Actor John Krasinski.
(Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)
Names
Krasinski slept here
Actor John Krasinski.
(Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)
Actor John Krasinski (above) slept in his own bed this weekend. The Newton native was back home, if only briefly, to screen his new film, "Away We Go," a 30-something drama directed by Sam Mendes. "The Office" star didn't get into the city much, spending most of his time playing with his brother's children. "When there are kids, you don't get out much," Krasinski told us over a bagel yesterday at the Liberty Hotel. He was joined at last night's screening by author Dave Eggers, who co-wrote the film with his wife, Vendela Vida. (The event was a fund-raiser for 826 Boston, a writing space Eggers runs for local children.) Krasinski's costar in "Away We Go" is Maya Rudolph, who's in town at the moment filming "Grown Ups" with Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Chris Rock. Krasinski said he's jealous that Rudolph gets to make a movie in Massachusetts, and he's hoping his next project brings him back to Boston. "Come on Ben," Krasinski joked, referring to homeboy Ben Affleck, who always seems to have a reason to film here. "Let's do this."
Award-winning night at Emmys
The Boston Globe and Boston.com won their first local Emmy awards for news Saturday night, a milestone as the organization intensifies its video efforts. The two awards were for Advanced Media Sports and Advanced Media Arts/Entertainment. Other winners included WCVB (Channel 5), for top evening newscast, at 11 p.m., and for continuing coverage, of the ice storm; and WFXT (Channel 25), for top general assignment report, on the July 4 murder. The Sports award for Boston.com was for a series of videos featuring two Sox fans on Opening Day, the Celtics, Gino the Dancer, and the Patriots. Staff members receiving the award were Chona Camomot, Dina Rudick, Chris Forsberg, Bill Greene, and Ann Silvio. The Arts/Entertainment award was for features on an expert yo-yo performer and a collaboration between Amanda Palmer and the Boston Pops. Camomot and Scott LaPierre received the award.Organ donation gets star shine
"Desperate Housewives" star James Denton (at right) joined James Redford backstage at Symphony Hall Saturday. The two hosted "Share the Beat," a Pops concert featuring John Williams and Phil Vassar in a fund-raiser for organ donation causes. (Redford, son of actor Robert Redford, is the founder of the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness.) Chatting with us backstage, Denton said he's happy to use his celebrity status to support such a cause. "It's one of those charities that's not very sexy," he said. "Nobody wants to talk about something that involves their own death."Extra incentive for 'Fighter' fans
Plenty of wannabe film stars showed up in Lowell this weekend for a chance to be in "The Fighter." Boston Casting was looking for men and women to be extras in director David O. Russell's movie about "Irish" Micky Ward and the Lowell-bred brawler's hard-luck half-brother Dicky Ecklund. (Micky and Dicky both showed up at the casting call Saturday at the VFW hall.) Mark Wahlberg is set to play Micky, while Christian Bale will channel Ecklund, who is himself a former boxer and Micky's onetime trainer. To prepare for the movie, which will shoot in Lowell this summer, we're told Wahlberg and Bale are training with real boxers. TMZ.com tracked down Wahlberg in LA the other day, and the actor told the website he was on his way to have several tattoos removed before filming "The Fighter."The thrill of it all
George Pelecanos and Michael Connelly, two writers famous for thrillers, spoke to their fans at the Coolidge Corner Theatre the other night. In addition to his D.C.-based crime novels, Pelecanos also produces HBO's "The Wire." Connelly's Hollywood connection is his book "Blood Work," which Clint Eastwood made into a movie in 2002.Lawn seats for sale
The price of everything else is being slashed, so why not Kid Rock and Chris Martin? Wednesday, promoter Live Nation will hold one of the biggest one-day sales in the history of the concert industry: It's dropping service fees on lawn tickets at every US amphitheater it books, including the
Spade steps up
David Spade didn't arrive at the start of Saturday's Audi Best Buddies Challenge empty handed. The actor, who's in town filming "Grown Ups," presented Best Buddies founder Anthony Shriver with a check for $50,000 before the charity ride got underway at the JFK Library. Also taking part in the weekend event were Tom Brady; his Pats teammates Nick Kaczur, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Stephen Neal, and Pierre Woods; Senator John Kerry; and others.
Around town
Even at 5-foot-3, songwriter Paul Simon was hard to miss strolling down Atlantic Avenue yesterday with wife Edie Brickell. The couple dined at Mare Saturday. . . . Former Harvard roommates Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones lunched together at Legal Sea Foods in Harvard Square Saturday. (The former VP had the trout and Tommy Lee had the lobster bisque.) Later, Jones dined at Bricco with Don Chiofaro. . . . Comedian Lenny Clarke ate at Isabella Restaurant in Dedham after his sold-out show at Moseley's on the Charles Saturday. Also enjoying chef Brian Counihan's handiwork was actor Brian Scannell. . . . Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner and former Replacement Tommy Stinson caught the Figgs's show at the Midway Cafe Friday, with Stinson joining Mike Gent's gang on a couple of tunes.
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