Peggy Siegal

Thursday evening, Sony Picture Classics hosted a screening of Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir--an animated Israeli film about post-traumatic stress disorder and the early 1980s war between Israel and Lebanon--followed by a vice presidential debate and dinner party at the Fifth Avenue home of Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen and his wife, Huffington Post advice columnist Mona Ackerman.

"We have to watch this film quickly, no more chatting!" said publicist Peggy Siegal said before introducing Sony Picture Classics co-president Tom Bernard, who listed the film's accolades: debut at Cannes, Teluride, Toranto, at the NY Film Festival last Wednesday, and six Israeli Academy Awards. It was also nominated by Israel for the Academy Awards this year.  read more »

"Oh! You came!" exclaimed actress Renee Zellweger when she spotted designer Carolina Herrera through a crowd of people at Michael's this afternoon.

Ms. Zellweger was attending a private luncheon to celebrate Living Proof, a Lifetime original movie on which she was an executive producer about a doctor who works to find a cure for breast cancer.

The two women embraced, after which Ms. Herrera promptly departed before everyone sat down to eat. But Ms. Zellweger didn’t seem to mind as she had plenty more people to greet. After all, Ron Perelman had just walked in. ("Hey Peggs!" he shouted in the direction of publicist Peggy Siegal, who was lining the tables with name cards—Liz Smith, Bonnie Fuller, Trudie Styler—and shuffling guests around at the last minute.  read more »

For over a quarter of a century, many have had to face the wrath—or even worse, the indifference—of publicist Peggy Siegal, as they jockeyed for invitations to her exclusive screenings. According to Variety's Jill Goldsmith, that is all a thing of the past—the wrath that is.

The last we heard from Ms. Siegal, it was fall 2003 and business was booming due to a proposed screener ban, which would increase the importance of her buzz-generating screenings. Despite her mellowing, business is still good: Ms. Siegal has 120 events planned for this year. She attributes the change in attitude to her new business partner, Bryan Bantry, an entrepreneur and Broadway producer.

"It's not that I was mean-spirited," Ms. Siegal tells Ms. Goldsmith. "I can be short-tempered because I am impatient. I'm like a kid obsessed; if you don't get an A you want to kill yourself." That's exactly what Harvey says!

Ms. Siegal was in such good spirits, she decided to spill the beans about her date with Mayor Bloomberg. "I was one of thousands of women who had a 'go-see' with (New York Mayor) Michael Bloomberg. That means a drink. Not an evening. Not buying dinner. He was thinking of running and I said, 'You should, and then you should get the film business really going.' And he said, 'I don't like movies.' And I said, 'What about filmmaking in New York City?'"

"He was so not interested in me."

“Honestly, I’m having a panic attack,” said Bourne Ultimatum co-star Julia Stiles, 26, wearing sleeveless, shiny purple after the movie’s East Hampton premiere, which was organized by publicist Peggy Siegal on Sunday, July 29. Matt Damon (not present) may be through with being Bourne, but Ms. Stiles isn’t ready to give up on the franchise just yet.  read more »

Meg Chrisner thought it all looked just perfect, even though the party had been put together on the  read more »

In today's Transom: the young shall inherit the earth, sooner than you might think or like. Also: Peggy Siegal's working birthday, Gus van Sant's hipster premiere.

Also in the paper:  read more »

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On a rainy night in October, Schiller's Liquor Bar was closed to the public.  read more »

Less than 24 hours after 30-year-old publicist Lizzie Grubman put her Mercedes in reverse and allege  read more »

The prospective Mayoral campaign of Michael Bloomberg makesinteresting food for thought.  read more »

Seated at a banquette at Balthazar on a snowy March afternoon, publicist Lizzie Grubman was remember  read more »