Wu Tang Clan sees red; English flying high
YOU CAN'T GET THERE . . . It took the drivers of the two coach buses more than an hour to figure out how to get from Boston to Harvard Square without using Storrow Drive or getting caught on a bridge that couldn't support the weight. But once Da' Franchise Playa, who claims to be part of the revolving stable of talent of the Wu Tang Clan, and his crew rolled into the Red Line eatery in Harvard Square, they got right to work. The six-man group performed an impromptu hourlong concert after being told the Harvard Square restaurant was a good spot to try out some music. Owner Patrick Lee was on-hand for the performance.
QUALITY AIRPORT FOOD? Lobster nachos? Sirloin steak frite? "EspressoZone" martinis? Airport food ain't what it used to be, thanks in part to hometown fave Todd English. The Todd did a flyby at Logan Airport's new "Ozone-Bos" restaurant at Terminal B the other night just before the holiday rush. English, who served as a consulting chef for the high-end airport eatery, signed cookbooks, and generally schmoozed with Massport types as the restaurant celebrated its launch.
FIRST NIGHT HOME Meanwhile, Cohasset gal-gone-Hollywood Kate Bosworth said in Tuesday's edition of the New York Post that her New Year's plans include a stop in the Boston area. Bosworth has been traveling the country promoting "Beyond the Sea," the Bobby Darin feature in which Bosworth plays Sandra Dee, the wife of Darin, played by Kevin Spacey. Spacey not only stars in but also was the movie's director and producer.
MUSIC TO THEIR EARS The Boston Pops Orchestra and its maestro Keith Lockhart have a proven track record when it comes to their various recordings. But the success of "Sleigh Ride," the Pops' first self-produced, self-distributed recording, surprised even a few people at Symphony Hall. As of yesterday, we're told, 22,000 CDs of the initial 25,000 run have been purchased.
THIS STORY PAN-NED OUT It appears that the boy who "won't grow up" is turning 100. To mark the centennial of "Peter Pan," the Peter Pan Children's Fund and Miramax Films are holding screenings of the Johnny Depp film "Finding Neverland" in 12 cities, including Boston. On Monday, tickets to the first screening of "Finding Neverland" at the AMC Fenway will be given to the Peter Pan Children's Fund. As for the date of the screenings, Monday is the 100th anniversary of the date "Peter Pan"' author J.M. Barrie's play premiered on the London stage.
SPOKESWOMEN Regan Dillon, the public relations and marketing manager for the Sapphire Restaurant Group, which includes blu at the Ritz Towers and Rialto and Noir in the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, will be leaving the post she's held for 21/2 years but not heading far. At the end of January, Dillon will become spokeswoman for the Four Seasons Hotel in the Back Bay. Dillon replaces Sarah Leaf-Herrmann, who returned to her public relations practice earlier this year. . . . At WCVB in Needham, Erin Duggan, most recently of the Boston Herald's promotion and public relations staff, replaces longtime Channel 5 spokeswoman Caroline Shaw.
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