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Who let the dogs out at MSPCA-Angell benefit?

05/24/2013 12:00 AM

WGBH has gone to the dogs, at least temporarily. MSPCA-Angell held its annual spring fundraiser at the station’s Brighton studios this week, and there were four-legged friends everywhere. “Mystic River” writer Dennis Lehane and wife Angie were among the guests who brought their dog to the party. (The pooch, named Rosie, was best buddies with Tessa, Lehane’s beagle that ran away on Christmas Eve, never to return.) The gala was emceed by WCVB-TV’s Randy Price and chaired by Boston fashion maven Erica Corsano. Others in the crowd included developer Bob Beale, real estate agent Jasna Mikkelson, and socialites Ashley Bernon, Laura Baldini, and Kathleen VanDernoot...Actress/singer Megan Hilty of “Smash” fortified for her concert at Symphony Hall Thursday with lunch on the patio at Stephanie’s on Newbury.

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Gisele Bundchen’s getting back to work

05/24/2013 12:00 AM

Gisele Bundchen’s latest eye-catching ad campaign is for the denim label BLK DNM. (Trust us, the pictures of Tom Brady’s bride in skin-tight jeans looking under the hood of a car do get your attention.) This week, she and the photographer Johan Lindeberg, who’s also the brand’s founder and creative director, invited a few of their fancy friends, including Marina Abramovic, Theophilus London, and Waris Ahluwalia, to BLK DNM’s store in New York to check out the photos.

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Denzel Washington brings Hollywood to Haverhill

05/24/2013 12:00 AM

Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini is delighted that actor Denzel Washington will be shooting a movie in the city. But his wife, Martha, is over the moon. The Oscar winner is coming to town this summer to film “The Equalizer” with Marton Csokas and Chloe Moretz. (It will be shooting for four weeks inside the empty building on Route 97 that formerly housed big-box retailer Lowe’s.) “This movie has already accomplished my wife’s greatest goal, which is to get me to watch more movies,” Fiorentini told us, laughing. “Martha said, ‘You want to be sure you really know who he is and have seen a couple of his movies.’” So to prepare for Washington’s arrival, the mayor just watched “The Great Debaters” and “Flight.”

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Jim Gaffigan hits Brookline to promote ‘Dad is Fat’

05/23/2013 7:03 PM

Comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan, who just filmed a comedy pilot for CBS that’s loosely based on his life (with Mira Sorvino playing his wife), visited Brookline on Thursday night to promote his new book, “Dad is Fat,” which is mostly about his parenting skills (or lack thereof). Gaffigan — who has five kids— signed a stack of books at Brookline Booksmith and then spoke at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in front of a sold-out crowd.

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‘From the Top’ celebrates the ‘Unique and Unmissable’

05/23/2013 6:53 PM

Jon Batiste, from HBO’s “Treme”; “Wicked” author Gregory Maguire; architect Moshe Safdie; astronaut Cady Coleman; and Harmonix co-founder Eran Egozy were among the big names at the ninth annual gala for “From the Top,” the locally-produced NPR show that highlights the talents of young musicians. The celebration, themed “Unique and Unmissable,” was held at the Back Bay Events Center and featured music from Batiste and his group Stay Human, as well as Radiohead-loving pianist Christopher O’Riley , who also hosts the show. “From the Top” airs around Boston at 11 a.m. on Sundays on Classical New England 99.5 FM.

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Elizabeth Banks goes Global at Versace

05/23/2013 6:50 PM

Pittsfield actress Elizabeth Banks, who’ll return to the big screen as Effie Trinket in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” later this year, schmoozed with her former “Scrubs” co-star Sarah Chalke on Wednesday at Versace and Vanity Fair’s Luncheon Benefitting Vital Voices Global Partnership, an organization that empowers women leaders around the world. The event was held at Versace in Beverly Hills.

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Fine Arts Work Center will honor Gov. Patrick

05/23/2013 6:47 PM

The Fine Arts Work Center will honor Gov. Deval Patrick at its Summer Awards Celebration in Provincetown on July 13. Last year’s honoree was Tony Kushner, who had just written the script for “Lincoln.

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Look for Robert Downey Jr. in June

05/22/2013 7:00 PM

On Locations Vacations, the website that stalks movie shoots, has figured out some of the Boston filming dates for “The Judge,” which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. The movie is expected to film in the city after June 18, according to the site. Before then, it’ll be in Shelburne, which is where some of Kate Winslet’s movie “Labor Day” was shot last year. “The Judge” also stars Leighton Meester, Billy Bob Thornton, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Vera Farmiga, who, of course, was in Boston to film “The Departed.” Duvall was spotted in Boston over the weekend dining at Legal Harborside.

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A look at hairy Larry David in ‘Clear History’

05/22/2013 6:53 PM

As we’ve mentioned, HBO has released a trailer and a set photo to promote “Clear History,” the Larry David comedy that filmed on the North Shore last year. Here’s a picture from production. On the left is co-star Jon Hamm, who plays David’s arch-nemesis, an exec at an electric car company. On the right is David of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” without his signature glasses and with a lot of fake hair.

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‘Book of Mormon’ returning

05/22/2013 6:49 PM

The Boston run of Book of Mormon was so successful it’s coming back to town. Broadway in Boston announced Wednesday that the Tony-winning musical by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone will return to the Opera House for a four-week run next April. Tickets will be available to Broadway in Boston season subscribers starting May 28. No word yet on when the rest of us can buy tickets.

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Bruins put a smile on Angie Miller’s face

05/22/2013 6:46 PM

Nothing gives us as much pleasure as watching celebrity fans of New York sports teams take it on the chin, especially if it’s a Boston team administering the beating. So what a treat it was Tuesday to see Sting, Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, singer Gavin DeGraw, “Neighbours” actress Margot Robbie, and “Taken 2” star Liam Neeson all grimacing as the black-and-gold Bruins won Game 3 against the Rangers. The Bruins had a few fans of their own at the World’s Most Famous Arena, including “American Idol” finalist Angie Miller, who grew up a big B’s fan in Beverly. The Bruins and Rangers are back at it Thursday in New York.

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Joanne Chang celebrates ‘Flour, too’

05/22/2013 6:45 PM

Chef Joanne Chang chatted with her longtime customers E. Byron Hensley Jr. and his wife, Joann Hensley, at a signing for Chang’s new cookbook, “Flour, too.” The launch party for the book was at the Back Bay location of Flour. Hensley Jr. runs Seniorlink, which helps the elderly get care at home.

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Batmobile rolls into town

05/22/2013 6:43 PM

Batman’s original wheels - the car that the Caped Crusader drove on the 1960s TV series - made a surprise appearance on Boston Common Wednesday, and as you might imagine, it drew a curious crowd pretty quickly. The Batmobile, which Phoenix businessman Rick Champagne bought recently for $4.6 million, will be back at the Common Sunday for the Boston Cup Classic Car Show, a fundraiser for the Boston Parks & Recreation Department. (The vintage car is on a national charity tour organized by Guardian Angel Motorsports.) Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne couldn’t make it, so car show founder Rich Doucette was in the driver’s seat Wednesday.

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‘The Goodwin Games’ has some real New Hampshire scenes

05/22/2013 6:40 PM

Fox’s new comedy “The Goodwin Games,” which premiered Monday night, is mostly filmed in Los Angeles, but we can count it as a local show. The series (assuming it lives past the pilot) takes place in New Hampshire and follows a trio of siblings who must play ridiculous games in order to win their late father’s money. Establishing scenes for the sitcom were shot around Portsmouth last October, according to Matt Newton, director of the Granite State’s Film & Television Office. Newton explained that even though the shoot was short, the state got some money out of the deal. The crew stayed in the area and paid location fees for the use of Portsmouth property.

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Short trailer released for HBO’s ‘Clear History’

05/22/2013 12:00 AM

There’s a brief trailer out for the HBO movie “Clear History,” which was filmed on the North Shore last year. The trailer is really just a minute-long teaser for the film, which stars Larry David, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Jon Hamm, and Kate Hudson. The clip features a barely recognizable David with a Z.Z. Top beard driving across a bridge and singing along with Chicago’s “25 or 6 To 4.” David’s costars aren’t featured — nor is any real Massachusetts scenery — but there are a few stills of David and Hamm floating around online. “Clear History” is about a man (David) who takes revenge on his former boss (Hamm), who owns an electric car company.

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Geena Davis talks gender disparity in visit to Brighton school

05/21/2013 6:59 PM

The second graders at Brighton’s Winship Elementary School weren’t born when Geena Davis was starring in such films as “Tootsie,” “The Accidental Tourist,” or “Thelma & Louise.” But that’s OK. The 57-year-old Oscar winner was there to talk about the future, not the past. The actress, who’s a native of Wareham and a graduate of BU, has a new cause: She’s trying to draw attention to gender disparity in the media programming aimed at children. To that end, Davis has teamed with the Independent Television Service to create a series of short videos titled “Guess Who?” that challenge kids’ assumptions about gender stereotypes.

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First lady Diane Patrick among MCLA honorees

05/21/2013 6:43 PM

Like many institutions around the state, the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams had its commencement over the weekend. Professionals who earned honorary degrees during the celebration included first lady Diane Patrick; retiring Bennington College president Elizabeth Coleman; John “Jack” Downing, who runs Soldier On, an organization that helps veterans; and Mardi Crane-Godreau, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Dartmouth. Patrick was the day’s keynote speaker.

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Ellen Goodman discusses ‘Conversation Project’ at ‘Women in Healthcare’ event

05/21/2013 6:31 PM

Pulitzer-winning former Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman was at the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare’s 11th annual “Celebration of Women in Healthcare” event the other night to talk about “The Conversation Project,” her movement that encourages families to talk about end-of-life wishes before it’s too late. About 400 people were in the audience fort the talk, including Schwartz Center Executive Director Julie Rosen and Mimi Bartholomay, a Schwartz Center board member who’s also an oncology nurse at Mass General.

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Matt Damon’s backside gets a closeup in ‘Candelabra’

05/21/2013 6:21 PM

The initial reviews of “Behind the Candelabra,” Steven Soderbergh’s movie about Liberace and boy toy Scott Thorson, have been lukewarm. Michael Douglas, who plays the flamboyant piano man, and Matt Damon, as his young lover, apparently give good performances but the movie itself is said to be somewhat tame. We’ll still watch when it premieres Sunday on HBO. Douglas and Damon are doing their part to hype the film, holding court at the Cannes Film Festival. Damon said even his most ardent fans may want to brace themselves because his butt and Brazilian spray tan are on full display. “We’ll see it on the biggest screen ever. It will be jarring,” said Damon. . . .

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NFL owners meeting is nothing special

05/21/2013 6:08 PM

When we heard that some of the richest men in the world — i.e. NFL owners — were meeting Tuesday in Boston, we imagined a procession of long black limos rolling from Logan Airport to the front door of the Four Seasons. We were wrong. The billionaires — no fewer than 18 of the league’s 32 owners are in that rarefied income bracket — gathered instead at the Hyatt Boston Harbor, a utilitarian-looking lodging just a few first downs from the airport. (It used to be called the Hyatt Harborside.) Why there and not, say, at the Mandarin Oriental, the InterContinental, or the Ritz-Carlton? Convenience.

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Iron Mountain hangs with will.i.am at Billboard Music Awards

05/21/2013 12:29 PM

Iron Mountain, the Boston-based data storage company, has a little-known cool side, as this picture shows. Sunday night in Las Vegas at the Billboard Music Awards, Jeff Anthony, VP of Iron Mountain’s entertainment services, and Steve Nottingham, senior VP and GM for data backup and recovery, chatted up will.i.am (who performed with Justin Bieber at the awards). What’s Iron Mountain doing hanging out with the music glitterati? As the Globe wrote earlier this week, the company stores the archives of some of the biggest names in the business (one client is EMI Music). And now Iron Mountain is at the forefront of digitizing the collection of cultural artifacts it stores, from Beatles albums to Steven Spielberg movies.

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One more chance to attend One Fund concert

05/20/2013 6:56 PM

Didn’t score a ticket to the star-studded concert May 30 to benefit the One Fund? Garden Neighborhood Charities, TD Garden’s philanthropic arm, is raffling off a suite for the show, which will feature Aerosmith, Jason Aldean, New Kids on the Block, James Taylor and Carole King, the J. Geils Band, and Jimmy Buffett, among others. (The winner gets 12 tickets in a private suite.) Raffle tickets are $5 each at www.bruinsraffles.org and all proceeds benefit The One Fund.

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Liberace’s rhinestone piano resides in Rockland

05/20/2013 6:52 PM

Before shooting started on “Behind the Candelabra,” director Steven Soderbergh’s biopic about Liberace and his lover Scott Thorson, producers of the film placed a call to Rob Norris, owner of the Piano Mill, a piano restoration company in Rockland.

They were looking for the Baldwin SD-10 concert grand adorned with rhinestones that was known to be Liberace’s favorite piano. “I’m the indefinite custodian of it,” Norris told us Monday. “A few years ago, my Baldwin rep called me and said they needed a home for it, so I have it.” That’s right, the spectacularly bejeweled piano that Liberace traveled the world with is — or was — ensconced at the Piano Mill. Over the weekend, the ornate instrument was loaded onto a truck and taken to New York.

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Friends of the Public Garden host fund-raiser

05/20/2013 6:52 PM

The Friends of the Public Garden hosted their annual Green and White Ball, chaired this year by Alli Achtmeyer, Kate Gilbane, and Katherine O’Keeffe. Over 200 guests attended the fund-raiser at the Taj Boston Hotel, raising over $370,000 to pay for improvements to Boston Common, the Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

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Grandberg honored by JCHE

05/20/2013 6:51 PM

Merle Grandberg was honored at the Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly’s annual event, co-chaired by Dan Kraft and wife Wendy, Lynne Elfland, Ellen Mittman and Robin Polishook. Grandberg has been JCHE’s board chair for 3 years and has long been active with Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

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James Taylor taking time out to make new record

05/20/2013 6:46 PM

Supposedly, James Taylor is on a sabbatical this year, hoping to make a new album slated for release in 2014. But you’d never guess it given how busy he’s been lately. JT’s off to D.C., this week to pay tribute to Carole King, who’ll receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the White House. Then he’ll be back home for the May 30 Boston Strong benefit concert for The One Fund. Eventually, Taylor says, he’ll turn his attention to the next album. “It’s been a while,” Taylor told the Globe. “I’ve released a lot of stuff over the past decade, but it’s been 10 years since I’ve had an album of original, studio-recorded stuff [2002’s “October Road”]

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Joey McIntyre buys place in Plymouth

05/20/2013 6:44 PM

Contrary to what Thomas Wolfe wrote, you can go home again. Just ask Joey McIntyre. The New Kid on the Block has been living in LA for several years, but he’s just bought a home on the South Shore. According to the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds, Joey Mac and his wife, Barrett, paid $450,000 for a place in Plymouth. No, the kid from Roslindale isn’t uprooting his family and moving back. “We’re firmly in LA — kids, school, career, etc. — but we found a little getaway in Plymouth,” McIntyre told us. “It’s nice to know my kids will have a piece of Boston in their lives.” (He and his wife have three children.) . . .

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Possible names for Beyoncé’s next baby

05/20/2013 6:31 PM

With Beyoncé reportedly pregnant with her second child, we are reminded of the kerfuffle that followed the birth of her first child. You’ll recall that Beyoncé and Jay-Z named their first baby Blue Ivy, and they did what all proud parents do: They filed a trademark application to protect their baby’s name. That made Boston event planner Veronica Alexandra nervous, because she owns a business called Blue Ivy. She then filed her own trademark application, and in 2012 the US Patent and Trademark Office approved her application. In case Beyoncé and Jay-Z are thinking of naming their second child after another Boston-based business, we thought we’d help with a few suggestions for the sibling of Blue Ivy Carter.

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Jeremy Alliger’s Mural Fest spruces up area outside Dudley Square

05/20/2013 6:26 PM

More than 80 Boston artists, organized by Jeremy Alliger of Alliger Arts, spent time over the weekend sprucing up an overlooked parcel outside Dudley Square, turning it into the largest street display in the city. Cedric Douglas and Percy Fortini-Wright were two of the artists taking part in Mural Fest, contributing a portrait of civil rights activist Rosa Parks. .

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Kraft and players pay visit to Newtown, Brady and family go to BU graduation

05/19/2013 8:03 PM

Patriots QB Tom Brady, wife Gisele Bundchen, and their children joined Brady’s mother and father and assorted family members Saturday as TB12’s older sister Nancy graduated from BU’s School of Public Health. . . . The day before donning cap and gown to deliver the commencement address at Suffolk University, Pats owner Robert Kraft and 34 current and former players and coaches led a football clinic in Newtown, Conn., scene of a tragic school shooting last December. Among those taking part were Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Rob Gronkowski, Rob Ninkovich, Nate Solder, and Dont’a Hightower, and Pats Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti. Kraft also gave jerseys signed by Patriots players to Sandy Hook Elementary School.

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Rob Gronkowski cancels Las Vegas trip

05/19/2013 6:42 PM

Is Rob Gronkowski being told to curb his enthusiasm again? Last winter, after the hard-partying tight end was seen wrestling in Las Vegas — with a broken forearm — many believe he was told by team officials to calm down. (A few weeks after the wrestling incident, Gronk was pulled out as red carpet Oscar correspondent for the “Rich Eisen Podcast.”) Well, last week we noticed that an entity called JumpSeat was offering fans a chance to fly to Las Vegas with Gronkowski in a private jet — for a mere $40,000. (Presumably, what happens on the plane to Vegas stays on the plane to Vegas.)

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Boys & Girls Clubs holds House Party in Chestnut Hill

05/19/2013 6:33 PM

John Connaughton, a managing partner at Bain Capital, and his wife, Stephanie, opened their enormous Chestnut Hill home to more than 600 guests to host the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s annual House Party fund-raiser. The event raised more than $2.5 million.

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Vineyard-bound Obamas looking at Farm Neck for vacation?

05/19/2013 6:26 PM

Between Benghazi, the IRS badgering the tea party, and assorted other brush fires, it’s hard to imagine President Obama will have time for a vacation this summer. But apparently he will. There’s been no official word from the White House, but we’re hearing the Obamas have their eyes on a house in Farm Neck on Martha’s Vineyard. During three previous visits, POTUS and FLOTUS and their daughters Malia and Sasha stayed at Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark. But British architect Norman Foster has since bought the place for $21.9 million. Farm Neck is secluded and, most importantly for the president, has a nice golf club....

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Revere Hotel opens rooftop bar with a party

05/19/2013 6:19 PM

The Revere Hotel opened its new rooftop bar and lounge with a party hosted by Karen Mulligan, studio manager for celebrity photographer Annie Liebovitz, and Jill Demling, an editor at Vogue and a Weston native. (Mulligan and Demling are the co-owners of surf/swimwear line, Pret a Surf, which the hotel’s staff wore at the party.) Demling’s pal, actress Christina Ricci, made the scene with her fiance James Heerdegen, as did stylist Susan Joy, restaurateur David Marino, Revere Hotel GM Simon Mais, Ben Mezrich and wife Tonya Chen Mezrich, HGTV’s Taniya Nayak, Shag owner Sandy Poirier, channel 7’s Janet Wu, and shoe designer Thom Solo.

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Joel Edgerton joining cast of Barry Levinson’s Whitey Bulger film

05/19/2013 6:15 PM

The cast of director Barry Levinson’s Whitey Bulger biopic is taking shape. Joining Johnny Depp, who’s on board to play the notorious gangster in the movie based on Dick Lehr and Gerald O’Neill’s book, “Black Mass: The True Story Of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI And The Irish Mob,” is Joel Edgerton. Deadline.com reports that the Australian actor who costars in director Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” has signed on to play crooked FBI agent John Connolly. We’re told filming is set to begin in August. Producer Brian Oliver has promised a project that paints “a vivid portrait of Boston’s underbelly and its corrupt political machine, as well as exposing the worst scandal in FBI history.

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‘Star Trek’ scores at the box office

05/19/2013 6:12 PM

Star Trek: Into Darkness’’ has warped its way to a $70.6 million domestic launch from Friday to Sunday, though it’s not setting any light-speed records with a debut that’s lower than the studio’s expectations. The latest voyage of the starship Enterprise fell short of its predecessor, 2009’s ‘‘Star Trek,’’ which opened with $75.2 million.

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Affleck had explaining to do

05/19/2013 5:59 PM

“I want to tell you how I wish I had ended that [Oscar] speech: I couldn’t do any of the things I do without you, without your support. You’re my angel, my life, my world.”

- Ben Affleck, talking to wife Jennifer Garner during the opening of “Saturday Night Live.”

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Mario Batali in Boston for party at Radius

05/19/2013 3:10 AM

Celebrated chef Mario Batali was in Boston Friday whipping up a dinner with his friend Radius chef/owner Michael Schlow. The party served two purposes: It welcomed the famed New York foodie to Boston — Batali’s about to open an Italian restaurant in South Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood — and it marked the closing of Radius, a Financial District mainstay for 15 years that will reopen elsewhere with a new name. (Schlow has said he would not close the restaurant but the lease is up.) Batali’s new place, Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca, will be located on Summer Street and be focused on wood-burning brick oven Italian-style pizza and a variety of pastas, antipasti, and gelati.

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Lo Galluccio is Cambridge’s Poet Populist

05/19/2013 3:10 AM

Lo Galluccio is the city of Cambridge’s newest Poet Populist, chosen by residents to represent the art of poetry for the city. According to a press release, Galluccio will “have the opportunity to affect the artistic landscape of the Cambridge community and help the unique creative spirit of Cambridge thrive.” A Cambridge native and Harvard grad, Galluccio is the sister of Anthony Galluccio, the former Democratic state senator who resigned from the Legislature and spent time in jail for violating the terms of his house arrest by consuming alcohol. Lo Galluccio had claimed that it was her brother’s toothpaste — not alcohol — that caused the positive reading on the breath-testing machine.

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Denis Leary brings ‘Sirens’ to USA

05/19/2013 3:10 AM

We wondered what Denis Leary would do after “Rescue Me,” and now we know — a TV show combining comedy with EMTs, two worlds he knows well. According to The Hollywood Reporter, USA Network has given the green light to Leary’s version of “Sirens,” a UK series that starred “Games of Thrones” actor Richard Madden. The remake will center on three Chicago EMTs who find it impossible to sustain relationships but have a knack for saving the lives of those who end up in their ambulance. The cast includes Michael Mosley (“Pan Am”), Kevin Daniels (“Modern Family”), Jessica McNamee (“The Vow”), and Kevin Bigley (“Game Change”). Leary has been largely out of view since “Rescue Me” went off the air after seven successful seasons.

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Trading punches for a good cause

05/19/2013 3:10 AM

Everyone is fighting to find a cure for cancer, but the wannabe boxers who stepped into the ring this week at Boston’s House of Blues are actually fighting. Thirty men and women traded jabs and uppercuts at Haymakers for Hope, a hard-hitting fund-raiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. Cofounded by Julie Anne Kelly and Andrew Myerson, the charity boxing tournament put the aspiring pugilists into the ring after giving them four free months of training. (None had previous fighting experience.) The event, emceed by Jam’n 94.5’s Ramiro Torres, raised over $200,000.

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Dershowitz and friends talk Sox in New York

05/19/2013 3:10 AM

Three prominent BoSox fans were behind enemy lines this week as Brookline’s Larry Ruttman, author of the new book, “American Jews and America’s Game: Voices of a Growing Legacy in Baseball,” Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, and film critic Jeffrey Lyons got together at New York’s 92nd Street Y to talk baseball from a Boston perspective. . . . In town to see his son graduate from BU, ”Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston stopped for a bite at Joe Milano’s Union Oyster House. . . . Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis will receive an honorary degree at this weekend’s Suffolk University commencement, and he’ll also be handing a diploma to his daughter, Kaitlyn Davis , who’s graduating.

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Rufus Gifford honored at PFLAG event

05/17/2013 7:06 PM

Hundreds gathered this week for Greater Boston PFLAG’s annual gala, which honored Rufus Gifford, the national finance director for President Obama’s reelection campaign and the son of former Bank of America boss Chad Gifford and wife Anne. The national nonprofit is made up of parents, families, and friends of lesbians and gays.

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Linda Chorney writes about unlikely Grammy nomination

05/17/2013 7:00 PM

This should be a victory tour for Linda Chorney, who became a first-time Grammy nominee last year at the age of 51. When Chorney pulls into town for appearances May 23 at the Goodnow Library in her native Sudbury and May 28 at Porter Square Books, she should be all smiles, encouraged that her years playing ski resorts, sports bars, and house concerts finally paid off.

But the Grammy nod for Chorney’s CD “Emotional Jukebox” didn’t make her feel good, and not because she lost to Levon Helm in the best Americana album category. The backlash was so severe against Chorney — a virtual unknown before her nomination — that she’s changed her tune.

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Seth Meyers tells ‘Today’ he’ll return to ‘SNL’ for first half of the fall season

05/17/2013 1:13 AM

Seth Meyers will be taking over “Late Night” once current host Jimmy Fallon moves on to “The Tonight Show.” But that doesn’t mean Meyers is signing off “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. “I’m nowhere near emotionally ready for Saturday to be my last show,” Meyers said Thursday on “Today.” “I wouldn’t be able to handle that.” Fans of “SNL” wouldn’t be too happy either, especially now that Bill Hader has announced that he’s exiting the NBC show and rumors are swirling that cast veterans Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis could be next out the door. Meyers says he’ll be back at “SNL” for the first half of next season . . .

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The Hawthorne hosts after party

05/16/2013 7:33 PM

The Hawthorne was the place to be after Boston Bites Back, the chef-tacular benefit for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. When the crowd at Fenway finally had its fill, several of the chefs headed to The Hawthorne for an after party hosted by owner Garrett Harker and Eastern Standard’s Jeremy Sewall and Jackson Cannon. Stopping by were chefs Jody Adams, Todd English, Louis DiBiccari, Nancy Cushman, Patrick Lee, Josh Childs, and BBB organizers Ming Tsai and Ken Oringer. While it may have fallen short of its $1 million goal, the event’s online auction — offering an on-field meet and greet with Bill Belichick, a first pitch at Fenway, and a day of beauty with Gretta Monahan, among other items — is at www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/bostonbitesback.

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Brandon Bass posts up at fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

05/16/2013 7:27 PM

Celtics forward Brandon Bass was one of the taller guests at this week’s Dress for a Cause fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The 6-foot-8 Bass was present in part to support his fiancee, Melissa Prejean, who was among the celebrity models showing off spring fashions from Kgirl and Sara Campbell. Also hitting the catwalk were TV types Bianca de la Garza, J.C. Monahan and Kelley Tuthill ...Meanwhile, Bass’s teammates Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo were spied this week hanging out on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean....

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Springsteen lends vocal to Dropkick Murphys song benefiting bombing victims

05/16/2013 7:18 PM

The Dropkick Murphys have a show in Albuquerque May 30, so it’s unlikely the band will be shippin’ back to Boston for the star-studded concert that night at TD Garden benefiting the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. (They’d have to play a short set anyway because the bill for Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration already includes Aerosmith, Jason Aldean, Boston, Jimmy Buffett, Dane Cook, Extreme, The J. Geils Band, Godsmack, James Taylor, Carole King, and New Kids on The Block, among others.) But the Dropkicks are doing their part. Ken Casey and the boys this week released a three-song EP that includes a new version of the band’s song, “Rose Tattoo,” featuring vocals by Bruce Springsteen.

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Globe photographer John Tlumacki featured in CNN doc about Marathon bombings

05/16/2013 7:10 PM

CNN’s Anderson Cooper hosts an hourlong documentary about the Boston Marathon bombings Friday, and it features several of the powerful pictures shot by Boston Globe photographer John Tlumacki. “Back to Boston – Moments of Impact,” airing at 10 p.m., tells the stories behind some of Tlumacki’s images. He and other photographers are interviewed by CNN’s Randi Kaye about capturing emotional moments in the midst of such a tragedy.

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Cooper’s strong show of support

05/16/2013 7:07 PM

The events of April 15 are not lost on Bradley Cooper. The actor, who had attended the interfaith service for victims of the Marathon bombings, was photographed this week wearing a “Boston Strong” T-shirt while walking around the set of “American Hustle,” the movie he’s been shooting here with Jennifer Lawrence and director David O. Russell.

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This blog features the latest local and national celebrity news from The Boston Globe's Names column team. Check back for the latest updates.
Mark Shanahan joined The Boston Globe in 2003, having worked previously at the Portland Press Herald, where he covered City Hall, and the Lewiston Sun-Journal, where he was the education reporter. A Northampton native and graduate of Bates College, Shanahan enjoys the usual - books, music, movies, etc. - as well as the unusual.
shanahan@globe.com
Follow on Twitter: @GlobeNames, @MarkAShanahan
Meredith Goldstein has worked for the Globe since 2003, covering everything from nightlife to New Kids. She keeps her eyes peeled for celebrity juice, and also writes Love Letters, a Boston.com blog for hopeful (and hopeless) romantics. Meredith chats about love problems every Wednesday at 1 p.m. If you see Justin Timberlake or someone like him at a local eatery, please e-mail her immediately. mgoldstein@globe.com
Follow on Twitter: @GlobeNames, @MeredithGoldste

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