Have the former ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame, had enough of the spotlight? Apparently not, at least not when celebrity sightings and Bellinis are on offer. The couple, whose activities helped set off a leak investigation in the White House that has wreaked havoc on President Bush’s administration, attended the Tribeca Film Festival party held by Vanity Fair on Wednesday. And Editor & Publisher reported yesterday that the couple will be guests of ABC News for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday in Washington.

What drew them – and an amazing breadth of New Yorkers – to Vanity Fair’s party? The magazine’s editor and party host, Graydon Carter, certainly had pull. After all, the magazine covers an amazing breadth of subjects including politics, business, and culture.

But there’s a larger cause people identify with, and that originates with the idea for the festival, to help rejuvenate downtown after September 11, 2001. The power of that idea was especially relevant on this night – falling the day after the Port Authority and Larry Silverstein reached an agreement on ground zero redevelopment.

Then there was the space itself: The State Supreme Courthouse is glorious, and parties take place there rather infrequently. The dinner Wednesday was held in the rotunda, which has an oculus at its center and features large murals all around. Chef Sant Ambroeus served handmade cannelloni with ricotta and spinach for the first course; lamb chops for the second course, and strawberry mousse for dessert.

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Men of politics, such as Mayor Koch, Andrew Cuomo, Mark Green, and Harrison Goldin, toasted Jim Lebenthal on Wednesday at the Rainbow Room. The party, organized by his daughter, Alexandra Lebenthal, celebrated the publication of Mr. Lebenthal’s book, “Confessions of a Municipal Bond Salesman” (Wiley).

Ms. Lebenthal said she at first envisioned an intimate gathering, maybe 30 or 40 people. Speaking in front of 200 guests, she said she should have known better. “As a Lebenthal, when you decide to do something, whether it’s a book launch party, municipal bonds, or just life, you do it big!”

Mr. Goldin, a former New York City comptroller, spoke about Mr. Lebenthal’s dedication to the city during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. “When nobody wanted to believe in New York City, and there didn’t seem to be a brighter day ahead, along came this persuasive, charming man who truly believed, and that was Jim Lebenthal.”

Guests included Gigi Mortimer, Liz Claman, Jerry Della Femina, Allison and Peter Rockefeller, and Buzz Bissinger.

agordon@nysun.com