Animated gathering

By Mark Shanahan & Meredith Goldstein  |  May 25, 2009

Actor Travis Willingham, who spent his Memorial Day weekend in Boston, says his die-hard fans (like the ones pictured here) have trouble understanding that they're the only folks who think he's a superstar. Fans of the self-described "infrequent celebrity" - who was one of the headliners at this weekend's Anime Boston festival at the Sheraton - tend to assume Willingham gets recognized around Los Angeles for his anime voice work. In reality, the actor said, "I'm only famous [at conventions]. When I order something at Subway, nobody's noticing." Willingham voices a number of popular characters in the Japanimation universe, including Roy Mustang in the series "Fullmetal Alchemist." The actor has a sizable international fan club called the Miniskirt Army, which is named for one of Willingham's "Fullmetal" one-liners. "People show up in miniskirts," he said, of fans who travel across the country for his convention appearances. "It's funny when the guys show up in miniskirts." Before greeting his Boston adorers this weekend, Willingham admitted to us that he's working hard to raise his real-life, nonanimated profile as an actor. He'll appear in the upcoming Milla Jovovich movie, "A Perfect Getaway," and has a role on "Nip/Tuck" next season. "You know it's 'Nip/Tuck,' so it's bound to be something racy," he said.

Also spending the holiday in Boston this weekend was Adam Sandler, who was spotted on Newbury Street with his daughter Sadie Madison. Sandler's in town to shoot the comedy "Grown Ups," which features an all-star cast including Chris Rock, Kevin James, and Salma Hayek. The actor, who grew up in Manchester, N.H., was also spotted at Saturday night's Red Sox game. He sat behind the visitors' dugout.

Stylist still says I 'do

John Quaglia, who co-owns Dexter's Inn in Provincetown, has a new part-time job: styling hair on the set of "The Lightkeepers," a Blythe Danner and Richard Dreyfuss film that's been shooting around Wellfleet. Quaglia was asked to do 'dos for the period movie because of his decades of experience styling hair for Hollywood. The innkeeper's resume includes "The Good Shepherd," "American Psycho," "The Cosby Show," "Kate & Leopold," and "The Bourne Ultimatum," which had Quaglia styling the mops of Matt Damon's stunt doubles. Technically, Quaglia is retired from the hair game, but "if someone calls with a good gig . . . papi will go," he said, laughing. Quaglia recently traveled to New York to make coiffes on the set of the Angelina Jolie movie "Salt," and helped out with Matthew McConaughey's locally shot "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" last year. Quaglia's "Lightkeepers" duties have him styling for the lesser-known cast members, but he tells us he's not disappointed. He's already done Danner's hair - during the filming of "Meet the Parents." Quaglia said his favorite actress to work with has been Sharon Stone. He did her short cut for the 1998 sci-fi movie "Sphere." "She's a delightful woman, and not to mention beautiful," he said. Quaglia tells to expect old-time styles in "The Lightkeepers," which takes place in the early 1900s. "It's sort of a Gibson-ish kind of look, an off-the-face kind of thing."

Christian Finnegan, an Acton-bred comedian who's on VH1's "Best Week Ever," faced a tough crowd this weekend. At his show at Great Scott in Allston on Friday night, the funny guy had an audience packed with friends and family. "This is not the normal way a show goes," he told us before the gig. "It just happens to be a little complicated because this is my hometown, so I've gotta have my dumb uncles and aunts and yeah, you know, they're dumb and old." Finnegan was kidding, of course. At least we hope he was. Finnegan went on to tell us that life as a funny guy has changed drastically over the last few years because he's lost about 80 pounds. He claims it's more difficult to be amusing when you're small. "[Jokes] sound nicer coming out of a fat person's mouth," he explained. "When you're a skinny person, it's like they think, hey . . . you, poser!"

Hello, Boston!
Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer - also known as Spinal Tap - were in town Saturday night for a sold-out show at the Wilbur Theatre. Before the gig and a dinner at the Michael Schlow restaurant Via Matta, the beloved "A Mighty Wind" trio had a nice chat with Comedy Connection owner Bill Blumenreich. The topic of conversation? The namesake of the chain restaurant P.F. Chang's, which has a location right down the street from the Wilbur. McKean suggested Chang might have been a Ming Dynasty warrior. A good thought, but we doubt it.

Globe Correspondent Rachel Zarrell contributed to this report. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.