Mark Consuelos to Marry Howard Stern

Mark Consuelos to Marry Howard Stern | Bright Lights, Big Payoff for Author | Hayes' Hazy Funeral; Cannes in NYC

Yes — Mark Consuelos, the actor and husband of Kelly Ripa, is getting ready to marry Howard Stern. That is, to Beth Ostrosky. The wedding is set for October, although sources are buzzing that Howard and Beth may have some kind of civil pre-wedding this weekend in the Hamptons.

There’s been talk that this might happen, but stunning blonde Beth confirmed it for me at Saturday's Mercedes-Benz Blue Star Jet Polo bash. This was the Polo party of all time, since there was no Polo match — it was cancelled — and no one noticed. More people than ever came just to have the weekly party. Katie Lee Joel was the guest of honor. Dina Lohan brought her two younger kids. A few horses grazed in the field.

The funny thing about Consuelos is that he’s a good actor who’s kind of gotten overshadowed by Kelly’s success with Regis Philbin. Mark had a long career on "All My Children," has appeared on other shows and is starting to film a new character on "Ugly Betty." Good for him.

Beth told me on Saturday that Mark is an ordained minister. He may have become ordained just for this reason. Who knows? Will Regis be in attendance? Beth said, "It’s not that kind of thing. It’s spiritual."

So the answer is, having Mark perform the ceremony is not to get publicity. They’re going to get it anyway. For the record keepers, Howard’s last wedding was 30 years ago, in 1978.

Bright Lights, Big Payoff for Author

Jay McInerney is finally cashing in.

The author of "Bright Lights, Big City" never really had a hit again after his splashy 1984 debut. Subsequent novels such as "Ransom," "Brightness Falls," "The Last of the Savages" and "The Good Life" never really captured the public imagination. They each received mixed reviews and failed to sell many copies.

For years, in fact, McInerney has lived on a pretentious wine column in House & Garden magazine. But that magazine has folded, leaving the once self-generated hip member of the literary brat pack (Bret Easton Ellis, Tama Janowitz, etc) adrift. His most recent claim to fame was a fourth or fifth marriage to socialite heiress Ann Hearst.

But fate is funny. All that hard-partying from the mid-'80s has paid off. In 1987, McInerney published a minor novel called "Story of My Life" that didn’t do particularly well. It was all about a party girl named Alison Poole. Most people dismissed it. If Alison was based on someone real, no one cared or asked.

But, surprise — Alison, McInerney revealed in 2005 — was based on one Lisa Druck, now known as Rielle Hunter. He’d dated her briefly and was fascinated by her frivolous friends. In 2005, again, no one cared. But what a difference now. Hunter, of course, is John Edwards' former mistress and maybe baby mama (despite denials from all involved).

"Story of My Life" looks like it may finally be a hit. The paperback was up to No. 250 on Amazon.com and keeps moving higher. That’s because McInerney hasn’t hesitated to cash in on the scandal. He’s been on "Extra" and talked to anyone who’s asked about the good old days with Rielle.

Intriguingly, another McInerney-Hunter pal, Pigeon O'Brien, a minor music publicist who is headquartered in St. Louis, is also making the rounds, giving interviews, squawking away. O’Brien, I’m told, may have been one of the sources for the National Enquirer. She’s been the generator of many Hunter stories over the last few weeks.

Video: Pigeon O'Brien on 'On the Record'

Video: Pigeon O'Brien on 'Studio B'

Ex-Friend Says Rielle Being Demonized

But insiders say O'Brien knows a lot less about Hunter than she’s indicated. One says: "They are not old friends; they were friends 20 years ago for about 20 minutes. And I think that they might have reconnected briefly over some Web site stuff."

The same source says that until she surfaced, Hunter wasn’t even aware of O’Brien’s last name. Take that with a grain of salt, but still.

McInerney, who’s remained friendly with both women, wrote about Hunter in 2005 in something called Breathe magazine. The interview lingers on the Internet on various sites but not on Hunter’s.

As pointed out first in October 2007 by the Huffington Post, Hunter’s Web site disappeared the minute the National Enquirer wrote about her that month. It literally vanished, as if it never happened, which isn’t easy to do.

McInerney obviously remained tight with Hunter after that reunion. According to Newsweek, Hunter told writer John Darman in the late spring of 2007 that she and McInerney were working on a "genius" idea for a television show about women who help men get out of failing marriages by having affairs with them. She said they wanted to pitch this idea to Darren Star, creator of "Melrose Place" and "Sex and the City."

Late spring 2007 is when Hunter became pregnant — either by Edwards or by his trusty aide, Andrew Young. In fact, three things happened on the same day or within 24 hours of each other: Edwards gave a Father's Day speech, Hunter conceived a baby and McInerney broke his foot running out of the Waverly Inn. That was June 7, 2007. A day of infamy, certainly.

As for McInerney: The Hunter saga may be moving copies of "Story of My Life" to curious readers but it hasn’t done much for his other books. According to Amazon.com, his next biggest seller is "Bright Lights, Big City," which is logged in around 4,600.

But how much information about Hunter has McInerney shared with the daily newspapers and outlets like "Extra" to get "Story" moving? And how much has he had to do with self-outed snitch Pigeon? And doesn’t Hunter have another mole in her inner circle, possibly, I am told, one of her sisters, who sold her out long ago to the Enquirer?

Hayes' Hazy Funeral; Cannes in NYC

There’s a lot of consternation about Isaac Hayes’ memorial service, planned for Monday in Memphis. Neither Dionne Warwick nor Sam Moore will be there, and one of the publicists on the e-mail blast that went out Tuesday night is a well-known Scientologist.

Friends are worried, too, that no autopsy was performed, and that Hayes’ death was ruled as cause of a stroke, according to his doctor. This is ironic, since two and a half years ago, when he had a bad stroke, the word was put out that Hayes was hospitalized for "exhaustion." I’d like to see the wire service writers correct that in their filings.

So, was there a second stroke? And why was he on a treadmill when his death occurred? I know it’s hot in Memphis, but there must be a medical examiner down there capable of looking into this. …

Meanwhile, Booker T and the MGs play BB King in New York on Friday. I’m sure they’ll do a tribute. ... Sam Moore will play Silverlake Junction in Los Angeles on Aug. 23-24 with his own tribute to Isaac. …

The New York Film Festival announced its slate Tuesday. It seems oddly like a bit of a rerun of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Were there no new films to show? NYFF is skipping the Coen Brothers’ "Burn After Reading" and a number of other fall releases for Clint Eastwood’s "Changeling," Steven Soderbergh’s four-hour "Che" and a number of other Cannes entries. One that NYFF skipped for better, not worse: Charlie Kauffman’s incomprehensible "Synecdoche." That will be left to a so-called Cinema Society premiere. …

The soundtrack to "Mamma Mia!" one of the worst movies ever made, is No. 1 this week. Those crazy ABBA fans want their music even if it’s being murdered, I guess. …

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum — not the dreaded, awful foundation — announces the opening of a Soho, N.Y., exhibition center Wednesday at noon with Clive Davis and Billy Joel in attendance. Knowing the museum, this branch — set in this city — will salute local Doo-wop groups that aren’t actually in the Hall of Fame but gave rock its roots. …