The writing's on the wall

As he prepares for his first museum show, which opens Friday at the Institute of Contemporary Art, street artist Shepard Fairey has been out and about in Boston. Just the other day, the creator of the ubiquitous Obama "Hope" poster was on Brookline Avenue decorating the wall at the Boston Phoenix, which is a sponsor of the ICA show. Tonight, the artist will host an opening party at the ICA.

Mr. Monk goes to the theater

Actor Tony Shalhoub was at the ART over the weekend to see "The Seagull," and to say hello to a few old friends, including Jeremy Geidt, Karen MacDonald, and Thomas Derrah. The "Monk" star, whose better half is actress Brooke Adams, was a member of the ART acting company for many seasons.

Ain't nothing but a House of Blues party
Looks like Don Law and Live Nation knew what they were doing when they enlisted the J. Geils Band to open the new House of Blues. At a time when the concert industry isn't exactly rolling in dough, tickets for the band's one-night-only reunion Feb. 19 sold out in just 40 minutes. (And the ducats weren't discounted, selling for between $45 and $160.) The promoter is doubtless hoping that the excitement about J. Geils will give the new Lansdowne Street club a kickstart. (We're told the Pogues show is already sold out, and tickets to B.B. King and Buddy Guy, Jimmy Eat World, Jesse McCartney, Morrissey, Lady Gaga, and Animal Collective are almost all gone.) Call us old-fashioned, but it seems appropriate that Peter Wolf (inset), Seth Justman, Jay Geils, Magic Dick, and Danny Klein are getting back together on the eve of Bobby Womack's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Geils, of course, had a hit with "Lookin' for a Love," which was written by Womack's manager J.W. Alexander, and Wolf and Womack are good friends. "I went to see Bobby the last time he was in town, and he was all decked out in a pink suit. . . . He was on fire," Wolf recalled yesterday. "He looked out and said, 'There are so many beautiful ladies here, I got to kiss each and every one you,' and he stood at the lip of the stage and kissed each and every one of them. . . . I may have to try that at the House of Blues."

As anybody knows who's listened to him talk, public speaking isn't Terry Francona's strong suit. That's why we were surprised to learn that the Sox skipper was the featured speaker at an event in Chapel Hill, N.C., over the weekend. But it turns out Francona was a big hit at the Carolina baseball First Pitch Dinner, an annual shindig celebrating University of North Carolina baseball. (Tito has two daughters playing UNC softball.) In his after-dinner remarks, Francona told a funny story about Curt Schilling, who was pitching at the time for the Phillies. Francona said Schill was having an uncharacteristically bad outing, giving up three bombs at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. After each home run, there was a huge fireworks explosion in the sky. Slowly, Francona made his way to the mound, where he found Curt cursing like a madman. Schilling finally stopped screaming and asked the manager why he'd come out of the dugout. Francona replied: "I just wanted to give that poor fireworks guy a rest."

Denis Leary is through apologizing for what he wrote about autism. At least to Jenny McCarthy. On E!'s "Daily 10" last night, the Emerson alum said he refuses to be a "punching bag" for autism activists like McCarthy. You'll recall that in his book "Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid," Leary wrote: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their [expletive] kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks." Leary denies that he's making fun of autistic children, and questions whether McCarthy, whose son in autistic, has even read the book. "I don't think [the book is] number four on the New York bestsellers [list] because people want to laugh at somebody who is making fun of autistic kids," said Leary. "As a comedian I've been accused of many things, controversial yes, provocative yes, stupid no."

Matt Cassel's trip to Tampa wasn't without drama. The New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Pats QB had to tell a drunken reveler at ESPN's Super Bowl bash to wait his turn to use the bathroom. The soused celebrant didn't listen and purposefully took a leak on Cassel's leg, according to the paper. Security promptly tossed the drunk while Cassel went back to the party with wet pants.

The Huntington Theatre has found the leads for its production of Dick Goodwin's drama "Two Men of Florence." We're told the theater will announce soon that Tony winner Edward Herrmann (above) will play Pope Urban VIII and stage and screen actor Jay O. Sanders (below) will play Galileo Galilei. The show, which runs from March 6 to April 5, will be directed by Ed Hall, an associate director of London's National Theatre.

The artist formerly known as Marky Mark hit the links in LA yesterday for a celebrity golf tourney to benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Cancer Research Programs. In addition to Wahlberg (right), the distinguished duffers included George Lopez, Kevin Nealon, Peter Gallagher, Joe Mantegna, and Kevin Sorbo. Wahlberg told reporters he and longtime girlfriend Rhea Durham haven't decided where they'll get married. "If we do it here [in LA], it'll probably just be us and the kids," the 37-year-old actor said. "If we do it in Boston, I would say there'd be a lot more family members, so there'll be some fighting." Wahlberg said he and Durham, who have three children -- Ella Rae, 5, Michael, 2, and 4-month-old Brendan Joseph -- will probably get hitched in August and the ceremony will "definitely [be] in a Catholic church."

Boston-based EquiFit founder Alexandra Cherubini is out West for the Desert Circuit Cup with a few of her sponsored riders, Mandy Porter and two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward. An equestrian herself, Cherubini also competed.

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