Doing the write thing

(bill brett for the boston globe)

Sue Miller, Andre Dubus III, and Kim McLarin (above from left) were among the authors who turned out Wednesday night to support WriteBoston, a city-sponsored program that works to improve writing skills among high school students. Other scribes on the "Pros & Conversation" panel at the Boston Athenaeum: James Carroll, Michael Patrick MacDonald, and Claire Messud. To thank Tom Menino for starting WriteBoston, the mayor was given a new tie from Boston designer Anthony Corey.

Brady scores a fast car

Tom Brady looked comfortable in the driver's seat (above) of the new $120,000 Audi R8 - no surprise, since the QB was among the first to score one of the hot cars. Brady turned up at the Audi gala the other night to kick off the 2008 New York International Auto Show. Among those chatting up the QB was Denise Rich, the New York socialite whose fugitive financier ex-husband was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.

Sharing her vision

"The Namesake" director Mira Nair (above) was at Northeastern's Blackman Auditorium last night to talk with students about the art of filmmaking. The Oscar nominee's visit was hosted by the International Student & Scholar Institute as part of a series of events to explore cultural diversity on campus through the arts. Tonight, Northeastern hosts filmmaker Spike Lee.

Bank worker cashes in

Danvers Savings Bank employee Deborah White was surprised yesterday by JackpotRewards.com founder/CEO Jim Miller, who handed her a check for $1 million from his online sweepstakes and shopping company. The 55-year-old arrived at her job in Wilmington to discover the news. White later told her co-workers that after a bit of travel, she'll be returning to her job.

Boston hip-hop dancers Status Quo can now say they are one of the best two crews in the country. The troupe - Darius Rutledge, Joshua Green, Jayjion Greer, Jamal Weaver, Ernest "E-Knock" Phillips, and Dwayne Hines - survived last night's round of MTV's "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew." They will compete for the $100,000 top prize on Thursday's live season finale. Early on the group finished in the bottom two but bounced back after Phillips suffered an ankle injury.

Hollywood couple Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel's comedy "war," one that involved hilarious dueling videos, featuring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, appears to be over. Asked by the TV show "Extra" if there'd be any sequels to her spoof with Damon, and Kimmel's rebuttal with Affleck, Silverman nixed the idea. "No, because we have restraint. We can contain ourselves," Silverman said. "We're not going to ruin it with more." Kimmel added: "And we're lazy."

After a sold-out show Wednesday at the Orpheum, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan made his way to J.J. Foley's, where he kept the party going until the Kingston Street bar closed. . . . Boston's favorite night owl Peter Wolf returned to the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge Wednesday to jam with Dennis Brennan and his band. Wolf's fresh off a stint on Kid Rock's tour with Allman Brothers guitarist Dickey Betts and Run-D.M.C.'s Reverend Run.

Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson are joining Anne Fletcher's "The Proposal," which begins filming soon in Gloucester. The romantic comedy's about a publishing executive, played by Sandra Bullock, who forces her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her so she won't be deported to Canada.

She's gotta dance

Legendary actress and choreographer Marge Champion (inset) regaled students in Ken Cheeseman's acting class at Emerson College yesterday about Hollywood's golden era and the need to be great performers. The 88-year-old Champion and the late Gower Champion were the successors to dance greats Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. She brought along her current dance partner, Donald Saddler, to show off a few moves. The daughter of a choreographer, Champion got her first job at Walt Disney, where she was the model for animators drawing Snow White, the blue fairy in "Pinocchio," and the hippo ballerina for "Fantasia."

Globe correspondent Steve Morse contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.