A 'Smart' fund-raiser

By Mark Shanahan  |  June 20, 2008

Concord native Steve Carell returned to town last night, hosting a special screening of "Get Smart" at the Citi Performing Arts Center. The event was a fund-raiser for the Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. (Carson, who passed away in September, made a connection with Carell a few years back when he and his mom, Roberta Carson, paid a Make-A-Wish visit to "The Office" set in LA.) Carell, who was joined last night by his wife, Cohasset's own Nancy Walls (both above), said he is happy to do what he can to combat cancer. At a reception before the movie, guests bid to have the actor's "Office" character, Michael Scott, provide the message on their answering machine. And one big spender bid $42,000 to drop by the "Office" set. With ticket prices ranging from $100 to $500, last night's event was a big moneymaker for Carson's cause, raising more than $400,000. (Guests at the reception included Barry Tatelman of Jordan's Furniture fame and Dunkin' Donuts CEO Jon Luther.) This wasn't a first for Carell. A year ago, when "Evan Almighty" came out, he hosted a similar benefit for the brain tumor fund.

There was a time, not long after they co-starred in "Three Kings," when it looked like Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney were BFF. Not anymore. In an interview with the British lad mag Zoo, Wahlberg says he turned down a role in the "Ocean's" movies because he wanted to be his own man. "It was well worth it," says Wahlberg, who's hyping his new movie "The Happening." "['Ocean's Twelve'] sucked! People tell George Clooney it's great, but we all know it sucked. I made two bad movies instead - 'Planet Of The Apes' and 'The Truth About Charlie' - but doing that was better than sitting with Brad [ Pitt] and George, telling the press how great everybody is! That's not for me. I do love those guys, but I had to step out on my own." Interestingly, Wahlberg and Pitt are due to co-star in "The Fighter," about "Irish" Micky Ward.

Businessman Steve Belkin and wife Joan partnered with the Anti-Defamation League in chartering a plane and taking 175 folks from Boston - all expenses paid - to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C. this week. Belkin, who runs Trans National Group, has been bankrolling the trip for 15 years. . . . LA Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who arrived in town too late to see his Lakers lose the NBA Finals, dined at Ciao Bella with restaurateur Joe Cimino, defense attorney Richie Egbert, and flack George Regan.

Acts of charity
Bridget Moynahan (left) was among the beautiful people who attended the Cartier Charity Love Bracelet launch in LA. With her ex Tom Brady in town, presumably spending some time with their son John, the actress was available to walk the red carpet with the likes of Janet Jackson, Fergie, Eva Mendes, Emmy Rossum, Hilary Duff, Common, and Ashanti. Each guest represented a different charity and contributed their favorite love song to the Cartier Love Charity playlist.

Package deal
The paparazzi take great pleasure in portraying Tom Brady as his girlfriend's errand boy. Yesterday, for example, TMZ.com poked fun at the Pats QB after he was snapped plucking a parking ticket from his windshield in LA. "Gisele [ Bundchen] is not gonna be happy about this," the website's wags wrote. "While Tommy boy went about his daily chores picking up packages on Wednesday, the man servant got a parking ticket. Can't you do anything right?" Unfair. Who's to say the package was for her? It could have been a case of Stetson cologne for him.

Dinner of champions
Several of the Celts owners enjoyed an intimate dinner with a few of their high-powered pals at Lydia Shire's Scampo the other night. Noshing the night after the C's won No. 17 were Wyc and Corinne Grousbeck, Jim and Kim Pallotta, Paul and Sandy Edgerley, and Steve and Judy Pagliuca. The world-beating brass were joined by Sox owner John Henry, nightlife nabob Patrick Lyons and wife Kristina, and, of course, the C's championship trophy.

Pops names Sing Off finalists
And then there were three. Or are there? The Boston Pops has whittled the field of its first-ever High School Sing Off to three finalists, but because there are two soloists and a quintet, there are actually seven finalists. Competing for the right to sing with Keith Lockhart and the Pops on the Fourth of July are Katie Mayhew of Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, Milton Academy's Samara Oster, and a quintet that included Adam Randall, Meghan Ryan, and Michael Ryan from Braintree High School, and Brianna Shetler and Kirsten Shetler from North Quincy High. The winner will be chosen July 1.

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