How Suzanne Somers' widower honored her on Valentine's Day

Suzanne Somers, who died in 2023, was remembered by her family on Valentine’s Day.

The widower, Alan Hamel, told me: “The family got together at my home and made the most creative Valentine’s Day cards, which we then delivered to Suzanne’s final resting spot in Palm Springs. She was my Valentine for over five beautiful decades. We never spent a night apart in 56 years.”

Hamel runs “Suzanne Organics” which sells 369 health products from gut renew powders to their signature Thigh Master. The company has sold over 15 million of the exercise machines to date; all the products are available at suzannesomers.com.

Hamel says he’s convinced that Suzanne has visited him in the form of a hummingbird, which flew into their house and rested on top of their photo in their living room.

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Jean Shafiroff. (Getty)

Sacre bleu! If you’ve seen the recently restored Notre Dame, thank a few Americans.

The French Heritage Society held its annual Palm Beach Gala Dinner last week at posh and private Club Colette. Naturally the French wine flowed.

New Yorker Jean Shafiroff is a French fan. She’s been on the board for 13 years.

“We are proud to see this event grow so significantly over the past decade,” Shafiroff told me. “A decade ago, we had fewer than 100 guests at the gala — today, there’s a waiting list to attend this evening. Recently, we raised $2.7 million toward the restoration of Notre Dame and now our focus is on funding scholarships that allow students to study abroad and immerse themselves in France’s rich history.”

Shafiroff arrived alongside fashion designer Nabys Vielman, who dressed both Shafiroff and publicity guru Ana Martins for the gala. Vielman was also busy this week with Palm Beach trunk shows.

Hey, someone has to dress all these gala gals.

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Women took a step backwards in Oscar nominations this year.

Men continued their overall dominance and also gained ground, according to the Women’s Media Center.

Of this year’s 216 Oscar nominees in non-acting categories, only 59 (27%) are women, and the other 157 (73%) are men. This is a decrease from 2024, when women were 32% of non-acting Oscar nominees, compared to 64% men.

“Even when women produce, direct and edit Oscar-worthy films, they’re still overlooked for these prestigious awards,” said Jane Fonda, WMC’s co-founder.

“While we commend the Academy for its efforts to be more equitable, fair and inclusive, it’s clear that more change needs to happen at a faster pace.”

The winners of 2025 Academy Awards will be announced March 2.

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CEO of PR firm Nicholas & Lence Communications Cristyne Nicholas was spotted renewing her vows with husband Nick Nicholas on the Red Steps in the heart of Times Square on Valentine’s Day, celebrating their 25th anniversary.

Their high school twins were by their side, while their oldest daughter witnessed from college via FaceTime.

They were among hundreds of other New Yorkers and tourist couples from around the globe who radiated Love in Times Square, an annual Valentine’s Day celebration hosted by the Times Square Alliance.

The loving couples were serenaded by James T. Lane, who plays Louis Armstrong in “A Wonderful World” on Broadway.

After the vow renewal, they headed to a family dinner at Virgil’s Real BBQ, followed by “All In: Comedy About Love” at the Hudson Theatre featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Annaleigh Ashford, Tim Meadows and Hank Azaria.

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Lydia Hearst and Chris Hardwick. (Getty)

Media heiress Patricia Hearst’s dog, Sassy, won the “Best of Breed” category for French Bulldogs at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden last week.

Sassy continued on at the competition and showed on the final day but didn’t make it to the Best of Show (BOS) class. Over the years, Hearst has won BOS several times around the world with her Frenchies, but this is the first time she went to the Garden with her own pooch.

Hearst’s daughter, actress Lydia Hearst, wife of comedian Chris Hardwick, showed her rare Otterhound, named Zoltar, who won the “Best of Opposite Sex” category.

Lydia said, “The Otterhound is on the verge of extinction. It’s estimated that there are only 600 left in the world, it’s important to make people aware that this extraordinary breed exists. It’s rarer than the white rhino or the giant panda.”

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Audrey Gruss’ Hope For Depression Research Foundation’s Race of Hope in Palm Beach broke records attracting over 1,200 people including socialites Jamee and Peter Gregory, Whitney and Christine Schott, and The Colony Hotel’s Sarah Wetenhall.

The event, which raised over $1 million, celebrated its seventh anniversary and raised funds for life-saving mental health research.

Over the years the organization has honored Dakota Johnson, Anderson Cooper, Brooke Shields and Michael Phelps. This year’s sponsors included James Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui of Findlay Galleries and Livingston Builders Teresa and Jim Remez.

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