Newbury Comics dispute; Damon's good will
UNFUNNY BUSINESS When he found out that his favorite record store sells "Bumfights," Alex Tzouvalas was upset. But his anger turned to outrage when the folks at Newbury Comics refused to pull the bizarre video, which features homeless people engaged in violent, often humiliating stunts. (In one particularly brutal bit, a homeless man is paid to pull out his own teeth with pliers.) "I have a pretty outrageous sense of humor," said Tzouvalas, 31, a volunteer with the Homeless Empowerment Project. "But this is outright exploitation of the most vulnerable people in our society, and it promotes violence against the homeless." To call attention to the issue, HEP is holding occasional protests in front of the record store, and has even created a website -- boycottnewburycomics.com. Tzouvalas said he's checked with Blockbuster, Tower Records, and Virgin Megastore, and so far found no other retail chain in Boston that stocks "Bumfights." Contacted yesterday, Newbury Comics owner Mike Dreese said there's something to offend virtually everyone who walks into his store. "People are upset about Howard Stern, Ice-T's "Cop Killer," Marilyn Manson, you name it," he said. "My wife's priest called me a pornographer because I sell rap music." In 20 years, Dreese said he's pulled just one product off the shelves. Following the Oklahoma City bombing, Newbury Comics stopped selling "The Anarchist Cookbook," which includes directions on how to make explosives. "Every three or four months, we get some kind of complaint," Dreese said. "We tend to ignore them because pretty soon you don't have a store left."
STUCK ON HIM Local-boy-made-good Matt Damon was in town yesterday for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Boston -- and all he had to do was have lunch. Well, that and promote his latest film, the Farrelly brothers' "Stuck on You," in which he stars with Greg Kinnear. Damon had lunch with a lucky unnamed bidder at Joe Fish restaurant in North Andover as part of a benefit for the Boys and Girls Clubs. It was an interesting twist for Joe Fish's owner Jim Dietz. He had worked with Damon and his friend -- perhaps you've heard of him -- Ben Affleck, when the pair hosted a party at Sonsi, where Dietz was a manager, on New Year's Eve 1999.DANCING DUO He only joined Boston Ballet this season, but Nelson Madrigal has made such an impression he's being promoted to principal dancer, artistic director Mikko Nissinen announced yesterday. Madrigal, who trained at the National School of Ballet in Havana, joins his wife Lorna Feijoo as a fellow principal dancer at Boston Ballet. Madrigal danced in the ballet's production of "Don Quixote," and is currently leaping about in "The Nutcracker."WHAT'S MY NAME A year ago this week, the former lead singer of the British rock band The Clash died of a heart attack. To pay tribute to the late Joe Strummer, Dropkick Murphy frontman Al Barr and his wife Jessica have named their baby boy, born last week, Strummer.A GUY WALKS INTO A CHAPEL Comedian Tony V's Christmas show at the Comedy Connection is always an unpredictable affair. On Monday, there was actually an onstage marriage proposal. After a particularly offensive sketch, comic T.J. Griffin stopped the cast from launching into the vulgar closing number and, ring in hand, proposed to comic Teresa Craggan, who tearfully accepted. The couple greeted well-wishers after the song. "It was the only imaginative way I could think of doing it," Griffin said, adding that he wants to re-enact the sketch and song at the couple's 25th anniversary.EXPRESS DELIVERY Gingerbread homes decorated by Senator John Kerry, Governor Mitt Romney, author Mary Higgins Clark, and Celtics CEO Wyc Grousbeck were delivered yesterday to Children's Hospital for patients to enjoy for the holidays. As part of the "Sweet Home Project," a benefit for homeless services, Brian Moran of Moran Media Group in New Jersey purchased the homes for more than $1,000. The gingerbread homes are among more than 100 gingerbread cookie structures decorated by Boston dignitaries and chefs as part of the project, which raised $25,000 through an online auction. The money will be given to One Family, an organization that funds programs to help homeless families obtain economic independence through education, skill training, affordable day care, and jobs.Globe correspondent Nick Zaino contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.
