Director Affleck gets going on 'Gone'
"Gone, Baby, Gone" finally got rolling yesterday, temporarily taking over the Chart House Restaurant on Long Wharf. Wearing his signature Sox hoodie, director Ben Affleck peeked outside occasionally, once to greet Jimmy Flynn, the longtime Teamster who plays a Southie judge in ``Good Will Hunting" and serves as transportation coordinator on this movie. (Since being acquitted in 1986 of two gangland slayings, Flynn has become a familiar face on movie sets locally, working on ``The Cider House Rules," ``The Good Son," ``The Departed," and ``What's the Worst That Could Happen?," in which he played a fire captain.) Based on the book by Dorchester author Dennis Lehane, ``Gone, Baby, Gone" is the story of two Boston detectives investigating a little girl's disappearance. Affleck's expected to shoot mostly in and around Southie, but he's also built an elaborate soundstage at the Loconte skating rink in Medford. ``They've built the entire first floor of a house inside the rink," Meffa's mayor Mike McGlynn told us yesterday. ``Certainly we understand the value of having a movie made in our community." Asked whether he's been promised a plum role in the film, McGlynn just laughed. ``I was an extra once, in `The Brink's Job,' and we all had to wear heavy coats in 100-degree weather," he said. "Never again."
Filming at Gillette? The verdict’s out.
Disney's set to start shooting "Daddy's Little Girl," but director Andy Fickman still doesn't have the NFL's blessing. And without it, Fickman can't film the pro football flick starring Dwayne ``The Rock" Johnson at Gillette Stadium. NFL flack Brian McCarthy told us yesterday the league's having ``advanced discussions" with Disney, but nothing has been decided. In the meantime, the producers are looking at other venues for the June shoot, including Boston College's Alumni Stadium. ``We told them it's already booked," said BC spokesman Jack Dunn. The NFL doesn't let moviemakers use league logos or team uniforms or facilities if there's something about a script they object to. ``Invincible," for example, which comes out in August starring Mark Wahlberg, was sanctioned by the suits, but Oliver Stone's ``Any Given Sunday" was not. ``[Stone] even brought Cameron Diaz in to convince the executives, but it didn't work," said McCarthy.On behalf of the four-legged and furry
South End animal lovers James Costa and John Archibald are back from the Big Apple, where they hobnobbed over the weekend with celebs at Farm Sanctuary's annual shindig. ``Angel" star David Boreanaz presented the pair with the Friends of Hilda Club Award, named for the first animal rescued by Farm Sanctuary. Also enjoying the vegan meal at Cipriani were BU grad and ``Bones" actress Emily Deschanel, Daryl Hannah, Moby, Paul Sorvino, Loretta Swit, Joan van Ark, Lindsay Wagner, Alicia Silverstone, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who brought his much younger -- and much taller -- third wife, Elizabeth Harper.We're told Danny Glover will be in Boston for the premiere of Massachusetts filmmaker Gabrielle Savage Dockterman's debut feature, ``Missing in America." The film, also featuring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Zoe Weizenbaum, will close the Boston International Film Festival June 15.
Ayla Brown got the boot from ``American Idol" after singing Natasha Bedingfield's number ``Unwritten," but there are no hard feelings. Brown got to meet Bedingfield backstage at Saturday's KISS concert, and Gail Huff's girl said ``Unwritten" will ``always be special." . . . Sox CEO Larry Lucchino was out and about before last night's game and stopped by Jim Rooney's Baseball Tavern, which recently moved into a Sox-owned building on Boylston Street. . . . Yanks Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada had a late lunch at Davio's before the game. . . . ``Yes, Dear" star Mike O'Malley, in town to film ``On Broadway," threw out last night's first pitch.
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