A pep talk from Patti

By Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan , Globe Staff  |  May 7, 2008

Patti LaBelle didn't disappoint while delivering the keynote address on National Nurses Day. LaBelle gave what amounted to a pep talk yesterday to a packed house of nurses, patient advocates, students, and seniors at the Hynes Auditorium. Although she wasn't expected to sing, Patti thrilled the crowd with an impromptu rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." LaBelle wouldn't talk to us, but told MIX 98.5 that she's putting her old band LaBelle back together and also recording with Lenny Kravitz. She was a delight to work with yesterday, even if she did make a few diva demands. Like what? Well, Patti, whose toenails were painted a vibrant blue, stayed at the Four Seasons and wanted red rose petals scattered on her bed and in her bathtub, and also asked for fresh salmon with "a delicate pink hue."

As stunning as that pale pink halter-neck gown was, the earrings Gisele Bundchen wore to this week's Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum were even more eye-catching - and expensive. We're told the dangling diamonds (inset) are worth more than $1 million and were given to Tom Brady's supermodel sweetheart gratis. (Considering she earns about $2.9 million per month, you'd think Gi could pay for a pair of earrings.) The dress, by the way, is from Versace's autumn/winter '08 collection.

Last night's Celtics series opener against the Cavaliers attracted a few notables to TD Banknorth Garden including a posse of Patriots: Brandon Merriweather, Adalius Thomas, Ty Warren, Benjamin Watson, and Vince Wilfork. Singer Livingston Taylor was in the house, as were Celtics alums M.L. Carr and John Havlicek. . . . "Bride Wars" star Kate Hudson was spotted dining at Les Zygomates in the Leather District with a couple women. No light salad for those gals; we're told they all ordered steaks.

The colossal saxophonist Sonny Rollins is among the heavyweights announced yesterday as part of the lineup for the three-day JVC Jazz Festival Newport. Also performing Aug. 8-10 are pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Chris Botti, up-and-coming guitarist Lionel Loueke, and many others. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at festival network.com and 877-655-4849.

When the folks at the TD Banknorth Garden heard that the students at St. John School in the North End had just completed a project on dinosaurs, they picked the budding paleontologists to be the first to see some dinos heading to Boston. The show "Walking With Dinosaurs - The Live Experience," which features walking and roaring dinos, will be at the Garden for nine performances beginning July 16.

Shonda Schilling was at Bowman Elementary School in Lexington this week to raise awareness about melanoma. The wife of Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Shonda is founder of the SHADE Foundation of America, which presented Lexington schools with a grant for integrating sun-safety into their science curriculum and implementing a sun-protection policy in elementary schools.

Hedge fund hotshot and Celtics limited partner Jim Pallotta and his wife, Kim, sold the 8,821-square-foot Colonial-style home on Bristol Road in Wellesley that they've owned for more than 10 years for $3.4 million. The Pallottas recently moved into a 27,000-square-foot custom-designed manse in Weston that cost an estimated $22 million to build. . . . Speaking of financial wizards selling homes, former Fidelity biggie Ellyn McColgan sold her 2,206-square-foot condo at One Huntington Avenue for $2.4 million.

What do comedians Tony V, Steve Sweeney, and Frank Santorelli know about cooking? Not much, but they're willing to learn. The cut-ups were at Tremonte Restaurant in Woburn last night, where chef/owner Anthony Contarino hosted a clinic for men interested in learning a few simple skills to create a tasty Mother's Day dish. "Why not help a guy stay out of the doghouse?" said Contarino.

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