Studdard is the life of the block party

Ruben Studdard (above), season 2 winner of "American Idol," wowed the crowd this week at Brigham and Women's Hospital's annual summer block party. Called "BWH Street Beat," the party was open to the public, and Studdard was very much the star of the show. Though he hasn't had quite the career of "Idol" winners Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, Studdard, who turns 30 next month, is clearly still very much a fan favorite.

Don't expect to see Jeff Deck wandering around a national park any time soon. The Somerville man and his buddy Benjamin Herson have been banned from national parks after vandalizing a historic marker at the Grand Canyon. The two, who travel around the country removing typographical errors from public signs, were cited for damaging a rare, hand-painted sign in Grand Canyon National Park. This week, they pleaded guilty in US District Court in Flagstaff, Ariz. They were sentenced to a year's probation, ordered to pay $3,035 to repair the sign, and told to stay away from national parks for a year. We reached Deck on his cellphone yesterday, but he told us he's prohibited from talking about the case. He and Herson were accused of using a whiteout product and a permanent marker to deface a sign at Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim at the Grand Canyon. (They moved an apostrophe and added a comma.) Investigators learned of the vandalism from an Internet site operated by Deck on behalf of the Typo Eradication Advancement League. Earlier this summer, Deck told the Globe that he and his cohorts identified 423 instances of signage marred by misspellings, misused apostrophes, and disagreeing subjects and verbs.

Faced with intense criticism from customers, Jonathan Crutchley has stepped down as chairman of Manhunt.net, the popular Cambridge-based purveyor of online gay hookups. Users of the site began closing their accounts after it was revealed that Crutchley, cofounder of Manhunt.net with Larry Basile, had contributed $2,300 to John McCain's presidential campaign. In a statement, Basile said Crutchley's contribution "left the entire board in disbelief. . . . It is too bad for the website if we lose customers, but PLEASE never refer to me as a Republican. I consider it an offense."

Celts super sub Eddie House is one proud papa. While chowing popcorn shrimp at Legal Seafoods the other day, House grabbed his iPhone and proudly showed off pics of his 7-year-old son and twin 2-year-old boys. He was hanging with C's spokeswoman Heather Walker, former owner of The Rack Paul Barclay, and fiery Regan flack Mariellen Burns.

A round of applause for Andrew Durand, the Boston Conservatory grad who landed the role of Georg in the Broadway production of "Spring Awakening." Based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, "Spring Awakening" won eight 2007 Tony Awards. The musical features direction by Michael Mayer, choreography by Bill T. Jones, book and lyrics by Steven Sater, and a score by Duncan Sheik.

Steven Tyler was back in his old New Hampshire 'hood the other night. The flamboyant frontman showed up at a reunion of Gunnison Brook, a band of buddies that predates even Aerosmith. Held at the fab Foxstand Estate in Springfield, N.H., the gig was organized by Gerry Wolf (above left with Tyler), a friend of Gunnison Brook band members Pete Merrigan, Dan Sibley, Mario Casella, and John Maxfield. Tyler didn't hang around long, but we're told he did lend a hand on a rocking version of the Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers."

Back in the day, Neil Diamond would change outfits at least a few times during his show. We'll see if that's still true tonight when the "Sweet Caroline" crooner performs at Fenway. Continuing a concert series that started in 2003 with Bruce Springsteen, Diamond will set up shop in center field. The stage is relatively modest compared to the elaborate set erected by the Rolling Stones in '05.

It didn't take Mel Gibson long to discover Gigi Gelateria on Hanover Street. The actor, who's in town shooting a film with Robert De Niro, dropped by the North End institution and happily posed with employees (above). "Edge of Darkness," a cop drama written by "Departed" scribe William Monahan, is currently shooting in a warehouse in Chelsea.

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