Going green

Jennifer Garner used her afternoon off from performing in "Cyrano de Bergerac" on Broadway to head out in Manhattan with her husband, Ben Affleck, and their daughter, Violet, to buy a Christmas tree.

Wild times for Tyler, friend

With Steven Tyler doing three days of events with Motley Crue's Vince Neil in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., you wouldn't expect that it would be the Aerosmith frontman's galpal, Erin Brady, who was making headlines. But Brady got into a catfight with a partygoer at the annual Harley Davidson Bikers Bash after-party at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, according to Splash News. While in Florida, Tyler and Neil were actually helping to raise money for Boys and Girls Clubs and Tyler donated some of his outrageous stage outfits of yore to the hotel/casino's collection. . . . And speaking of Tyler, his daughter Liv was spotted hanging out in the Big Apple with Kate Hudson over the weekend. No word on whether Tyler will be joining Anne Hathaway and Hudson in "Bride Wars," which Hudson is starring in and producing. However, local crews say that Hudson had such a good experience filming "Bachelor No. 2" in Boston this summer they are looking to film "Bride" in Boston this spring.

When Martin Scorsese's longtime art director Dante Ferretti told Worcester officials they wanted to film the big-screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's "Shutter Island" at the former state hospital there, the city geared up for its glittering Hollywood moment. But the state nixed plans to use the facility for the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio because the vacant and rundown building is slated for the wrecking ball early next year to make way for a new 300-bed state psychiatric hospital. "The bottom line is it's simply not available," the state's Kevin P. Flanigan told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. "We're going to be [working on the site] next month, so project trailers and other equipment will begin showing up on the site." It's a huge blow for the central Massachusetts city, which had hoped it could get some of the six- to eight-month shoot for the $35 million movie. If suitable area locations can be found, "The Departed" director and his star could be back in the Bay State filming by spring.

As a doctor researching immunological diseases, Joel Weinstock never suspected he'd be written about in Esquire magazine. But the Tufts-New England Medical Center physician is thankful for his selection among the "best and brightest" because the recognition puts a spotlight on work being done at a Boston teaching hospital. "It's an honor to be recognized," Weinstock said in a release. Others chosen by the editors in the current edition include Rock the Vote executive director Heather Smith and NBC Entertainment prez Ben Silverman, who is a Tufts alum.

Word out of the West Coast is that actor/director Denzel Washington (inset) will attend the Dec. 18 special screening of his film "The Great Debaters" at Harvard, where scenes were filmed last summer. The movie, which counts Oprah Winfrey among its producers, is about the debate team from the small, all-black Wiley college that bested Harvard in 1935. Washington, who directed the flick and stars as the team's famed coach Melvin B. Tolson, was in Boston in July and shot in Harvard's Sanders Theatre, where the actual great debate occurred. While in town, Washington and his crews transformed the lobby of the Citi Wang Theatre into a 1930s version of South Station, shut down Memorial Drive for some filming along the Charles River, and grabbed some footage of Harvard Square.

Add the indie film "Boston Girls," which is written by Brookline native Camille Solari, who also stars in the pic, to those movies currently shooting in the Boston area. The film is directed by Gabriel Bologna, who tapped his folks, TV and film veterans Joe Bologna and Renee Taylor of "The Nanny" fame, for roles. Producer Jon Waterman describes it as a dark-horror-comedy. Crews have already filmed in Sharon and Foxborough and in Pawtucket, R.I., and they expect to film in the area for about two more weeks. Over the next few weeks, Solari will be joined on the set by Shay Astar ("3rd Rock From the Sun"), Robert Miano ("Donnie Brasco"), and Danny Trejo, the scary guy from "Grindhouse" and "Desperado."

Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.