Names
Movie comedy grows into a winner
A pack of Bridgewater State College students were honored earlier this month for creating the funniest film at Campus MovieFest, a national film festival for college students. “Grow Grass Grow,’’ a short film about a man and his lawn, was honored with the best comedy award at the festival, which was held in Las Vegas and included workshops with Hollywood types such as “X-Men’’ director Brett Ratner and “The Hurt Locker’’ screenwriter Mark Boal. The local film project was spearheaded by Bridgewater communications major Alex Perry (the young man flexing his muscle in the center of the pic), 22, who intends to pursue a career in filmmaking, and Nathan Clapp (the young fellow in the shades), 22, an art major who plans to go into graphic design.
Starry salute to Celts
As you may have noticed, Maria Menounos, Dane Cook, Donnie Wahlberg, Vince and Bianca Wilfork, Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery, Michael and Michelle Chiklis, Eliza Dushku, Kevin Undergaro, Chris Evans, and “McLovin’ ’’ Christopher Mintz-Plasse took out a full-page ad in yesterday’s Boston Globe Sports section to thank the Celtics for an amazing season. The ad said this: “You defeated D-Wade, “Superman’’ Howard, and “King’’ James. You took Kobe to 7 with Perk missing the last game. Your heart, resolve, and brotherhood are examples for teams of all sports to follow.’’ Sweet, right? How did the ad come together, you ask? Menounos tells us the idea came from a Boston.com reader who posted a comment on the website saying that celebrity Celtics fans should come together and take out an ad to thank the team. Undergaro noticed the comment while reading Boston.com and shared it with Menounos, who quickly reached out to local celebs known as diehard Celts enthusiasts. “No one blinked,’’ Menounos told us in an e-mail, of how her famous friends responded to her idea to pool money for an ad. “Everyone was amazing responding immediately!’’
Kudos in Nantucket
Docs rocked the 15th annual Nantucket Film Festival this weekend, with Jennifer Arnold winning the Excellence in Filmmaking award for her documentary “A Small Act.’’ The film, which airs July 16 on HBO, is about UN human rights advocate Chris Mburu’s quest to honor the Swedish schoolteacher whose $15-a-month contribution helped Mburu complete his education in Kenya. (“A Small Act’’ also shared the audience award for best feature with director Radu Mihaileanu’s “The Concert.’’) Another film impressing festival goers was Davis Guggenheim’s “Waiting for Superman,’’ which could do for public education what “An Inconvenient Truth’’ did for global warning. Guggenheim, whose wife, Elisabeth Shue, joined him on Nantucket, admitted he passes three struggling LA public schools while driving his kids to private school. At a post-screening Q&A, Guggenheim told Time’s Richard Corliss that he set out “to make a film that gets people to care about other people’s children and advocate for change.’’
Sweet times
Family and a few famous friends were in the crowd for James Taylor and Carole King’s two-night stand at the TD Garden. New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Governor Deval Patrick, and Mayor Tom Menino all made the scene, as did JT’s mom, Trudy, sister Kate, and brothers Hugh and Livingston. (Jimmy Buffett couldn’t go to the show, but the Parrothead dined with JT while he was in town.) Before Sunday’s show, Taylor and King announced they’ve raised $1.5 million in donations for the Natural Resources Defense Council and Alliance for the Wild Rockies, among other charities, during their “Troubadour Reunion’’ tour.
Onboard for soccer
Spanish Tall Ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano delayed its departure yesterday so that the 233 officers, sailors, and crew could watch Spain’s World Cup match against Honduras. (Two goals by David Villa earned Spain the 2-0 victory.) The soccer screening was arranged by the Seaport Hotel, Sail Boston, and the Elcano’s captain, Manuel de la Puente Mora-Figueroa. The ship, which left
Making merry, monochromatically
The architectural and design festival known as Common Boston kicked off the other night with a party that required guests to dress monochromatically (leave it to designers). dParty, which was held at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter and organized by Mary Hale and Katie Flynn, had a theme of “Recycle/Exchange,’’ and featured an inflatable dressing room and monochrome costumes for rent provided by local secondhand shop Boomerangs. Common Boston events continue through Sunday.Scaring up political donations
Writer and 'Jersey Shore' scene
At $10,000 per episode, the cast of “Jersey Shore’’ clearly is not underpaid. But the stars of the MTV reality show want more. Why else would they make so many paid appearances? A week ago, Pauly D hosted a party at Royale, and Saturday, we’re told, Mike “the Situation’’ will be at Rain.A reason to smile
Revelers were all smiles at the first-ever Tooth Fairy Ball, held at the Ben Franklin Institute. Money from the festivities went toward dental care for children in need. Guests included (pictured at right) Marie-Claude Tanny and Cheol-min Choi, both of Boston.
Making their pitches at Fenway
Peter Gammons was on the field at Fenway Park the other day to honor the first-ever recipients of the Peter Gammons/Foundation to Be Named Later Scholarships, which will be funded by the printer company RISO. Also taking the field at Fenway was
From Boston to the Big Easy
“The Real World: New Orleans’’ — which premieres on MTV on June 30 — will feature two locals, 22-year-old Preston, of Boston, and 22-year-old Ashlee, of South Boston. Apparently, Preston distinguishes himself during the season by doing something horrible to his housemate’s toothbrush. Ashlee is an aspiring sports reporter who played basketball at Northeastern.
Globe correspondent Sandy McDonald contributed. Read the Names blog at www.boston.com/namesblog. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or 617-929-8253. 
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