Inspiration for Tedy's Team

Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was joined Saturday night by Trisha Meili, author of the best-selling memoir "I Am the Central Park Jogger" in providing some inspiration to the 50 members of Tedy's Team running in today's Boston Marathon to raise money for stroke research. Also at the sold-out Seaport Hotel soiree that raised an additional $300,000 for the American Stroke Association were Bruschi's teammates Eric Alexander and Pierre Woods, and former Pats players Joe Andruzzi and Christian Fauria.

To look at Rob Lowe walking from his trailer on the North Andover set of "This Side of the Truth," you might not know that he's knee-deep in legal battles with his staff. The actor, whose TV show "Brothers & Sisters" returned with its first post-strike episodes last night, has been filming in the area for Ricky Gervais's romantic comedy. Last week, Lowe's former nanny, Jessica Gibson, filed a lawsuit claiming that Lowe repeatedly exposed himself to Gibson and inappropriately touched her. Lawyers for Lowe filed a preemptive lawsuit against Gibson and two other former employees. "A former employee is demanding my wife, Sheryl, and I pay her $1.5 million by the end of the week, or she will accuse us both of a vicious laundry list of false[hoods,]" Lowe claims in the lawsuit, according to published reports. The movie, about a world where nobody lies, also stars Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jennifer Garner.

Actor Clifton Powell, an Emerson alum, and Anthony Scott, Holyoke's first African-American chief of police, received a Paul Robeson Leadership Award at Saturday's 19th Andrew J. Davis Jr. Unity Breakfast. Joining the Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts in honoring the two was Harvard neurophysiologist Dr. S. Allen Counter, who shared the award last year with Governor Deval Patrick.

Fresh off the Red Sox afternoon win against Texas, Jacoby Ellsbury, Tim Wakefield, and captain Jason Varitek made their way to the Comedy Connection to host a night of laughs to kick off the season's "Pitching in for Kids" events. Joining the Sox in the fun were New England Revolution players Jeff Larentowicz and Matt Reis, a slew of former area pros, and comics Steve Sweeney and Tony V.

Patriots QB Tom Brady will be getting in some bicycle time at next month's Audi Best Buddies Challenge, the annual Boston-to-Hyannis Port benefit trek. No. 12 has agreed to served as honorary chairman of the event that last year drew 900 riders and raised $2.5 million to support Anthony Shriver's Best Buddies International, which works to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Fred Schneider and the B-52's have signed on to perform at the finish line at the Kennedy family compound on the Cape. Last year, Brady participated in the Hyannis Port events. The three-time Super Bowl champ was joined by Best Buddies participant Katie Meade in a tandem bike race against Patriots lineman Dan Koppen and his sister Leah. Senator John Kerry was among the several hundred who started at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and pedaled the 100 miles to the Kennedy compound and the finish at Craigville Beach.

Leonardo DiCaprio was in the house when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen started the Celtics' post-season pyrotechnics last night at the TD Banknorth Garden. Others filling out the VIP roster in the stands were Red Sox players David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Alex Cora, along with team owner John Henry, and Texas Rangers Michael Young and Gerald Laird. Actor and New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg was back in his seats, as was Lenny Clarke. And we're told that WBZ-TV anchor Lisa Hughes was taking in the action as well.

Lance Armstrong, in town for today's marathon, certainly made the most of his few days in Boston. The cycling champ and cancer survivor spent Friday visiting with patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. On Saturday, Armstrong threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park and stuck around for the game before heading to dinner at Rocca in the South End. Speaking of the Red Sox and the Boston Marathon, slated to run today are: Kelsey Hawkins, girlfriend of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Dawn Timlin, wife of pitcher Mike Timlin, Shonda Schilling, wife of pitcher Curt Schilling, and members of the team's staff.

Los Angeles police chief Bill Bratton and his wife, lawyer Rikki Klieman, are expected to land at Logan early this morning and make their way to cheer on the 25 members of the Los Angeles Police Department's running team as they take on some two dozen of their Boston counterparts in today's Hopkinton-to-Boston 26.2-mile jaunt. Both police departments are running to raise money to support youth programs in their cities, but there's a little more on the line. A former Boston Police commissioner, Bratton has made a friendly wager with Boston's police honcho Ed Davis: The winning city gets to take home the "Commissioners' Cup" (and a whole lotta bragging rights.) . . . On Saturday, the Boston Police Department got the LA officers over to New Balance's Brighton headquarters so the team could load up on some new kicks and gear.

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