Hollywood Invasion

4. ...And who’s getting screwed?

Boston Drivers

Driving and parking in this city is never easy. Clogging streets and sidewalks with trailers, semis, and roped-off sets only makes things worse. Bachelor No. 2 assistant location manager Karen Stark says her film tried to be sensitive to the locals, but could do only so much to limit inconveniences. Particularly challenging were the scenes shot at Old South Church at Copley Square. “It was great,” she says. “But it’s such a busy, busy corner.”

Publicists

You’d think flacks across town would enjoy the glitz and glamour of having so many bigtime celebs in the Hub—and they do. The problem is that the guests are making it tougher for them to get the word out about their local clients. Mainstays in the Herald’s Inside Track are being bumped down the page; the usual smaller items—say, a charity event or auction—are getting crowded out altogether. “There’s no question, Tom Brady’s baby and Hollywood have taken over,” says publicist Barbara Quiroga. “That’s pretty much who is dominating the boldface names in all the publications.”

Caterers

When it comes to feeding interloping stars and filmmakers, local caterers aren’t cashing in the way you’d imagine. That’s because those jobs are going to out-of-staters who can bring in the giant cooking trailers that Hollywood types have come to expect. Boston Café & Catering owner David Briggs argues that such cumbersome equipment isn’t actually necessary, adding that he easily could feed the sets with the gear he’s already got. “I absolutely think it’s taking away from our business,” he says.

Hollywood Moment

Chef Mike Tracy on having his Convention Center kitchen transported to France.

In March, the producers of 21 commandeered Tracy’s kitchen at the Boston Convention Center—and for his trouble, the chef was rewarded with a cameo in a kitchen chase scene. Six months later, Tracy got another shot at the silver screen, in The Pink Panther 2. But while his duties didn’t change much between films, his kitchen had to. The Paris-set Panther required the walls to be decorated with fleur-de-lis tiles; chandeliers were added and arched doorways built. Tracy’s stainless steel pots and pans were even temporarily replaced with a mess of copper cookware.

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