Contestants for a cause

A couple of Miss USA wannabes got together Friday at "Catwalk for a Cause," a night of fun and fashion at Ed Kane's club the Estate. Organized by Miss Connecticut Monica Pietrzak and her sister Natalie, the event included a runway show featuring Pietrzak, Miss Massachusetts Alison Cronin, and Miss Vermont Brook Werner. The Vegas-bound beauties worked the runway to raise money for Children's Hospital Boston. The Miss USA pageant takes place April 19 in Vegas. . . . Pats all-purpose back Kevin Faulk stopped by Tufts yesterday and read to more than 850 Somerville and Medford kids at the annual "Read by the River" literacy fair.

They are just into each other

Comedian Jimmy Fallon and his friend Kris Kristofferson were cracking each other up at the Wilbur Theatre Saturday. (The country crooner performed early and Fallon did a stand-up set later.) How did the "Fever Pitch" star become pals with Kristofferson? Seems the "Me and Bobby McGee" singer has a role in the movie "He's Just Not That Into You," which was produced by Fallon's wife, Nancy Juvonen. They stayed at XV Beacon and dined Saturday at Mooo.

For the next few months at least, Chris Cooper is back in Kingston. The in-demand Oscar winner, who managed to miss most of the winter shooting Julie Taymor's "The Tempest" in Hawaii, has a plum role in the downsizing drama "The Company Men." The film, directed by John Wells and costarring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, and Robin Wright Penn, is set to start filming here in the next few weeks. "He gets to have a Boston accent and drive to work," Cooper's wife, writer Marianne Leone Cooper, told us. "How cool is that?" We ran into the couple at AccesSportAmerica's dinner and fund-raiser Friday night at the Boston Harbor Hotel. (The Coopers co-chaired the event with Bill Belichick's ex Debby, ABC's Dr. Timothy Johnson, and the hotel's GM Paul Jacques, among others.) For Cooper, who last worked with Jones on "Lonesome Dove," this is his first time filming in Boston. The "Adaptation" actor told us he was drawn to the "Company Men" script, which is both smart and timely. The evening's other special guest was actor James Woods, who's about to direct his first feature film - starring "Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart - and has his eye on Boston. "I'd love to shoot it here," said the MIT alum and Rhode Island native. "But the movie's got a real Rust Belt feel, and it's hard to make Boston look bad." (Has he seen "Gone Baby Gone" and "Mystic River"?) Whether or not he films here, Woods said he'll be around a lot because his mom still lives in the Ocean State. And while the "Shark" star can seem intense on screen, he was a great sport Friday. He auctioned himself off for lunch at Ristorante Damiano in the North End, and when the evening's auctioneer, WRKO's Mariellen Burns, donned an "I'm With James Woods" T-shirt a la "The Family Guy," the actor had a laugh.

Comedian Jamie Kennedy is apparently on the mend after an attack of kidney stones forced him to suddenly cancel his gig Friday at the Comedy Connection. We're told Kennedy has rescheduled the show for June 26. With any luck he'll still be dating his "Ghost Whisperer" costar Jennifer Love Hewitt, and she'll join her man in Massachusetts.

Veteran "Shear Madness" actor Richard Snee played it serious yesterday while shooting "Slip and Fall," an indie comedy directed by Marc Colucci that was filming yesterday at the Suffolk County Superior Courthouse. Snee, who plays a supreme court justice in the pic, was joined on the bench by producer Mike Bowes's mom, Mary Ann Page, and star Sam Cohan's dad, Dr. Larry Cohan. (Harvard Law prof Alan Dershowitz also shot a scene for the film yesterday.) Because the ABC pilot "See Kate Run" was also shooting nearby, there was some confusion among actors. Extra Scott Peacock showed up on the set of "Slip and Fall," but he's working on "See Kate Run."

Tomorrow is the annual LifeSavor Gala, and to get ready event chair Joan Parker (above center), BiNA Osteria co-owner Azita Bina-Seibel (right), and BNY Mellon's Joanne Jaxtimer got together and inspected the produce included on Community Servings' menus. A meal-delivery program serving Boston-area residents, Community Servings aims to raise $500,000 at this year's fund-raiser.

Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.