Berklee singer wins N.Y. competition

Try as she might, Samantha Sidley couldn't concentrate on her studies yesterday. The Berklee music student was flying high following her two-week stint at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room. ''I'm still kind of in awe," she acknowledged yesterday. ''It's such a legendary place." Sidley, who's barely 20, got the gig by winning the hotel's first annual Young Artist Competition. Her performance earned raves from the critics, including The New York Times' Stephen Holden, who invoked Billie Holiday's name in praising Sidley's phrasing. The chanteuse also got a nice note from cabaret diva Julie Wilson, who attended one of her shows. What's next? Not ''American Idol." ''No," she said. ''I'm not a pop singer. I'm a jazz singer. But my friend Katharine McPhee is one of the finalists, so I'm happy for her."

Good times roll again with the New Cars

Start your engines, Cars fans, the band's on its way back to Boston. Sort of. Calling themselves the New Cars, two former members of the '80s chart-toppers are hitting the road, and they'll be here June 7. (The New Cars will be with the old Blondie when the ''Road Rage Tour" stops at the Bank of America Pavilion.) Fronted by Todd Rundgren, the New Cars include original guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes, joined by Rundgren regular Kasim Sulton on bass, and former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. Absent from the lineup will be singer-songwriter Ric Ocasek, who wrote ''Good Times Roll," among many other hits, bass player Benjamin Orr, who died of cancer in 2000, and drummer David Robinson.

Cambridge poet up for LA book prize

Poet Gail Mazur is not one of those writers who's unconcerned with awards. When her 2001 collection didn't win the National Book Award, Mazur got a little mopey. Maybe this time will be different. The Cambridge resident is one of three locals nominated for the prestigious Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her collection ''Zeppo's First Wife." Also nominated are Doris Kearns Goodwin for ''Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," and John Updike for ''Still Looking: Essays on American Art." The winners will be announced April 28.

Changing literary times

The Improper Bostonian's Samantha House is leaving the mag after shepherding its style and trend pages for the past 6 1/2 years. ''It's time for me to move on, try new things," she said. . . . At Boston magazine, editor Jon Marcus made two appointments: Former Boston Phoenix writer Chris Wright has been named senior editor, and Geoffrey Gagnon, a former managing editor at Legal Affairs, will oversee the City Journal section. . . . Boston Common added Anna Cheshire Levitan and Terri Stanley, both formerly of Scene magazine, to the masthead. . . . And David Winston of Winston Flowers is now contributing editor to Garden Design Magazine.

An eclectic crowd showed up at the New York premiere of ''Thank You for Smoking" the other night. In addition to the movie's stars, Aaron Eckhart and Robert Duvall, Senator John Kerry's daughter Alexandra walked the red carpet, as did fashionista Anna Wintour and actress Halle Berry. . . . Political strategist Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's ill-fated 2000 presidential campaign, is the keynote speaker at a daylong symposium at Emerson College on April 11. Focused on rebuilding the Gulf Coast, the event will include a Q&A with Brazile, a New Orleans native. . . . Randal Pinkett, the MIT alum who won ''The Apprentice 4," returns to his alma mater tomorrow to dish about what he learned from Donald Trump.

At a posh party in Palm Beach, Fla., the other night, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center president Paul Levy announced that Carl and Ruth Shapiro have pledged another $7 million to the Boston hospital, bringing their gifts to the center to $20 million. Also on hand were Red Sox principal owner John Henry, and team execs Sam Kennedy, Troup Parkinson, and Mike Dee. . . . Normally, pets aren't allowed at the Kowloon, but when Andi Sue Irwin walked in Monday, the staff made an exception. A former Penthouse ''Pet of the Year," Irwin supped on sushi with friend, Steve Cardillo, owner of American Nutrition.

Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.