Britt Plunkett runs his forearm across his head, pushing sweat off his brow. “I actually took a picture of the thermostat,” he says. “I just had to record it: 99 degrees.”For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Though Lilith Fair returned from an 11-year hiatus to a very different musical landscape, it is one that Sarah McLachlan and Co. helped lay the blueprints for more than a decade ago.Although facts on the famed Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding, which is rumored to happen this weekend, are tighter than Hillary Clinton’s smile, some details have leaked out. Sources report that groom Marc Mezvinsky has “hurt” his father’s family by not inviting them to the wedding (Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty in 2002 to swindling investors out of $10 million.He may play the part of a high-end gigolo in “The Extra Man,” but offscreen, Kevin Kline continues to be quite a charmer.
The last time Keith Lock-hart used his vacation time for Independence Day was about two decades ago.
“I’ve been associated with orchestras — almost all of which work the Fourth of July — for probably 20-plus years at this point,” says the Boston Pops conductor. “I think the last time I had a Fourth of July off was probably 1989 or so.”
For the past several years, Lockhart and The Pops have been enthusiastically racking up cameos from musicians with lasting contributions to the great American songbook, including Aerosmith, John Mellencamp and Don “American Pie” McLean.
This year brings Neil Diamond to the stage for four songs, including “Sweet Caroline,” which the Pops perfected on their latest disc, “The Red Sox Album.”
“I think it’s a good inter-generational choice,” Lockhart says of Diamond. “There’s a possibility of picking a contemporary pop artist where absolutely nobody in the crowd over the age of 25 has heard of, or there’s the possibility of picking somebody who nobody has ever heard their music who is under 40. I always thought that if Neil Diamond came and sang ‘Coming to America’ and ‘Sweet Caroline,’ Boston would go crazy.”
Speaking of going crazy, do Lockhart and the 85-piece orchestra ever get tired of playing the same tunes every year?
“The people in the orchestra are not looking for this to be the most musically refreshing and brand-new experience they’ve ever had,” says the conductor, “because that’s not what this day is about. It’s a huge celebration, and in a way it’s more of a sociological phenomenon than it is a concert. We’re proud to be the object of so much attention and so much affection and central to everybody’s celebration of the holiday. That’s what keeps it fresh. It’s not because they go, ‘Oh, goody — I can’t wait to play “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” again.’”
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular Featuring
Neil Diamond
Saturday, 8 p.m.
The Hatch Shell at the Esplanade, Boston
MBTA: Red Line to Charles
Free, 617-267-3000
www.july4th.org
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In the July MMMpod, Young Veins talk about breaking away from Panic! at the Disco, Keith Lockhart talks about Buckwheat Zydeco throwing the Boston Pops for a loop, Zooey Deschanel talks about how Roy Orbison inspired a She & Him song, Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells talks about how awesome Funkadelic is, and we talk about how awesome Jimmy Cliff is, who in turn talks about Sam Cooke and divine intervention. An explosive show for July! Oh yeah, and we also test your knowledge of America songs in the MMMPod medley.
