Nikki Sixx signs books - and whatever

By Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan  |  September 28, 2007

After breakfast at the Bristol Lounge, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx signed everything from breasts to books - including his own, "The Heroin Diaries" - for 250 fans at the Downtown Crossing Borders yesterday. Among those standing in line to meet Sixx was a rep for state Senator Gale Candaras. Seems the lawmaker's pushing a bill to broaden access to drug treatment programs, and she wants the rocker's support.

Hottest debate in the Nation

A day after moderating a debate among Democratic presidential candidates in Hanover, N.H., Tim Russert beat feet to Boston for yet another debate. This one, held yesterday at BU, was between the 10 finalists for the post of president of Red Sox Nation. The "Meet the Press" host was ably assisted by NESN's Tina Cervasio.

Up at night and on the run

If screenwriter David Benioff (right) looks a little sleep-deprived, it's because he is, or was. Only recently has Benioff's baby with actress wife Amanda Peet begun sleeping through the night. "I'm home all the time and I'm kind of a night owl, so I was giving [Frances] her night feeding," says the writer, who was in town yesterday to hype his new movie "The Kite Runner." Based on the book by Khaled Hosseini, the movie is set in Afghanistan and has English subtitles. Says Benioff: "You could get away with Charlton Heston with a Mexican accent in the '50s, but not anymore." Benioff's Boston stay was brief, but his wife will be arriving shortly to begin shooting a film with Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo.

Give Graydon Carter credit: At least he's trying. The editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair wants to put Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, and young John Edward Thomas Moynahan on the cover of an upcoming issue, but he's being rebuffed. (What d'ya suppose Bridget Moynahan would say about her baby posing with Bundchen?) We're told Carter isn't giving up easily, though, and is still hoping the Pats QB will do a photoshoot with his son and supermodel sweetheart. Like a lot of guys, Graydon seems enamored of Bundchen. Back when the Brazilian beauty was dating actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Carter tried to put the couple on the cover, but they refused.

Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas (inset) knows his mega-selling band is considered milquetoast by many rock critics. And he couldn't care less. "There was a hilarious article in the Onion about us that I printed out and saved," says Thomas, whose band headlines Saturday's MixFest at the Agganis Arena. "It said, 'Matchbox Twenty has just finished watering down their new album called 'Beige.' " (Of course, it's easy to laugh when you've sold 28 million records.) The band's latest disc, called "Exile on Mainstream," includes six new songs and 11 of the band's biggest hits. Thomas told us Saturday's show will be among the band's first with new drummer Ryan MacMillan, formerly of the Boston band the Push Stars. "They're one of my favorite bands ever," says Thomas. "That song 'Claire' should have been a hit. . . . The Push Stars should have been a hit."

Everett's own Ellen Pompeo is among the first contributors to Major League Baseball's new fan-friendly website actober.com. The "Grey's Anatomy" star shares her fondest postseason memory and, predictably, it's from 2004. (Worth a visit, the website has a huge archive of MLB footage, which fans can use to create their own "actober" moments and win tix to the World Series.) In Pompeo's clip, her "Grey's" character mends Curt Schilling's injured ankle and blots the infamous bloody sock. James Caan also submits a clip in which the actor, a lifelong Yankees fan, hurls an insult at Sox fans.

It's never too soon to start raising money for your reelection campaign. Just ask Martha Coakley. Even though she isn't up for reelection for three more years, the AG held a fund-raiser last night and Patricia Cornwell was one of the guests. A Bay State resident, the bestselling crime writer (with Coakley, far right, last year) brought along some galleys of her new novel, "Book of the Dead," which doesn't come out until next month. We're told Cornwell gave the proofs away in exchange for a mere $500 donation to Coakley's cause. Held in Newton, the party was hosted by Burns & Levinson lawyer Lisa Cukier.

Newton filmmaker Sam Weisman is finally coming clean about his next project. The "George of the Jungle" director and writer Josh Shelov are working with Walden Media on "The Miracle of St. Anthony." Based on Adrian Wojnarowski's 2005 book, the movie will center on Jersey City high school basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr., who fights to save a school while transforming a group of unprepared players into champs. "It's impossible not to be affected by this story," says Weisman. "Walden is the perfect home for telling this incredible story."

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