'The Recruit' doesn't fly with the Pats

Guess no one on the Patriots' private jet to Cincinnati noticed that the 2003 flick "The Recruit" stars Al Pacino, Colin Farrell, and a certain actress named Bridget Moynahan before it started to play. But as soon as the opening credits revealed that Tom Brady's ex was in the thriller, the movie was yanked, someone on the plane told us. No word on what movie was finally chosen for the flight, but we bet it wasn't "I, Robot" or "Serendipity."

Meg Ryan is in Dover this week filming her final scenes for "The Women" in a five-bedroom Adams-style mansion on 27 acres. Ryan is the last of the big stars shooting on the film which also stars Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Word is that costar Candice Bergen may be back here next week to finish up a few things before Diane English wraps her rookie directing effort - a bit ahead of schedule.

Lest you think the camera crews are deserting our fair city, you should know that plenty of Tinseltown types are bound for Boston in the coming months. "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly is making "The Box" with Cameron Diaz (Newton native Eli Roth is one of the producers), while actors William H. Macy, Morgan Freeman, and Christopher Walken will film "The Lonely Maiden" with director Peter Hewitt. Less certain is "Brothers," which Irish director Jim Sheridan will shoot either in Boston or New Mexico. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire.

Actor Steve Martin, who's in town shooting "Pink Panther II," was at the Calderwood Pavilion Saturday to see Campbell Scott in the Huntington's production of "The Atheist." (The pair worked together on David Mamet's film "The Spanish Prisoner.") Meanwhile, playwright Terrence McNally was at the Calderwood to catch SpeakEasy Stage's "Zanna, Don't!" (SpeakEasy's mounting a production of McNally's gay-marriage play, "Some Men," in February.) Afterward, Martin, McNally, Scott, and a few friends dined at Icarus in the South End.

We all know Whitney Houston's higher power is legendary record executive Clive Davis. But who's helping ex-husband Bobby Brown straighten up and fly right? The Messiah himself. TMZ.com reports that the Roxbury-bred R&B singer is spending a lot of time in church as he tries to resurrect his once-promising career. According to the website, Brown regularly attends Sunday services at the Agape International Spiritual Center in West LA, praying with Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, the leader of the trans-denominational spiritual community.

Tennessee Williams worked in Provincetown for several summers, and for the past two years the seaside community has celebrated the playwright's work with a festival. The four-day gathering was curated by David Kaplan and included playwright John Guare, who hosted a Sunday morning coffee, and poet-playwright Amiri Baraka, who held a late-night Q&A about Williams's work. Other highlights included a world premiere of Williams's "Sunset," a production of "The One Exception," which Williams finished shortly before his death in 1983, and spoof artist extraordinaire Ryan Landry's performance of "The Plexiglass Menagerie."

For George Verschoor, space isn't the final frontier, the Internet is. Yesterday, Verschoor, one of the original writers and directors of MTV's "The Real World," was in Boston to begin shooting "The Smart Show," a reality-based Web series that promises to showcase what's "smart" about select US cities. "We're finding that user-generated interactivity is very heavy," said Verschoor. "So, from a production point of view, we're relying on people to make suggestions." The show, hosted by comedian Henry Dittman and yoga instructor Joan Lauckner, shot footage at this weekend's Fluff Festival in Somerville, as well as at MIT, and the Psychic Fair in Salem. (You can watch the webisodes at hiexpress.com/thesmartshow.) Considering how many dim bulbs are on "The Real World," it's ironic that Verschoor's the brains behind "The Smart Show." He doesn't disagree. "Certainly, the talent in front of the camera have more to add to the world," he said.

Make room on your shelf for yet another Red Sox-related film. This one, called "Rooters: The Birth of Red Sox Nation," chronicles the history of baseball's most notorious fans. The movie, which screened around the corner from Fenway last night, is narrated by WEEI personality Mike Adams and produced by Peter Nash. That name ring a bell? Before he was a baseball historian, Nash was known as Prime Minister Pete Nice in the rap group 3rd Bass.