Grecco shooting for the stars

For years, Michael Grecco made his money shooting news. But by the early '90s, the BU grad had grown frustrated with photojournalism and switched to the celebrity beat. Wise move. Grecco has become a go-to guy for Entertainment Weekly and Time, assigned to orb Hollywood's hottest stars and biggest names, from Will Smith to Robert Evans, Robert Duvall to Chris Rock. "I wasn't happy covering news," says Grecco, who toiled for the Associated Press and freelanced for the Globe. "I had a lot of ideas in my head." Many of those ideas are now collected in "Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography ," a snazzy new book showcasing some of the shutterbug's iconic images. (Of local interest, there are a few funny photos of Bobby and Peter Farrelly.) Grecco wouldn't tell us which celebs are self-centered, but did say that veteran actors tend to be easier to work with. Asked if he's become friendly with any of the famous folks in his frames, Grecco mentioned Michael Madsen, Rene Russo, and Shaquille O'Neal.

Laurenti hobnobs at U2/Pearl Jam gig

WBOS DJ John Laurenti was a bit bleary yesterday, having just returned from the U2/Pearl Jam show in Hawaii. Laurenti scored a backstage pass for Saturday's sold-out show at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium, where he hung out with Alyssa Milano, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Kid Rock, Cindy Crawford and her husband , Rand e Gerber, surfer Laird Hamilton and his wife, voluptuous volleyballer Gabrielle Reece. We'd heard a while back that Bosox GM Theo Epstein, a big Pearl Jam fan, might be attending, but Laurenti said he didn't see him. Before returning to Boston, Laurenti also looked up former 'BCN DJ Charles Laquidara, who lives in Hawaii. The two watched the Pats/Dolphins debacle at Laquidara's seaside spread.

LaPierre welcomes Walsh to WBZ

Gary LaPierre, WBZ's retiring morning news anchor, took a few minutes early yesterday to introduce his replacement, Ed Walsh, to the audience. "Three o'clock? Three o'clock is when you have to get up?" asked Walsh, who was raised in Wellesley and graduated from Holy Cross. After the two traded pleasantries about each other's careers, LaPierre told Walsh that the Boston listeners are a "smart audience" and that Walsh should treat them well when taking over on Jan. 1 because "they're my friends." . . . And, Matt Damon was in New York yesterday to film a segment to run on David Letterman's late show last night in which he does a spot-on impression of Matthew McConaughey.

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Actress Victoria Rowell is a busy woman. When she's not playing Drucilla, her character for the last 13 years on the long-running CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless," she's usually working on a movie or TV project. When she's not filming, she's out promoting projects like "Home of the Brave," Irwin Winkler's latest film, which brought the former Roxbury resident back to Boston. Shortly before introducing the film at the Museum of Fine Arts Sunday, Rowell spoke of her time in foster care, at a small, private dinner. She noted that for a couple of Christmases her gifts came from the Globe Santa program. Saturday night, the mother of two was in her native Portland, Maine, to drum up support for children's programs. An advocate for young people, Rowell is releasing a memoir early next year, "The Women Who Raised Me," about her life in foster care. "Home of the Brave " opens locally Jan. 5.

Tony Award-winning actor Dan Fogler, who played the hilarious dancing speller in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" on Broadway, returned to Boston the other night to support playwright -- and fellow Boston University alum -- Ronan Noone. Fogler was on hand for the opening-night performance of "Brendan," a workshop production of Noone's work-in-progress that's being directed by Huntington Theatre artistic associate Justin Waldman. "Brendan" runs at the Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts through the weekend.