Magazines' common link; unafraid of a starring role
DOUBLE TROUBLE When it comes to Boston's magazine publishing industry, two is apparently a crowd. The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, the nonprofit that publishes the quarterly magazine CommonWealth, filed a complaint yesterday in US District Court against Niche Media for trademark infringement. Niche Media plans to launch a glossy upscale magazine named Boston Commonwealth in September. But the publisher of CommonWealth -- which bills itself as a periodical about ''politics, ideas, and civic life" -- says the names are too close for comfort. ''From the beginning, we've wanted to resolve the matter amicably, and we still hope to do so," says CommonWealth publisher Ian Bowles. ''We're concerned about confusion over two magazines with the same name in the same market." In a response e-mailed to the Globe, Niche Media attorney Thomas C. Senter wrote: ''This claim, which we have not even seen yet, is baseless and without merit. . . . It is clear that we have acted appropriately and that there is no likelihood of confusion. However, they are doing a great job of getting their name out there."
FOND FAREWELL Oh, to be a fly on the wall at Hunter Thompson's send-off at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, Colo., over the weekend. Among the Hollywood heavies at the gonzo journalist's private memorial service were Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, John Cusack, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Hartnett, and ''Nash Bridges" himself, Don Johnson. The event, hosted by historian Douglas Brinkley, was not captured on video, but Boston attorney George Tobia, who represented Thompson for several years and attended the service, said a digital audiotape was made. Others in attendance included ''Ironweed" author William Kennedy, Sports Illustrated managing editor Terry McDonell, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, ESPN executive editor John Walsh, Simon & Schuster publisher David Rosenthal, defense attorneys Hal Haddon and Jerry Goldstein, and Thompson's family, including his wife, Anita, and Juan, his son.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON Feeling a little under the weather, actress Kathleen Turner had to miss Sunday's final matinee of Edward Albee's ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Understudy Jennifer Regan ably filled in, receiving a standing ovation and a bouquet of flowers after the show.
HOST WITH THE MOST Between stretching his legs at spring training and preparing to promote his new book, ''Idiot: Beating 'The Curse' and Enjoying the Game of Life," Sox centerfielder Johnny Damon somehow found time to tape an episode of MTV's ''Cribs." The newlywed walks cameras through his Orlando manse, lingering in the dining room to show off the framed reproduction of ''The Last Supper" hanging on the wall. Not just any knockoff of da Vinci's famous painting, the 40-by-20-inch canvas is the parody created after the World Series by graphic artist Barbara Bannon. ''Apparently, Johnny made the MTV people film it," said Bannon, a Newburyport native whose handiwork is available at www.redsoxsupper.com. Bannon said she sent the canvas and several posters to Damon's brother, James, who returned one of them to her with Johnny's John Hancock.
FREE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS Boston Philharmonic conductor Benjamin Zander will lead the St. Louis Symphony Sunday in a free concert to thank the community for its support during a two-month strike. Zander and musicians from 14 orchestras are joining the symphony in a program of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Shostakovich. The concert originally was planned as a fund-raiser for the St. Louis musicians, who walked off the job Jan. 3 after rejecting a contract offer that called for pay cuts. But when they accepted a new contract that provides modest pay increases over the next 3½ years, the decision was made to keep the concert but make it free, said Carl Moskowitz, a spokesman for the musicians.
THE DOCTOR WAS IN Senator Ted Kennedy's 73d birthday bash Friday at the Fairmont Copley Plaza was not without drama. When a guest collapsed, someone yelled, ''Is there a doctor in the house?" Fortunately, there was: Dr. Aram Chobanian, Boston University's president ad interim. A cardiovascular expert and former dean of the BU School of Medicine, Chobanian tended to the guest until an ambulance crew arrived. Guests without formal medical training included Mayor Tom Menino, Congressman Ed Markey, Alan Solomont, Micho Spring, and Deval Patrick.
HELP WANTED We're told Department of Public Health spokeswoman Nicole St. Peter is the new director of communications in Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole's office. Former CBS newswoman Mariellen Burns, who was the Boston Police Department's spokeswoman, is now director of media relations for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.
Mark Jurkowitz of the Globe staff contributed to this column. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.
