Getting a leg up

By Mark Shanahan and Paysha Rhone , Globe Staff  |  September 20, 2008

Only seven women were brave enough to join Mix 98.5's Fast Freddy on stage at Faneuil Hall yesterday morning in a high-kicking contest to win tickets to "A Chorus Line." April Kidwell, 21, of Las Vegas was the crowd's singular sensation, but unfortunately the cruise ship worker had to sail out this weekend and couldn't use the Tuesday night seats, which came with dinner at Ned Devine's and a limo ride to the Opera House. So she graciously passed them to lucky first runner-up Nancy Leary of Ashland. Patti Taylor of Mix said the station expected more dancers, but she thinks the stage scared them off. And the men? "Lots of them danced in the crowd, but none of them had the guts to get up," she said.

Major reshuffling is going on at the Museum of Fine Arts, with the departure of several major players: contemporary art curator Cheryl Brutvan, learning director Susan Longhenry, film head Bo Smith, and concert manager Dan Hirsch. Longhenry has already been replaced (with Barbara T. Martin), and searches for the other three are ongoing, said Katie Getchell, deputy director of curatorial. Getchell declined to elaborate on where the four landed but did say the MFA was happy for the opportunities that unexpectedly came their way. "Nobody could have imagined they'd all be departing before the reorganization," Getchell said. "It's kind of random." The museum recently reorganized the contemporary art, learning, and public programs departments, as it readies to open its new west wing in 2010. In other museum news, Trevor Smith is joining the Peabody Essex Museum as its first curator of contemporary art. Phillip Prodger was also recently named curator of photography.

When Lionsgate didn't do a Boston premiere - or even press screenings - for the new Dane Cook/Kate Hudson flick "My Best Friend's Girl," Sophya Gudelman, an extra from Salem, took action. The actress, who appears in the background of several scenes, planned a movie meet-up and after-party at the Sweetwater Cafe for all the Boston folks last night. "I knew we wouldn't be invited to the real premiere party, so I thought this would be fun," said Gudelman, who has also filmed locally in "Bride Wars," "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," and others. "It's great to watch it as a group." Contrary to the scuttlebutt about "My Best Friend's Girl" being less than stellar, Gudelman, who saw it first thing yesterday morning, says she thinks it's funny. (See Globe review, Page C5.) She wasn't the only Bostonian in the theater early. Casting agent Kevin Fennessy, who gathered extras for an East Boston High School prom and other scenes, was also watching for his last-minute role as a prom chaperone.

It was a quintessential Cambridge night last night, as Howard Zinn joined retired Rindge and Latin School history teacher Larry Aaronson and Lesley University professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a.k.a. Matt Damon's mom, at a fund-raiser for Social Justice Works! The event was held at Hotel Marlowe. Zinn showed clips from "The People Speak," the Chris Moore and Damon-produced film based on readings from his famous text. Rindge alums Fanshen Cox Emilio Flores, and Justin Lynch received grants for their ongoing social justice work. (Cox started a multicultural film fest in LA, and Flores and Lynch are working with South End teens to build a playground and center.) Aaronson said he wants to support former students who are out doing good in the world. "It just overwhelms me, how many of these kids are out there working in the high schools, the police departments, in public law," he said. Damon, an honorary event chair, wanted to be with them last night, but he's been busy with relief efforts in Haiti, said Aaronson, his former teacher. "That's what these kids do."

Sting was trying to fire everyone on stage Thursday night during trumpeter Chris Botti's Symphony Hall show with the Boston Pops, Josh Groban, John Mayer, Steven Tyler, and Katharine McPhee. The Police frontman was gracious enough when WGBH producers, taping the concert as a PBS special for the spring pledge drive, asked him and Groban to sing "Shape of My Heart" a second time. But after Groban choked on a line in the second take, and Botti missed his cue in the third, Sting's inner Donald Trump emerged. "You're still fired," Sting told Botti, whom he actually did fire from his band - sort of - when he promoted the jazz musician to his solo opening act. "There's a lot of people getting fired tonight," he continued, staring deadpan at Groban. "I've got a plane to catch." But he was kidding. The rock star was sticking around for another performance last night, when Yo-Yo Ma was expected to replace Groban in the lineup.

It didn't take veteran sports anchor Bob Lobel long to find his way back to the airwaves. But his new gig is a shocker - guest hosting with Karen Blake on Oldies 103.3 FM. Lobel, who left WBZ-TV (Channel 4) in April as part of a workforce reduction, will start Monday, bright and early in the 6 a.m. slot.

Chefs and co-owners Geoff Gardner and Frank McClelland welcomed more than 300 diners to the new Boylston Street location of Sel de la Terre Thursday night. The restaurant is the third locale for the Provence cuisine hot spot. . . . Mel Gibson is becoming a regular at Abe & Louie's. The actor was spotted at the Boylston Street steakhouse Thursday night for the third time. He dined with a producer and agent.

Cohasset's Cara McKenney, a producer at Imaginary Forces in New York, won a Creative Arts Emmy for outstanding main title design for her work on AMC's "Mad Men," along with directors Mark Gardner and Steve Fuller. Of course, the Milton Academy grad got all dolled up to pick up her trophy in LA last weekend.

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