Dunkin' Donuts yanks Rachael Ray ad

Does Dunkin' Donuts really think its customers could mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist sympathizer? The Canton-based company has abruptly canceled an ad in which the domestic diva wears a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men. Some observers, including ultra-conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, were so incensed by the ad that there was even talk of a Dunkin' Donuts boycott. "The keffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad," Malkin yowls in her syndicated column. "Popularized by Yasser Arafat and a regular adornment of Muslim terrorists appearing in beheading and hostage-taking videos, the apparel has been mainstreamed by both ignorant and not-so-ignorant fashion designers, celebrities, and left-wing icons." The company at first pooh-poohed the complaints, claiming the black-and-white wrap was not a keffiyeh. But the right-wing drumbeat on the blogosphere continued and by yesterday, Dunkin' Donuts decided it'd be easier just to yank the ad. Said the suits in a statement: "In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It was selected by her stylist for the advertising shoot. Absolutely no symbolism was intended. However, given the possibility of misperception, we are no longer using the commercial." (In case you're wondering, the stylist who selected the offending scarf was not Gretta Enterprises boss Gretchen Monahan, who appears on Ray's TV show as a style consultant.) For her part, Malkin was pleased with Dunkin's response: "It's refreshing to see an American company show sensitivity to the concerns of Americans opposed to Islamic jihad and its apologists."

Not even a threatening storm could keep nearly 500 art lovers from last night's invite-only soiree at the Institute of Contemporary Art to mark the opening of Anish Kapoor's first major exhibition at a US museum in 15 years. The show of 14 large-scale works is a homecoming of sorts for the India-born British installation artist whose first US show was in 1985 at the ICA's former Boylston Street space. Among those on the guest list were ICA architects Ric Scofidio, Liz Diller, and Charles Renfro, cellist Yo - Yo Ma, Harvard scholar Homi Bhabha, architect Moshe Safdie, Hasbro honcho Alan Hassenfeld, New York gallery owner Barbara Gladstone, and Carol LeWitt, widow of the artist Sol LeWitt, who died last year.

Emily Mortimer looks a little like Bette Davis on the cover of the new issue of Boston Common. The British actress tells the mag she's become rather fond of Boston, having shot two films in succession here. (She worked with Steve Martin on "Pink Panther 2" and is filming "Ashecliffe" now with director Martin Scorsese.) "In a way, Boston feels like a second home," she says, noting that her husband, Alessandro Nivola, was born here. Asked about "Ashecliffe" costar Leonardo DiCaprio, Mortimer says he's a delight. "He's extremely easygoing, yet working very hard," she says. "He takes it very seriously but not in a way that's tortured."

What is it about an illustrated aardvark that famous folks find so appealing? Lance Armstrong is the latest celebrity to lend his voice to WGBH's hit children's show "Arthur." The cycling star, and current beau of actress Kate Hudson, just taped an episode of the show that'll air next fall. Since the new season of "Arthur" is about environmental sustainability, which includes bike riding, the seven-time Tour de France champ is a natural. Previous personalities who've participated on the show include Michelle Kwan, Art Garfunkel, Frank Gehry, Taj Mahal, Matt Damon, and Ming Tsai.

Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and her guitarist Sam Lewis performed a lunchtime acoustic set for 40 listeners of 92.5 The River yesterday at the Life Is Good store on Newbury Street. Tunstall had a concert last night at the Orpheum Theatre.

Pats owners Robert and Myra Kraft handed out MVP awards yesterday to 21 deserving New Englanders who devote time and attention to local nonprofit organizations. In their honor, the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is making financial contributions to the agencies ranging from $1,500 to $10,000. The Krafts were joined yesterday by their son, foundation president Josh Kraft, and the team's community affairs director Andre Tippett.

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