Alone, a beautiful woman is exposed to a new form of entertainment. Enticed and left wanting she yearns to share her experience and soon finds another's world to penetrate in the white-noir short directed by Phillip Van, starring Petra Nemcova and James Frey. Petra Nemcova wears Marchesa, Marchesa for Louboutin and Kiki de Montparnasse.

Booktrack is the new service that provides synth swells to dramatize the reading experience with a soundtrack. Because reading is so boooring!! And yes, this is a lot like the old Maxell ads.

A city marshal shuttered the onetime celebrity hotspot on April 9 over some $113,727 in unpaid rent, court records show.

In an affidavit, Mr. Ashman said he was "blind-sided" by the eviction. "We do owe money," he stated. "We need to be open for business to pay owed money."

A judge denied his plea for a stay of eviction earlier this week.

Opened with much fanfare in the former Nell's space in 2006, Mr. Ashman's club benefited from a star-studded support network, which included Yankees pitcher David Wells, model Petra Nemcova, and actors Chris Noth and Jesse Bradford, who "would contribute money and/or lend their name to the club in exchange for an ownership interest," according to court records.

Mr. Ashman also enlisted socialite Ann Dexter-Jones to help design the space and prominent scenester Samantha Ronson to help promote it.

Yet, the place seemed eternally mired in legal woes. The landlord filed suit against the club a total of six times since 2006, housing court records show.

In 2005, when the club was known as NA, investors unsuccessfully attempted to oust Mr. Ashman as managing partner for overspending "approximately 163% over the amount budgeted in the business plan," despite the fact the club was operating only three days a week, not seven, as originally planned, according to court papers.

In a subsequent settlement, Mr. Ashman was permitted to stay on as company president under the condition that the club would become profitable or else be sold to the highest bidder.

Well! Now some New Yorkers are trying to capitalize on yesterday's commercial-plane-in-the-Hudson madness—where, luckily, everyone survived.

This morning the Daily Transom received a press release informing us that fashion photographer Nico Iliev, whose claim to fame is being the personal photographer for the transsexual Amanda Lepore, was on yesterday's water-bound US Airways flight. He survived, obviously. And in case anyone is interested in his unique perspective on the whole incident, his publicist has informed us that he is available for interviews! 

"Nico is highly traumatized by the incident, but is available to speak through his life and business partner, Don Rodrigues, for any interviews," the email from Stephen J. Lucin, vice president of grapeVine Public Relations.

And while we've never heard of Mr. Iliev, Mr. Lucin informed us that he is "well-known for his fashion photography, having done work with fashion houses and individuals globally."

We're sure that as a well-known photographer, Mr. Iliev's perspective will likely be more interesting that this guy's. But for now, we think we'll pass.  

The full email:

Dear All,

A grapeVine client for over a year, Nico Iliev was a survivor of yesterday's near tragic, but highly devastating US Airways crash-landing in the Hudson River.

Nico is highly traumatized by the incident, but is available to speak through his life and business partner, Don Rodrigues, for any interviews.

Please let me know if you would like to get a statement from Nico through Don. I take great sensitivity with this incident, and would as delicately as possible offer yet another perspective, through Nico's story, on this matter.

Nico Iliev is well-known for his fashion photography, having done work with fashion houses and individuals globally. He is also the sole photographer for transsexual muse and mogul Amanda Lepore.

Respectfully yours,
Stephen

Page Six reported that supermodel/tsunami survivor Petra Nemcova has partnered with a mysterious new one-man brokerage called Aglow Properties to sell two apartments in the $25 million range at Fifth Avenue and 80th Street and on Park Avenue in the 60’s.

Details on the stunning partnership, the Czech beauty's role, and the listings are still unclear--Aglow's Web site is only one page with a logo and a phone number for broker Ron Schnackenberg, who used to be the head of sales at Trump University, according to his Linked profile.

We couldn’t get a hold of Mr. Schnackenberg, but he wrote on Linked: “The establishment of Aglow Properties allows my knowledge to combine with the client network and life experiences of my partners Petra and Olga Nemcova. Our referred only clients have exclusive access to the world’s most elite properties, establish lifelong cash flow and purchase the world’s most prestigious residential properties.”

“You don’t choose a film, the film chose me,” he said.

The film that chose Mr. Almaric chronicles the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the vibrant, stylish editor of French Elle who, 12 years ago, became forever trapped in “locked-in syndrome” after suffering a stroke. The former editor was left almost fully paralyzed, able to only blink his left eye, yet by using this one movement in accordance with an alphabet, he managed to transcend his condition and communicate his experience through a best-selling memoir.

Among the people present last night to celebrate the movie's premiere was Ronald Harwood, the writer on the film (who incidentally won an academy award winner for writing The Pianist.) “I always thought it was the most marvelous document to triumph [in] adverse circumstances, I mean, dreadful circumstances, and that’s what intrigued me,” he said of the memoir on which his screenplay is based.

Mr. Almaric plays "Jean-Do" in the film.

“I read the book, the sense of humor of this guy, I tried to keep that, it’s not because you have a stroke that you become a saint,” he said. “So [I was] trying to keep him alive and complex, and he was also just, a man, you know, he liked beautiful cars, attractions. Also the woman, he’d make them believe that they were the only one, show them, you know, stupid mannish stuff. I tried to keep that, so did [director] Julian [Schnabel].”

Also there were his costars Emmanuelle Seigner, who showed up sans husband Roman Polanski in a burgundy Celine dress and boots, and the equally stunning Marie-Josée Croze, who wore a white Gucci shift-dress and patent-leather mary janes.

“[I've worked with] a lot of beautiful actresses, you know,” Mr. Almaric said. “It was nice because I had to work in bed, and they weren’t afraid of me, because they thought I couldn’t move any more, so sometimes they were, you know, on top of me.”

He added that he if he could be anyone he wanted he would choose another man famous for wooing models and actresses: “A rock singer--no, a guitarist, electric guitar: Jack White.”

Mr. Almaric is perhaps best known for his role in Munich, and it was on the last day of filming that movie that he got a copy of the script for Diving Bell.“You know, I knew Julian Schnabel’s work and on the last day of shooting of Munich, Kathleen Kennedy gave me this script and Julian had seen me in a film," he said. "So we made the connection and he said yeah, why not him?"

And why not Julian Schnabel, self-proclaimed art lover Petra Nemcova seemed to suggest when we bumped into her at the premiere, wearing a barely-there black tuxedo-inspired Dolce & Gabbana dress and hat.

“He’s totally incredible,” she said of Mr. Schnable. “[He] really takes it to another level… his vision is very artistic, and it’s very mind opening.”

The Czech model added that she is flying to Europe today to see another love, a mysterious European whose identity she is keeping secret for now.

Ms. Blake, who left school at 14 to follow the Who and subsequently spent her life surrounded by artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and the Talking Heads, knows a thing or two about hosting a rock and roll event.

The Ball was held at New York’s famous Hammerstein Ballroom and honored musician Bono (of course!). During the ceremony, a South African dance group performed a synthesis of traditional African dance and classical ballet to the beat of African drums, while guests liked Gwen Stefani (in a piercing blue halter dress), Russel Simmons, Clive Davis, David Bowie and wife Iman (wearing Monique Lhullier) enjoyed a dinner designed by Top Chef host and Keep A Child Alive world ambassador Padma Lakshmi (in off-white Dolce and Gabbana).

Ms. Blake was also joined by Alicia Keys, who co-founded Keep A Child Alive and performed at the ceremony.

The young singer, decked out in head-to-toe Armani and a lot of black patent leather, said she was taking a very special date to the Bungalow 8-themed, Amy Sacco-designed after-party.

“You know, I’m dating myself,” she said in her deep, velvety voice. “This beautiful woman named Alicia, I’m dating her. Seriously! I’m getting to know her better. I’m taking her out, I’m taking her where she wants to go! She’s learning new things and seeing new things. I think I like her.”

“It’s incredible to be performing,” she told The Daily Transom. “Keep a Child Alive is a passion of mine, and it’s something I constantly want to yell out about, so that people can understand that we provide the medicine for children and families that have AIDS who wouldn’t be able to afford it and that it’s necessary to do that.”

Supermodel and activist Petra Nemcova, famous for surviving the 2004 tsunami and a breakup with crooner James Blunt, is also an admirer of the beautiful Alicia.

“Alicia Keys and Leigh Blake, who I know, they’re very involved there. They’re very strong, inspiring…I’m inspired by their work,” she said, adding that she also admires “people like Bono and Audrey Hepburn.”

Christy Turlington, clad in black, skin-tight L’Wren Scott, echoed the night’s the feel-good sentiment.“As a mom, [service] helps me to come home and be able to not only appreciate [her children] in a different way, but I see their faces in every child that I see in the world, I see my face in all the mothers that I see in the world. It kind of just makes the world feel smaller, and it just feels good.”

If Times Square and supermodels are your thing, get excited for tonight's launch party for--yes!--New York's very own Hawaiian Tropic Zone Restaurant and Lounge. Hooterific.

Petra Nemcova will be the host, and better yet an entire block of 49th Street will be transformed into a tropical beach. Seriously: "pristine sands, balmy Queen Palm and Banana trees, an inviting hot tub, surfboards and chaise lounge chairs, and a DJ spinning energizing tunes from atop a 16-foot lifeguard tower."

When does sand compete with a 16-foot energizing DJ? When there are 700 cubic tons it.

Along for the launch of this new gourmet hot spot are sweet-toothed Dylan Lauren, plus sweet-handed Giants Amani Toomer and Michael Strahan.

You should head down, according to the website, because "this will probably be the most important career move of your life."

- Max Abelson