California dreamin'

By Mark Shanahan and Paysha Rhone, Globe Staff  |  August 28, 2008

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen were practicing their parenting skills after a recent Patriots training session at Gillette Stadium, according to a photo released by Splash News yesterday. The couple was spotted lying in the grass and playing with baby John, who just turned 1. An eyewitness told the celeb news agency: "Gisele was playing with John and she was giving him bottled water. She was really looking after him. It looked like a nice family afternoon together. At one point Tom put John on his shoulders and danced around. He looked like a terrific father." TMZ.com reported yesterday that the lovebirds have purchased a roughly 3-acre piece of property in Brentwood for $11 million, under the name TGBE. The empty site is near the home of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In other Brady business, the QB missed the Patriots annual charitable foundation party in Foxborough Tuesday night. Rich Eisen, the NFL Network anchor and event emcee, told the crowd that Brady was in California to deal with "personal issues," according to the Attleboro Sun Chronicle. Brady did record a message for the gala, expressing regret he had to miss "one of my favorite events over the years because the night focuses more on philanthropy than football."

Some staffers at the Natick Collection Lush wanted to get naked yesterday - really - to protest what the natural handmade cosmetics company considers excessive packaging. But a visit from the Natick police the night before put the kibosh on giving customers the full monty. "We don't know who tipped them," said 23-year-old store manager Ross Higgins, who spent an hour in a pair of very small black undies under an apron that said, "Ask me why I'm naked." The anti-packaging protests have been staged worldwide, with staffs' bums hanging out, with little consequence. The Newbury Street store went nude last year and no one went to the pokey, Higgins said. But in Natick . . . not so much. "It's a little bit of a suburb, it's a little more reserved." So Higgins and employee Steve Zastawny just hung out in their underwear, aprons, and sandals, as curious customers shopped, shot pictures, and generally enjoyed the show. But a fellow female employee chose to keep her clothes on. "That was her choice. She supported us. It's all volunteer."

Jennifer Coolidge and boyfriend Banks McClintock had a good time on Nantucket this week, after the actress lent her big wit to the Nantucket AIDS Network last weekend. (We're told two wealthy women got into a bidding war during the charity auction over the Manolo Blahniks from the "Sex and the City" movie - you know, the ones Carrie left in the closet - and both ended up being offered custom-made stilettos by Manolo president George Malkemus for $6,000 a pop.) Monday night, Coolidge stopped in at a benefit to resurrect the island's Dreamland Theatre and chatted up actor John Shea, Wendy Schmidt, wife of Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and author Kristin Alexandre. She also lunched this week, overlooking the water at Galley, with summer resident James Costa, and dropped $50 on celeb mags and newspapers at The Hub with PR pro Chris Haynes. (Hey, a girl needs her beach reading.) Finally, the actress stopped in at Something Natural, where McClintock worked as a teenager.

The Boston Gay Men's Chorus led a crowd of enthusiastic movie-goers in a new singalong version of "Mamma Mia!" at Loews Boston Common last night. Singers David Heckert, Brian Murphy, Doug St. Lawrence, and Christian Webster, along with the rest of their 25-man chorus, did the ABBA hits justice - no surprise since the group performed a tribute to the band in June. The singalong movie opens to the public tomorrow.

If you think you've seen a guy around Andover who looks like "Sideways" star Thomas Haden Church, it was probably him. The Academy Award-nominated actor is in town as executive-producer and star of the $5 million indie thriller "Don McKay," filming here through Sept. 13. Church, who'll soon star with Kate Hudson in "Big Eyes" and with Sandra Bullock in the flick "All About Steve," has already welcomed "Don McKay" costar Melissa Leo to town. Elisabeth Shue, who plays Church's love interest in the film, is expected to arrive next week after she makes appearances at the Democratic National Convention and the Toronto Film Festival. Church and writer Jake Goldberger (of the recent thriller "Homecoming") have supposedly been working on the "McKay" drama since "Sideways."

Two days after sounding just dandy at Fenway Park, Neil Diamond disappointed his fans in Columbus, Ohio, to the point where the singer is offering refunds. People who attended Monday's concert at Ohio State University said the 67-year-old singer's voice sounded raspy. (Globe music writer Joan Anderman described his voice as "supple and strong" just 48 hours earlier.) Some left Monday's concert early, and others said Diamond completed the show without saying anything to the audience about his voice. A statement from Diamond, whose hit "Sweet Caroline" has become a Red Sox anthem, said a doctor has diagnosed acute laryngitis.

Bruce Springsteen will apparently not perform at the DNC, contrary to previous reports, Barack Obama supporters told the London Telegraph yesterday. Maybe that's because the Boss is helping son Evan get ready for another year at Boston College? Springsteen was spotted at the Four Seasons yesterday. . . . Steven Tyler must have been hungry after all that rocking out at the Hard Rock Cafe Monday night; he joined Longwood Events owner Jim Apteker, Richie Balsbaugh of Pyramid Radio, and owner Steve DiFillippo at Davio's for some Philly cheese steak spring rolls and beet salad. . . . Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer and Don Bernstein, curator for Hard Rock International, were recently spotted lunching with friends in RumBa at the InterContinental hotel. The same day, Doobie Brothers' guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Bernstein, and Stephen Talarico, who launched a custom line of motorcycles with Tyler, dined with friends in a private room at the hotel's Miel Brasserie Provençale.

Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and family were spotted dining together at the CNN Grill, outside the Pepsi Center in Denver, following Hillary Clinton's big speech Tuesday night. Earlier that day, the Daily Show's John Oliver and Jason Jones also stopped in to the grill to film a segment with Anderson Cooper. Reportedly, the faux reporters came to make fun of the celeb-filled joint, but ended up having some fun of their own.

Steve Greenlee and Meredith Goldstein of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.