Damon's father knows best; Jasper, Julia do lunch

By Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff, 9/16/2003

WE HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME We knew by then the wedding was off, but if there was any doubt, Kent Damon disabused us of it. "It's not happening," said Matt Damon's dad, anticipating the question about Ben and J.Lo. For emphasis, he added, "It's not happening." We ran into the famous father -- to be honest, we thought he was Ralph Lauren at first -- at Sean McDonough's soiree Sunday night to benefit the Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation. (Actually, our first clue that the wedding wasn't happening was the decision of the groom's mom, Chris Affleck, to spend the weekend on Cape Cod, not California.) Others at the Boston Harbor Hotel included sportscasters Bob Costas (who said, "Are the Red Sox good enough to win a playoff series? Yes. Would I pick them to win three series in a row? No.") and Billy Packer, former Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan, and Olympic hockey hero Mike Eruzione. The event, which included an auction and yesterday's celebrity golf tournament at the International in Bolton, raised $200,000. WEST COAST SHACK ATTACK The Summer Shack's Jasper White and his chefs Brian Flagg, Dave Parr, and Jim Zambito were in LA over the weekend to participate in Wolfgang Puck's 21st annual American Wine & Food Festival to benefit Meals-on-Wheels. Of course, White's trip to the Left Coast wouldn't have been complete without a visit to Julia Child, so he and his crew drove to Santa Barbara to lunch with the legendary chef.

R-V-RSAL OF FORTUN- It was kind of a running joke: Alison Piazza would tell her boyfriend she wanted to win a lot of money on "Wheel of Fortune," and he'd say she was too weak to spin the wheel. So, frustrated, the Boston College High School English teacher filled out an online questionnaire to appear on the show and later was invited to New York to try out. "There was a written part, an interview part, and then I had to solve like 15 puzzles," Piazza said. Well, she was chosen and left yesterday for the taping. Best of all, Piazza won't even have to spin the wheel because she's being partnered with the Celtics' Paul Pierce for a series of NBA-themed episodes of the game show. Her boyfriend's reaction? "Actually, he's my ex-boyfriend," she said.NEWS FROM BU Award-winning former Boston Globe reporters Richard Lehr and Mitchell Zuckoff have joined the faculty of Boston University's College of Communication as visiting professors. Journalism Department chairman Robert Zelnick said the two, in addition to teaching, will tour this fall to promote their book "Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders." Lehr and Zuckoff, who shared Pulitzer Prize finalist honors in 1997 as members of the Boston Globe's Spotlight Team, will teach undergraduate courses at BU and organize special projects for investigative journalism students. CURSES! FOILED AGAIN? Is there a curse, and will it ever be lifted? That's the question the new HBO Sports documentary, "The Curse of the Bambino" (narrated by Ben Affleck) puts to, among others, Arlington psychics Diane Dalpe and Daphne Wells Nichols. The duo, who've created a do-it-yourself feng shui kit, were invited by HBO to use their kit to help remove the curse. Dalphe and Nichols used crystals, bells, and incense to "cleanse" Fenway. Their work can be seen tonight when the film airs.

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So where were you?

So there we were at our desk, catching up on back issues of US Weekly -- did you know Brittany Murphy's given name is actually Sharon? -- when the news broke: Bennifer is dead. America's hottest celebrity couple -- local boy Ben Affleck and the muy-lovely Jennifer Lopez -- pffft, finito, kaput. Even unconfirmed, the report -- how do we put it? -- "sent shock waves" across the nation. So here's the question: Where were you when you heard Lopez and Affleck had called the whole thing off?

Christopher Kenneally, author of "The Massachusetts Legacy": "I was standing in line at Dunkin' Donuts in Newburyport. It broke my heart, but I got over it. I drowned my sorrows in a Boston Cream."

Victor Grossman, author and former GI who defected to East Germany in 1952: "I was preparing for bed. It didn't shake me up as it may have shaken others. I do see American movies in Berlin, but not many."

Kelly Malone, DJ on MIX 98.5: "I was in Hollywood interviewing Charlie Sheen about his new CBS show with Jon Cryer. I thought it was another rumor, like when Ben was supposedly going to take `Lopez' as his last name. Now, he can spend more money on lap dances, and she can return to being a Yankees fan."

C. Paul Luongo, president of C. Paul Luongo Co. public relations and marketing: "I was in bed, by myself unfortunately, and I was channel surfing. That was last night, right? Why is everyone so besotted with these people? I could give a rat's . . ."

Heidi Dallin, actress: "I was preoccupied with watching the Pats win. At least in Tom Brady there's one Boston bachelor who completes his passes. I hope J.Lo doesn't set her sights on him now."

David Brudnoy, WBZ radio talk-show host: "On Monday, at 6:10 a.m., I was at the Boston Sports Club doing the pec machine to build up my magnificent Schwarzeneggerian pectoral muscles when someone came up and said J.Lo and Ben were splitsville. I was so upset I let the machine thingies bounce back at me, causing me to fall and knock over a big ball that a woman was using, sending her kerplopping into a guy on one of the leg machines, who yelled out in pain. I went instantly to the showers and hid in a stall. I was that upset by the news."

Christopher Ricks, literary critic and Boston University professor: "It's good of you to ask, but my mind is completely blank about that particular couple."

Jack Dunn, spokesperson, Boston College: "I made six calls to faculty, and five said, `Who are J.Lo and Ben?' "

Stargazing

Actors Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards are expecting their first child next spring, a publicist said yesterday. Sheen, who has an 18-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, and Richards are costarring in "Scary Movie 3," which opens Oct. 24.

Partygoers hit the jackpot at the Palms hotel-casino in Las Vegas over the weekend when Britney Spears hit the stage unexpectedly. The pop star, along with a group of dancers, belted out three songs from her upcoming album at the popular Rain nightclub early Sunday morning.

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