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"Vienna waits for you," goes the refrain to a Billy Joel song. And Vienna waits for him, too - or it did. The city of Beethoven and Brahms has a new arrival: the "Piano Man" himself, whose "Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano" - Joel's classical music debut - was recorded there by pianist Richard Joo. Although Joel's pop songs may betray the influence of Paul McCartney and Elton John, his classical music tastes evidently tend toward Debussy and Chopin. They are the principal models here, and the ten works on this album by and large mimic 19th century styles of keyboard composition.

The opening "Reverie (Villa D'Este)," for example, begins with Debussy-like dreaminess, moving into a restless middle passage that is fleetingly reminiscent of a Chopin ballade. "Soliloquy (On a Separation)" follows much the same design, and the three waltzes are unmistakably Chopin-esque. The "Invention in C Minor," in contrast, is a study in Bach-style counterpoint, and the album closes in a lighter vein with "Air (Dublinesque)," a folksy, Irish-flavored piece that begins wistfully and ends with a jaunty jig. On the whole, Joel displays a well-developed harmonic sense and a flair for idiomatic piano writing. He clearly has an ear for the Romantic style - as well as a knack for recapturing it. Joo, a British/Korean pianist and former grand-prize winner of the Stravinsky International Piano Competition, plays with expression and sensitivity, although he lacks a touch of finesse. Joel knew classical music critics would be chomping at the bit to pass judgment on this - the playful title is surely in part self-derogatory, in part an affront to would-be critics. But "Fantasies & Delusions" is plainly a serious effort, and while Joel's classical personality does not feel fully formed, he should be congratulated for the album's successes and adventurous spirit. Joel is a many-sided and multi-talented artist, and his classical debut is a satisfying, impressive achievement.

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For nearly a decade now, Billy Joel has devoted himself to writing instrumental classical music. The results heard on "Fantasies & Delusions" show the "Piano Man" firmly rooted in Romanticism and short, expressive works that cover a range of moods. There are hints of Schumann and Chopin throughout the 10 solo piano compositions; Joel may wear his influences on his sleeve, but at least he has great influences. Some critics may scoff, but this is a solid debut - not a "classical crossover" attempt filled with infectious pop melodies, but an impressive recording of new piano works played solidly by Richard Joo. As with his pop creations, Joel doesn't strive for the cutting-edge and he certainly doesn't traverse the depths of human emotions (though the 11-minute "Opus 1. Soliloquy" sounds a little overwrought). This is still a pleasant classical album that's infinitely listenable (and head and shoulders above recent "classical" works penned by Paul McCartney and other pop stars).

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"Billy Joel: In His Own Words" is an intimate and revealing evening with one of the world's most popular recording artists and most respected entertainers. The legendary Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/performer will perform solo versions of his timeless hits and personal favorites. He will also answer questions from a live audience at the University of Pennsylvania's Irvine Auditorium in Philadelphia (the program will be taped on November 6th, 2001).

Over the past few years, Billy Joel's live "Master Class" performances/audience interviews have been hugely popular events on college campuses and other venues, giving his fans a close-up look at Billy and his music. "Billy Joel: In His Own Words" should be a spontaneous, lively and surprising show that will provide insight into his unparalleled career as one of popular music's most enduring hit makers.

Joel will also discuss his latest project, Billy Joel "Opus 1-10 Fantasies & Delusions (Music For Solo Piano)" (Columbia Records/Sony Classical). The collection features Joel-penned classical compositions as performed by virtuoso pianist Richard Joo, who will also be featured on the show. "Fantasies & Delusions" recently debuted at #1 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Music chart with the highest first week's sales of any album of instrumental classical music in the SoundScan era. The CD was released on October 2nd, 2001, as was "The Essential Billy Joel" (Columbia Records/Legacy Records), a two-disc, 36-song collection highlighting the full scope of Joel's extraordinary career.

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"The Essential Billy Joel" casts its spotlight on three full decades of recording achievements and now takes its place as the only career-spanning collection in his mega-selling album catalog. The 36-song, double-CD/cassette package is set for October 2nd, 2001 release on Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music. The same day marks the release of Billy Joel's solo piano compositions, Billy Joel "Opus 1-10 Fantasies & Delusions (Music For Solo Piano)," on Sony Classical/Columbia. The set contains ten new pieces performed by Richard Joo, winner of the Stravinsky Prize for piano.

From "She's Got A Way" (whose original version appeared on the 1971 album, "Cold Spring Harbor") through the collection's closing two selections from "Fantasies & Delusions" (recorded in 2001), "The Essential Billy Joel" presents a vivid portrait of an artist whose style and vision came to redefine our notions of contemporary popular music.

"The Essential Billy Joel" weighs in with more than two dozen bonafide chart singles and major album tracks - from his earliest signatures "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack" (from 1973's "Piano Man" album) to the album title tune "The River Of Dreams" which reached #3 in 1993. The list of song titles is nothing less than the ultimate litany of rock and pop standards. Disc One also includes "The Entertainer," "Say Goodbye To Hollywood," "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out On Broadway)," "New York State of Mind," "She's Always A Woman," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Only the Good Die Young," "Just the Way You Are," "Honesty," "My Life," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," "You May Be Right," "Don't Ask Me Why," "She's Got a Way," and "Allentown."

Disc Two boasts "Goodnight Saigon," "An Innocent Man," "Uptown Girl," "The Longest Time," "Tell Her About It," "Leave A Tender Moment Alone," "A Matter of Trust," "Baby Grand" (featuring Ray Charles), "I Go To Extremes," "We Didn't Start the Fire," "Leningrad," "The Downeaster 'Alexa'," "And So It Goes," "All About Soul," and "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)." Throughout, "The Essential Billy Joel" does justice to his best-selling album catalog: "Piano Man" (1973), "Streetlife Serenade" (1974), "Turnstiles" (1976), "The Stranger" (1977), "52nd Street" (1978), "Glass Houses" (1979), "Songs In the Attic" (1980), "The Nylon Curtain" (1982), "An Innocent Man" (1983), "The Bridge" (1986), "Storm Front" (1989), and "River of Dreams" (1993).

At the same time, the "...Essential..." collection puts in context Billy Joel's desire to return to the classical studies of his youth. "By the time I was 15," he told one interviewer, "I didn't want to be a concert pianist and I didn't want to have to play other people's music, so I left classical music - 'the girl next door' - and ran away with rock and roll - 'the woman with the torn fishnet stockings and high heels.' She swept me away and, for 30 years, we had this wild love affair. Now things have cooled down a little bit and although I'll always have strong feelings for her, I'm back in love with the girl next door."

Billy Joel's non-stop reign on the Billboard Hot 100 (more than 30 chart appearances in the top 40 between 1974 and 1993, most of them included here) ranks him as one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers of all time. In 1999, worldwide sales of his albums over the past quarter century topped 100 million units and he was presented with the RIAA Diamond Award for the double album "Greatest Hits Volume I & II" (10 million copies sold in the US). In all, he holds 81 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications by the RIAA for his singles, albums, and videos.

Billy Joel has won five Grammy Awards including "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" (both for "Just The Way You Are," 1978), "Album of the Year" ("52nd Street," 1979), and "Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male" ("52nd Street," 1979, and "Glass Houses," 1980). For his achievements, he received the "Grammy Legend Award" in 1990. He was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1992. 1999 was an especially auspicious year for Billy Joel as he was presented with the American Music Awards "Award of Merit" in January and, on March 15th, was personally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by one of his idols, the legendary Ray Charles. In 2001, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame presented him with the "Johnny Mercer Award," their highest honor.

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Two new Billy Joel albums come out Tuesday (October 2nd, 2001) - a two-disc hits set called "The Essential Billy Joel" and more notably, "Fantasies & Delusions (Music For Solo Piano)," his first set of instrumental classical music and his first album of new material since 1993's "River of Dreams."

Joel tells Launch.com that the long gap between albums allowed him to develop as an instrumental writer and that he had resolved not to push anything out before he felt it was ready: "To tell you the truth, I wasn't feeling compelled to put anything out. All I wanted to do was compose, and I wasn't necessarily feeling that, 'Well, this is stuff I've gotta give to the world.' I was on a learning curve. I was learning to speak a new vernacular, and it started eight years ago," he says.

Joel plans to promote the album with a short "Master Class" tour, on which Richard Joo, who actually plays the pieces on "Fantasies & Delusions," will join him. Joo is a well-known classical pianist and grand-prize winner of the "Stravinsky International Piano Competition."

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"Fantasies & Delusions" is a bold album where the "Piano Man" takes a giant risk, entering an arena where few pop artists are willing - or able to go. Paul McCartney has taken the classical dare a few times and received a lickin' for his efforts.

The longhairs and classical eggheads may want to gang up on Joel too, but the collection will stand up to their darts. This is a lovely batch of songs that reveal Joel, as a composer, to be a closet fan of Mozart, Chopin and Strauss.

Rather than working the keys himself, Joel enlisted young virtuoso Richard Joo to sit at the Steinway. Billy's fans might be disappointed, yet it was a very wise decision.

Joo's classical training presents this material with a stylistic expertise Joel admits he doesn't have. It allows the songs to be showcased with technical precision so the listener can hear the melodies in their best light.

And those melodies are stirring. The album takes time and effort on the listener's part. The dynamic range is go great, it really lends self to listening on headphones or better yet, in Carnegie Hall.

If the classical stuff scares you, Columbia is also releasing "The Essential Billy Joel" today. The "Essentials" include 36 of the man's best such as "Piano Man" and "New York State of Mind."

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Back in 1993 on his "River of Dreams" album in the song "Famous Last Words," Billy Joel wrote the line: "These are the last words I have to say." "That was the last time I wrote a piece of music that had lyrics," said Joel.

This pop icon has been toiling ever since over a collection of compositions for solo piano.

That labor is unveiled with today's release "Fantasies & Delusions" a 10-song opus written in the style of the early 19th-century Romantic Movement.

"My first love was classical," Billy Joel told The Post.

"Let's call classical the girl next door. When I was a teenager and the hormones kicked in I was seduced by rock - a chick in fishnet stockings and high heels.

"She seduced me and we ran away and had a torrid affair for the last 35 years. That love has cooled down for me and I rediscovered the girl next door."

Joel, 52, has proved just about everything there is to prove in pop music and he doesn't expect the album to be a commercial success.

As far from contemporary pop as can be, this collection finds Joel doing exactly what he wants to do, with the punk defiance of rock and roll rebel.

Post: People expect a Billy Joel album to feature Billy Joel on it. You're the Piano Man.

Joel: I'm not really sure who Billy Joel is supposed to be in the first place and besides, I don't think I've ever done the same thing twice.

Post: OK, then look at it the other way, why use Richard Joo as your interpreter?

Joel: He's a great pianist, he's a classically trained virtuoso. He is familiar with all the nuance and has the expertise to play difficult classical music.

Post: You wrote this music, so you can play it, right?

Joel: I wrote these songs in increments, nobody writes an entire piece in one sitting, beginning to end - there too much wrestling and changing going on to do that.

I can play one section of a piece, but I can't just blend it into the next part with the kind of bravura playing that is required. I needed a pianist who was trained.

Post: What's the difference between pop and classical writing?

Joel: Pop music songs are very restrictive. You play the verse and repeat the verse and then you do the chorus add a bridge and go back to the verse again. You are writing in a box. In writing instrumental long-form it allows the music to grow, expand and explore new places. When I hear it I feel like I've grown up.

Post: It seems like a radical turnaround.

Joel: The essence of what I do is the same. I write. I'm not a great singer, I don't think much of my voice and my piano playing is OK - stylistically I'm all over the place. As a writer I'm free. I can be who ever the hell I think I am.

Post: What's it like listening to your own music? Are you a back-seat piano player?

Joel: It's hard to describe how great it is. To hear it - one person removed - is a revelation. I can finally really hear my music. When I'm playing it I have to think too much about hitting the right notes.

Post: Even though this is a Billy Joel album it probably won't make any money, and will only find a limited audience. Do you care?

Joel: No, not at all. I'm doing it for the love of the music and that's the best motivator of all. I'm not expecting a commercial success, but if someone who was interested in my music is inspired to check out a recording of Schumann, Chopin or Beethoven then I've succeeded.

Post: What are some of the obstacles this record faces?

Joel: There are going to be classical purists who find it horrifying that this rock and roll guy is trying to write classical. I wrote it in the style of 19th-century composers and there's going to be others who say why should we listen to a guy writing in the style when we can listen to authentic music of that time.

Post: Is it hard to learn to listen to classical music?

Joel: There's a learning curve. These aren't three-minute pop tunes, there are no lyrics, listening to classical requires focus, concentration. But there's also the big payoff.

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The moment it was announced that veteran pop artist Billy Joel was going "classical," critics and fans had plenty to chew on. His new album released yesterday, "Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano" has no lyrics at all, and Joel himself isn't even performing on it, leaving that to Richard Joo.

The questions are as many as the keys on his famous stage piano. Why is he leaving pop music, where, despite criticism, he was wildly successful? Why is he writing music in an outdated style of art music, rather than embracing some of the more contemporary trends? Will this shift finish his career off or extend it? What's his motive?

Still an angry young man at 52, Joel is fighting rock critics of the past and preparing for the same with classical critics, but he's as honest as ever, talking about the changes from a hotel in New York City.

Question: Your song "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out On Broadway)," is a chilling apocalyptic vision of New York City's destruction written in 1975 as a satire. Don't lyrics like "I saw the mighty skyline fall" hold a different meaning now?

Answer: In 1975, New York was on the brink of bankruptcy. They went to the Feds for aid; at the time Gerald Ford was president. There's a famous New York City headline: "Ford to New York: Drop Dead." ...What bothered me wasn't so much that the federal government told New York to drop dead, but all the glee there was about it.... I had this vision of an apocalypse in New York City, of what would happen if New York went down. I didn't realize that this would become prophecy.

Question: It seems to me that you have always been composing instrumental works, such as "Nocturne" from your very first album, "Cold Spring Harbor." Is this classical album all that different?

Answer: Well, hallelujah, somebody finally understands. I have run into so much stonewalling: 'Why are you writing in a 19th century milieu? Why aren't you writing 20th century [music]?' I've been doing this from day one. ...I didn't renounce pop music or songwriting, what I did is kick out the sides of the box. Look, I worked with Elton John and watched him write. Elton gets lyrics from Bernie Taupin or whomever, and he sits down and sets them to music. I write 180 degrees the other way. I write music first. Then, if I like the music, then I decide to put lyrics to it.

Question: So if the music industry would've been less rigid, would you have included even more instrumentals in your albums over the years?

Answer: I tried to include instrumental pieces in my earlier albums, "Nocturne," "Mexican Connection," "Root Beer Rag," "Prelude" to "Angry Young Man," even "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" has a good deal of instrumentals in it. I remember an era when I was a young guy where there were instrumental hits: "Tequila!," "Wipe Out"..."Cast Your Fate to the Wind".... It's a whole genre that's kind of been forgotten.

The music on this particular recording is very much 19th century European in style. It's not very American, the modalities are not 20th century in any way, shape and form.

Question: Could you explain this further?

Answer: If you took the melody of "Uptown Girl" (singing it), it's not too far away from Haydn. You put an Alberti bass under it, it's transformed. You can do the same thing for "The Longest Time" (singing it). It could be a string quartet by Schumann. But, I don't want to compare myself to the giants.

Question: So if you were always writing songs that could be instrumentals, and also writing instrumentals, why leave pop?

Answer: The problem with pop music is you are writing in a box. You have three, four, five minutes and you have to repeat the theme again and again, then you have to go to the chorus. It was driving me nuts!

Question: Did you work with anyone to learn more about the art music vernacular in the years since your 1993 album "River of Dreams"?

Answer: I took classical piano for 12 years, so I am familiar with form and theory. I did this in private lessons. My mother, bless her soul, was able to squeak out 10 bucks a week for a piano teacher. I had to study theory and understand that. ...The criticism I got for my pop music was that it was too classically infused. Now here I am writing classical music, and I am being criticized for it being too classical.

Question: Why is that?

Answer: I knew this would happen, because what has been in favor for the last 50 or so years has been the Schoenberg 12-tone, atonal, dissonant and ironic music. I don't digest it or relate to it. I can intellectually get it, but I am not sucked in by it.

Question: Do you fear your status as a pop star will be lessened by this new effort?

Answer: I think I have already secured my place as a pop artist. My criticism was always that I was too studied - "He's not an authentic rock and roller. He took piano lessons - that's the antithesis of rock and roll." I have been caught in this no-man's land forever. Now I am going to make it obvious why they hate me so. I am going to lay it out.... I am making myself more naked than ever. Now I am going to let the classical critics chew me out. But that's OK.

Question: It's ironic that you were criticized for being learned when you had the mass appeal that normally is attributed to dumbed-down music.

Answer: I gave up trying to figure it out.

Question: And now?

Answer: People are hungry for substance, especially in light of recent events. So many things that were so important are no longer of any relevance at all. I feel there is almost an affirmation in the fact that I put out an album of instrumental music at this particular time. ...Lyrics don't do it for me right now. Nobody can describe the depths of emotions that people are having right now. I listened to the Barber "Adagio for Strings" and I wept, and it makes me feel better.

Question: If your new works are written in the same way you wrote pop - just without lyrics - is that why so many have subtitles?

Answer: Yes. Like the suite ["Suite for Piano (Star Crossed)]." It's about a love affair. The first movement is about falling in love, desire and unfulfilled physicality. It's melancholy and has a lot of references to Chopin, the way I ended certain phrases.

Question: When you say "references to Chopin...."

Answer: All the notes are my notes. If there's a reference to Chopin, Rachmaninoff or Schumann, it was purely incidentally. Stylistically, I borrowed liberally. What's wrong with taking a good idea?

Question: Nothing. That's the history of Western art music. Just look at all the Bach counterpoint that's taught in college. Do you feel liberated now that you have left pop?

Answer: Absolutely.

Question: But you are not playing on the new disc? It is pianist Richard Joo.

Answer: I had to get a hired gun.

Question: What about the cover. Its mimicking of a Schirmer edition, the same company that put out Chopin scores that millions of piano students studied from, might make it look like you are comparing yourself to the greats.

Answer: Many piano students ask their teachers, 'Can't I just play some Billy Joel?' So the teachers go out and get an arrangement of 'Piano Man' or 'Uptown Girl' - they are awful. For anyone who is musical in any way, they are insufficient. It's the arrangement done by some hack at the Hal Leonard publishing company. Now the teacher can go out and buy the actual piano music. They will go out and bring back a Schirmer edition of the pieces I have just written.

Question: You mean sheet music or the album?

Answer: Hal Leonard, which is the sheet music company that I have a deal with, bought Schirmer years ago. So we went to them and said can we use the Schirmer logo for an album cover. It will also be the cover [of the sheet music.] This is going to be immediately identifiable to any piano student. It will probably be out two weeks after the release of the album.

Question: Would you recommend a student study Billy Joel?

Answer: I would tell a piano student, don't learn my stuff, go out and buy the Chopin preludes and etudes. I am writing as a piano student.

Question: Are you going to tour in support of the new album?

Answer: I am going to do a Q&A tour with Richard Joo. I will be playing also.

Question: Are you having fun with all of this?

Answer: I am having the time of my life. I am so enjoying being able to give in to my instrumental tendencies, my melodic semantic urges. I am not making believe I am Chopin or Beethoven. But I am enjoying this so much more than creating pop music. Maybe it's my age. All music is strong and powerful, but this feels good to me.

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There's good buzz surrounding a new dance musical by choreographer Twyla Tharp that's set to songs by Billy Joel. Tentatively titled "The 'Thoel' Project" (Tharp-Joel, get it?), the show was given a workshop presentation over the weekend by the Nederlander Organization.

Joel liked what he saw, and has approved a full-scale production that will likely open on Broadway next season.

"The 'Thoel' Project" is being compared to "Contact" in that there is no dialogue; the story is told through song and dance.

The show is about three men who grew up in the '60s. They go off to fight in Vietnam, where one is killed. One of the men blames the other for their friend's death. Both get caught up in the drug scene of the 1970s, but pull themselves together in the 1980s.

Billy Joel standards used in the show include "An Innocent Man," "Big Shot," "The River of Dreams" and "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)."

Tharp's choreography, which one person called "exquisite," encompasses ballet, modern dance, even a touch of disco. Pretty much everything but tap, this person said.

Unlike "Contact," which uses pre-recorded music, "The 'Thoel' Project" has a live band. The songs are performed by Michael Cavanaugh, a singer from Las Vegas whose voice is said to bear an uncanny resemblance to Joel's.

Dancer Scott Wise, who won a Tony in 1989 for "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," was in the workshop, as was his wife, the very sexy Elizabeth Parkinson, who was last seen on Broadway in "Fosse."

I'm told Joel may write some new songs, just to help move the narrative along.

The budget is still being worked out but one person involved in the project said "The 'Thoel' Project" would probably cost between $6 and $8 million dollars.

"Raising the money won't be a problem," this source said. "People were practically throwing money at the show."

Expect a title change before "The 'Thoel' Project" hits Broadway.

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"Uptown Swirl: Joel Is Recycling Classical Themes"
[Review]
By: Tim Smith
(October 10th, 2001)

Billy Joel's debut on disc as a classical composer is apt to leave you in a Chopin state of mind. Not to mention Liszt, Schumann and, for a minute, Bach.

As for Joel, this just-released recording - "Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano" (Sony Classical) - doesn't offer much of a clue. If he has a truly original musical idea in his head, he isn't sharing it here.

When Joel, one of pop music's leading lights, announced years ago that he was heading into the classical realm - his last pop record was in 1993 - there seemed to be a pretty decent chance for something fresh to emerge. As an accomplished "Piano Man," he could be counted on, at the very least, for distinctive keyboard writing. And as a proven melodist, surely he would find a distinctive way of expressing himself.

Instead, Joel has let loose a series of what can best be described as imitations - competent, even appealing imitations, but imitations nonetheless.

The CD packaging provides the first clue to what's in store - it's a clever re-creation of the yellow cover found on the countless piano books published by G. Schirmer and used by piano students for decades. Perhaps the idea was to present such a familiar look on the outside that the discovery of familiar sounds on the inside would be less of a shock.

Sure, many classical composers draw on the past; the wave of neoclassicism in the 1920s and '30s was a prime example, as is the neoromantic style very much in vogue today. But an individualistic voice, one that is very much of the composer's own time, also can be heard in the best of such retro music.

It's awfully disappointing to find Joel settling for ersatz Chopin, including almost literal quotations from the Fantasie-Impromptu in his "Opus 7. Aria (Grand Canal)", and the E-minor Prelude in the "Innamorata" movement of his "Opus 8. Suite for Piano." Joel essentially surrenders to a nostalgia for largely 19th-Century melody and harmony; even in the technical aspects of the piano writing, he is merely recycling.

You can find dozens of pieces similar to Joel's in piano books from the late 1800s and early 1900s, when all sorts of modestly gifted composers wrote entertaining music in the prevailing style of the day. The idea of following their lead in 2001 severely stretches the limits of anachronism.

The obvious question is why listen to a Joel composition that sounds something like Chopin or Rachmaninoff or whoever, when you can hear the real thing? The next question is why doesn't Joel start studying composition with someone who might unleash the talent within that is obviously still awaiting an outlet?

The last track on the disc hints at one direction for that talent "Opus 10. Air (Dublinesque)" with its sly references to "Danny Boy" and its folksy spirit, suggests a composer more at home. We're still talking derivative (of Percy Grainger, for one), but also a level of honesty, charm and spontaneity lacking elsewhere.

Richard Joo, a competition-winning pianist recommended by the composer's conductor-brother Alex Joel, makes an effort to give each of the 10 pieces a dose of character and sails through the often considerable virtuosic challenges.

But in the end, there is nothing Joo can do to dispel the sad fact that the initial results of Joel's brave, even noble and, it is to be hoped, not final attempt at genre-crossing have been all too aptly named - "Fantasies & Delusions."

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"Joel Jilted Again"
By: Mitchell Fink
(October 11th, 2001)

Billy Joel's hit "A Matter of Trust" turns out to be a good description of the ill-fated romance between the star and Long Island newscaster Trish Bergin.

The trouble began early this year, sources said, when Bergin broke up with Joel after learning that he had been out with another woman. He talked his way back into her favor but eventually went out with someone else. So Bergin broke up with him again.

Then Joel proposed, sources said, with a 3-carat diamond ring he bought at an East Hampton jeweler.

She turned him down, but the two have remained friends.

Bergin would not respond to questions or confirm Joel's proposal. "I'm not going to answer that," she said. "It's too personal."