Wahlberg does his part
Mark Wahlberg is coming back to Boston, and he's bringing a few folks with him. Word is the Dorchester native will host a charity screening of his new flick ''Four Brothers" within the next few weeks, and he'll be joined by his costars, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund, as well as the movie's director, John Singleton. Somewhat predictably, Wahlberg plays a hothead in the movie about four brothers who reunite to avenge their mother's death.
Rocking and rolling
Mike Ward isn't one to sit around his hotel room. Before his gig last night at Avalon, the guitarist for Ben Harper (above) took a bike ride around Dover, Walpole, and Wrentham. ''It's not a complete day if I can't enjoy a nice ride," said Ward, who's also played with Jakob Dylan and John Hiatt. ''Cycling has totally turned my life around." He means it. The veteran rocker has a new children's book, ''Mike and the Bike," a story about a boy and -- you got it -- his bike. The foreword was written by none other than Lance Armstrong (below), Ward's pal and occasional riding partner. Did he get to watch Armstrong win Tour de France title No. 7 last weekend? ''We have satellite on the bus, so we watched it while we were rolling down the road." Asked if it's true that his buddy has political ambitions, Ward didn't know. ''But riding bikes is great bonding time, so I'll pry some details out of him."David Ortiz tips his cap
David Ortiz is wearing another hat -- and this one he designed himself. New Era Cap Co., which makes pro sportswear, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new line of caps, and Ortiz is just the second ballplayer invited to custom-design one -- the first was Roger Clemens. Big Papi's cap, which comes out tomorrow, is adorned with an angel in honor of his late mother, and the crest for the Dominican Republic. Locally, the new lid will only be available at Fenway, Rainbow Hill, and Berkley Shoes. ''My [hat] is about who I am, where I come from and what is important to me," the slugger said in a statement. ''My mom and I were very close, we had a similar personality . . . passionate, personal . . . I am like her a lot."Young singer makes beautiful music
Andrea Ross, a 14-year-old singing dynamo from Franklin, was not only invited to sing at Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sydmonton Festival earlier this month -- and by the famed composer himself -- but she got a rare standing ovation. A festival regular told Ross's agent Aggie Gold that standing ovations have only occurred two or three times in the festival's 27-year history. While in London, Ross sang ''Whistle Down the Wind" at the memorial service at St. Martin-in-the-Field church for British actor Sir John Mills; Lloyd Webber, who composed the song, accompanied on piano.Manly on the move
They're dropping like flies at the Boston Herald. Columnist Howard Manly, who previously worked at The Boston Globe and on Emily Rooney's ''Greater Boston" on WGBH, resigned abruptly from the Tawdry Tabloid last week. Word is Manly will be working for The Bay State Banner and hosting WGBH's ''Basic Black." Manly could not be reached for comment.Grin and bare it
Given the option of wearing clothes or not, comic Andy Ofiesh says he'd be buck naked all the time. So it's no surprise that Ofiesh organized last night's all-nude comedy show at ImprovBoston. That's right, Randy Wynn, Josh Gondleman, and headliner Tim McIntire were slated to do stark-naked stand-up at the Inman Square club. ''I've done it numerous times for benefits," said Ofiesh. ''You definitely connect on a different level with the audience." If you're wondering about the legality of nudie knock-knock jokes, Ofiesh says, ''It's OK as long as it's not a strip show . . . And you're not allowed to tip performers while they're onstage."Hundreds of partygoers traipsed through the stands at Fenway and up to the right-field roof deck to mark the release of Boston magazine's Best of Boston issue. The annual issue, which features the lovely Gretchen Monahan on the cover, highlights the best the Hub has to offer, according to the magazine's editors.
Catherine Foster of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253. 