JOEL'S DAUGHTER RULES OUT DUET WITH DAD

Upcoming musician ALEXA RAY JOEL is determined to be recognised as a serious artist in her own right before she starts working with her superstar dad BILLY JOEL. Since launching her music career several years ago, the young singer/songwriter has had to endure speculation the two will one day perform together. The 21-year-old says, "I'm not gonna tour with my dad, duet with him or do any of his stuff.

"At least not until I've gotten a lot of credibility doing my own. At this point it's important I keep our two careers separate."

Christie Brinkley's Revenge

As former fashion model and business woman IVANA TRUMP once said, "Looking good is the best revenge."

It seems another former model, Cover Girl spokesperson CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, is living proof that these words ring true. The 52-year-old mother of three returned to her Hamptons home yesterday, but in contrast to reports that she is in low spirits after her split from husband PETER COOK, the radiant California girl is doing her best to glow in the unwelcome light of her recent marriage scandal.

Emerging from seclusion this week, she met the press -- sans wedding ring -- as she handed popsicles to a New York Daily News photographer at her New York estate, the newspaper said. A day later, she reportedly had a tray of pink lemonade, water and homemade chocolate-chip cookies delivered to the paparazzi outside her home to ensure their comfort in the sweltering heat.

It was just last month that the blonde beauty was swept up in a media maelstrom when news broke that her relationship had ended. Upon learning about her husband's alleged infidelity with his 19-year-old assistant, Christie's response was swift and decisive.

"The Insider"'s MARC MALKIN reports that the couple were preparing to leave for a trade show to promote a new furniture line when the bombshell dropped. The trip was cancelled.

Her publicist later confirmed reports that Christie and her fourth husband were separating.

Meanwhile, dauther ALEXA RAY is making mom proud. The 19-year-old aspiring singer -- dad is Piano Man BILLY JOEL -- was recently photographed for the British edition of Hello! magazine. "She had the best hair, make-up and everything," a source told Malkin. "It's pretty major. Alexa really wants to make it on her own."

While her marriage may be in disarray, Christie has shown no signs of distress. Perhaps the best revenge is to simply pick up, move on -- and of course -- look good doing it!

Christie back from Brink of despair

A chic and ever-so-cool Christie Brinkley emerged from seclusion the other day in the Hamptons, wearing a big CoverGirl smile, but no wedding ring!

The vintage supermodel, who packed up the kids and went home to La-La to take refuge with her parents last month when news broke about her hubby Peter Cook’s...

Christie Brinkley Meets with Her Ex

Christie Brinkley met with her estranged husband, architect Peter Cook, and his parents on Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News.

"I'd rather not comment," Brinkley, 52, told the paper as she left her $22 million estate in New York's Hamptons after the visit from the Cooks. "I just don't want to fuel this anymore."

Although Cook, 47, has been photographed recently wearing his wedding ring, Brinkley was not wearing hers on Tuesday.

The appearance marks Brinkley's return to the Hamptons, where she and Cook lived until Brinkley learned that Cook had carried on a year-long affair with Diana Bianchi, now 19, whom he'd hired to work as an assistant in his office.

After Brinkley's July 12 announcement that she was separating from Cook after 10 years of marriage, the "devastated" CoverGirl model took her kids Jack, 11, and Sailor, 8, to Los Angeles to be with her parents and has kept out of sight ever since.

Cook, who has publicly apologized for his infidelity, arrived at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the gated home he and Brinkley had shared; he was followed by his elderly parents, Harry and Jean, who were driven in a town car from their Long Island home, according to the Daily News.

After a 15-minute visit, Brinkley led the caravan out of the estate in her tan Lexus SUV, the paper reports.

An hour later, Brinkley returned to the house with her 20-year-old daughter Alexa Ray Joel (whose dad is Brinkley's ex, Billy Joel).

Pausing in the driveway, Brinkley handed the Daily News photographer a box of Popsicles, saying, "Here, this is a little gift for you. I want you to take this. It's very, very hot out."

Brinkley Briefly Sees Cheating Hubby, Passes Out Popsicles

Minus her wedding ring but bearing a healthy smile and a sympathetic heart towards a photographer, Christie Brinkley returned to the Hamptons yesterday and had an encounter with her philanderer husband Peter Cook.

The supermodel was spotted by the New York Daily News yesterday arriving at her and Cook's $22 million Bridgehampton estate, when Cook himself and Cook's parents arrived around the same time. The group was inside the house for about 15 minutes and then all hightailed it out together.

Later, says the Daily News, Brinkley returned to the compound and gave a photographer on stakeout duty on one of the steamiest days of the year a box of Popsicles with a note inside, saying, "I want you to take this. It's very, very hot out." The note repeated that sentiment, reading, "Sorry you have to do this on a such a hot day!" And Brinkley and 20-year-old daughter Alexa Ray Joel, who was in the car with her, also gave the photog two leather bracelets promoting stopglobalwarming.com.

NEW YORK - Christie Brinkley's songbird daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, said her mother's public betrayal may put the supermodel off marriage for good, acco

NEW YORK - Christie Brinkley's songbird daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, said her mother's public betrayal may put the supermodel off marriage for good, according to a published report.

``I don't think my mom will be getting married again anytime soon,'' Joel told a friend, according to Star magazine. ``It's going to take her a long time to get over this. As for trusting someone enough to marry again -- I don't know.''

Joel, 20, is Brinkley's daughter with piano man Billy Joel and a budding singer in her own right. Brinkley also has an 11-year-old son, Jack, with third husband Richard Taubman and 7-year-old daughter Sailor Lee with current husband Peter Cook.

Brinkley, 52, recently fled the Hamptons with the two youngest children in tow after Cook's infatuation and affair with 19-year-old assistant Diana Bianchi.

``She has her kids, and apart from the divorce, she's happy about where she is in her life right now,'' Star reports Alexa Ray Joel as saying. ``Thank God Sailor is too young to really understand what's going on. She doesn't know what her dad did or why everyone is mad at him.''

Cook, 47, issued an apology through his attorney last week and has kept a low profile in Southampton, Long Island, where he runs an architecture firm.

Sources said he and Brinkley were invited to three major Hamptons parties last weekend, but have sent their regrets to each.

Brinkley's spokesman did not return a call seeking comment, but a family source told the New York Daily News that the former Cosmo Girl is keeping mum so as not to jeopardize her prenuptial agreement.

Star magazine also reported that Brinkley insisted that everyone in Cook's architecture firm sign a nondisclosure agreement, barring them from speaking out about their boss or his wife.

Christie Brinkley copes with pain

Daughter Alexa Ray Joel says mother needs time to get over heartbreak

NEW YORK - Christie Brinkley's songbird daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, said her mother's public betrayal may put the supermodel off marriage for good, according to a published report.

``I don't think my mom will be getting married again anytime soon,'' Joel told a friend, according to Star magazine. ``It's going to take her a long time to get over this. As for trusting someone enough to marry again -- I don't know.''

Joel, 20, is Brinkley's daughter with piano man Billy Joel and a budding singer in her own right. Brinkley also has an 11-year-old son, Jack, with third husband Richard Taubman and 7-year-old daughter Sailor Lee with current husband Peter Cook.

Brinkley, 52, recently fled the Hamptons with the two youngest children in tow after Cook's infatuation and affair with 19-year-old assistant Diana Bianchi.

``She has her kids, and apart from the divorce, she's happy about where she is in her life right now,'' Star reports Alexa Ray Joel as saying. ``Thank God Sailor is too young to really understand what's going on. She doesn't know what her dad did or why everyone is mad at him.''

Cook, 47, issued an apology through his attorney last week and has kept a low profile in Southampton, Long Island, where he runs an architecture firm.

Sources said he and Brinkley were invited to three major Hamptons parties last weekend, but have sent their regrets to each.

Brinkley's spokesman did not return a call seeking comment, but a family source told the New York Daily News that the former Cosmo Girl is keeping mum so as not to jeopardize her prenuptial agreement.

Star magazine also reported that Brinkley insisted that everyone in Cook's architecture firm sign a nondisclosure agreement, barring them from speaking out about their boss or his wife.

Billy Joel’s Kid To Release First Record

Feeling old? If not, this should do it. Tomorrow, Alexa Ray Joel, 21-year-old daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, releases her first record, “Sketches.”

Alexa Ray has decided to skip the regular route of going to a major record company and instead will release her debut EP (short for ‘extended play’) on her own independent label.

Fans will be able to buy it from her Web site — www.alexarayjoel.com — as well as download it from all the usual places on the Internet.

Click Here for the Music Center

You can already hear three of the songs on Alexa Ray’s MySpace page. They include “The Heart of Me,” “Come Home to Me Do” and “Sapphire Night.” They are all bluesy pop numbers in which Alexa accompanies herself on piano.

She’s more Melissa Manchester circa 1973 than Billy Joel, but you can definitely pick up Dad’s genetic influence in her recordings.

In any case, Alexa Ray is here to stay, and she’s serious about her career. She joins a not-so-select group of second-generation pop stars like Julian Lennon, his brother Sean, Ben and Sally Taylor (Carly Simon and James Taylor's kids), the Wilson Phillips gang, Ricky Nelson’s sons and Sting’s son Joe Sumner's group Fiction Plane.

Interestingly, most of those artists have opted not to sign with big record companies and put out their own CDs.

Some, like Ben Taylor and Julian Lennon, started with major labels and then went indie. Sean Lennon’s done the reverse for his upcoming release, opting to go with family company Capitol. His first album was on a small label.

Of course, cryptographers will pour over Alexa’s lyrics to see if there’s anything about her mom’s soured marriage to a philandering architect.

But something tells me the message — if there is one — will be fairly hidden. The girl has more important things to sing about, I should think.