Podcasting Portman . . . or not

Hard to believe, but the word on the West Coast is that Harvard-educated heartthrob Natalie Portman is pitching a continuous video feed of her personal life, and the actress has hit up George Zachary of the Waltham-based Charles River Ventures to invest. First reported by Valleywag, a Silicon Valley gossip blog, Portman's "life-cast" might look something like Lonely Girl 15, who became a YouTube phenom and was later revealed as a hoax. The difference, of course, is that Portman, who played Queen Padmé Amidala in the "Star Wars" prequels, is worth watching. And since Zachary is a big believer -- and an even bigger investor -- in podcasting, it could be true. Or not. In an e-mail to us late yesterday, Zachary wrote: "We do enjoy talking with Natalie but don't have more to publicly state at this time. . . . I would add that what was published online about Natalie and lifecasting is 100 percent fabricated and untrue." Nonetheless, Portman's apparently serious about video blogging. She's just posted her first video diary from a trip to Mexico on her MySpace page.
 MYSPACE.COM Watch Natalie's first video diary

Debbie’s socks are still red

The Bosox wouldn't pay Roger Clemens the big bucks, but you still can. The Rocket's wife Debbie Clemens is selling Sox-related stuff on her website, and charging a small fortune for it. Devoted to providing "a source of empowerment to mothers everywhere," debbieclemens.com is stocked with such items as a Bosox bar stool and Sox ballcaps with rhinestones added by the Cy Young winner's wife herself. How much for the hat? Only $75. A set of four stools -- Clemens toiled for four teams -- are yours for a mere $2,000.

Dishing about McDreamy

"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo lunched at the Bristol Lounge Saturday with Needham's Krista Alperin and her friend Ciarna DiPlacido. The cost? Nearly $17,000. OK, OK. Lunch at the Four Seasons didn't go for that. One of Alperin's family members was the high bidder for the lunch, a benefit for the Home for Little Wanderers. The trio spent more than three hours dishing over burgers and crab cakes about "Grey's," Dr. McDreamy (played by Patrick Dempsey), and girl stuff. "Ellen is the most down to earth, warm , and engaging person," Alperin said. "Now I'm an even bigger fan."

Since moving to Boston, Amy Shogren has had a tough time meeting guys. So the 27-year-old doctoral student took her case to the new dating show, "Sox Appeal," and beat out hundreds of entries for a shot at meeting Mr. Right. Over the weekend, Shogren was set up with three suitors at a PawSox game: Jack Byrne, 23, a personal trainer; Mike McCann, 27, a beatboxer and Franklin native; and Claudio Rodriguez, 27, a cage fighter from Nashua . Frankly, none sounds like a match made in heaven. Decide for yourself when the episode airs on NESN July 18.

Maybe Matt Damon won't play Captain Kirk in the remake of "Star Trek" after all. While it's been rumored that director Bryan Singer wants the Cambridge-bred actor to reprise the role made famous by William Shatner, a new name has surfaced: Ryan Gosling. According to cinemablend.com, the actor, who's almost as good-looking as our man Matt, may be Singer's choice to steer the Starship Enterprise. Of course, Damon is hardly hurting for work. He's now in New York shooting "The Bourne Ultimatum," with director Paul Greengrass. . . . Boston magazine food editor Jane Black is packing up her kitchen and heading to The Washington Post to be a food writer. Black will be working for former Globe scribe Joe Yonan, who's editor of the Post's Food section. Before her stint at the glossy, Black freelanced and attended culinary school in London. . . . U2 guitarist The Edge took his family to Neptune Oyster Bar in the North End to grab a bite Sunday afternoon. While there, he caught up with owners Jeff and Kelli Nace and their daughter, Ava Rose, 4. After the young fan declared U2 her favorite band, The Edge rewarded Ava Rose with a guitar pick and an autograph. The rocker was in town to receive an honorary doctorate from Berklee. . . . People magazine's Leah Rozen writes that the movie to watch for is Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst's directorial debut, "The Education of Charlie Banks." The film was shot last summer in New York and Rhode Island.

Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.