Mike Nichols’ two-night-stand, Short Talks on the Universe, premiered six plays with talent-crammed casts to benefit Friends In Deed and Bay Street Theatre. Ellen Barkin, Kevin Kline, Emma Thompson, Bette Midler, Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Angela Lansbury, Christine Baranski, and Cady Huffman lent their talent for the night at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. I caught up with talk-show host Caroline Rhea and asked her about the brouhaha over her producers insisting she cover up while chatting with James Bond star Pierce Brosnan. Her reply: “Wouldn’t you wear something low-cut if Brosnan was coming on your show?” To which an attractive female eavesdropper added, “And no panties, too!” The after-party at Noche buzzed with celebs like Steve Martin, Candace Bergen, Diane Sawyer, Jon Robin Baitz, Tony Walton, and Ron Perelman on hand to support wife Ellen Barkin.