'A Curse' reversed; Letterman tosses in his two cents
DEWEY DEFEATS YANKEES In the news biz, one has to be ready for any situation. (We're not saying that by way of bragging, just a possible explanation.) So it's no surprise that the New York Post would have an editorial ready in the event that the Yankees lost to the Red Sox and Yankees' pinch-runner-turned-slugger Aaron Boone hadn't Dent-ed (sorry) the Sox with a home run in the 11th inning of Game 7. The editorial -- headlined "A Curse of Their Own?" -- just wasn't supposed to appear in the paper, unless the Sox actually won. But it did in some editions. The paper said the Curse finally "boomeranged" and credited the Sox with finding ways to win. "But give credit where it is due: The Sox provided heroics where they were needed," the editorial read.THROWN FOR A LOOP Late-night talk-show host David Letterman was all over this Red Sox-Yankees series and particularly vocal about last Saturday's Rumble-in-the-Fenway in which Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer was thrown to the ground by Sox hurler Pedro Martinez. So in talking about actress Angela Lansbury's 78th birthday, Letterman said that, for a special treat, Martinez "threw her to the ground." Ouch.MATERIAL ACHIEVER She knows who Madonna is, of course, but Jean Craighead George hasn't read the Material Girl's new children's book, and likely won't. "I don't think so," she demurred. It's not because Craighead George is a literary snob. At 84, the award-winning author of children's titles, such as "My Side of the Mountain" and "Julie of the Wolves," just has more important items on her to-do list. Tomorrow, for example, she'll be in town to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Boston Public Library's "Literary Lights for Children" event. "After 55 years, I hope I've done something right," she cracked. A former journalist -- she covered FDR's White House for The Washington Post -- Craighead George said her other passion, aside from writing, is politics. So she's happy that her neighbor in Chappaqua, N.Y., is none other than Bill Clinton. "He goes into all the delis," she said. "He's really turned this into a Democratic town, which is OK with me."SIGHTINGS Actress Kate Hudson -- a very pregnant Kate Hudson -- and her husband, Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, had breakfast yesterday at the Paramount Restaurant on Charles Street in Beacon Hill. They had pancakes, we're told -- lots and lots of pancakes. . . . Funnymen Lewis Black (a regular on Conan O'Brien's show) and Dave Attell (a regular guest on "Everybody Loves Raymond") watched the Red Sox-Yankees game Thursday night at radio station Jam'n 94.5's "Playoff Viewing Party" at The Comedy Connection's sister nightclub, Boston Rocks, in Faneuil Hall Marketplace.RELIEF MAESTRO The Swiss conductor Emmanuel Krivine will replace Sir Charles Mackerras on the podium for the Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts, Oct. 28 through Nov. 1. Mackerras is suffering from back and shoulder problems. Krivine, who has led the BSO at Tanglewood and in Symphony Hall, will conduct the originally scheduled all-Berlioz program.CLOSING TIME Unsuccessful in his bid to find a buyer, the owner of the Kendall Cafe is closing the Cambridge club for good on Oct. 31. Mike Tallon, who has said he wants to spend more time with his young son, had hoped to find someone who'd keep the rock/pop club open, but, alas, it was not to be. (Tallon, who owns the building, which includes apartments, plans to redevelop the property, eliminating the commercial space.) "I never thought I wouldn't pass this onto my son. He's grown up in the Kendall," Tallon said. "He's going to miss it more than I am."CURSED MUSIC LOVERS There was a funny moment Wednesday at "Opera Overture," the dinner lecture at the Four Seasons. As Boston Lyric Opera music director Stephen Lord talked about the upcoming season, he was occasionally interrupted with updates of the Sox-Yankees game in New York. When the Sox finally won, BLO general director Janice Mancini Del Sesto delighted the crowd by placing a Bosox cap on Lord's head. Stephen Steiner, BLO's director of production, then played piano while David Cushing (Count Monterone in "Rigoletto," which was originally called "The Curse" and opens the company's season next month) led the audience in a spirited version of that greatest of American arias, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."BROADWAY TO BOSTON Acclaimed Broadway producer Stewart Lane was in Boston yesterday to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, Boston University's College of Fine Arts. "To get this kind of recognition is a great surprise," said Lane, who graduated in 1973. "My goal was always Tony Awards." (Nominated seven times, he's won three Tonys.) Lane, who is coproducing "Ragtime" in London's West End and "Gypsy" on Broadway, is in good company among distinguished BU alums. The list includes Faye Dunaway, Olympia Dukakis, Alfre Woodard, Jason Alexander, and Julianne Moore. Richard Dyer of the Globe staff contributed to this column. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.
