Spade makes rounds; Spears takes flight
HE'S NOT A JERK AFTER ALL Snarky actor-comedian David Spade was holed up at the Ritz-Carlton Boston Common yesterday doing press for his new film, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," opening Sept. 5. (Yes, we asked about that sorry NASCAR-lookin' jacket, and Spade said he bought it because it "looks cool" and cost less than Prada.) Anyway, before jetting to New York, Spade told us he planned to stop at Massachusetts General Hospital to visit a patient there -- the father of a friend, he said. Later, he walked out of the hospital with his good friend and fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum Adam Sandler. Sandler, who grew up in Manchester, N.H., lives in Los Angeles now but has been spotted around Boston in recent days. The two shook hands, and Spade continued on to the airport.TEACH-IN Brandeis University announced yesterday that former US Middle East envoy Dennis Ross will teach a course, "Ending Deadly Conflict," at its Waltham campus this fall in the Richman Visiting Professorship as part of the school's department of politics. Former Texas governor Ann Richards, former New York mayor Ed Koch, and former Boston Globe Washington bureau chief David Shribman (who left the paper to helm the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) have lectured in the same visiting professorship. A former ambassador, Ross worked on Middle East policy under former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. "Sadly, these are tremendously troubling times in the Middle East, and so this is a particularly significant appointment for Ambassador Ross and for the young men and women who will study the issues with him here," Brandeis president Jehuda Reinharz said in a release.SIGHTINGS We're told that pop princess Britney Spears was "just passing through" Logan Airport Monday when she was spotted with her luggage. . . . Monday night, pop singer-actress Mandy Moore dined at osushi, our favorite new sushi place in Copley Square, loading up before her early-morning appearance yesterday on Matt Siegel's show at the Kiss-108 studios in Medford. . . . Speaking of Kiss-108, the station will be one of a few to air an hourlong guest DJ spot by Jennifer Lopez. The actress-singer will be on air from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, though she won't be in Boston. . . . With all the hoopla over J.Lo's beau, Ben Affleck, at Fenway Park over the weekend, it wasn't much of a surprise that rock legend Stephen Stills passed through the park with little notice. Stills, who is a huge baseball fan, stuck around for the whole game the other day and was spotted with rocker Al Kooper. BACKSTAGE PASS Among the folks milling around backstage at Monday's Aerosmith/Kiss concert at the Tweeter Center was statuesque Shannon Tweed, Gene Simmons's onetime live-in girlfriend (and mother of two of his children). A former Playboy playmate, Tweed has starred in such stellar films as "Meatballs III" and "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death." Also backstage were Greg Hawkes of the Cars and music producer Steve Thompson. Spied in the audience was boss Bosstone Dicky Barrett, who'll host the Boston Music Awards Sept. 4 at the Wang Theatre.
