Coolidge honors filmmaker Thomas

Filmmaker Jeremy Thomas, honored last night by the Coolidge Corner Theatre for his three dozen films, knows that his moment in the spotlight is a bit out of the ordinary. And the Oscar-winning producer of "The Last Emperor" seems to like it that way. "This is very unusual - the producer isn't one to get the notice," Thomas told us yesterday before receiving the Coolidge Award. "Sometimes we're get a minute of focus. Then we fade into the background." Thomas, whose credits also include "Crash" and "Fast Food Nation," was saluted at a dinner at Veronique by actors Tim Roth and Debra Winger and directors Julien Temple and Nicolas Roeg before heading to the award ceremony. Just being at a traditional movie house was a kick for Thomas. "I started in the pre-digital age so I've witnessed the changes," Thomas said. Walking into the Coolidge "brings me back to my roots. You can feel the difference. The electric shadows of the place." Previous Coolidge Award winners include Meryl Streep and film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who's best known for her work on Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" and "The Departed."

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler exudes the coolness of a veteran rock star, but the former New Hampshire lad is a gadget geek at heart. In the new issue of Private Air magazine, the rocker shows off a watch that contains a 007-like emergency beacon that he says he smuggled into the US from France. "These are illegal in the States, but I had to have one," Tyler (left) gushes. (He also talks about the band, which just finished its biggest tour in years, promising that their next album - their last for Sony - will be "a nice, real record.") Tyler loves flying (he estimates he's leased hundreds of jets), founded Red Wing Motorcycles with a couple of family members, and once was in training to fly in the Russian space shuttle program. "The only reason I passed on it was because of my kids," Tyler tells the magazine. "But, I was ready. I was so ready."

Last night, when 3,000 nattily attired guests gathered for the 64th annual Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, they were in for a surprise speaker: former Governor Mitt Romney (below). We got a peek at his cheeky "Top 10" reasons for dropping out of the presidential race:

10. There weren't as many Osmonds as I thought.

9. I got tired of corkscrew landings under sniper fire.

8. As a lifelong hunter, I didn't want to miss the start of the varmint season.

7. There wasn't room for two Christian leaders.

6. I was upset that no one had bothered to search my passport files.

5. I needed an excuse to get fat, grow a beard, and win the Nobel Prize.

4. I took a bad fall at a campaign rally and broke my hair.

3. I wanted to finally take off that dark suit and tie, and kick back in a light-colored suit and tie.

2. Once my wife, Ann, realized I couldn't win, my fund-raising dried up.

1. There was a miscalculation in our theory: "As Utah goes, so goes the nation."

Michael Douglas, who plays Matthew McConaughey's cad of an uncle in the flick, "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," made a special request for concert promoter extraordinaire Don Law to meet him at Locke-Ober. After Douglas put in his order for the Dover sole, chef Lydia Shire took Douglas on a tour of her eatery at Downtown Crossing.

Speaking of "Ghosts," actress Emma Stone needed a quick hair-color fix for her role. So the 19-year-old showed up at stylist-to-the-stars Dean Mellen's recently opened Newbury Street salon, Atelier, where they returned Stone's color to her more natural red glow.

Congrats to Boston chefs Ruth-Anne Adams and Tom Fosnot on the birth of their third child, Bridget. The newest addition joins the couple's two sons, William and Finn. Fosnot, who's already back at his post at Rocca in the South End, previously worked at blu at Sports Club/LA and Rialto. Adams ran Boston kitchens, including Casablanca in Harvard Square, before starting Let's Eat, an in-home cooking instruction service.

After finishing the regular season at the Garden last night, Celtics captain Paul Pierce, some of the team's management, and big-ticket Celts supporters were expected to head to Mantra for the "Rally for the Green" soiree. Also slated to show at the private party were Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Sam Cassell.

Late Boston radio legend Jess Cain will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame at its annual dinner this fall in Chicago. Cain, who held forth weekday mornings for decades on Boston's AM airwaves, died in February at 81. Others nominated for the Museum of Broadcast Communications' Hall include: Bob Costas, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and Howard Stern in the national category, and WRKO blabber Howie Carr, among the local broadcasters. Voting continues through the summer.

Boston University alum Olympia Dukakis will host the Huntington Theatre's annual benefit on May 5, a fund-raiser for the company's youth, education, and community outreach programs. The Oscar-winning Lowell-born actress has her work cut out for her. Last year's fete, emceed by fellow BU alum Jason Alexander, raised a whopping $700,000.

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