A jewel of a celebrity boutique
There were a few familiar faces at the LA opening of Some Odd Rubies. The boutique, which also has a location in the Big Apple, is co-owned by Casey Affleck's wife, Summer Phoenix, her childhood friend Ruby Canner, and Odessa Whitmire, a former personal assistant to Ben Affleck and onetime girlfriend of Matt Damon. Celebs stopping by the store this week included Ben's wife, Jennifer Garner, actresses Liv Tyler, Samantha Mathis, Tracee Ellis Ross, Catherine McCord, and Pittsfield native Elizabeth Banks.
Mom knows best
Betty DeGeneres, Ellen's mum and Portia de Rossi's mother-in-law, spoke to several hundred students at Northeastern University last night during its Pride Week. DeGeneres (above) is the author of "Love, Ellen: A Mother/Daughter Journey" and a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project. In her talk, she described Ellen's coming-out moment about 30 years ago on a beach in Mississippi. "At one point, she stopped and I turned around . . . she was crying and she said, 'Mom, I'm gay.' And I hugged her . . . then I had a frivolous thought: 'Oh, her engagement picture won't be in the paper.' " Betty said she wrote a letter to the LA Times after Ellen married de Rossi in August, pointing out the marriage had not yet damaged any straight marriages. "They haven't printed it yet."
Taking her style pulse
Sheaffer Lapham (right) will get a little checkup on "What Not to Wear" tonight. The 27-year-old Suffolk University law student got a head-to-toe makeover from Stacy London and Clinton Kelly on the TLC reality show a couple of years ago, and the stylists want to make sure she - and four other former fashion offenders - have stayed on their game. "At the time, I worked with teenagers, so apparently I was dressing too much like a teenager," admitted Lapham, who lived in San Francisco when her friends and family nominated her for the show. (She filmed her check-in episode at Faneuil Hall and around her new hometown, Cambridge, in August.) "My other crime was taking clothes out of my grandma's closet." She especially liked to wear grandma's old lace slips over leggings, she confessed. But now, not so much. She said Stacy and Clinton approved of her current look, and she thinks she'll keep it together throughout three years of law school. "I don't think it will be too hard. I've noticed the students [at Suffolk] do dress really professionally."
Triiibal instincts
Artists and identical triplets Alicia, Sara, and Kelly Casilio, who form the Boston-based art troupe Triiibe, plan to storm New York City next week with another guerrilla performance piece. The 29-year-old sisters orchestrated a surprise takeover at the ICA in April, rearranging the plywood sheets in Renata Lucas's "Falha'' and inspiring museum-goers to act out various emotions and personas. "We're going to do something on Wall Street,'' Kelly said, laughing. "We're going to dress up like identical businesswomen and have suitcases full of money, with bills sticking out the sides. And we're going to ask for change. We're kind of wondering whether they'll kick us out.'' Bostonians can see the Casilios' work Oct. 25 at the Photographic Resource Center Benefit Auction -- the sisters donated their photo "Homeland,'' shot by National Geographic photographer Cary Wolinsky, to the auction. In the picture, Kelly is dressed as "Dad,'' Alicia as "Mom,'' and Sara as their soldier son (in a photo on the wall). Kelly said they were thrilled to be included in the ongoing exhibit of the auction photographs, displayed at the PRC and 808 galleries at Boston University and featuring works by giants Ansel Adams, William Wegman, Brad Washburn, and Abe Morell. "It's a real honor,'' she said. "We're really excited to do it.''
Spinning off in style
What do Patrice Vinci, Rhoda, and Maude have in common? They're spinoffs. Vinci, who's been something of a stylist to the stars at Avanti Salon for four years, has opened her own shop. Called Patrice Vinci for Avanti, the new place is at 91 Newbury St. "[Avanti owner] Stephen Iacobacci spun off his main character," said Vinci, whose clients have included Ellen Pompeo, Stephen Baldwin, and Tipper Gore. Vinci's salon has 12 chairs, and she's working with Dean Mellen, who's worked on Janice Dickinson, Roseanne Barr, and Paula Abdul.
By the book
Forget Matt Damon - his mom will be the center of attention at the West Roxbury Branch Library next week. Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige will discuss her new book "Taking Back Childhood," which gives parents a practical approach to creating a safe, open, and imaginative environment for their own future celebrity offspring. . . . "Deliverance" director John Boorman has confirmed that he will be in town for next month's Magners Irish Film Festival. The 72-year-old Boorman, whose credits also include "Excalibur" and "Hope and Glory," will be honored with the fest's Excellence Award on Nov. 21.
His Rays of sunshine
Dick Vitale (inset) is to the Tampa Bay Rays what Ben Affleck is to the BoSox. ESPN's high priest of hoops is the Rays' No. 1 fan. "It's an exciting time down here,'' Dickie V told us yesterday. "I've been a season ticket holder for 11 years, and I'll tell you, people used to humiliate me because the team was so bad. My buddies at ESPN laughed at me.'' Not anymore. The Rays have home-field advantage against the Sox, and Vitale believes that's the key to victory. "It's mandatory to win these two at home,'' he said, predicting Tampa will take the series in seven games. Vitale called Terry Francona's Sox a "classy club'' and agreed with Tim McCarver's inflammatory assessment of Manny Ramirez. (Earlier this week, McCarver labeled Manny's actions before the trade "despicable.'') "I'm very upset with the way Manny carried on at the end,'' said Vitale, who'll throw out the first pitch at the Trop tomorrow. "It's absolutely unbelievable the way he orchestrated his way out of there.'' Vitale can't make it to Boston Monday and Tuesday, but he'll be watching. "You betcha, baby,'' he said.
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