Erin Andrews nearly faced a serious hat malfunction at Derby

Darron Cummings/AP

Sports reporter Erin Andrews was having a wardrobe near-malfunction when she couldn't find a hat to wear to the Kentucky Derby.

Erin Andrews avoided a hat calamity at the Kentucky Derby. When the ESPN correspondent had trouble finding a hat to wear for the race ? tradition frowns upon going without one ? she contacted Andre Wilson, CEO of image-development company Style Icon for help. Wilson not only found a chapeau for Andrews, he styled her, too. Hats off, to him.

Beatle's got a life-long lovebug

The odds have smiled on Paul McCartney's engagement to MTA board member Nancy Shevell. PR consultant and Beatles buff John Horan tells us that based on the group's track record with marriage, McCartney has a good shot at living happily ever after with his American bride-to-be. The key, he says, is that the Fab Four seemed to find lasting happiness with women who weren't British. John, George and Ringo's respective first marriages to fellow natives Cynthia Powell, Patti Boyd and Maureen Cox didn't last longer than 11 years. They fared better next time: Lennon had been married 11 years to Tokyo native Yoko Ono when he was shot in 1980. Harrison was wed 23 years to Mexico-born Olivia Arias when he died in 2001. Ringo Starr tied the knot with American Bond Girl Barbara Bach in 1981, and they're still together. McCartney was married 29 years to N.Y.C. native Linda Eastman when she died in 1998. His second marriage to Brit Heather Mills didn't make it to six. Interesting.

Picture this: Me and Liz Taylor

Imagine spending a whole day with Elizabeth Taylor and not getting a picture with her? It almost happened to Outlaw Biker Magazine publisher Casey Exton two decades ago when he accompanied Taylor and Malcolm Forbes to a New Jersey bike competition. The photographer Exton assigned to cover the event shot everything he saw that day ? except his boss hanging with the hawg-loving Hollywood legend.

The snapper was fired. But Exton did get a shot with Taylor courtesy of his wife's disposable camera. He also had a moment he'll never forget. In a special edition of his magazine, titled "A Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor," that hits stands Tuesday, Exton writes, "I really did fall in love with Elizabeth. When we met, she stared into my eyes, and I stared back for what seemed to be forever," writes Exton, who just got out of the hospital after undergoing surgery on his ticker.�Perhaps he was suffering from a broken heart over Taylor's death in March.

Love in the USA

Has Miss USA found love in N.Y.C.? A source tells us that shapely Rima Fakih and actor Vincent Piazza, who has been seen in "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Sopranos," certainly seemed to be enjoying each other's company at The Bunker" on Ninth Ave. on Friday night. They were all over each other," says the source. Fakih has previously been linked with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero. A rep for Fakih declined to comment.

Chefs soak in the celebrity

N.Y.C. chefs used to be referred to as rock stars in this town. Now, they're becoming movie stars. A culinary crowd that included Spotted Pig chef April Bloomfield and Le Perigord proprietor George Briguet came away impressed by the onscreen charisma of Corton Chef Paul Liebrandt and the restaurant's co-owner Drew Nieporent at a screening of the documentary "A Matter of Taste," that the latter hosted at Tribeca Grill on Friday afternoon. The film tells the story of Liebrandt's quest for gastronomic glory, and the impish chef is clearly ready for his closeup. He comes off like a matinee idol even when he's threatening to put two of his sous-chefs' heads through a wall because they're not cooking to his standards. As for Nieporent, he has been a character for years. During postscreening cocktails, Briguet, who employed the restaurateur long before he became known as the owner of Nobu, said to Nieporent: "May I tell you something? You are a fantastic actor!" HBO runs the documentary next month.

Contact Gatecrasher:
Frank DiGiacomo: fdigiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith: cgriffith@nydailynews.com

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