Dane Cook

Comedian Dane Cook is full of surprises these days. Not content just to make people laugh anymore, the Arlington native gets serious in his new film, "Answers to Nothing," a "Magnolia"-like movie about the intersecting lives of a whole bunch of unhappy people. "I've always had an affinity for comedic actors who took on content that was richer and more layered," Cook told us, mentioning Robin Williams in particular. "Although I like [romantic comedies], it's not the same kick I get from grittier roles.

Pats players Devin McCourty and Julian Edelman visited patients at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as part of the Patriots Charitable Foundation's Celebrate Volunteerism campaign. . . . "Travel Mom" Emily Kaufman , who's on a mission to accomplish 49 first-time tasks before she turns 50, crossed one off her list when she shucked oysters at the Union Oyster House this week. . . . Edmonton Oilers defenseman and Scituate native Ryan Whitney had dinner at Haru Tuesday.

Arlington native Dane Cook has a pilot for a new sitcom in the works. The comedian, who's starred in films such as "Dan in Real Life" and "My Best Friend's Girl," confirmed Wednesday night via Twitter that he'll star in the pilot for NBC's "Next Caller Please," which is about a macho DJ who gets a strong, feminist cohost. The show is being helmed by Stephen Falk, who's worked on "Weeds. "

His movie career hasn't exactly taken off, so comedian Dane Cook is moving to the small screen. NBC announced Friday it has ordered six episodes of "Next Caller Please," a comedy starring the Arlington native as a "brash alpha male DJ" and his feminist cohost, played by Collette Wolfe , set in the office of a satellite radio station. . . . Then there's this bit of Must- Not -See TV news: The family of the late Whitney Houston has agreed to star in a reality series for Lifetime.

His movie career hasn't exactly taken off, so comedian Dane Cook is moving to the small screen. NBC announced Friday it has ordered six episodes of "Next Caller Please," a comedy starring the Arlington native as a "brash alpha male DJ" and his feminist cohost, played by Collette Wolfe , set in the office of a satellite radio station. . . . Then there's this bit of Must- Not -See TV news: The family of the late Whitney Houston has agreed to star in a reality series for Lifetime.

Pats players Devin McCourty and Julian Edelman visited patients at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as part of the Patriots Charitable Foundation's Celebrate Volunteerism campaign. . . . "Travel Mom" Emily Kaufman , who's on a mission to accomplish 49 first-time tasks before she turns 50, crossed one off her list when she shucked oysters at the Union Oyster House this week. . . . Edmonton Oilers defenseman and Scituate native Ryan Whitney had dinner at Haru Tuesday.

Oh, the indignity. During an interview with Dane Cook this week, CNN's Piers Morgan asked about Patrice O'Neal , the Roxbury-bred comedian who died Tuesday. "It's a sad day for comedy with the death of Patrice O'Neal, who I know that you knew," the British-born talk-show host told Cook. "She died of a stroke today. I want to take a quick look at Patrice on Jimmy Fallon , to remind everyone just how funny she was. " O'Neal, of course, was a man. After the clip, Cook called Patrice a "brilliant, inquisitive performer.

The inexplicable romantic comedy career of Dane Cook marches on. In Kate Hudson, Cook appears to have found a woman who can both withstand his obnoxiousness and sometimes surpass it. The occasion is "My Best Friend's Girl," another of Cook's gimmicky vehicles that probably couldn't score the free 200 points on the SAT. In "Good Luck Chuck," he was a charm that got women married. Now men hire him to be such a heathen on dates with the women they've wronged that his crassness makes them seem princely.

Was there anyone in the audience over the age of 40 at Dane Cook's sold-out show on Saturday night? Aside from a few corporate box holders and the laid-back parents who didn't blanch when Cook's humor went south of the panty line equator, this was an audience squarely in its 20s and early 30s that has declared Cook to be the comedic voice of their MySpace-centric universe. Cook, a sarcastic dervish with a gift for physical comedy, is a fitting candidate for the title. This is a man who declared that he wants to father 13 children, and then name them after the...

Arlington native Dane Cook has a pilot for a new sitcom in the works. The comedian, who's starred in films such as "Dan in Real Life" and "My Best Friend's Girl," confirmed Wednesday night via Twitter that he'll star in the pilot for NBC's "Next Caller Please," which is about a macho DJ who gets a strong, feminist cohost. The show is being helmed by Stephen Falk, who's worked on "Weeds. "

Arlington native Dane Cook's latest movie, "Answers to Nothing," opened on Friday, marking the latest dramatic turn for the comic-turned-actor. He's had other serious roles (see 2007's "Mr. Brooks") but in the new ensemble film directed by Matthew Leutwyler, Cook carries leading-man responsibilities within a collection of Los Angeles-based stories that intersect along the lines of "Crash. " In "Answers to Nothing," Cook plays a cheating husband and therapist whose wife is involved in a missing child case.

Oh, the indignity. During an interview with Dane Cook this week, CNN's Piers Morgan asked about Patrice O'Neal , the Roxbury-bred comedian who died Tuesday. "It's a sad day for comedy with the death of Patrice O'Neal, who I know that you knew," the British-born talk-show host told Cook. "She died of a stroke today. I want to take a quick look at Patrice on Jimmy Fallon , to remind everyone just how funny she was. " O'Neal, of course, was a man. After the clip, Cook called Patrice a "brilliant, inquisitive performer.

Comedian Dane Cook is full of surprises these days. Not content just to make people laugh anymore, the Arlington native gets serious in his new film, "Answers to Nothing," a "Magnolia"-like movie about the intersecting lives of a whole bunch of unhappy people. "I've always had an affinity for comedic actors who took on content that was richer and more layered," Cook told us, mentioning Robin Williams in particular. "Although I like [romantic comedies], it's not the same kick I get from grittier roles.