Meet the Romney Bunch

Whatever you think of Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor's got one of the best blogs among presidential wannabes. What makes Mitt's site entertaining isn't the candidate's contribution, but the stuff his sons post. Blogging as "Five Brothers," Romney's brood -- Ben, Craig, Josh, Matt, and Tagg -- have a sense of humor, something their old man isn't famous for. Consider this: After Paul Bedard likened Josh Romney to Ashton Kutcher in US News & World Report, the boys asked readers to pick famous look - alikes for each brother, and then posted the responses: Bearded Ben is "Home Improvement" actor Richard Karn ; Matt is Howard Hughes; Craig is Tom Brady; and Josh is actor Aaron Eckhart . The best, though, is Tagg, whom the brothers say looks like Curtis Armstrong , the actor who played Booger in "Revenge of the Nerds." See for yourself at fivebrothers.mittromney.com.

No fears for Folds

Pop tunesmith Ben Folds has gotten some cool receptions from the orchestras he's worked with in the past few years. Some, he says, have viewed his performances as the equivalent of "wet T-shirt night." But Folds has no fears about playing with the Boston Pops as they kick off the 2007 season tonight at Symphony Hall. "The Boston Pops is such a different situation," Folds says of the Pops' willingness to experiment with rock music. Folds is currently at work on an album with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls in Nashville. "We're making a really good record," he says, before adding with a laugh, "actually, I say she's making a really good record. I'm the obstetrician. She's doing all the pushing."

The look of a winner

David Ortiz is all about the bling. Asked by GQ to explain the essence du Papi, the slugger says he's got to have glitter. "Chains, rings, rims, the watch -- I like it all," Ortiz says. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, Papi admits it is sometimes hard to find threads that fit. "European people are kinda small, but I wear Armani, a lot of Dolce & Gabbana -- definitely a lot of glasses from D&G." The dynamic DH is asked if he wears fur and, to the chagrin of the animal-rights crowd, replies: "Definitely."

New England ties at New York gala

Tom Brady was a no-show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Costume Institute Benefit Gala this week, but his supermodel sweetheart Gisele Bundchen made the scene. The event, honoring French designer Paul Poiret, attracted some A-list eye candy, including Steven Tyler's daughter Liv, Berkshires-bred Elizabeth Banks, Cohasset's own Kate Bosworth, BU grads Julianne Moore and Ginnifer Goodwin, Everett native Ellen Pompeo, and Ben Affleck's better half, Jennifer Garner. . . . POPSearch is back, and this time Keith Lockhart & Co. are using YouTube for the American Idol-styled contest. You can now audition with either a two minute post to YouTube.com/group/popsearch07 , an audition DVD sent to Symphony Hall, or by coming to Symphony Hall on May 18 or 19 for a live audition.

Esben Iversen and Thomas Lindstrom-Vautrin, students at Brookline's Driscoll School, took third prize and won $500 in a C-SPAN sponsored contest for their video documentary about the environment. Their video, "A Tour of Green Building in the Greater Boston Area," will air on C-SPAN on May 23 at 6:50 a.m. Also recognized in the contest were Clara Lorant, Sylvie Abookire, and Naomi Klickstein of Newton's Charles E. Brown Middle School, who won $250 for their video on global warming. . . . Jill Goldberg, owner of the South End furnishings shop Hudson, is featured in the current edition of Traditional Home magazine. The Boston resident was picked by the magazine as its "Young Traditional." . . . . Just as her Harvard Square eatery OM started serving lunch and weekend brunch, chef Rachel Klein says she's going to be taking some time off -- to have a baby. Klein says she'll be going out on a maternity leave soon because the new addition is expected in July. . . . Greater Media chief Peter Smyth , who oversees the operations at radio stations WBOS, WTKK , and 17 others, will receive the Humanitarian Award from the Hundred Club of Mass. next week for his support and service to the community. The Hundred Club, which supports the families of fallen fire fighters and police officers, has presented the award for several decades. Previous honorees include President John F. Kennedy, Red Auerbach, Jay Leno , and Bob Kraft. . . . Dining separately at Anthony's Pier 4 over the weekend were Botswana's president Festus Mogae and Boston Bruins stalwart P.J. Axelsson.

Sarah Rodman and Geoff Edgers of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.