Another fall classic

By Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan  |  October 26, 2007

Maybe it was the fierce beating the Bosox administered in Game 1, but friendly Fenway sure was festive last night. Even before the Sox set foot on the field, the capacity crowd was in high spirits, hoping to take two in a row before the Sox and Rocks headed west. Among the swells sampling the shrimp and sushi at one of the pregame parties, we ran into the usual suspects - Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, Beth Israel Hospital boss Paul Levy, former Fleet Bank CEO Terry Murray - and a few new faces. Filmmaker Ken Burns of "Baseball" fame brought along his daughter Sarah, a writer who swears she's a Sox fan even though she's spent a lot of time in New York. "I came to my first Red Sox game when I was 8 months old," she said convincingly. And then there was eye-catching Sox staffer Colleen Reilly, who was squiring around some serious arm candy: actor Richard Gere, whose interest in the Sox dates to his undergraduate days at UMass. We were told that "Sweet Caroline" crooner Neil Diamond was in the house, and while that made a World Series of sense, we didn't actually see him before our deadline. (He was apparently around for Game 1, but the weather made a potential performance impossible.) Others we did see included Senator John Kerry, Gene Autry's widow, Jackie, presidential hopeful Senator Joe Biden, former Globe publisher Bill Taylor, nightclub king Patrick Lyons, Eunice Shriver's son, Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver, with his son Tim, as well as developer Ron Druker, Blue Cross/Blue Shield's Peter Meade, and Police Commissioner Ed Davis, who told us he had seats but at 6-foot-6 he can't sit for too long. Always a happening place, the Reebok box was boogieing with Wahlberg brothers Donnie and Bob.

Their opening night really scored

"Sweeney Todd" stars David Hess and Judy Kaye enjoyed their opening night Wednesday with a party at Smith & Wollensky's in Park Square. At the conclusion of the Stephen Sondheim musical, the score of Game 1 of the World Series was announced over the public address system at the Colonial Theatre, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Who knew Natalie Portman was in town? We did, but talking to the actress proved tough, and getting her to agree to a photo was impossible. Portman was at Harvard Business School, invited by the Social Enterprise Club to discuss micro-financing in undeveloped countries. (A Harvard grad, the ingenue is the International Ambassador of Hope for FINCA, an entity that provides loans to people in extreme poverty so they can start businesses.) Although we were told she would do an interview, she didn't, and when our photographer showed up to shoot her, Portman's peeps said they'd have to approve the image before it could be published. (The Globe refused.) The actress's talk was well-attended, though tightly controlled. Perhaps worried about an unruly mob of Harvard Business School students, Portman had requested a special police detail for her appearance.

John Langstaff singing "Lord of the Dance" would wake us up, too. For yesterday's space wakeup call, NASA picked that piece from Boston-based Revels Records' "The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice" to rouse the crew of the shuttle Discovery, including mission specialist (and Pittsfield native) Stephanie Wilson. Commander Pam Melroy told Houston: "That was one of my favorite songs. Thanks to my husband, Doug. I love you." Langstaff and his daughter Carol founded the Revels in 1971.

When Partners in Health founder Paul Farmer celebrates a birthday, it attracts a notable table of friends. Farmer's fete at UpStairs on the Square on Wednesday night included PIH executive director Ophelia Dahl, her mom Hollywood legend Patricia Neal, and Mia Farrow.

A new home for City Year

Caroline Kennedy was joined by Mayor Tom Menino yesterday for the dedication of City Year's new headquarters named in honor of Josh and Anita Bekenstein, benefactors of the Boston-based nonprofit. Josh Bekenstein, who was on hand for the ceremony, is a managing director at Bain Capital Private Equity. The couple have donated more than $1 million to City Year.

Timing is everything

We'll bet Dane Cook is kicking himself right now. The Arlington native spent weeks in Boston shooting "Bachelor No. 2," but was out of town for Game 1 of the World Series. Though the Herald reported yesterday that the comedian was at Fenway Wednesday, he wasn't. Cook was in LA (above) for the premiere of his new movie, "Dan in Real Life."

While the rest of us have been watching the World Series, Reebok has been working on a new 30-second spot featuring some of our hometown heroes. The ad, which will debut during Game 3 tomorrow night, showcases several local stars, including Sox players Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, and Jonathan Papelbon; Pats players Ben Watson and Laurence Maroney; Celtic Rajon Rondo; and Doug Flutie, who was filmed the other day at BC's Alumni Stadium. The Canton-based shoe company swears it isn't playing favorites, just highlighting a few high-achieving homeys. The ad, narrated by former New Kid Donnie Wahlberg, concludes with a "mystery guest," said John Lynch, head of Global Marketing Communications for Reebok. It'll air throughout the Series and during Sunday's Pats game.

Hizzoner Tom Menino was surprised to learn that he's part of a panel discussion about baseball taking place Sunday in Denver - his office told us yesterday that a trip out west is not part of his weekend plans. The Denver Forum has announced that Menino would be appearing with former Governor Mike Dukakis at a forum about baseball allegiances. Menino's topic is "The Red Sox in '07," Dukakis's "The Red Sox in My Life." Also slated to speak: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper on "The Rockies' Magic Season" and ESPN's Tim Kurkjian on "Is This a Great Game or What?" . . . The Colorado Rockies will host an invite-only gala with Major League Baseball tonight at the Colorado Convention Center.

Major League Baseball puts its brand on everything - and we mean everything. Consider the case of Manny Ramirez's headpiece, the thing the Sox slugger wears under his hat to keep his dreads from flying everywhere. (We've seen it called a snood, a schmatte, a do-rag, and a turban - take your pick.) During Tuesday's workout, it didn't have MLB's official World Series logo, but when No. 24 stepped to the plate in Game 1, it did. For more on this subject, see Paul Lukas's excellent - and obsessive - blog at uniwatchblog.com.

Moviemaker and avid Sox fan Aviva Kempner dropped us an e-mail yesterday with an idea for a film - the Kevin Youkilis story. Kempner, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed documentary "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," thinks the Sox first baseman's story could be a big-screen hit. "Like Hank, Youkilis is descended from Romanian Jews," wrote Kempner. "Maybe it's in the water." Or in the Gatorade.

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