Writer covers the bases; 8-year-old makes a scene
OWNERS MANUAL It's just a coincidence that Seth Mnookin is following up his book about The New York Times with a book about the baseball team partially owned by the Old Grey Lady. The Newton North High grad has a deal with Simon & Schuster to write about the Bosox in the era of John Henry, Larry Lucchino, and Tom Werner. (Mnookin has an 8,000-word piece on the same topic in the new Vanity Fair, tucked between the mag's hard-hitting profiles of Nan Kempner and Kimora Lee Simmons.) Mnookin said yesterday that the book, due out sometime next year, will chronicle not only the team's on-the-field success but also include a behind-the-scenes account of the scrum to buy the team in 2001. (Note to Steve Karp, Joe O'Donnell, and Frank McCourt: Mnookin will be calling.) ''One of the things that appeals to me about this book is all the reporting," he said. ''It's a big, juicy story that I can spend some time immersing myself in."
ACTION! The filmmakers met Sam Caswell at a fund-raiser and were impressed by his courage. (Sam, who's 8, has an enzyme deficiency that necessitated a bone marrow transplant.) So when it came time to cast ''Fever Pitch," Peter and Bobby Farrelly invited the young Sox fan to the set. Even better, they asked the Bedford, N.H., boy to direct a scene. ''Bobby sat him in the director's chair, and then Peter came over with the megaphone," said Sam's father, Keith Caswell. ''So there was Sam with the headphones on." Afterward, Lenny Clarke, who was featured in the scene, had high praise for Sam. ''Lenny grabbed his arm and says, 'That was the best direction I've had,' " said Caswell's dad. ''Pretty cool, right?"
SHAPIRO ON A ROLL Newton native Dana Adam Shapiro had more than the weather drawing him to Bermuda. His film ''Murderball," which Shapiro codirected with Henry Alex Rubin, about quadriplegics who play full-contact rugby, was recognized as best documentary feature at the 8th Bermuda International Film Festival. In the film, Shapiro and Rubin track the athletes as they work to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens. The film won the Audience Award for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. . . . It's been a busy time for Shapiro, a former editor at Spin and a founder of Icon magazine. His debut novel, ''The Every Boy," will be released this summer. The story of a 15-year-old who dies mysteriously has already been optioned by Plan B, the film production company founded by now-splitting couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Shapiro has been attached to both direct and adapt his novel into the film's screenplay.
A SOLID FOUNDATION Even though the site of the new Foundation Lounge was under plaster dust last week, co-owner George Lewis Jr. insisted yesterday that the 3,300-square-foot lounge beneath the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square will be open before the Red Sox April 11 home opener at Fenway. The lounge, with lots of leather, zebra wood, and marble, will accommodate 140 patrons, and there will also be patio space. Japanese snacks and appetizers by chef Kenichi Iwaoka, a chef and partner at the two Osushi restaurants, will be offered. . . . Meanwhile, Eastern Standard, on the west side of Hotel Commonwealth, is slated to open in late May, says owner Garrett Harker. Jamie Bissonnette, formerly of Pigalle and Tremont 647, will be the chef, and Gwen Butler will be general manager.
Alison Arnett and Bob Hohler of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.
