It's showtime for Paleologos

Just three hours into the job as the state's new film czar, Nick Paleologos said he'd already handled a request from a filmmaker wanting to shoot scenes in Massachusetts for his small film. "Literally, I arrived today. I have a list of folks I'm reaching out to," said the former state representative and theater producer who was introduced to the media via conference call yesterday afternoon. "A lot of the job. . . is here on the ground." Paleologos was chosen after a months-long search process by the Massachusetts Sports & Entertainment Commission, the agency that oversees the Massachusetts Film Office. While the commission's managing director Rich Krezwick spoke from the West Coast, where he was lining up future meetings , Paleologos said that among the chief concerns are attracting new business and helping productions like "21," based on Boston author Ben Mezrich's bestseller about MIT students who beat the Las Vegas casinos. One worry is the continuation of state funding for the bureau after the fiscal year ends in June. "We're confident that if we get this off on the right foot," said Paleologos, "we will be looked upon favorably." But at least one member of the commission's board seemed unhappy. Dick Friedman, owner of the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, called into the press conference and pointedly asked questions about the selection of Paleologos, who was chosen over candidates believed to include John Dukakis, son of the former governor.

Gourdin sings it with feeling

Brockton's Noel Gourdin is enjoying the kind of success in the music industry that most 25-year-olds see only on "American Idol." Signed to Columbia Records , Gourdin's single "The River" was just released and his debut CD is due out in a few months. "My intention is putting my feelings on the track and leaving everything I've got in the recording booth," says Gourdin in a release. "I want people to think: This is a man you can feel. That you can slow dance with, have a drink with, and cry with."

Oringer plans upscale steak house

Chef Kenneth Oringer will widen his culinary influence this spring by becoming consulting chef for the restaurant now called Spire in the Kimpton Nine Zero hotel downtown. Just back from Park City, Utah, where he cooked for the Sundance Film Festival, Oringer, who is chef of Clio and Uni in Back Bay, and chef and owner of Toro in the South End, said he plans a "modern steak house." Oringer promises his steak house will feature naturally raised beef, Japanese Wagyu , and American Kobe as well as Dover sole, local fish, and an array of appetizers, salads, and organic vegetables. The restaurant "will have a pretty big menu," Oringer said, and be "a steak house with a chef that can cook great food." The dining room will be renovated to make it warmer and more comfortable, he said. The name of the chef is still a secret, but Oringer promised he'll work "with my blessing and philosophy."

AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson, the young stars of "Bridge to Terabithia," joined the film's director, Gabor Csupo, for a stop at the Brown School in Somerville yesterday, as part of a tour arranged by Walden Media, one of the film's backers . . . . Princeton prof Cornel West, who formerly taught at Harvard, was spotted at Saturday night's performance of the Huntington Theatre Company's production of "The Cherry Orchard." . . .

Actor Joey Pantoliano signed autographs, posed for photos, and answered some tough questions about mental illness at a screening of his new film, "Canvas," organized by Tufts by child development prof Dr. Richard Lerner. The film costars Marcia Gay Harden as a woman who is slipping into psychosis. Also attending the screening at the Medford campus were actor Devon Gearhart, writer-director Joseph Grecco, and producer Adam Hammel, an Emerson alum. . . . On Sunday night, Boston Symphony Orchestra music director James Levine spoke at an Opera News awards ceremony in New York, where he was among five honorees recognized for distinguished achievement. According to the Associated Press, Levine's speech included a comment about the heavy demands of his schedule: "It's complicated because right at this moment in life, I must lighten my schedule. And to do it without losing the continuity is tricky." Levine also serves as music director of the Metropolitan Opera, a post he said he is committed to through the 2010-11 season. The BSO said there was no impression the maestro would cut back on his BSO commitments.

Alison Arnett of the Globe staff contributed to this column. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.