NAMES
High hopes all around
Patti LaBelle headlined Singing for a Cure, a Saturday night benefit for the Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund. LaBelle, who has diabetes and has written a few cookbooks for people with the disease, spent time backstage at Jordan Hall schmoozing with Ray Allen and his wife, Shannon, who also work closely with the cause. As you can see, Mrs. Allen is just a few days from giving birth to a son. LaBelle rubbed Allen’s baby bump and said, “I hope he comes out singing.’’ We hope he also comes out with a good three-point shot.
VIP sightings
The Estate hosted a VIP party as expected on Friday night - but none of the right VIPs showed up. The nightclub was supposed to welcome socialite Lydia Hearst and other stars of the new movie “The Last International Playboy,’’ which screened at the Kendall Square Cinema earlier that evening, but with the exception of Boston-bred actress Polina Frantsena, none of the invited cast members made an appearance. Instead, it was Chris Rock, who’s in town to shoot the Adam Sandler movie “Grown Ups,’’ who took over the Estate’s VIP lounge with Red Sox pitcher Brad Penny, ultimate fighter Chuck Liddell, and members of the John Henry-owned Roush Fenway Racing team. Rock made rounds in the Alley that night, stopping by the Sweetwater Cafe before his Estate visit. Liddell went on to spend Saturday night at Fenway Park. It’s no surprise that Liddell and Penny were out on the town together. You may remember that the two men were spotted singing “Don’t Stop Believin’ ’’ together on stage at a bar in Los Angeles in May.Nantucket laugh lines
Funny famous people who flocked to the Nantucket Film Festival this past weekend turned the event into a celebration of dirty secrets. Ben Stiller (inset) talked about losing his virginity and later admitted that the inspiration for the voice of Derek Zoolander was none other than Marilyn Monroe. At a storytelling session on the theme of change, Stiller’s mom, Anne Meara, used her own breasts as a visual aid. “This,’’ she said, hoisting her bosom, “used to be up here.’’ At that same event, indie queen Lili Taylor confessed that she switched therapists after being disturbed by something she found in a Google search. Later in the weekend, “Curb Your Enthusiasm’’ actress Cheryl Hines shared backstage tales from the set of her movie directorial debut, “Serious Moonlight,’’ which stars Meg Ryan and was written by the late Adrienne Shelly, of “Waitress’’ fame. Hines said she faced a number of unexpected crises, including a prop mix-up that resulted in Timothy Hutton getting whacked in the head with a flower pot that was supposed to be plastic. The weekend included a tribute to comedy-writing guru Harold Ramis, which was emceed by Brian Williams. Ramis, whose “Year One’’ is in theaters, said he accepted the honor with “genuine false humility.’’ Other guests at the four-day celebration included Chris Matthews, “Meet the Parents’’ and “I Love You, Man’’ screenwriter John Hamburg, Jerry Stiller, Paul Giamatti, Peter Farrelly, actor Fisher Stevens, and festival regular John Shea.Room for fashion
It was all about self-expression through style at District on Friday night. The Lincoln Street lounge hosted a fashion show called La Primavera, which benefited Room to Grow, an organization that helps babies in need. Models - including Ligia Rodrigues and Amber L. - strutted in styles by Stil, Stel’s, Matsu, Portobello Road, Crossing Main, and accessories from PATCH NYC.
Around town
Celtic Rajon Rondo hung out with comedian Mike Epps (who’s in “The Hangover’’) backstage at the Wilbur Theatre over the weekend. Rondo and Epps apparently share a love of good jokes and very big rings. . . . Prince Caspian, also known as Ben Barnes, shot scenes for the movie “Valediction’’ until the wee hours of the morning on Friday night at Malden Memorial Hospital. Costar Eliza Dushku was not on the set. . . . Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda was on hand to celebrate Bermuda Night at Fenway Park over the weekend. Also celebrating the evening of Bermuda tourism promotion were Larry Lucchino, philanthropist Michael Milken, and a number of Bermudians including Glenn Jones, a reporter-turned-spokesman for Premier of Bermuda Ewart Brown. Jones threw out the first pitch in pink Bermuda shorts. . . . Bruce Jenner was spotted getting off a plane from Los Angeles at Logan Airport yesterday. That’s probably because Jenner is one of a number of celebrities expected to attend a celebrity golf tournament at Foxwoods today. Other VIPs taking swings at the golf event include Mark Wahlberg, Joe Theismann, and Jim Rice.
Globe correspondent Sandy MacDonald contributed to this report. Read the Names Blog at www.boston.com/namesblog. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253. 