Party follows mane event; journalists leave paper trail
LION DIDN'T SLEEPAs if the excitement of being in the audience for the opening night of "The Lion King" in the newly renovated Opera House weren't enough, some 800 people made the trek over to the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers on Park Square last night for an after party. On hand for the extravaganza was the show's creator and director Julie Taymor, a Newton native who had some 70 family and friends in the audience. Taymor made her way to the stage after the performance and said the company was honored to be the first back in the space and specifically thanked Mayor Tom Menino, who was in attendance with his wife, Angela. Also on hand were: Clear Channel Entertainment's CEO Brian Becker and a slew of representatives from his company; and Disney Theatrical Productions senior vice president Alan Levey and a bevy of folks from Disney.
WRITERS PAC The latest issue of The New Yorker includes a mostly flattering piece on John Kerry. But then that's no surprise, says Michael Petrelis. A Ralph Nader-boosting blogger, Petrelis has put together a list of journos who've given to one or another of the presidential candidates, and his findings are enlightening. "The least we can expect from media is full disclosure about their policies on contributions, and informing when donations are made," said Petrelis. In the case of The New Yorker, not only did senior editor Hendrik Hertzberg give to the Kerry campaign ($900), but so did many of the magazine's other marquee writers, including Tad Friend ($500), John Lahr ($500), Michael Shnayerson ($2,000), Roger Angell ($500), and David Denby ($1,250). (Philip Gourevitch, who wrote the Kerry piece, does not show up as a contributor.) New Yorker spokeswoman Perri Dorset said yesterday the magazine prohibits reporters from contributing to the political campaigns they're covering. Among local media, Chris Donnelly, a librarian at the Boston Herald, gave $3,200 to Kerry and various Democratic causes. And, despite the newspaper's policy prohibiting staffers from contributing directly to political candidates, Boston Globe sports statistician Henry Riemer gave $1,700 to Howard Dean's campaign.
MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS He's a Kerry guy now, but he hasn't always been. Since we're scrubbing campaign finance records, how 'bout that Ben Affleck? In April 2003, the actor gave $1,000 to Dennis Kucinich, but by December, he was writing a $2,000 check to retired general Wesley Clark. And Matt Damon?According to thecampaign financewebsite tray.com,he contributed $2,000to Kucinich and then last month dropped $20,000 on theleft-leaningMoveOn.org.
MMMNOT The brothers Hanson are not in Boston for the convention. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson are playing tonight at Avalon and then leaving. "I feel for you guys," said Isaac, the oldest. "When everyone shows up here, it's going to be like, `Dear God!' " Maybe, not surprisingly, the authors of the mindless hit "MMMBop" are not much into politics. "I very much appreciate my right to vote," said Isaac. "But politics are messy enough as it is, the last thing I want to do is weigh in." Yesterday, the boys were in East Boston shooting a video for "Lost Without Each Other." "The theme is . . . sweat," said Isaac. "Man, it's hot."
ARE THE STARS OUT TONIGHT? The gals from UpStairs on the Square, Mary-Catherine Deibel and Deborah Hughes, tell us they were "thrilled" to welcome legendary film and stage actress Patricia Neal, who was in Boston for shoulder surgery, to the Zebra Room for dinner Tuesday night. Neal stopped by the Harvard Square eatery with her two daughters, Ophelia Dahl, director of the global health and AIDS organization Partners in Health, and actress Tessa Dahl, mother of model and actress Sophie Dahl. Chef Susan Regis prepared an amuse bouche of buttered morels, and Neal dined on the hand-rolled sweet pea ravioli with veal cheeks, citrus, and mint. . . . Meanwhile, on Nantucket, film star Meg Ryan caused a bit of a buzz during her Thursday night stay at the Summer House in Sconset.
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