SCENE IN THE TROPICS
Gwynnie rumors just aren't true, friend says
BY LESLEY ABRAVANEL
lank@aol.com
So everyone's going nuts over speculation that Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay hubby Chris Martin, who was in town recently for a concert, are having issues, saying Paltrow looked skinny, sad and like a woman on the verge of a breakup. We disagree. We saw her this close and thought she looked radiant, not too skinny at all, and happy. If she wasn't, why would she have shown up at a party with more than 2,000 guests? As for the rumors that she hooked up with billionaire Fontainebleau and Turnberry heir Jeff Soffer, well, we're just not buying it. At all. Not even for a billion dollars. We spoke with Soffer, who told us categorically that, no, he and Paltrow are not an item. ''She is just a personal friend of mine and my family's,'' Soffer told us. Enough said. Or is it?
Youth Expressions, the Little Haiti-based hip-hop and spoken word youth group, returns to Miami after performing in New York as part of this year's Keep a Child Alive Summit founded by Grammy Award winning recording artist Alicia Keys and activist Leigh Blake. Keep a Child Alive is a New York-based nonprofit that makes it possible for Africans to get life-saving AIDS drugs; all donations they get go to the cause. Youth Expressions was invited to perform after being recommended by Green Family Foundation president Kimberly Green, presenting sponsor of the Keep a Child Alive Student AIDS Summit. A celebration of their return takes place from 4-7 p.m. Saturday at The White Room, 1306 North Miami Ave., Miami.
Three-time NASCAR winner Jimmie Johnson stayed at the Gansevoort South hotel last week before and after his big race. Johnson posed for a Sports Illustrated photo shoot there while his buddy Nick Lachey checked in at 2:30 a.m. Sunday to cheer Johnson on down in Homestead.
Spotted lunching with a male friend Monday afternoon at Quattro on Lincoln Road: Alex Rodriguez.
Even before the store officially opened, Lounge in Aventura Mall was earning celeb cred. Last week, model/actor Tyrese dropped by Lounge and picked up $5,000 worth of clothing. He had his publicist call to let staff know he was coming by; when he got there he, according to our secret shopper, ``literally started pulling stuff off the racks.''
Following the weekend's Fontainebleau festivities, director/producer Brett Ratner was seen lunching at La Goulue Bal Harbour with some friends and gorgeous ``model types.''
Lenny Kravitz, with Victoria's Secret model Shakara Ledard, stopped by Mansion last Friday night to see his cousin DJ Ruckus rock the crowd. They took a table inside Mansion's VIP section and toasted Happy Birthday to his manager with chilled Patron shots. Tyrese was the master of ceremonies for the evening.
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