Alan Peppard

Two copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows turned out to be a pricey purchase for '80s rock queen Pat Benatar.

She was in Dallas to perform at the House of Blues with her band, led by her husband and longtime lead guitarist, Neil "Spyder" Giraldo. While Pat and Neil were hitting the HOB crowd with their best shot, their two daughters, Haley and Hana, remained closeted in a suite at Hotel ZaZa finishing the latest Potter book.

The minibar bill must have been a killer.

The next big thing on the high-rise residential scene is Museum Tower. Veteran Dallas developers John Sughrue and Dan Boeckman are erecting a 42-story modernist masterpiece – a spire of elegant residences on a prime plot in the Arts District right between the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Meyerson Symphony Center.

Chef non pareil Stephan Pyles is their culinary ambassador. The owner of the urbane Arts District eatery that bears his name, Stephan will be available to Museum Tower homeowners to create their ultimate kitchens.

He has a happy history with the developers. When he first opened his Ross Avenue restaurant, Mr. Sughrue and his company, Brook Partners, were his landlords. Last summer, however, Brook Partners sold Southwest Plaza, which also houses Mr. Sughrue's Fashion Industry Gallery, to Ray Hunt.

In other Pyles news, his restaurant has just begun off-site catering for seated dinners from 20 to 200 or cocktail parties up to 500.

Presidential fever is high as White House wannabes keep coming to town a la Tony Soprano for their envelopes. Last week, it was Fred Thompson at the Crescent Club and John Edwards at the Young Democrats of America convention.

On Friday, Rudy Giuliani showed up at the Porch, restaurateur Tristan Simon's latest venture on his own boulevard of cool, Henderson Avenue.

Rudy was trying to appeal to the hip kids (with cash) by having a fundraiser at the urban in-spot.

The piano on which John Lennon wrote "Imagine" is about to get a much bigger audience. In 2001, singer George Michael paid $2.1 million for the Steinway. In December, he and his partner, art dealer Kenny Goss, displayed it at Dallas' Goss Gallery.

Now they are working out the details for the piano to go on view sometime in August at the NorthPark shopping center.

In preparation for its centennial celebration in 2008, the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas is taking nominations for its new "100 Women" honor.

The Y will feature 100 women who have made or continue to make lasting contributions to Dallas in the past 100 years.

Each honoree will be featured in a YWCA historical exhibit and a commemorative program to be distributed at a Centennial Gala, "100 Women, 100 Years," May 3 at the Hilton Anatole.

Nomination forms are available at www.ywcadallas.org.

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