Oscar gala brings Hollywood home; Brady shares the spotlight
MAKING MOVIES It was all smiles at the Massachusetts Film Bureau's 14th annual Oscar night gala at the Four Seasons Hotel last night. Celebrating in style were actor Tony Shalhoub, comedian Lenny Clarke, actor Ken Howard, entertainment attorney George Tobia, ''Passionada" director Dan Ireland, auto magnate and event sponsor Ernie Boch Jr., Godsmack manager Paul Geary, and City Councilor Mike Ross, who stopped by with his girlfriend, Colleen Reilly, better known as the Bosox broom girl and PR princess. New this year was a Best Supporting Legislator Award, given to state Senator Brian Lees. Perhaps because it fills a few pages in the new issue of Boston magazine, the feud between Film Bureau boss Robin Dawson and the Massachusetts Sports & Entertainment Commission's Mark Drago was a topic of some conversation last night, but not much. Shalhoub, for one, wouldn't bite. ''I'm Switzerland," he said, declaring his neutrality in the war of Boston's film factions. The ''Monk" star, who shot a film called ''Made-Up" in Boston two years ago, hopes his next project -- a film about Kahlil Gibran -- also will be shot here. ''We had a tremendous experience, absolutely tremendous," he said. And where did Drago watch the Academy Awards last night? He was a few blocks away at an Oscar party and Ellie Fund benefit at Saint.
BRADY ON THE SIDELINES As you might expect, Pats QB Tom Brady did the gentlemanly thing at the Independent Spirit Awards Saturday in Santa Monica, Calif. Brady, hectored by fans like a Hollywood star, played second string to his galpal Bridget Moynahan as she talked to the press along the red carpet. The ''I, Robot" actress was a presenter at the annual awards, and the couple was on the guest list for the Vanity Fair party last night.
ONE THOUSAND BY AIR On the menu for the Governors Ball -- the post-Oscar bash thrown by the Academy for 1,500 big-name attendees -- was a lobster dish made with East Coast crustaceans. At a walk-through Saturday, chef Wolfgang Puck said 1,000 lobsters had been flown in from Maine. The leftovers -- and there were sure to be some as people fretted about fitting into their gowns and tuxes -- were divvied up and sent to area homeless shelters.CHEFS TO THE STARS Celeb chefs Todd English and Ming Tsai took part in a charity dinner and Oscar party in West Hollywood last night. Attended by a bevy of boldface names -- Pierce Brosnan and wife Keely Shaye Smith, Jane Seymour, and Kenny ''Babyface" Edmonds, among others -- the event was hosted by chef Robert I. Irvine, who tapped 10 chef buddies, including English and Tsai, to help out.
BIG MONEY So how did the organizers of ''Betting on a Cause and a Cure" manage to get the famously fractious J. Geils Band to show up at their shindig? Credit ex-Bruin Cam Neely. ''They wouldn't be playing together or even talking to each other if not for the cajoling of Cam," cracked Denis Leary, co-host of Saturday's fancy fund-raiser at Charles Hotel. (In its third year, ''Betting on a Cause and a Cure" benefits charitable foundations begun by Leary, Neely, and actor Michael J. Fox.) But if relations between Peter Wolf, Seth Justman, et al. are strained, it didn't show during the band's set. Stalking the stage in black leather pants, Wolf was in good voice on revved-up versions of ''Ain't Nothin' But a House Party," ''Give It to Me," ''Must Of Got Lost," ''Centerfold," and ''Love Stinks." (While the show was billed as a reunion, it technically was not since drummer Stephen Jo Bladd was MIA, replaced by Marty Richards.) Earlier in the evening, guests -- each of whom paid $2,500 just to get in the door -- gathered around craps and blackjack tables to gamble for charity. The sight of so much wagering prompted Harrah's CEO Gary Loveman to wonder if gaming might have a future in Massachusetts. (Loveman called Mitt Romney an ''agnostic" on the issue of gaming.) Among the big shots rolling snake-eyes were actors Campbell Scott, Paul Guilfoyle, Diane Farr, Donnie Wahlberg, Lenny Clarke, and Ken Howard; director Sam Weisman; poker player extraordinaire Chris Moneymaker; chef Michael Schlow; the Mass. Film Bureau's Robin Dawson; party planner Brian Rafanelli; Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and wife Corinne; and Tudor Investment Corp.'s Jim Pallotta. Calling Boston ''the land of winners" -- a reference to the Sox and the Pats -- Fox predicted the evening would be a bonanza for the three foundations, and he was right. Affinnova CEO David Andonian alone bid over $40,000 to have dinner with Leary and 20 friends at a firehouse. When it was all over, the event raised $600,000.
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