In search of Seiji: Not music to his ears

Loosely Speaking by Nancy Gaines

LOOSELY SPEAKING

Patrons and fans are complaining that Boston Symphony Orchestra maestro Seiji Ozawa has been MIA an awful lot lately, and the trustees are listening. In fact, said one recently, the board intends to rein in Ozawa, asking him to spend less time traveling, making outside appearances, and guest-conducting.

The hope is that a simpler schedule will make a healthier conductor.

Paintings stolen from House of Blues The good news was that Cambridge's House of Blues was cited on CBS Sunday Morning last Sunday for having the country's largest collection of "outsider" art, the funky, quasi-primitive works of primarily rural black artists. The bad news was that, as of four days earlier, the collection was two paintings smaller than it had been. Who stole Save the Last Dance for Me, by Pam Roberts, and Afro of Thorns, by Calvin Livingston, remains a mystery to House of Blues staff. Workers hope the culprit will realize that the loss deprives the chain's international foundation for the education of children, of which the art collection is part. Meanwhile, Blues Brothers and House investors Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd have pledged to help reward anyone who facilitates the return of the paintings.

Double play

If you've noticed the TV commercials for the Kiss 108 and Mix 98.5 radio promotions and can't tell one from the other, you've got reason. Purely by chance, brothers Michael and Scott Viselli were picked to play similar roles in the competing ads. When they aren't confusing audiences, the look-alike Michael, 27 (who's in the Mix spots), and Scott, 25 (for Kiss), are models and part-time actors, appearing in local dinner-theater productions.

Local hoop hero

We've said it before here, and we'll say it again -- maybe until the local sportswriters listen. As the Celtics continue to bungle their jobs, the real rooting interest for Boston basketball fans is Wayne Turner, the hometown boy who's about to end his college career in a blaze of glory and, for sure, be drafted by the pros. Turner, who was raised in Mission Hill and went to Beaver Country Day School, in Newton, was already drafted by Celtics coach Rick Pitino -- when Pitino coached at Kentucky. Now a senior there, Turner starred in Kentucky's 1997 and 1998 NCAA Tournament championships. Although his team is likely to lose to Duke this year, Turner already has played in more college tournament games than any other player in history. Nonetheless, while the Boston Globe was caught up in its boosterish coverage of the NCAA games at the FleetCenter last weekend, it relegated Turner and his team's win to a few paragraphs in a wire-service story, which didn't even mention that Turner is a Boston boy.

Perhaps 'Irish' was too suggestive; Barnicle's role? "Aggressive, hard-nosed, savvy, scrappy, blue-collar" "Powerful, Yankee, blue-chip, patrician, Brahmin" Above are the words the Globe used to describe Fleet chairman Terry Murray and BankBoston head Chad Gifford and their banks when Fleet announced it was taking over BankBoston. Match the words to the man. (Clue: The announcement came as Boston celebrated St. Patrick's Day.) Kidding aside, this reader found it odd that the Globe had no compunction about calling Gifford a Yankee, but bent over backward to avoid noting that Murray has the map of Ireland all over his face. Kudos, though, to columnist David Warsh, who, as usual, wasn't squeamish: on Tuesday he referred to Murray as "an Irishman of humble origins." Meanwhile, in a wonderful twist of irony, word on the street is that the person who tipped off the Globe -- giving it several hours' head start on the story -- was Mike Barnicle, whose wife happens to be a Fleet executive. Speculation is he owed a debt of loyalty to managing editor Tom Mulvoy. A tip o' the hat to you, Mike.

What we learned from the St. Patrick's Day jokes

It's always interesting -- if not funny -- to analyze the political currents as conveyed by the jibes and jokes told at the annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day breakfast. Last Sunday, for instance, we learned that:

Ted Kennedy (no show, no jibes) is still sacrosanct.

Joe Kennedy (ditto) is invisible.

John Kerry (the no-show everybody took a shot at) is still scorned.

Jane Swift (despite her best theatrical efforts) is no Monica Lewinsky.

The 2002 race for governor has begun, with Tom Birmingham jabbing Tom Finneran, Tom Finneran taking shots at Birmingham, and both Birmingham and Finneran going after Marty Meehan.

And, lest we forget that this is not an election year, Lois Pines was nowhere in sight.

Just don't call her stupid

As actress Geena Davis readies for her pre-Oscar TV-hosting role this weekend, it's a safe bet the press reports will mention, as they usually do, that the Wareham-born, BU-educated Oscar winner is a member of Mensa, the so-called genius society. A self-serving social group whose membership requirement is an IQ above 130 or SATs higher than 1250, Mensa says some five million Americans are eligible to join -- at $45 a year. Davis is the marquee member. On the other hand, Sharon Stone, oft reported to be in the group as well, is not, says Mensa -- although they'd be happy to have her qualify.