— DIANE CLEHANE

If we'd come by Michael's on Monday we could have chatted with Chris Rock who was lunching with Jeffrey Katzenberg. Instead, we had to settle for The Real Housewives of New York City. What can I tell you, it's summertime. It's amazing how the 'stars' of the Bravo series are seemingly everywhere, isn't it? For the uninitiated, the reality show (which folks seem to either love or hate) chronicles the lives of five strivers and their obsession with status, shopping and the minutiae of their lives. Today LuAnn de Lesseps (who, according to Bravo's Web site, is a "real-life countess" through marriage to Count Alexandre de Lesseps "of the Suez Canal dynasty"), Jill Zarin (the redhead) and Ramona Singer (the more frenetic of the two blondes) were lunching with Patricia Watt. Here's an interesting tidbit: word is the Housewives are so enamored with Michael's they'd like to shoot part of an upcoming episode in the dining room. Fair warning to all of you publicity-shy regulars (All three of you). We just hope it's on a Wednesday so we can report on every last detail...

Here's the rundown on today's crowd:

1. Today's BFFs Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb with a table full of pals.

2. Early Shift: Jimmy Buffet, Mike Flanagan and a well-dressed grey-haired gent whose face looked familiar but whose name no one seemed to know. Second seating: Former celebrity flack-turned-OK! editor Rob Shuter with Courtney Hazlett and another journo. For those of you who follow such things, the new cover of OK! boasts the magazine's exclusive with teen tartlet Jamie Lynn Spears about being a new mom at the ripe old age of 17. According to the report in today's New York Post, in the story, mama Lynn Spears was glad her youngest daughter had an easy delivery because she didn't want Jamie Lynn to be turned off to having more kiddies. The mind reels...

3. 'Mayor' Joe Armstrong with Maureen White.

4. Michael J. Wolf with a serious-looking fellow...

5. Showtime's Matt Blank with Sundance Channel's president and CEO Larry Aidem (Nice to meet you!). We're expecting big things from Sundance now that it's owned by Cablevision (who snapped up the channel for a mere $496 million). Stay tuned.

6. Becca Cason Thrash sipping some wine while waiting for a gentleman who enjoyed what looked like a margarita with lunch...

7. TimeWarner's Ed Adler with Peggy Siegal who was busy showing off her 12-page (!) exclusive Cannes party coverage in the new issue of Hamptons. Besides offering minute-by-minute reportage of the party scene on La Croisette she even took the fab candid photos that accompany the piece. But, she told me, "I didn't take the red carpet ones." She's only one woman after all!! The tireless Peggy -- who has never looked better -- is hosting the screening of the summer this Sunday in Southampton with the premiere of Mamma Mia!. The East End is abuzz with the rumor that La Streep herself might be making the scene. It's all just so exciting I can barely stand it, can you?

8. New York Social Diary's David Patrick Columbia with Nikki Haskell -- making her second appearance of the week.

9. Ed Victor (loved the tie!) with, we're told, Jim Atlas.

11. Andrew Stein.

12. Fashionista Mickey Ateyeh and a pal. A little birdie told us AMI's erstwhile diva Bonnie Fuller was expected to join them but alas, she didn't show.

14. Alice Mayhew.

15. My good pal Tony Hoyt with Hallmark Magazine's Lisa Benenson. Lisa told me that things are going great guns at the magazine -- "Our ad pages are up and so is our rate base!" Now that's what we call going against the tide. If you haven't checked out the magazine, go right out and get a copy now. It's great looking and full of inspirational, feel good stories which is something sorely needed at the moment.

16. Patricia Watt with Housewives Lu Ann de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and Jill Zarin.

17. Cindi Lewis.

18. Hachette's Jack Kliger and Carlos La Madrid.

19. Peter Miscovich.

21. Maureen Reidy and two gal pals.

22. What were they talking about? Rick Kaplan and Sandy Hill.

23. Ed Blier.

24. Esquire's Kevin O'Malley.

25. Two of my favorite Michael's regulars: Tom Goodman and Beverly Cahme, who, between the two of them, know everyone in New York. I joined the dynamic duo for coffee to check in on their latest goings on. Beverly told me all about the amazing assemblage of media mavens (including Barbara Goldsmith and Michael Kramer) who attended the luncheon at Tom Wolfe's home following Clay Felker's funeral. According to Beverly, it was Barbara who loaned Clay the $6,500 to acquire the rights to the title New York for the then fledgling magazine. Tomorrow Beverly will be up at the crack of dawn to attend a 7 a.m. (!?) fundraising breakfast at the Hilton where she told me both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will be doing their buddy act. My friend Tom will be hightailing it up to Westchester on Monday to handle the publicity for a charity golf tournament to benefit Joe Torre's Safe at Home Foundation. Tom tells me the new skipper of the Dodgers is "really enjoying himself." I'm guessing he's more than a little relieved to be 3,000 miles away from the Alex Rodriguez-Madonna debacle, too...

26. Jennifer Suarez.

27. Charlie Schueler.

28. Diane Sokolow and Ed Grebow.

Please send comments and corrections to DianeClehane AT mediabistro Dot com and lunch at mediabistro DOT com.