The Beats' 'Road' stops in Lowell

The scroll in Lowell? Yes. The original draft of "On the Road," that bible of the Beat Generation, will be displayed in Lowell this summer. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who bought the manuscript a few years back for $2.5 million, is finally bringing it to Jack Kerouac's birthplace after stops in eight other, less-deserving cities. (Orlando? Milwaukee?) On the 50th anniversary of the book's publication, the 119-foot scroll will be unfurled at Boott Cotton Mills Museum at Lowell National Historical Park from June 15 to Sept. 14. (The exhibit will be the centerpiece of a series of Kerouac-themed events.) The scroll, produced by Kerouac over 20 days in 1951, has been on the road since 2004. Permanently housed in a library in Bloomington, Ind., the manuscript travels the country in a box and is displayed in plexiglass. Boston attorney George Tobia, who represents the Kerouac estate, said the scroll's stay in Lowell could be extended depending on the interest.

Independent film fest in full swing

The Independent Film Festival of Boston got rolling last night at the Somerville Theatre with a screening of Hal Hartley's "Fay Grim ," with costar James Urbaniak on hand to introduce the film to the audience. The seven-day fest continues tonight, when former New Kid Joey McIntyre, Watertown native Eliza Dushku, and the hilarious Will Arnett are all slated to walk the red carpet for the world premiere of writer-director Dave McLaughlin's locally filmed "On Broadway ." Fellow filmmakers Bobby and Peter Farrelly are on the guest list for the sold-out screening at the Somerville Theatre. Also part of the Independent Film Festival's lineup is Saturday's world premiere of "Shadow of the House " a documentary by local filmmaker Allie Humenuk about Cuban-born photographer Abelardo Morell, who lives and teaches in the Boston area.

Houston returns to recording studio

With her divorce to Roxbury-bred bad boy Bobby Brown finalized, Whitney Houston is working on her comeback, Planet Gossip says. Houston is back in the recording studio, and R&B singer and songwriter Ne-Yo, who's writing a few songs for Houston, told Marc Malkin's web site he likes what he's heard . "It's all good," Ne-Yo said.

Just a couple of weeks after NBC abruptly canceled "The Black Donnellys" comes word that the show's star, Jonathan Tucker, had landed the lead role in the thriller "The Ruins," based on Scott Smith's best-selling book of the same name. A Charlestown native, Tucker worked with Oscar-winning writer Paul Haggis on the drama that NBC axed about half way through its first season. Haggis also called up Tucker for his movie "In the Valley of Elah," with Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon, which will be released in September. . . . Speaking of canceled, home improvement guy Bob Vila's eponymous weekly show on HGTV has gotten the heave-ho. TelevisionWeek reports that low ratings and a glut of similar programming prompted the distributor of Vila's show to pull the plug, after nearly 20 years in syndication. A former Cambridge resident, Vila got his start on "This Old House" when it launched in 1979 at Boston's WGBH.

Mark Wahlberg posed with sumo champ Asashoryu at a news conference to promote his film "Shooter" in Tokyo yesterday. . . . "American Idol" finalist Elliott Yamin went to dinner at Not Your Average Joe's in Medford Tuesday with Mix 98.5 staff members Mike Mullaney, Mark "Cali" Calandrello, and Jerry McKenna.

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