Going the distance

Sol Guy understands why people are skeptical of charities endorsed by celebrities. "A lot of times, a famous face is slapped on a cause without any real connection," said the host of "4Real," a new TV show combining celebrity and social change. "Young people aren't buying the Sally Struthers commercial anymore." The half-hour show, which airs Sundays on the CW network, follows stars such as Eva Mendes, Cameron Diaz, Flea, Mos Def, and Casey Affleck as they travel to remote locations to meet with locals tackling tough problems. "We don't pay these people and we tell them they can bring one friend - no entourage, and no hair and makeup," Guy told us. "Also, 50 percent of the show's profits go to the local initiatives." In Affleck's case, the actor visited the Pawnee reservation (above) in Oklahoma. (Casey's married to Summer Phoenix, sister of "4Real" executive producer Joaquin Phoenix.) In the episode, airing Dec. 7, Affleck meets with Crystal Echo Hawk, whose organization NVision helps develop young Native leaders. What about that mohawk he was sporting? "It was for a movie," said Guy, laughing. "The Pawnee teased him a bit. They said this isn't Mohawk territory. It was all in fun."

Is it possible Steven Tyler could replace Robert Plant if Led Zeppelin gets back together? Don't rule it out. Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford has confirmed that Tyler jammed not long ago in jolly old England with Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham. "First of all, they did it for fun," Whitford said on the syndicated Todd N Tyler Radio Empire. (England's Daily Mail first reported the rehearsal over the weekend.) "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because, I think, he was trying to light a fire under Robert. . . . 'Come on! Come on, Robert, let's go!' " Although Plant has made it clear he's not interested in touring, the other members very much want to. Until now, the odds-on favorite to fill in for Plant has been Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy, who's rehearsed several times with Page, Jones, and Bonham.

When the London blogs started buzzing with reports that divorced duo Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown might once again be reality TV housemates on the UK's "Celebrity Big Brother," we weren't really buying it. And we were right. Brown has no plans to join the hit show, said his manager and girlfriend, Alicia Etheridge, yesterday. Neither does Houston. "I actually spoke to ['Big Brother'], and they said, no, they don't have either of them," Etheridge said. "They said every year people talk about who they'd like to see, and the newspapers run with it." Brown wouldn't be keen to share a roof with his ex, she said. And here's another rumor Etheridge dispelled: She and Brown are not engaged, despite reports to the contrary. "We're just still very happy and still together," she said.

It was last call at the B-Side Lounge Sunday. The fabled Cambridge bar where Ben Affleck swilled drinks with former girlfriend Jennifer Lopez closed its doors. The place was packed with regulars as owner Patrick Sullivan thanked the crowd for their continued support. No word on what will become of the Hampshire Street watering hole, but the B-Side's last night was filmed by documentarian Trevor Martin.

Tom Brady won't be selling his Big Apple abode any time soon. The New York Post reports that the Pats QB has taken his condo on the 65th floor of the Time Warner Center off the market because the tenant, a new mother, is refusing to let brokers inside. Brady, who's out for the season after injuring his left knee, had been asking $17.75 million for the three-bedroom apartment. Of late, No. 12 has been bunking at girlfriend Gisele Bundchen's West Village townhouse when in NYC.

Undeterred, apparently, by the abundance of Birkenstocks and plaid, superstar fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is setting up house in Grand Isle, Vt., on the scenic shores of Lake Champlain. Local TV types captured Lagerfeld, wearing his signature white ponytail, skinny black suit, and sunglasses, exiting the 3,800-square-foot Greek Revival home, where he's been shooting a fashion spread for Chanel. Former homeowner and realtor Karin Ericson said she and her husband, David, weren't sure at first who they were selling to. Lagerfeld negotiated through an agent and sent model Brad Kroenig to scout the historic 1843 four-bedroom, which features lake views, a small orchard, and a paneled library. "We kept joking it might be Elton John," Ericson said. "But two days before the closing there was a piece of mail that came for [Lagerfeld]." Ericson said she's just happy the home, which sold for about $550,000, is going to someone who will care for it. "It's a very special house," she said. Lagerfeld obviously agrees. The designer told Women's Wear Daily: "I love it. It's very much Emily Dickinson. I'll start doing the Chanel campaigns there."

Rock photographer Allan Dines is selling off some of his most coveted shots, and donating a portion of the proceeds to the Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts, in an exhibit opening Monday at Cigar Masters. Among the many greats he's shot - Elvis Costello (above left), B.B. King, Steven Tyler, Billy Idol, John Lee Hooker (bottom left) - one signed portrait of Sting really stands out. Dines shot it at the Walden Woods benefit show in 1993. "I was a green photographer, lucky to get in to this thing," he remembered. "I was shooting for The Jewish Advocate and I was there with all the big shots. I was shooting with my Dad's old Nikon, it was a manual." Another shutterbug took pity on him and loaned him his lens for a few minutes. That's when he got a beautiful up-close of the Police frontman. A few years later, then-Boston DJ Charles Laquidara hooked Dines up with a backstage pass at the Orpheum, where he was able to get Sting to sign the shot. "It's been on my wall since," he said. The price tag for the photo: $9,500. Quipped Dines: "That's because I don't really care if I sell it."

Globe correspondent Steve Morse contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.