An evening of 'Legends'

A close friend of Bill Belichick called us yesterday to laugh at reports that the Pats coach may be engaged to girlfriend Linda Holliday. The coach's confidante said Belichick, who's been dating Holliday for two years, is "categorically" not engaged. "[Linda] might have a ring, but it's definitely not an engagement ring," the friend said, scoffing at a report in yesterday's Herald that suggested the coach is set to walk down the aisle again. Belichick, who is fiercely private, divorced his wife, Debby, in 2006.

So much for Michael Schlow's close-up. The celebrated chef at Via Matta and Radius was unceremoniously booted after one episode of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters." Schlow was sent packing from Wednesday's season premiere along with chefs Tim Love and Chris Lee. (Only Hubert Keller advanced to the next round.) Schlow's undoing was the dessert. "It's the bane of my existence, the weakest part of my game," he told us yesterday. He attempted a warm chocolate cake with honey almond ice cream, but the cake wasn't completely baked and the ice cream wasn't frozen. One restaurant blogger wrote that Schlow looked confused and nervous, and was sweating profusely. "It was a humbling and fun experience," he said. "I'd absolutely do it again and I have even greater respect for my staff now."

Ben Affleck's daughter has become such a favorite target for paparazzi that the Santa Monica City Council is considering limiting celebrity shutterbugs around preschools. The LA Times reported yesterday that parents of tots who attend the same school as Violet Affleck are upset about the aggressive paparazzi. They complain that their presence poses a public safety threat and robs the little ones of peace and quiet. One mother claims her child was nearly trampled by a swarm of photographers trying to snap a pic. We feel her pain. When Affleck's in town shooting a movie, we avoid the Whole Foods Market on Alewife Parkway precisely because the stalkarazzi are always there looking for him and the missus.

Former Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick knows something about breast implants. So it's convenient that she was at the Estate early yesterday to choose one woman to get breast augmentation surgery. (Four gals sought the free surgery, which was offered as part of the club's Bombshell party Wednesday night.) "I think it's good to find out the real reasons the women want it," said Roderick. "You don't want someone getting it for the wrong reasons." Corinne Gallagher was the winner.

Haverhill homey Tom Bergeron returned to his alma mater yesterday, spending two hours at Northern Essex Community College signing copies of his memoir, "I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can!: Zen and the Art of Staying Sane in Hollywood." Earlier, Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini declared June 11, 2009 Tom Bergeron Day in the city, and the "Dancing With the Stars" host was given a key to the city.

Word is actor Michael J. Fox will be in town Monday for the Cam Neely Invitational, the hockey Hall of Famer's golf tournament at the Charles River Country Club. (The tourney will benefit the final phase of the Cam Neely Foundation for Cancer Care's Michael Neely Center for Brain Tumor Care and Research.) Fox is a pal of Neely's and rarely misses one of the former Bruin's charitable events.

Director Martin Scorsese's spooky "Shutter Island" opens Oct. 2, but the trailer is online now. Based on Dennis Lehane's book, "Shutter Island" centers on US marshals, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, who are investigating the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane. The movie, shot largely at the Medfield State Hospital and Whittenton Mills in Taunton, also stars Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, and Michelle Williams.

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin (right) joined conductor Keith Lockhart backstage before last night's Pops concert. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Aldrin narrated a rendition of Gustav Holst's "The Planets."

Boston-born writer Michael Thomas walked away with one of the world's richest literary prizes yesterday for his first novel, "Man Gone Down." Judges from Ireland, Britain, Switzerland, and Canada named Thomas, whom the Globe profiled two years ago, the winner of the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which carries a reward of $140,000. "Man Gone Down" is about a 30-something African-American man who has four days to keep his family intact and reclaim his stake in the American Dream.