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Buddy Vanderhoop with a striped bass after an afternoon charter. (Bill Greene/ Globe Staff) |
Names
A fishing Buddy for Obama?
MENEMSHA - Buddy Vanderhoop is booked this week, but if, as expected, he gets a call from President Obama’s people, he’s taking it.
“Someone’s getting bumped,’’ Vanderhoop said yesterday.
The colorful captain of Tomahawk Fishing Charters is the de facto guide to the stars on Martha’s Vineyard, and there’s no one better to help Obama snag a few king-size stripers than Vanderhoop.
“It’s my job,’’ he said yesterday, scaling a 30-pound bass on his tiny dock in Menemsha. “I catch fish, and I catch a lot of them.’’
Just so happens that one of Vanderhoop’s good friends - and best clients - is Charles Ogletree, the distinguished Harvard law professor who is a confidante of the president’s. Ogletree has been out with Vanderhoop perhaps 30 times this summer, and he’ll be on board the captain’s 67-foot Bertram yacht if Obama goes fishing this week. (Yesterday, the commander in chief was back on the links, playing a round of golf at the public course Mink Meadows with his buddy Marvin Nicholson, Michael Ruemmler of the president’s advance team, and Sam Kass, who works in the White House kitchen.)
“Ogletree is the Big Papi of bass fishing,’’ said Vanderhoop. “If my mate’s not around, Charles is right here scaling the fish with me.’’
A Native American, Vanderhoop is a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah. He’s been fishing these waters for most of his 58 years, and he’s not the first in his family to land a big one: Vanderhoop’s great uncle, Amos Smalley, was the Wampanoag whaler who harpooned the White Whale believed to be Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.’’
“Buddy just seems to have a sense about where the fish are,’’ says his wife, Lisa, a photographer on the island. “It’s in his blood.’’
Over 30 years, Vanderhoop has taken a long list of celebrities out on the water, but Obama would be the first president. Bill and Hillary Clinton were cleared to go with him in 1997 but had to cancel at the last minute.
“Princess Diana was killed, so Hillary took off for London and Bill went golfing,’’ said Vanderhoop with a sigh.
A few of his famous fishing partners have included musician Taj Mahal, directors Michael Mann, Spike Lee, and Wes Craven, Warner Bros. VP Bruce Berman, actors Jim Belushi and Tony Shalhoub, Red Sox vice chairman David Ginsberg, and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. (Actress Meg Ryan and model Lauren Hutton are on deck.)
“Keith is really funny,’’ says Vanderhoop. “After every fish he catches, he fixes himself a cocktail. Keith is a very calm and collected cocktailer.’’
Doing business with Buddy isn’t cheap - $700 for a half-day - but his customers are all but guaranteed to catch more than they can keep. Just ask Ogletree, who occasionally brings high-falutin’ friends with him. In a recent week, he was joined by two federal judges, and everyone went home happy.
Still, Vanderhoop’s hoping to reel in the biggest fish.
“It’d be special to take Obama,’’ he said yesterday. “We’d have a good time.’’
There are plenty of gawkers trying to glimpse the first family on Martha’s Vineyard, but just as many islanders are restraining themselves. “I’m hoping everyone gives them a wide berth,’’ says former Chilmark postmaster Susan Murphy. “We had a close encounter with Obama before he became a big deal, so his connection to the island is genuine.’’ Like other longtime residents, Murphy is mostly unmoved by celebrities, though she admits it was exciting when Paul Newman used to visit the island. And Murphy’s husband, Lynn, is a bit of a celebrity himself: Thirty-five years ago this summer, he was hired by Universal to tow the mechanical shark in “Jaws.’’
New blood at Kings
Fans of HBO’s hit vampire show “True Blood’’ should mark their calendars. Kings in the Back Bay announced yesterday that two actors from the show - Nelsan Ellis, who plays Lafayette, and Rutina Wesley, who plays Tara - will visit the club/bowling alley Sept. 5. Expect the twosome to mingle with fans - and to hand out literature about donating blood on behalf of the American Red Cross.‘Days’ for Banks?
Variety reported yesterday that Pittsfield’s Elizabeth Banks is in talks to costar with Russell Crowe in a remake of the French thriller “Pour elle,’’ about a woman, who is charged with murder, and her husband, who tries to get her out of jail. The movie will be called “The Next Three Days.’’Absolutely Boston
It’s a bit early for a cocktail, but this morning local luminaries will celebrate the release of Absolut Boston - a tea-flavored vodka. Also being unveiled? The Absolut Wall of Pride, on display on Boylston Plaza at the Prudential Center through Sept. 4. The wall’s adorned with 24 tiles signed by the likes of Amy Poehler, Carlton Fisk, and Ben Mezrich. See one you like? The tiles are up for auction at www.facebook.com/absolutboston and proceeds benefit Charles River Conservancy. Legendary Cheers bartender Eddie Doyle hosts today’s event.Around town
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, with an unidentified toddler in tow, were spotted grabbing a bite upstairs at La Morra restaurant in Brookline Village.Glamour at the MFA
Sienna Miller was not present for a red carpet strut. There were no sightings of Vogue editor Anna Wintour wearing thick sunglasses. Still, the Museum of Fine Arts screening of “The September Issue’’ last night was all about glamour. Director R.J. Cutler was at the MFA to introduce his film, which follows Wintour and Vogue’s creative director Grace Coddington as they put together last September’s issue of the fashion magazine. At a recent “September Issue’’ premiere party in New York City, guests included Miller, Renee Zellweger, Melania Trump, and Tory Burch. The Boston guest list wasn’t as impressive, but it wasn’t too shabby. It included designer Sam Mendoza, Red Sox wives Tiffany Ortiz and Ashley Papelbon, broker Beth Dickerson, and socialite Doris Yaffe. Cutler, who went to Harvard and used to direct at the American Repertory Theatre, told us he hopes audiences have learned from his documentary that Wintour is a fascinating human, not just a caricature. Wintour, of course, is the supposed inspiration for the tyrant fashion magazine editor in “The Devil Wears Prada,’’ as played by Meryl Streep. “Everybody knows who she is, but nobody knows who she is,’’ Cutler said of his muse. “In the film, you really get to see her.’’Making his pitch
Josh Beckett was at Fenway Park yesterday afternoon hyping up his annual charity event, Beckett Bowl, which will be held Sept. 10. Meanwhile, baby-faced Red Sox pitcher Daniel Bard spent part of his afternoon signing autographs at the Reebok store at the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets.Globe correspondent Liza Weisstuch contributed. 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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