Former WBCN DJ is headed to prison

OFF THE AIR Former WBCN disc jockey Mark Parenteau will serve three years in federal prison for sexually abusing a child. The 54-year-old DJ, who left 'BCN in 1997, was indicted last year on a host of charges, including sexual abuse of minors, prostitution, and conspiracy. In January, he agreed to plead guilty to a single count of child sexual abuse. (He was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy.) A prolific partier during his 20 years at 'BCN, Parenteau was extremely close to the members of Aerosmith, which may explain why the band's former manager, Tim Collins, distributed a letter last fall soliciting donations for Parenteau's defense. After leaving Boston, Parenteau worked for two years in New York City and then at XM Satellite Radio in Washington, D. C., where his title was comedy program director and "resident lunatic." Over the weekend, an emotional Parenteau called close friend and Comedy Connection owner Bill Blumenreich, who had ponied up some of the dough to pay Parenteau's bail and had written a letter of reference to the sentencing judge, Patricia Broderick. Blumenreich said that Parenteau was upset because he had hoped to avoid prison and to be given probation.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON "The advantage of being in this," mused Representative Barney Frank before Friday's "Banned in Boston" show at Avalon, "is that you don't have to watch it." He was just kidding, of course. Frank's a regular at the annual charity bash put on by the Urban Improv and MC'd by WCVB-TV anchor Natalie Jacobson. (Celebrity no-shows this year included newlyweds Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm, Senator John Kerry, and Mayor Tom Menino, all of whom had been rumored to be appearing.) Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith did appear, on video at least, and treated the crowd to a "wardrobe malfunction" by exposing a nipple. Other participants included FleetBoston's Chad Gifford, Hill Holliday's Jack Connors, Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, Ray and Tom Magliozzi of "Car Talk," Charles Hotel owner Dick Friedman, and Avalon owner Patrick Lyons and wife Kristina. Jacobson summed it up well when she said, "I haven't seen this much ego in one place since I interviewed Tom Finneran."

AWARD WINNERS Delivering the keynote address at yesterday's literary to-do at the JFK Library was Russell Banks, whose novels "Affliction" and "The Sweet Hereafter" were turned into fine films. On hand to receive the 2004 Hemingway/PEN Award for distinguished first book of fiction was Jennifer Haigh, author of "Mrs. Kimble." (The award was presented by Papa's grandson, Sean Hemingway.) Carlo Rotella and Joan Leegant were co-winners of the 2004 L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award, given to authors from New England or authors whose writing includes a New England setting.

DAVID O'BOWIE When it left Boston last week, the bus carrying David Bowie was stocked with Irish goodies. Seems Jerry Leonard, music director for Bowie's tour, is Irish and had a yen for anIrish breakfast before a FleetCenter show. Phil Sullivan of Dedham and Dorchester homegirl Joyce Linehan of Ashmont Records knew just the place -- Gerard's in Dorchester. Leonard also stocked up at the Greenhills Bakery next door.

NOW SHOWING When Medford filmmaker Mark Lipman showed "Father's Day" at the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, N. C., over the weekend, it was the first time he'd screened the deeply personal film for an unfamiliar audience. Lipman's 38-minute film about trying to understand his late father, and in the process, himself, was first shown at the Museum of Fine Arts last fall. "Once I understood what a big deal this film festival was, and that they'd accepted it, there was a part of me starting to relax," Lipman said. "Father's Day" was paired with "A Place of Our Own," by Stanley Nelson, about the Oak Bluffs African-American community. New England was also represented by Orlando Bagwell's "Citizen King," a look at the last five years of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. The event, considered the country's premier documentary film festival, awarded its Grand Jury Prize to Jehane Noujaim's "The Control Room," about Al-Jazeera, the satellite outlet based in Qatar.

Globe correspondent Diane Daniel and Jim Sullivan of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.