Very La-La: Bill Clinton to Kid Rock

So many celebrity sightings while I was away, I can't even wait until the end of the column to share this one: Bill Clinton sharing a cozy private dinner with Bill and Melinda Gates at Troiani in downtown Seattle. The trio dined on salmon and lobster mac and cheese and apparently had so much to talk about that Clinton was late to his book signing afterward. Mr. Gates was heard to say: "Mr. President, I think you have to go." One wonders: Which Bill picked up the bill? ...

HE'S STILL GOT IT: "It was like a charismatic bomb went off in the restaurant." — a restaurant source on Clinton's visit to Troiani ...

WHAT'S IN A NAME?: Fans of Seattle-formed indie-rockers Band of Horses may or may not be perplexed by the title to track 4 on the band's new album, "Cease To Begin." The dreamy ballad is named "Detlef Schrempf" after the former Husky and Sonics player, but the lyrics have nothing to do with basketball. Turns out band frontman Ben Bridwell is a big sports fan and chose the name simply because he "likes the way it sounds."

Schrempf has since been in touch with Bridwell via e-mail and said he hopes to catch the band at the Showbox this month. In the meantime, he's listening to "music I grew up with — Pink Floyd, Genesis and Foreigner." Because he likes the way it sounds? ...

A CELEBRATORY TOAST to Jeshua Madden, featured in this month's GQ magazine as "Seattle's Most Inspired Bartender." The Sazerac bartender created a cocktail called the Lemon Tarragon Tart — with Bombay Sapphire gin and limoncello, topped with a scoop of homemade lemon tarragon sorbet — to win that distinction. In related news, Danny DeVito has been in touch with Jeshua via e-mail and hopes to catch his show at — oh, wait. ...

JOHN O'HURLEY ON SEATTLE: "People have a gentle, loving, embraceable quality about them. I find a lot of people live in Seattle because they want to be champions of something, and that area provides a lot of stimulation. ... In fact, I write in my new book that we have lost our sense of authenticity. We've lost our sense of place; our cities look a lot like each other. Seattle and Boston and San Francisco and Newport, Rhode Island, are cities that have retained their sense of authenticity, and that is something very special." Now you may be thinking, John O'Hurley? Why? The question is not why. It's why not? ...

DISSED BY DONNA MARTIN: Cristie Schrader and Alyson Abreu of Seattle-based Nest, which makes de-signer-y baby clothes and diaper bags, were left on the cutting room floor after filming a segment for Tori Spelling's reality show, "Tori & Dean: Inn Love." It's an experience Cristie now refers to as "my 15 minutes that didn't happen ... but whatever." In related news, look for an awesome new recurring feature that I'm going to invent for this column called: My 15 Minutes That Didn't Happen, But Whatever. ...

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS ROUNDUP: Hannah Montana (aka Miley Cyrus) at Hotel Monaco with her mom, grandma, little sister and two small dogs in a stroller ... Kid Rock eating fresh crab at Elliott's Oyster House before heading to the Sonics home opener, where he posed with Sonics Dance Team members on the JumboTron ... Paul Allen swaying in his seat to "No Hidden Path" at the Neil Young concert at Qwest Field ... Padma Lakshmi ("Top Chef") alternately being a "total diva" and "quiet and unfriendly" at various spots around town ... T.R. Knight ("Grey's Anatomy") wearing a tux and mingling with guests at the Human Rights Campaign dinner at the Westin ... Jane Lynch ("A Mighty Wind") dining at the Met ... Former "Laguna Beach" star Jason Wahler serving time at Issaquah City Jail ... Hillary Clinton seated next to Howard Schultz at a fundraiser in her honor at a private home in Laurelhurst. Also there: Tom Skerritt.

Girl About Town appears every Sunday in Northwest Life. Pamela Sitt: 206-464-2376 or psitt@seattletimes.com