Diverse ambitions

Award-winning actor and director Edward James Olmos was at Emerson College last night to talk about using the arts to bridge the cultural divide. The "Battlestar Galactica" star was chosen as the Balfour Distinguished Lecturer on Diversity by the college for his work on screen and as a community activist. Previous Balfour speakers are actor Danny Glover, legendary performer Harry Belafonte, and entertainment industry trailblazer Suzanne de Passe.

Looks like Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey will be in Boston as early as January to film "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past." The Mark Waters-directed romantic comedy would be the latest big-budget movie to film here, and it appears to be the first to try to squeeze in production before a possible strike by the actors' unions in June. "We've seen the film business pick up . . . but there was a thought it would slow down in the winter," state film czar Nick Paleologos told us yesterday. "But with a writers' strike going on and the threat of an actors' strike a number of studios are looking to see if they can get a couple of films done in the first months of the year." Advance crews for "Ghosts" arrive in about a week. Filming could begin in early January and should wrap up in June, we're told. Ben Affleck's better half has found herself with some unexpected free time lately because the stagehands' strike interrupted her Broadway debut in "Cyrano de Bergerac." Garner will next be seen in "Juno," slated to hit theaters next month, and is in talks to star in Ricky Gervais's comedy "This Side of Truth."

Cameron Diaz was on Lantern Lane in Milton yesterday filming scenes for director Richard Kelly's flick "The Box," which also stars James Marsden and Frank Langella. Early yesterday, Diaz drew a crowd while shooting a scene outside a house where she put a couple of children on a school bus. The other night, the "Shrek" princess stopped by the Beacon Hill sushi spot Zen with a group of friends.

Boston rocker Kay Hanley will sing a song from the new "Care Bears: Oopsy Does It" DVD during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade tomorrow. Hanley, who has been out on tour singing backup for "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus, will perform "Caring Changes the World" on a float with the pastel-colored bears. . . . NBC's Brian Williams was interviewing Bruce Springsteen's singing spouse Patti Scialfa backstage at the TD Banknorth Garden the other night. Also dropping by to pay their respects to the Boss were the Dropkick Murphys and engineer extraordinaire Bob Ludwig of Portland's Gateway Studios. After the show, Clarence Clemons and a lady friend huddled at the Bristol Lounge.

Want to hang out with Theo Epstein and Stone Gossard? Too late. WEEI auctioned the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity yesterday for $8,000 as a fund-raiser for the Huntington's Disease Society of America. The winner will be wined and dined by the Sox GM and his Pearl Jam pal, and then watch a game from a Sox suite.

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