Talking back to 'Super Madam'

The nabobs named by notorious LA madam Jody "Babydol" Gibson are raging about the raunchy stories in Gibson's new book "Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam ." One day after Ben Affleck's rep Ken Sunshine questioned Gibson's claims and threatened to file a lawsuit, the attorney for former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda also came to his client's defense. "We're talking about someone who is 79, married for 50 years and with a reputation never besmirched," Tony Capozzola told the LA Times. "[Gibson] is going to have to answer for that. It's called defamation, and we believe Lasorda has been defamed." The book, available now online, names two dozen celebrities who, according to Gibson, used her call-girl service in the late '90s. (Gibson was convicted in 2000 of running a prostitution ring and served two years in prison.) The celebs include Affleck, Mark Wahlberg, Sylvester Stallone, NBA player Robert Horry, movie producer Robert Evans, and actor Gary Busey. Writing about Affleck, Gibson said the Cambridge-bred actor chose a woman from the agency's website and paid $3,500 to spend the night with her at the Beverly Hills Hotel. (The "Good Will Hunting" star told Gibson he liked "long legs in high heels.") A generous gent, Affleck ordered a bottle of Cristal and tipped the woman $500, according to Gibson. Wahlberg, she writes, enlisted an escort while meeting with Bo Dietl, producer of the movie " One Tough Cop." Gibson said the girl spoke well of Wahlberg even though he didn't tip. Asked why she wrote such a book, Babydol told us, "This is my autobiography, and these are just some of the people I dealt with along the way."

IMDb puts Moynahan at No. 1

Since Bridget Moynahan revealed that she's pregnant with ex-boyfriend Tom Brady's baby, there's been intense interest in the actress. Check out "STARmeter" on IMDbpro.com, which ranks celebs' popularity based on the searches of millions of Internet Movie Database users. Moynahan is currently No. 1, ahead of A-listers such as Nicolas Cage, Britney Spears, Forest Whitaker, and Scarlett Johansson. The "STARmeter" also charts the events that affect public awareness. Moynahan, 36, was largely unknown in 2000, but her profile spiked sharply when she began dating Brady in 2004. It bounced again when the couple broke up in December, and went off the charts last week when Moynahan's pregnancy was announced. . . . Fresh off filming with the Farrelly brothers and starring in Ben Affleck's "Gone, Baby, Gone," Michelle Monaghan is set to star opposite Maine native and "Grey's Anatomy" McDreamy Patrick Dempsey in the romantic comedy "Made of Honor."

He needs some home improvement

While in town not long ago with John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy, former "Home Improvement" star Tim Allen forgot to call his kid brother Bill . "My brother lives [in Boston]," said Allen while at the Four Seasons Hotel to promote "Wild Hogs," which opens tomorrow. "And he's probably going to be [ angry ] . I just remembered to call him and I know he's going to be mad at me. I totally forgot, which is not like me. But it's not like he could have met us for lunch because we're on such a weird schedule. But he's gonna say, 'You might have let me know. . . .' " So, we asked, what might he say to baby bro: "Well, that I just mentioned Billy; I hope Bill's all right."

The Boston Phoenix has apparently hired someone with a sense of humor to be editor. Lance Gould's lengthy resume includes stints at Radar, Spy, and Drill magazines, and a book called "Shagadelically Speaking: The Words and World of Austin Powers." In its story about Gould, the Phoenix neglected to mention the book. Gould's a Brandeis graduate. . . . Roger Clemens a steroid user? It's possible, says Jeremy Schaap, in town yesterday promoting his new book . "I'm only saying that no one's above suspicion," said the ESPN reporter, whose father was the late Dick Schaap. "And that's pretty sad." Schaap, whose new book is "Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics," said steroids have also tainted track and field . "After what happened with Ben Johnson and Linford Christie, how can you trust what you're seeing?" he said. . . . The cast and crew of the blackjack movie based on "Bringing Down the House" took over Avalon yesterday, as Patrick Lyons's Lansdowne Street club was turned into a Las Vegas casino for the day. "It was like magic," Lyons lieutenant Mindy D'Arbeloff said . Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and James Sturgess began shooting at 7 a.m. . . . Filmmaker Eli Roth's done it this time. The Newton native has yet another repellent poster to hype his horror flick "Hostel: Part II." The upsetting promo, which is popping up all over the Web, shows the film's star, Bijou Phillips, nude and beheaded. The poster, unveiled this week at New York ComicCon, is unlikely to win the approval of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield hosted a screening of the documentary "Thin" at the Brattle Theatre the other night. The event was sponsored by MGH's Harris Center for Education and Advocacy in Eating Disorders.

Globe correspondent Janice Page contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.