Tara Reid
Marty Hause/Startraks
Cause Celeb
Even the carpet was green at the Natural Resources Defense Council's recent benefit at L.A.'s Wadsworth Theater (which raised $2.6 million for environmental lobbying efforts) – so, of course, was the talk. Tom Hanks's take on preserving the planet? "I would invest in an electric-rail service," he told us, adding that he has no specific plans for one at the moment. "I would try to put in an infrastructure that would be all about mass public transportation that is based on rail line, gondola ski cars, monorails, whatever." We asked Leonardo DiCaprio, who introduced a documentary he had narrated about global warming, why the cause matters so much to him. "It's the one issue that I've chosen to really stand behind," he said. "I drive a hybrid car. I have a foundation set up for helping the issue specifically of global warming. I also try to live my everyday life as an environmentalist." Speaking of hybrid cars, Nia Vardalos said she's buying her husband one for his birthday (Dec. 27). "He is the worst hint-dropper," she said. "I mean, actually, the best hint-dropper. He's like, 'I'd look good in that color.' "
She Will Survive
Now that the torches of Survivor: All Stars have been extinguished, when will we see the tribe members again? You can check out Alicia Calaway, for one, on TV next week. "I have been laying low, but I was able to do a walk-on role on the show Half & Half on UPN and that airs May 17," she tells us. "I play Beverly, the boot camp instructor. Not necessarily a stretch! This is why I agreed to do it, because I have no formal acting experience at all and I don't want to go out there and tackle some crazy role out of my league."
Speaking of Survivor ...
Have you heard that Survivor: All Stars winner and bride-to-be Amber Brkich is pregnant with new fiancé "Boston Rob" Mariano's baby? Well, she isn't. "That's a nice one!" Brkich says of the rumor. "God knows it's not true. It's one of those things I've learned to deal with ... You are going to have a lot of things said about you and written about you and sometimes it's best not to read it and not to listen to it, and I'm not going to let anything ruin my moment." As for Rob ... The Place, the Boston bar where he has worked as a bartender and emcee, served a special drink in his honor on the night of the All Stars finale: the Boston Rob Martini. The drink – a combination of creme de banana, dark creme de cacao, Bailey's and milk – was very popular with the crowd of fans, friends and coworkers that gathered to cheer Mariano on. "We chose it because they ate a lot of bananas on the island," explains bar event manager Michael Kalil.
Caught in the Act
Spotted Recently:
• Brooke Shields, with husband Chris Henchy and 1-year-old daughter Rowan, enjoying a casual meal at Dos Caminos restaurant in SoHo.
• Also at Dos Caminos (but in a different New York neighborhood): model Bridget Hall, imbibing margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
• Chris Noth, eating at Atlantic Grill on New York's Upper East Side.
• Sarah Jessica Parker and hubby Matthew Broderick, dining at Vento, the trendy new restaurant in New York's Meatpacking District.
• By KWALA MANDEL, NICK WHITE, CYNTHIA WANG and ANNE DRISCOLL
