Misty-Eyed

Montecito philanthropist Michael Hammer‘s wife, Misty, was feted at a bridal shower hosted by Dolores Johnson at the home of Condor Express owner, Hiroko Benko.

After lunch overlooking the ocean and the Channel Islands, a tea ceremony presented by Tom Craveiro and Yuki Nakamura, wife of Nobel Prize winner Shuji Nakamura.

Guests included police chief Lori Lunhnow, Diana Starr Langley, Andrea Newquist, the Journal‘s Erin Graffy, and a host of other amazons.

Cho and Behold

Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho enthralled at the Music Academy of the West’s Hahn Hall for UCSB Arts & Lectures second Up Close & Musical performance, sponsored by Robert Weinman.

Cho, who could well give Chinese keyboardist Lang Lang a run for his money, was brought to the world’s attention when he won First Prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw at the age of 21 in 2015 and is considered one of the most distinctive artists of his generation, playing with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Leonard Slatkin.

His sold-out show featured two Beethoven works – Sonata No.8 in C Minor and Sonata No.30 in E Major – concluding with two Debussy works – La plus que lente and L’isle Joyeuse – and four ballades by Chopin.

An evening to savor.

A Veep of Faith

Montecito actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 56, who stars in the HBO show Veep, is taking a lengthy break from filming the final and seventh season to allow her to complete treatment for her breast cancer.

The nine-time Emmy winner will return when her medical work is completed, having recently undergone her third round of chemotherapy.

“We are waiting for Julia to get back to full-strength,” says executive Frank Rich. “In the meantime, we’ve been having table reads of scripts to make sure everyone is ready.”

My best wishes for a quick recovery.

Gleeful Engagement

Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow is engaged to Glee creator Brad Falchuk after three years of dating.

The Oscar winner, 45, and Falchuk, 46, met on the set of the musical drama in 2014, but initially kept their relationship tightly under wraps.

Gwyneth, who was married to Coldplay rocker Chris Martin and has two children, Apple, 13, and Moses, 11, also had a string of high profile romances, including Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck.

I wish the newsome twosome well.

Cuomo As You Are

Santa Barbara actor Michael Imperioli, who rocketed to stardom in The Sopranos, will star as New York governor Andrew Cuomo in a new Showtime TV series.

The eight-hour program, Escape at Dannemora, will re-enact the June 2015 prison break from the Clinton Correctional Facility involving two convicted killers who broke out with the help of married female inmate with whom they were having an affair.

Michael, who I volunteer with regularly at the Rescue Mission, stars with James Bond actor Benicio Del Toro and actress Patricia Arquette. Ben Stiller will direct the drama.

Sightings: Oscar winner Jeff Bridges masticating at Opal…Oscar winner Michael Keaton at Ca’Dario…Oscar winner Natalie Portman strolling on State Street

Pip! Pip!