This week legendary Italian eyewear brand Persol, a bastion of Dolce Vita style, is debuting its iconic INCOGNITO design exhibition in the U.S. at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The invitation-only opening night celebration will feature a performance by Lou Reed.

Running from June 24 - 28, INCOGNITO by Persol is an interactive exhibition that was designed to "bring to life the emotions and richness" of a heritage born nearly 90 years ago in Turin, Italy and which today remains an icon of Italian design and craftsmanship.

Persol made its big screen debut in 1961 worn by Marcello Mastroianni in Divorce Italian Style, and its U.S. film debut in 1968 worn by Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (right). Two of the most stylish stars in the history of cinema, they catapulted the brand onto the international scene.

Other stars who have worn Persols over the years include Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere, Paul Newman, Roberto Rossellini, Cindy Crawford, Nicolas Cage, Pierce Brosnan, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Christian Slater, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Heath Ledger, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Adrien Brody and Daniel Craig, who sported two different styles in Casino Royale.

The tradition, quality, style and design that drive Persol's brand philosophy are embodied in the INCOGNITO exhibition, which involves all the senses. Along a path of images, sounds, colors, and technology, visitors can experience the world of Persol: the quality of the workmanship and materials, the uniqueness of design in the products and collections, the technological evolution and Persol's exclusive patents, as well as the magic and allure of the silver screen idols who made them famous.

George Clooney has been in St. Louis, Missouri recently shooting of the feature film 'Up in the Air' and he delighted the locals by making an appearance at the vodka/sushi bar Sub Zero last weekend. Sub Zero Vodka bar offers nearly 260 vodkas and has a 28-foot ice bar as well as serving both burgers and sushi. The NY Daily News reports that Clooney may have been a "little overserved" at the bar. He was reportedly stumbling a bit on his way back to his hotel. Clooney has also been spotted at the Mandarin, a local nightclub.

George Clooney is quite a pal. According to Hello magazine, the movie star just lent his lavish $6 million villa on Italy's famed Lake Como (above) to soccer superstar David Beckham and his wife Victoria. Beckham, whose taste for the finer things in life has been often noted here, is being fought over by two soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and Italy's AC Milan. The Beckhams will take some relaxing time out at the villa while waiting to see the if LA Galaxy will release him from his contract and allow a transfer to AC Milan, the magazine reports. "George has really taken David under his wing since the transfer trouble started," they note.

The luxurious villa, which has played host to many of Clooney's superstar pals, is just half an hour away from the Beckhams' base in Milan. Clooney, 47, and Beckham, 33, became friends after being introduced by Giorgio Armani, (whose underwear ads the Beckhams star in), at the Met Ball in New York last May. Luxe Lake Como, where scenes from the last two James Bond movies were shot, has long been a favorite retreat for Italy's rich and famous and the international jetset. As we mentioned last month, the contents of late designer Gianni Versace's villa there are being auctioned off by Sotheby's in March.

Luxe British outerwear company Belstaff, founded in 1924 and known for their distinctive motorcycle jackets, is teaming up with Audi to produce a one-off SUV to benefit the charity founded by Ocean's Eleven co-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The stars' charity, Not On Our Watch (NOOW), which my colleague Laura Malesich reported on earlier this year, raises awareness about humanitarian crises around the world. Belstaff and Audi are co-designing a special edition Q7 luxury SUV which will be sold to benefit NOOW's efforts in Darfur, Vogue UK reports. Earlier this week, Clooney and Pitt hosted a fundraiser for NOOW at the Venice Film Festival.

For years, shots of George Clooney at play on the shores of Lake Como have sparked interest in the Italian vacation destination. Now the TImes Online reports that the Clooney effect has spread to nearby Lake Maggiore, which is the largest of the Italian lakes and is 20 minutes from Lake Como. Although Lake Como is the more prestigious address, villas there can be as much as 50 percent more, making Lake Maggiore seem like quite the deal for your Italian villa. Lake Maggiore has many beautiful homes, some built as summer houses by the French aristocracy.

Want in? For €1.5 million euros you can pick up a restored farmhouse with Lake Maggiore views. This home and other Lake Maggiore properties are listed through Knight Frank.

This group of guys don't just sizzle on the screen together, they are putting their star-power towards a very deserving cause. As co-founders of Not On Our Watch (NOOW), a non-profit which focuses on bringing global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities, they recently gave $500,000 to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). In an effort to help stem hunger, the WFP uses helicopters to deliver support in manpower and food to the Sudan. These guys also donated $1 million to WFP in 2007. They make philanthropy look good -- really good.

[Thanks, Lana]

Very few celebrities have only one home -- owning multiple residences in locations around the world is key to keeping any sense of normalcy and routine in their lives. But although first homes are usually in cities like New York and LA to be close to work, where do celebrities like George Clooney, Johnny Depp, and Oprah choose to buy vacation homes? Where do they go when it's entirely up to them and they want to relax?

Well for Clooney it's a waterfront villa in Lake Como, Italy, for Depp it's a 50 acre farmhouse in France, and Oprah prefers her ocean-front ranch in Santa Monica. Where would you live? Check out this list of celebrity summer homes and see who's taste is closest to your own.

Ah, Clooney, could we love you anymore? Gorgeous George, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for "Syriana"  will donate the swag bag he received for being an Oscar presenter to the United Way. The auction will benefit the United Way Hurricane Response and Relief Recovery Fund. The bag includes a BlackBerry 8700c, a Kay Unger kimono and a cultured Tahitian-pearl necklace but more importantly, the winner gets a handwritten thank-you note from Clooney himself.  More details on the bag contents can be found here and the total worth is estimated to be around $100,000. The auction begins March 21. Of course if Clooney wanted to make some serious donation money, he should auction himself off…

[picture via Oscar.com]