Smells like Tom spirit

If he's at all interested - and it looks like he might be - Tom Brady could have a future as a model. For his latest endorsement deal with Stetson Cologne, Gisele Bundchen's boyfriend has posed for another batch of flattering fashion photos. Posted at stetsoncologne.com, the pics capture the Super Bowl MVP at his tousled, unshaven best. (In one, the Pats QB is wearing a shearling jacket that makes him look like he's just stepped off the set of "Brokeback Mountain.") Brady was picked to pitch the fragrance because of his "rugged sophistication" and "masculine spirit," according to Bernd Beetz, CEO of Coty Inc., which makes Stetson. "His allure extends off the football field and he is widely known for his distinctive masculinity and irresistible character," said Beetz. Brady succeeds actor and "Sexiest Man Alive" Matthew McConaughey as Stetson's spokesmodel, and the quarterback's contract runs for two years. Just as they did when he posed with a baby goat in the pages of GQ, Brady's teammates will no doubt tease him about the Stetson spread, and some snarks are already poking fun online. For example, the sports website withleather.com doctored the photos yesterday to make the signal-caller look mighty silly.

Wes Anderson (left) would not be answering questions about Owen Wilson's recent suicide attempt, so don't bother asking. That was the word yesterday from the flacks who organized the director's brief stop in Boston to promote his new film, "The Darjeeling Limited." (Coincidentally, Wilson's banged-up character in the movie may have attempted suicide.) "I set out to make something very personal," said Anderson, the boyish filmmaker best known for "Rushmore." "Everything that happens in the movie actually happened to one of us." Oh, really? Which of the screenwriters seduced a saucy train stewardess in India? Anderson, who co-wrote the movie with Francis Ford Coppola's son Roman and actor Jason Schwartzman, wouldn't say, but he swears it did happen to one of them. Asked about those clever commercials he's directed for communications giant AT&T, Anderson said he's not becoming a corporate lackey. "People who make commercials do it to get paid," he said. "I don't make money making movies like this." Anyway, he said, "The Darjeeling Limited" is produced by 20th Century Fox, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch. "So which is better?" said Anderson. "AT&T or Rupert Murdoch?" Fair question.

Emerson College alums Denis Leary and Chris Phillips and their band the Crown Royals gave a quick performance yesterday during the sound check for "30 Years of Comedy at Emerson College" at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Comics featured last night included Leary, Bill Dana (a.k.a. Jose Jimenez), Tom Shillue, Jennifer Kirkman, former "Yes, Dear" star Anthony Clark, Bill Burr, and Eddie Brill, who is a warm-up comedian and talent scout for David Letterman.

Seems the rest of the pro basketball world is as high on the Celtics' recent acquisitions as are folks in these parts. Kevin Garnett (inset) ranks at the top of the NBA.com's list of the fantasy team picks. KG bested Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers as the top selections by fantasy players. Although he came in No. 1, Garnett is the only Celtic to make the top 10, which included three members of the Phoenix Suns squad - Shawn Marion, Steve Nash, and Amare Stoudemire.

"Iron Chef" veteran Masaharu Morimoto tried out his buddy chef Ken Oringer's Toro in the South End on Wednesday night, where Morimoto at least tasted everything on the menu. . . . After his talk at the Institute of Contemporary Art on Wednesday night, former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne grabbed a late dinner at Rocca in the South End.

Playwright David Rabe, who is known as much for his writing as for being reclusive, is slated to venture out today to catch the Huntington Theatre Company's rehearsals for "Streamers." The 10-member cast and Broadway director Scott Ellis are rehearsing in New York this week before heading to Boston, where the revival will open on Nov. 9. No word on whether Rabe, whose work includes "In the Boom Boom Room" and "Hurlyburly," will make the trek to Boston to catch the run.

One thing that has come with Ben Affleck's success is that he's been opening up a lot more in interviews. "I grew up in a home environment where I wasn't getting esteem for anything I did," Affleck tells tells Dotson Rader in this Sunday's Parade magazine. "There was alcoholism at home because of my father. I changed schools [at 8 years old], and I didn't really know the kids at the new school. I felt alone." Affleck, who is due in Boston next week for a special screening of his directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone," still considers himself a work in progress. "I've come a long way," Ben says, "but I still have a very far way to go."

The Cambridge-based American Academy of Arts & Sciences inducted its latest batch of boldfaced names the other night. Locals included MIT professor Gregory Mankiw, iRobot cofounder Rodney Brooks, Harvard prof and New Yorker staffer James Wood, and former Hill Holliday honcho Jack Connors. Others honored included supercomputer expert David Shaw; Princeton historian Nell Painter, pianist Emanuel Ax; Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas; Boeing CEO W. James McNerney Jr.; and opera star Jessye Norman (inset), who treated the crowd to a spontaneous - and stirring - "America the Beautiful."

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