"Bachelor No. 2" star Kate Hudson apparently is not dating Justin Timberlake. Us Weekly is reporting that while Hudson hung out with her "former fling" Timberlake at J.J. Foley's on Aug. 8 and was spied backstage at his TD Banknorth concert here two nights later, they are not an item. Quoting an anonymous friend of Sir SexyBack, Us reports: "There's nothing going on with Kate and Justin." She is, however, making time with "Punk'd" regular Dax Shepard, which has some of Hudson's friends concerned. Quoting a source, the magazine says that Shepard is using Hudson "for his career." But a Dax pal spoke up for the 32-year-old funnyman, telling the glossy: "He has six movies coming out. He doesn't need her help."
Delp lineup realigns
A few changes have been announced for Sunday night's tribute to late Boston vocalist Brad Delp at the
Bank of America Pavilion.
Sammy Hagar, Orion the Hunter, and former Jefferson Starship singer
Mickey Thomas are out and hometown rockers Extreme are in. (Hagar can't make it, according to the Boston website, for "personal business reasons.") Extreme joins the already-announced lineup of
Michael Sweet of Stryper, Godsmack, RTZ, Farrenheit, auto magnate
Ernie Boch Jr.'s Ernie and the Automatics, and Beatlejuice -- Delp's Beatles tribute act. Current and former members of Boston will also take the stage for the show, which will now start at 5:45 p.m. The gig is titled "Come Together" in honor of Delp's abiding love for the Fab Four.
Astor mansion for sale
The 39-room, 19,000-square-foot Newport mansion that once served as the summer court of the Astor family can be yours for a cool $16 million. Sitting on 5 acres on Bellevue Avenue, the Beechwood Mansion was built in 1851 and sold to William Backhouse Astor Jr., grandson of John Jacob Astor in 1881, according to Lila Delman Real Estate. (Listing agent
Melanie Delman couldn't be reached for comment.) William's wife, Caroline Astor, hired famed Newport architect Richard Morris Hunt to add the ballroom that would host some of Newport's most celebrated parties. Caroline was the grandmother-by-marriage of Big Apple philanthropist Brooke Astor, who died Monday at age 105. According to the Providence Journal, the current owners of the mansion have been embroiled in a legal battle.
Damon's inner aardvark
He may be traveling the world promoting "The Bourne Ultimatum," in which he plays an amnesiac former assassin, but we'll soon get to see the softer side of
Matt Damon. The Cambridge native will provide the voice for an animated version of himself in the Sept. 3 episode of the PBS series "Arthur," created by Hingham author and artist
Marc Brown. The actor was recruited to appear in the segment by the show's head writer,
Peter Hirsch, who attended Harvard with Damon. He appears in a "Postcards From You" segment, which encourages young viewers to make their own videos. Damon recorded the segment in Miami and an animator crafted his new 'toon image with the trademark "Arthur" aardvark ears.
Keeping on their toes
With more than half of the company's six-week tour of Spain behind them, Boston Ballet and artistic director Mikko Nissinen have been drawing huge crowds and stellar reviews including one from El Mundo's writer, who said the performance of "Serenade" had moments that were "stupendous." It's been more than 15 years since the company embarked on a tour outside the country, but the trip has taken some members to familiar turf. Associate Trinidad Vives, principal dancer Yury Yanowsky, and corps de ballet member Raul Casasola all hail from Spain.
Rockin' sports buds
Rocker Eddie Money was at Fenway Park Tuesday night to take in the Red Sox game and to give his buddy, pitcher Curt Schilling a guitar, we're told. In other rockers-at-local-sporting-events news, rock star Jon Bon Jovi, good buddy of Pats coach Bill Belichick , was at the team's practice at Gillette yesterday.
She may have missed lunch at the Bush family compound over the weekend, but
Cecilia Sarkozy made time for a little pampering on Newbury Street yesterday -- alongside her husband, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy. We hear the couple dropped by Mario Russo's salon for manicures and pedicures. They were supposed to get their hair done, too, but ran out of time. Ooh la la, those demanding political schedules.
Mending a family feud
The election of
Jane Forbes Clark as a trustee of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown is seen as further proof that the renowned art collecting family is mending a three-generations-old family feud. Clark is granddaughter of Stephen Clark and grandniece of Sterling Clark, founder of the Western Massachusetts museum. The Clark brothers were known as much for their taste in art as their distaste for each other. Clark's appointment coincides with the Institute-organized exhibition "Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings: The Clark Brothers Collect" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which explores their relationship and compares their collecting habits.
He looks good with his shirt on, too
Chris Evans wants the world to think of him as more than a pretty face and a great set of abs. "I took [my shirt] off for the first 'Fantastic Four.' Then I read the script for the sequel. It's like, Why am I getting out of the shower in this scene?" the Sudbury-raised actor tells GQ in the issue that hits stands on Tuesday. Looking very dapper in a four-page fashion spread featuring designer Tom Ford's new collection, Evans gets philosophical about his recent meditation trip to India and pragmatic about his latest film, "The Nanny Diaries." "It's not 'Schindler's List.' I'm not gonna win an Oscar," the 26-year-old says. "But it's Scarlett [Johansson], Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney. That's enough."
Sarah Rodman of the Globe staff contributed. Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929- 8253. 
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
