Slam-dunk Santas

Kevin Garnett made a wise decision yesterday not following teammate Tony Allen to Children's Hospital Boston. "I think he took a wrong turn. I don't know if he'll make it," said the Celts big man as he delivered holiday gifts to patients. In the end, Allen did make it, and so did Kendrick Perkins, Eddie House, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, and Ray Allen. As he has since arriving in town, KG took charge and got the oversize elves to unload several Kias full of gifts. "You want a Barbie or the paints?" House asked 5-year-old Isabella Thomas as she hid in her dad's arms. "OK, you can have both." Meanwhile, at Dick's Last Resort at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, captain Paul Pierce and another gang of Green put on a party for about 100 young patients in Boston Medical Center's hemotology program. Joining No. 34 were coach Doc Rivers and teammates Leon Powe, James Posey, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Wallace, and Brian Scalabrine.

At long last, Howard Zinn's influential 1980 book "A People's History of the United States" is being turned into a TV miniseries called "The People Speak," and it'll be shot here in Boston next month. The series will star several Hollywood heavies, including Matt Damon, Marisa Tomei , Viggo Mortensen , Danny Glover, Josh Brolin, and David Strathairn, as well as actresses Kerry Washington and Q'Orianka Kilcher, and singer Allison Moorer.

"I think that what's happening here is that people who do Hollywood work don't often get a chance to do something they believe in, so when they see an opportunity to do something they care about, they go all out," Zinn, who lives in Newton, told us yesterday. "Viggo, from the beginning, had said, 'I'm going to fit this in, I just don't know how.' "

The actors, who'll read selections of "A People's History" and its companion book "Voices of a People's History of the United States," will be recorded Jan. 8-9 in front of an audience at Boston's Cutler Majestic Theatre. Produced by Zinn and Chris Moore of "Project Greenlight," the four one-hour programs will focus on struggles in US history: Women, war, class, and race, and include archival footage, photos, and supplementary interviews.

Zinn said he's not surprised that the series, which has been discussed for more than a decade, is finally getting off the ground. "There's a great hunger in the public for dissident voices, and it has to do with the war, with this administration, and the inadequacy of the political system," said Zinn, a retired BU professor. "There's a great vacuum and that can be filled by voices and ideas of people who've stood outside the establishment and for equality and issues of justice."

He said each actor will read up to eight selections. Tomei, for example, will portray a Lowell mill girl on strike in the 1830s; Glover will read the words of abolitionist Frederick Douglass; Brolin will be Mark Twain commenting on the Philippine-American War; and Washington will read the words of abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

And how about this? The music will be performed by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and perhaps Bruce Springsteen, who's a big fan of Zinn's book. "I think there's a good chance Bruce will do a song," said Zinn. "This is exciting."

Medford's own Maria Menounos helped out her former employer the other day, hosting Dunkin' Donuts' "shopping cart derby" on the Santa Monica Pier. The "Access Hollywood" correspondent, who hawked doughnuts while a student at Emerson, was on hand to crown the winners, including John and Julie Benham's young son John. The lively event raised dough for America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network.

These days, actor Ben Foster is getting a lot of buzz for his work in "3:10 to Yuma." But the Boston native and his brother, "Mysteries of Pittsburgh" actor Jon Foster, are earning as much acclaim here for helping their aunt, Susan Zuker of Newton, champion the Conquer Cancer license plates. The year-old effort has raised more than $200,000 for cancer research. "We wanted to do something because everyone's family is affected by cancer," said Zuker. Her husband, Michael, died in 2004 from lung cancer, and her mother, 92-year-old Celia Foster, also has it. Her brother Steven Foster - father of Ben and Jon - is an owner of Jillian's and Lucky Strike on Lansdowne Street. "They're good kids, and even with the successes they've been having, they haven't forgotten where we came from as a family."

After manning the Globe Santa van at Faneuil Hall yesterday afternoon, WWE personalities Layla, CM Punk, and Rey Mysterio dined at Sel de la Terre before their TD Banknorth Garden "Smackdown" and "ECW" performances. Mysterio's pals had the restaurant surprise him with a creme caramel; yesterday was his 33d birthday.

When former CBS morning gal Rene Syler finished her address yesterday the 5,000 attendees of the third Massachusetts Conference for Women were all fired up. Joining Syler onstage at the convention center was Pulitizer Prize-winning columnist Anna Quindlen, who later took a few minutes to talk to some sixth-grade students from Newton's F.A. Middle School who attended the daylong event. Others on hand were former GE honcho Jack Welch and his wife, columnist Suzy Welch, actress and author Victoria Rowell, and NECN anchor Karen Swensen moderated a panel with Diane Patrick, the state's first lady, and Angela Menino, Patrick's Boston counterpart.

Meredith Goldstein of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.