Kings of the kitchen

Gossip magazine Us Weekly reports that actress Ashley Judd, who’ll soon start a mid-career master’s degree program at Harvard University, recently invited a few female classmates over to her house to take part in a “sharing circle.’’ What is a sharing circle, you ask? According to the magazine, it’s when guests “stand and deliver a monologue’’ in a circle, one at a time. Sounds fun, right? Us will write about the “sharing circle’’ shindig in its issue next week. Harvard recently sent out a note to staffers about how to deal with Judd’s celebrity on campus. The directive said that if anyone is asked about Judd, they’re supposed to stay mum or contact security. Sharing, apparently, isn’t always caring. Judd has declined to comment about her Harvard plans.

Newton guy B.J. Novak told gossip site DailyFill.com this week that his castmates on “The Office’’ - most of whom are native Bay Staters - were probably jealous that he got time off from the NBC show to film the Quentin Tarantino movie “Inglourious Basterds.’’ “I think they thought I was on a yacht in the south of France with Brad Pitt the whole time,’’ said Novak. “They didn’t think of lonely cold nights in a Berlin hotel room.’’ According to Novak, he’ll be expected to tell his “Office’’ pals everything they missed. “. . . When [‘Office’ executive producer] Greg Daniels let me out to do it, he compared it to a tradition they had in Russian prisons long ago, where they would let one person go each year, and it would always be the best storyteller. That person would have to go and come back, as long as they could tell enough stories to keep the rest of the prisoners entertained for the year. So he said I was the lucky prisoner who was going to go, and I’d better be the best storyteller.’’

Before “American Idol’’ stars took the stage at TD Garden last night, we were given the opportunity to interview five of the Season 8 finalists. Too bad we couldn’t choose which ones. We were hoping to get some quality face time with Adam Lambert. Instead, we got Anoop Desai, Matt Giraud, Scott MacIntyre, Michael Sarver, and Allison Iraheta. So what are they up to? Desai told us he spent a rare day off this week watching “Mad Men’’ and wishing he could smoke and drink like Jon Hamm’s character Don Draper. Sarver spent some of his time with us explaining the conspicuous mark on his neck, which he claimed was not what it looked like (a hickey). Apparently, he ran into a pole. With his neck. We believe you, Michael.

The crew of the Kevin James movie “The Zookeeper’’ was busy setting up shop yesterday at the YMCA on Huntington Avenue. The film, which has done most of its work at the Franklin Park Zoo, will move to the Central Branch Y today through Friday. The Y has told members that the crew will need the building’s lobby and gym, which means some classes and basketball court time will be canceled. There’s more information for members online. “The Zookeeper’’ costars Rosario Dawson.

Between the beard and the crutches, Senator John Kerry is looking a little worse for wear these days. Kerry is hobbling after undergoing hip replacement surgery. The senator's spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke, said Kerry was admitted to Mass. General Hospital on Aug. 10 and released on the 14th. The surgery on his right hip is intended to address chronic pain and flexibility problems. And what about that beard?

Yesterday we told you about New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg’s plans to celebrate his 40th birthday at Mohegan Sun on Tuesday. Today we’ll tell you that tickets to Donnie’s birthday bash are sold out. Wahlberg informed fans via Twitter yesterday that the tickets were gone within 20 minutes. One of the pretty people on the guest list is Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger model Jaizen Homiller. Reps for Mohegan Sun say they might give away some extra tickets to the party on the radio.

“Survivor’’ winner Richard Hatch believes he was sent to prison because he’s gay. Speaking publicly for the first time since being released from prison to home confinement, Hatch told the “Today’’ show yesterday that the judge in his tax evasion case discriminated against him because he’s gay. Hatch said if he were heterosexual, he wouldn’t have gone to prison. “My personal opinion: He discriminated against me,’’ Hatch said. “I do believe that. I don’t think you or anyone else could deny that we, as homosexuals, face discrimination.’’ Former US Attorney Robert Clark Corrente, whose office oversaw the case, told WPRO-AM that Hatch is “delusional.’’ Hatch, of Newport, R.I., was convicted in 2006 of failing to pay taxes on his $1 million prize for the first season of the CBS reality show.

Linda Pizzuti Henry (near left) is lending a hand to Rogerson Communities in its new public service campaign. The wife of Sox owner John Henry joined her friend Erica Corsano, editorial director of Stuff magazine, for a photo session with a few of the oldsters living at Beacon House, the affordable, independent housing managed by Rogerson Communities. Others taking part in the PSA include chefs Joanne Chang and Jason Santos, Tonya Chen Mezrich, Lisa Pierpont of Boldfacers, stylist Derek Yuen, designer Sam Mendoza, and ’FNX DJ Ed Oliveira.