Landing back in town

Alvin Ailey dancer Kirven Boyd is back in his hometown this week to choreograph a piece for Boston Youth Moves at his former school, the Jeannette Neill Dance Studio. The 23-year-old Dorchester native has just come off an international tour, which started in Tel Aviv, where Israeli airport security questioned fellow dancer Abdur-Rahim Jackson and forced him to dance to prove he was with the company. (Apparently his first name set them off.) "He had all kinds of drama at the airport," Boyd said. "He handled it better than a lot of people would have. After a while, we were able to just kind of laugh about it." Now on vacation, Boyd will spend the next few days in the studio with 21 student dancers, creating a "totally fun" piece to Kanye West. It's Boyd's first choreographic effort in Boston. "And it's really great to be back," he said. Boston Youth Moves will perform the dance for donors today and again at its Choreographers Group Gala on Nov. 9.

It's strike two for Rhode Island friends Jeremy Milner, Mike Esordi, and Ed Northby, who were working hard last week to get people to donate their free Taco Bell tacos to charity. (For the second year, Taco Bell gave tacos to fans in its World Series "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion. This year, the Rays' Jason Bartlett earned free tacos for the fans; last year it was our own Jacoby Ellsbury.) Milner said more than 10,000 people pledged online to donate their tacos last year, and this year he expected more. The group has persisted in its campaign, despite Taco Bell's lack of cooperation. "We were not deterred," he said. Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said the company won't bite. It already donated $20,000 during each promotion to the Boys & Girls Club, and also does fund-raising for the club throughout the year. "This promotion is really about free tacos," he said.

Peter Wolf dropped by Bull McCabe's - formerly Tir na Nog - the other night and joined David Johnston's band for a few sizzling numbers. The former J. Geils frontman held forth on "Homework," "Pack, Fair and Square," and the blues standard "Serves You Right to Suffer.". . . Pats linebacker Eric Alexander was among the revelers at a private pre-Halloween party hosted by BanQ owners Hemant Chowdhry, Mark Raab, and GM Michael Murphy. The crowd included Tedd Saunders of the Saunders Hotel Group, Da Vinci's chef Shingara "Peppino" Singh, and MS Walker CEO Harvey Allen. . . . Patriots Adalius Thomas and Jarvis Green visited Fleming's this week; Chicago Bulls assistant Del Harris dined at the Park Square Legal Sea Foods yesterday.

Pops conductor Keith Lockhart and his wife Emiley were among the 100 or so fab folks at the Isabella Stewart Gardner's Halloween soiree Thursday night. The party, featuring spooky stories, was hosted by Jessica Gifford Busch. Museum director Anne Hawley was also on hand, with her new husband, Urs Gauchat.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Bostonian David Lindsay-Abaire is in final negotiations to write "Spider-Man 4" for Columbia Pictures, his spokesman John Buzzetti said yesterday. Lindsay-Abaire, busy working on the script and lyrics for the new "Shrek" musical in New York yesterday, won the Pulitzer last year for his drama "Rabbit Hole." Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, and Kirsten Dunst is also expected to reprise her role as Spidey's girlfriend, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The publication says the choice of Lindsay-Abaire could signal an intent to focus on character, something critics said got lost in the third installment.

Simmons College president Helen Drinan received a Legacy Award from Boston Women Communicators this week. The former businesswoman and senior VP of Caritas Christi Health Care System was honored for her work supporting women in the workplace.

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