Marky leaves his Mark on H-wood Blvd.

Caught up in all the Chelsea-mania last week, somehow I missed this one...

Yes, that is Mark Wahlberg, accepting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 29; his star is located at 6259 Hollywood Boulevard. Back in early 1992, I remember seeing him — then known as Marky Mark — as he came to Poughkeepsie on tour with his Funky Bunch (that's $72 I'll never see again!) and now he's getting a star on Hollwood Blvd.?! Not only is he the brother of New Kids On The Block member Donnie Wahlberg, but Mark was also an original member of the New Kids before leaving the group because he wanted more of an urban, street sound.

Last week was a busy one in Tinseltown for the acting Wahlberg brothers.

A day before Mark's ceremony, Donnie took part in this panel discussion with co-star Tom Selleck during a press tour for "Blue Bloods," their new cop drama set to debut on CBS this fall.

Prez gives away auto before daughter

And I thought I hit the celebrity jackpot in Rhinebeck last weekend prior to Chelsea's wedding!
Well, turns out my 10-year-old buddy Andrew outdid me, hitting the mother load leading up to Chelsea Clinton's wedding. His "get?" Oh, just the father of the bride ... and a former president of the United States!

Click the video and watch Andrew being interviewed by Fox News after he got the John Hancock of Bill Clinton. Really, though, look at Andrew ... who can say "no" to that face?!

Brand gives "Arthur" one Moore try

Ever the celebrity hunter, "someone I know" came up with this latest gem earlier this week...
That's actor/comedian Russell Brand (center) on the set of the remake of the 1981 film "Arthur" outside Grand Central Terminal.

The movie, set to be released next year, also reportedly stars Jennifer Garner and Nick Nolte. Brand will star as the title character first played by Dudley Moore.

Recording tunes is fair with Mayer

It's a musical math equation. Follow me here:
John Mayer > The Doobie Brothers

If you remember this classic "What's Happening!!" episode, you'll remember the Doobies got all mad when Rerun was caught bootlegging their concert with that bulky 1978 tape recorder under his trenchcoat.

Well, Mr. Mayer takes a more fan-friendly approach to recording his performances.
Check out my ticket to last night's John Mayer/Train concert in Sullivan County. Now look two lines behind John's name: Audio OK. How cool is that?!

So, of course, I took advantage of John's generosity!

Always the quick thinker, I set my cell phone to RECORD, placed it with the microphone facing the stage and went on to record the next 90 minutes or so of the concert. Thanks, John Mayer! Between hits like "Heartbreak Warfare" and "Waiting On The World To Change" — not to mention a really good cover of Prince's "Raspberry Beret" — I got 'em all on my phone. Considering how far we were from the stage, though, and the quality of the sound reproduction, the actual music sounds like it was recorded by Rerun back in '78.

Still, it was pretty cool that when many musicians fight against file-sharing when it comes to their songs, John Mayer is good enough to let fans leave his shows with a free souvenir.

Where everybody knows Chelsea's name

Hey, TMZ ... are you ready for me???
I just finished my first shift as a celebrity photog/reporter, covering "the wedding of the year," the union of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky in Rhinebeck.

My biggest celebrity "get" of the day: former "Cheers" star Ted Danson and his Academy Award-winning wife, Mary Steenburgen, who I've been a fan of since I first saw her in Ron Howard's 1989 comedy, "Parenthood."

Yes, after almost being trampled by media from all over the world as we walked down the street with the former Sam Malone and the mother from "Elf" (seen here), I was able to snap the picture above when they spoke to us before the ceremony.

But that was only part of the fun we had in Rhinebeck!

After that, I braved the hundred or so spectators (media and locals alike) surrounding Gigi Trattoria — yes, the very restaurant where former President Bill Clinton ate yesterday — where actress Kate Capshaw dined earlier, and where designer Vera Wang and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright were eating ... presumably at separate tables, with separate checks. Having soon tired of the pack mentality, I wandered into the parking lot, where Vera, who designed Chelsea's dress, soon followed. Looking for her car, she turned around and I was able to snap this picture. (Feel free to click here to see more of my pics from the day, which I diligently tweeted as part of the Poughkeepsie Journal's coverage.)

And if you thought the media were stalking the Clintons and their guests, then think of me as stalking the stalkers. (That's with tongue firmly planted in cheek, btw.)

Since my main assignment was to write about the media coverage on the big day, I took in all the sights and sounds on Route 9 — everything from this "Insider" reporter outside Gigi's, as well as watching "Entertainment Tonight's" Diane Dimond tape her pieces across from the Beekman Arms, to talking to "Extra" special correspondent Lauren Sivan for tomorrow's story; I even quoted Ted and Mary in my story. (How many chances does a sports reporter get to talk to such famous thespians?! I'll tell you: not many.)

Not that it was all roses, as I got blown off by a certain network news correspondent, whose name and show will not be mentioned here, when I asked her for a quick comment about covering the wedding.
Indeed, as this picture demonstrates, the wedding was at least the story of the summer here in the Hudson Valley.

That being said, I can't imagine what it's like in L.A., chasing down stars like Lindsay Lohan and Angelina Jolie. But for at least one day in our backyard, I had a fun time!

One "30 Rock" down, three to go...

Three years after it aired on NBC, I've just now finished watching the first season of the hit show "30 Rock."

Having already admitted I'm a big Tina Fey fan, I had just never been able to get into the show the first time around. After investing 30 minutes each Thursday night to NBC's "The Office," I just couldn't invest another half-hour of my life to Liz Lemon and the gang, ya know ... 'cause I just have so much going on in this hectic life of mine! (Note the sarcasm) Sure, I'd tried renting the first season on DVD, only to pay for it and never watch it. Only when I recently bought my Playstation 3 and was able to stream the show to my TV through Netflix did I start to watch the reruns on my time.

And, just as expected, "30 Rock" is a great show! Between the witty, urbane writing and the fine acting of Tina, among others, it's becoming one of my favorites.

With the fall TV season starting soon, my goal is to watch the other three seasons of the show before the new episodes premiere. Wish me luck!

He's a "Blue" Kid On The Block

Prior to both New Kids On The Block concerts last weekend, we got a preview of the new TV season.
The big screens at Radio City Music Hall displayed the above preview of CBS' new police drama, "Blue Bloods," starring none other than New Kid Donnie Wahlberg, among others.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Donnie will portray New York City cop Danny Reagan in "Blue Bloods," airing Fridays on CBS this fall.

From the preview, we learn that Donnie plays an NYPD detective, the son of the police chief played by Tom Selleck. The Reagan family also features a younger son who's new to the force, as well as a daughter who's an assistant district attorney.

The previews got a good response prior to each NKOTB show (of course!), and it'll be fun to watch a New Kid on TV each week!