Dog's best friend
Before his band's gig last night at the Tweeter Center, O.A.R. singer Marc Roberge did a meet-and-greet with the folks from the Animal Rescue League, who brought along a few formerly abused pitbulls. Explained Roberge: "When that whole dog-fighting thing with Michael Vick happened, it really [upset] me, and I wanted to get more involved." The proud owner of five pups, the rocker said the band's foundation -- called the Heard the World Fund -- is committed to helping helpless critters. "Dogs always get the short end of the stick," he said.
Boys to 'Manband'
Hyde Park homey Louie Bello was in the house for the New York premiere of "Mission: Manband." The VH1 show features former boy-band members -- LFO's Rich Cronin, 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons, Color Me Badd's Bryan Abrams, and 'N Sync's Chris Kirkpatrick -- who've formed a new group called Sureshot. (Sureshot plays at Saint on the 27th.) Bello scored the invite because he and Cronin, who hails from Kingston, are writing songs for "American Idol" also-ran Blake Lewis. Other guests included Gene Simmons, Lance Bass , and movie producer Jeff Killagheri .
Publicity gets too close to home
As fed up as we are with the unrelenting flackery for "The Bourne Ultimatum," we're betting Matt Damon's really not digging it. Universal Studios has pulled out all the stops on its publicity blitz for the movie, even hanging a 50-foot promo poster on the side of the Manhattan apartment building where Damon lives with his wife, Luciana, and two children, Alexia and Isabella. First spotted by those culture vultures at TheSmokingGun.com, the poster shows Damon's character, Jason Bourne, walking with a gun in his hand, and this tagline: "Bourne Comes Home." Our guess is that "Home" refers to Bourne's base of operations -- the United States -- not the 3,500-square-foot loft occupied by the actor and his family. The pub seems to be paying off. The third screen installment based on the books by the late Robert Ludlum grossed nearly $70 million in its opening weekend starting Aug. 3.
A fashionable way to party
The marvelous Marilyn Riseman was the center of attention at her 80th birthday bash at the Taj the other night. Organized by Taj GM David Gibbons and party planner Michael Wasserman, the swish affair featured a fashion show and more than a few familiar faces, including Riseman's daughter, Marcy, her brother, Bob Sage, judge Marianne Bowler, the BRA's Harry Collings, novelist Robert B. Parker and his wife, Joan, Colonnade GM David Colella, David Taylor of New York's St. Regis Hotel, Ed Knudsen and Dan MacKenzie, model Linda Cole and her mother, fashionista mom Yolanda Cellucci , TV types Frances Rivera and Janet Wu, Joe Zina of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, and makeup artist David Nicholas, who riffed hilariously on Riseman's kabuki complexion.
Love says there’s hope for Wilson
For all you Beach Boy buffs who've been waiting patiently for the band to work with Brian Wilson again, there's hope. Wilson's cousin and onetime collaborator Mike Love says it's inevitable that the Boys will reunite with Brian. "I assume it's bound to happen at some point," says Love, who's in Boston for the Beach Boys' show tonight at the Esplanade. "Brian was a recluse for so long, I'm really pleased he's able to enjoy being out there playing." Fans of the oldies act are in for a special treat tonight because Uncle Jesse -- a.k.a. actor John Stamos -- will be on drums. "John adds a lot of pizazz to the show," says Love, who's 66. "And the girls love it." Asked how he keeps the eternal tour going -- the band plays in Rutland, Vt., today, the Hatch Shell tonight, and the Cape Cod Melody Tent tomorrow -- Love said it's simple. "I meditate three times a day," he said. "I learned it from the Maharishi in 1967."
Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253. 