drew Lachey, Bebe Neuwirth and Cheyenne Jackson were among the headliners appearing in this morning's "Broadway on Broadway" performance, held in the heart of Manhattan. More than 200 of the Great White Way's actors showed up in Times Square, hailing from shows including Avenue Q, Chicago, In the Heights, Spamalot, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein. The free extravaganza, hosted by Lachey, was the seventeenth annual outing for Broadway on Broadway. For fans of big-budget musicals, the show is one of the year's easy-on-the-wallet must-sees. After all, without spending a dime, where else could you find a Greek muse masquerading as an Australian on roller skates in the same space as a medieval knight plucked from the wacky collective genius that is Monty Python?

Matthew Modine: Grab a Bike!

Matthew Modine, Bebe Neuwirth and Liam Neeson were among the celebs who turned out last night for the unveiling of the Alpha Collection from premier luggage-maker Tumi. From the sky-high Glass Houses at the Chelsea Arts Tower, guests admired a collection of Modine's photographs, which were up for auction in support of his new initiative, Bicycle for a Day. On that occasion, September 20, 2008, the actor and thousands of others will grab a bike instead of a taxi, all in the name of cleaner, healthier air. Mike Bloomberg's congestion pricing initiative may have died in Albany, but this is one plan at least, that has no risk of falling flat. Mark your calendars now.