Perfect pitch

Celtics big man Kevin Garnett got to show off his softer, more artsy side by singing for an ad pitching Verizon FiOS. Although the folks making the spot featuring the C's star are mum on the details, we do know that it was shot locally late last week and is expected to air before the end of the year.

Serving up autographs

Tennis-phenom-turned-fashion-designer Venus Williams autographed T-shirts and tennis balls for fans on Saturday during a stop at Steve & Barry's in the Silver City Galleria in Taunton to promote her new EleVen clothing line.

Giving kids a better chance

Sox hurler and Hyde Park native Manny Delcarmen got Curt and Shonda Schilling and their kids, Gehrig, Gabriella, Grant, and Garrison and a gaggle of his teammates and their families for his "Bowlin' Strikes for Schools" fund-raiser at Kings Lanes on Saturday. Among those on hand - and bowling a few frames - to help raise nearly $30,000 for the Boston Educational Development Foundation to promote literacy and programs in the Boston schools were Kevin Youkilis and his fiance, Enza Sambataro, with her son Mikey; and Terry Francona with his daughter Jamie.

With all the movie work coming to Massachusetts these days, it looks like there's strong competition for crew and actors on projects filming in Rhode Island. One case is "Tanner Hall," starring Chris Kattan, which is currently filming in Rhode Island. The flick, a coming of age story set at a girls boarding school, is written and directed by the team of Tatiana von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini, who met while they were students at Brown and are scions of some notables. Gregorini is the daughter of actress and former "Bond" girl Barbara Bach, whose husband is Ringo Starr, and von Furstenberg's mother is famed fashion designer Diane, who is married to media mogul Barry Diller. . . . Back in Boston, Cameron Diaz & Co. filmed scenes for the Richard Kelly-directed film "The Box" at the Boston Public Library over the weekend. The "Charlie's Angels" star, who has been popping up around town of late, was spotted working out the other day at Equinox in the South End.

Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden and her kids were among the hundreds huddled watching as an acrobat climbed into a bubble and others performed in the multi-level lobby as part of the Liberty Hotel's opening party. Bruins legend Cam Neely, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Robert Cordy, and Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, who brought along the World Series trophy, were also among the more than 1,000 people who made their way through the hotel in the former Charles Street Jail Friday night. By the time Kiva Kahl, better known as "Grinder Girl" from David Letterman's show, took the stage, Harden and the first wave of partygoers had made way for the late-night crowd, which included Celtics star Ray Allen, who was the toast of the swanky soiree following the team's eighth straight win. Hotel honcho Dick Friedman was holding court in the main lobby, where he was spotted greeting Secretary of State Bill Galvin, Attorney General Martha Coakley, developer Ron Druker, philanthropists Ted and Joan Cutler, and politico Bob Crowe. Chef Lydia Shire and nightlife guru Patrick Lyons served up some tidbits in the ground-floor spot where their Scampo restaurant will open, drawing a notable number of foodies, including restaurateurs Michela Larson and Jim Apteker, and chefs Ken Oringer, Pino Maffeo, Marc Orfaly, Dante deMagistris, and Jody Adams.

The tables were turned on George Regan on Saturday night when the PR maven was honored by the Arc of Greater Boston with the organization's first Rose Pessin Memorial Award. And speaking of tables, we're told the ballroom at the Seaport Hotel was so packed that developer John Drew gave up his table so that others could attend the dinner. The award was established to recognize the work of Pessin, the late activist who worked for 37 years as the director of development for Arc of Greater Boston, which advocates on behalf of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A sold-out crowd of 1,200 turned out last night for a reception and to catch a special screening of the Keri Russell-Robin Williams movie "August Rush" to benefit the Joey Fund, which raises money for cystic fibrosis research. Boston Culinary Group honcho Joe O'Donnell and wife Kathy (right) greeted the crowd at the AMC Theatre in Chestnut Hill as they have for the 23 years they've hosted the fund-raiser. Among those on the guest list were Mayor Tom Menino, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, philanthropist David Mugar, developer Steve Karp, and a slew of financial whizzes, including Tom Stemberg, Jerry Jordan, and John Spooner.

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