Names
“Gone Baby Gone’’ and “Eagle Eye’’ star Michelle Monaghan was in the Bay State the other night to screen her movie “Trucker’’ at the Woods Hole Film Festival. After showing the drama, in which Monaghan stars as a trucker who reconnects with her estranged child, the actress and the film’s director, James Mottern, took questions from audience members, a few of whom stuck around to get Monaghan’s autograph.
Unfunny coincidence
Back in January, the Lowell Spinners decided to set aside its July 30 game for a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the departure of Manny Ramirez. The “One Year Anniversary of the Manny Ramirez Trade’’ party would be a silly tribute to all “quitters, liars, and cheaters,’’ according to a team statement, which was sent out months ago. Who knew then that on July 30 - yesterday - Ramirez and David Ortiz would reportedly be named on a 2003 list of players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs? “Now it’s awkward,’’ said Jon Boswell, a spokesman for the Spinners, who added that last night’s quitters-and-cheaters party would not be canceled or toned down, despite the weird timing. Boswell said the game would feature two big cutouts of Ramirez and Jason Bay, on which fans could write messages, either thanking Manny for getting out of town or thanking Bay for taking his place. The team plans to send both cutouts to the players. Boswell said he wouldn’t be adding a stand-up of Big Papi, despite the bad news. He’s still on the Sox, after all.Ringing in his ears
The cellphone that went off rather loudly during Wednesday’s performance of “Jersey Boys’’ at the Shubert Theatre? It belonged to none other than Citi Performing Arts Center president Joe Spaulding, whose recorded voice is used to tell audiences to turn off their cellphones before all performances at the Shubert and Citi theaters. Talk about a “D’oh’’ moment. An embarrassed Spaulding told us yesterday that before he entered the Shubert, he made sure to turn off his phone. What he failed to realize was that his phone was already off - so he was actually turning it on. He said he didn’t realize it was his phone ringing obnoxiously during the production until his wife turned to him and said, “It’s you! It’s you!’’ “Then I didn’t have my glasses so I couldn’t find the button,’’ Spaulding explained. Best to leave the cellphone behind, yes?Wheeling into town
Magnus Backstedt, a retired professional cyclist who’s known as “The Big Swede’’ because he is both big (6-feet-4) and Swedish, was at Parris nightclub in Faneuil Hall Wednesday to hype this weekend’s Pan-Mass Challenge, which benefits cancer research. Backstedt, a cancer survivor, signed up for the Pan-Mass ride after being contacted by local cyclist Matt Dillis, who’s been a longtime fan of the Big Swede, mainly because he’s roughly the same size. Backstedt accepted the invite to come to Massachusetts for the event and was nice enough to take questions from fans at the bar about everything from his height to his family history with cancer. Other cyclists of note joining the weekend bike trip include former Patriots linebacker Joe Andruzzi and his wife, Jennifer, Stacey Lucchino, Tiffany Ortiz, Jacque Francona, former Red Sox COO Mike Dee, and a number of former Bruins including Lyndon Byers, Bob Sweeney, Don Sweeney, and Frank Simonetti. The Pan-Mass opening ceremonies are tonight in Sturbridge.
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