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Names

A fine day with Dad

(Flynet Pictures)
By Mark Shanahan & Meredith Goldstein
Globe Staff / June 23, 2009
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Tom Brady wore a big smile on Father's Day as he watched son John play. The QB and cutie were in sunny California, where they were joined by Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, who's just back from a fashion show in Brazil. (Brady picked up Gi at the airport.) When John gets a little older, he’ll discover daddy plays football, not baseball.

Maroon 5 to play Henry nuptials

Sox owner John Henry and his fiancee, Linda Pizzuti, are trying hard to keep the details of their wedding hush-hush, and who can blame them? But the big day is fast approaching, and people are talking. The precise location of Saturday's ceremony is top secret, but we do know that as many as 450 people will convene afterward at a lavish party in the outfield at friendly Fenway. As you might expect, Henry and his missus have enlisted an extraordinary wedding band: Maroon 5. That's right, Adam Levine and the lads will be performing. You'll recall that Maroon 5 was the surprise musical guest at the BoSox bash in Colorado after the team's four-game sweep of the Rockies. That night, Levine channeled his inner Freddie Mercury, singing “We Are the Champions’’ for Big Papi, Josh Beckett, and the rest of the world-beaters. (Maroon 5 played for free at the Palm in Denver, but something tells us they're getting paid for Saturday's gig.) If the reception proves to be as entertaining as it sounds, the couple may need a day or two to recover before embarking on their honeymoon.

Hockey stars file suit

Former Bruins Sergei Gonchar, Glen Murray, Bryan Berard, Dmitri Khristich, and Jozef Stumpel are among 19 current and former NHL players who are suing a prominent golf course developer, claiming he squandered millions of dollars they invested in two luxury resorts in Mexico. The lawsuit, first reported by TMZ.com, claims Ken Jowdy spent their money on “lavish parties’’ that included “various female porn stars, escorts, strippers, [and] party girls’’ to impress his friends, including Roger Clemens, Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose, and ESPN announcer Joe Morgan. Berard, who played for the B’s in 2002, was one of the biggest losers, investing $700,000.

LFO ready to reunite for tour

LFO is following New Kids on the Block’s lead. The Boston-bred boy band, which had a few hits in the late 1990s including “Summer Girls’’ and “Girl on TV’’ (Jennifer Love Hewitt was in the video for that one), have scheduled a comeback tour that starts next month and lands here, at the Middle East, on July 13. Frontman Rich Cronin told us yesterday that he and his bandmates met last fall to regroup. “We really weren’t on the best of terms,’’ he confessed. “It just felt really good. It felt like a really good vibe.’’ Cronin has kept busy over the years with a rap group called Loose Cannons and by appearing on VH1’s “Mission: Man Band.’’ He has also been focused on battling leukemia; Cronin was diagnosed with the disease shortly after the band broke up. “I finally feel better, so I think I’m up to it,’’ he said. Cronin said LFO hopes for the same success that the New Kids has had with its reunion but on a much smaller scale. “When [New Kid Danny Wood] told me they were getting back together, I didn’t know how it was going to work out,’’ Cronin said. “It’s worked out really well.’’

‘Buffy’ actress bookish

Central Square’s Pandemonium Books was packed over the weekend when Amber Benson stopped by for a book signing. You may remember Benson as Tara on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’’ These days the 32-year-old actress writes comic tales and fantasy books. Her latest is a paperback called “Death’s Daughter.’’ Benson told us she’s still in touch with the Buffy crew, including hometown gal Eliza Dushku. Turns out, the friends met long before “Buffy’’ when they were both in “Bye Bye Love,’’ the 1995 divorce movie that starred Paul Reiser and was directed by Newton’s Sam Weisman. “She’s super smart,’’ Benson said of Dushku. “And she’s generous. She doesn’t just give money; she gives time.’’ Two of the “Buffy’’ fans on the long line for Benson’s autograph were Rebecca and Mary Moore, 18-year-old twins from Pepperell. “I related to her a lot,’’ Rebecca said, of Benson’s character on “Buffy.’’ “She was very relatable for people who don’t fit in.’’

Out and about

There were a few VIPs at the sold-out first show of “Fly’’ at the Vineyard Playhouse, including actress Patricia Neal, Olga Hirschhorn, and Laura Roosevelt, granddaughter of Eleanor Roosevelt. . . . Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and several friends were at Fenway over the weekend and kept the party going at Cask ’n Flagon. . . . Braves pitcher Derek Lowe dropped by the House of Blues after Saturday’s game.

Party, then putt
Doug Flutie doesn’t let a little dreary weather get him down. The Heisman winner hosted a party last night at the Hard Rock Cafe, kicking off the 10th annual Doug Flutie Jr. Celebrity Golf Classic. (The golfing takes place today at Pinehills Golf Club.) The pre-tourney party featured a performance by the Flutie Brothers Band and a guest list that included assorted sportos, including Bode Miller, Donny Marshall, Luis Tiant, and others.

Change of schedule
Woodman’s of Essex has been taken over by Hollywood. The beloved seafood restaurant shut down last night - and will remain closed through Friday - while the Adam Sandler movie “Grown Ups’’ films there. The crew was supposed to film at Woodman’s in August but changed the schedule because of the rain. “They needed a spot to do some indoor shooting in order to stay on schedule. It was short notice for sure, and we’ve been scrambling all morning. But we figure it is better to close on three rainy days in June than three nice days in August, even if we don’t have much lead time,’’ Maureen Woodman explained in a statement released yesterday by the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. No word on which cast members will visit Woodman’s, but Sandler’s “Grown Ups’’ posse includes Maya Rudolph, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and Salma Hayek.

Books at the park
Kevin Youkilis hits for a high average, and now he’s “Batting for Books.’’ The Sox first baseman announced a new campaign yesterday to benefit Boston schools. Youk’s charity, Hits for Kids, is trying to collect more than 100,000 new or used books to donate to school libraries. Books will be collected at Fenway during the Sox-Royals series July 11 and 12.

Backstage bonus
MacKenzie King of Tewksbury was one of a few lucky fans who got to mingle with Isaac Slade and the Fray before the band’s show at the Comcast Center on Sunday night. The Qdoba Mexican Grill-sponsored event had band members performing two songs backstage for winners.

Read the Names Blog at www.boston.com/namesblog. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.

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