Ovation

At one point during her ecstatic performance Friday night at the Bank of America Pavilion, Donna Summer confessed she was a big fan of the original series of iPod commercials where silhouetted dancers rocked out with wild abandon. “That’s the way music makes me feel inside,’’ she said. It seemed clear that, thanks to Summer, the near-capacity crowd knew exactly what she meant. With the aid of a nine-piece band and three dancers, Summer took a 95-minute tour of her big-beat, hit-packed catalog and handily defended her “queen of disco’’ crown.

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Mitt Romney only briefly reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage Saturday, triggering a standing ovation, in a closely-watched commencement address at Liberty University in which the presumptive Republican nominee spoke in deeply religious terms about his family, his faith, and the country. Speaking before an audience of evangelical Christians like those who never really warmed to him during the primary race, Romney quoted religious authors like C.S. Lewis and referred to evangelists like Billy Graham.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff In a pageant that had the sellout crowd cheering throughout, the Red Sox celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first game at Fenway Park in 1912 by bringing 213 players out onto the field to take their positions. Hall of Fame left fielder Jim Rice was first, taking his place in front of the Green Monster. Another Hall of Famer, Carl Yastrzemski, was last. Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, Jim Lonborg, Nomar Garciaparra, Reggie Smith, Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, Rico Petrocelli, Mike Lowell and Dennis Eckersley were among those on hand.

It is difficult not to like someone who likes parades, though that preference is not the reason Pedro Martinez gained favor in Boston. But Martinez's fondness for the celebratory duck boat parade following the Red Sox' 2004 World Series win speaks to his fun-loving, gregarious nature. The 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park brought tears to some. But not to Martinez, who was rejoicing in the past Friday. "I feel like I'm still in the parade," Martinez said.

Globe photo / John Tlumacki Here's Terry Francona from earlier today. He received a standing ovation from the crowd and chants of "Tito, Tito. "

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Mitt Romney only briefly reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage Saturday, triggering a standing ovation, in a closely-watched commencement address at Liberty University in which the presumptive Republican nominee spoke in deeply religious terms about his family, his faith, and the country. Speaking before an audience of evangelical Christians like those who never really warmed to him during the primary race, Romney quoted religious authors like C.S. Lewis and referred to evangelists like Billy Graham.

It is difficult not to like someone who likes parades, though that preference is not the reason Pedro Martinez gained favor in Boston. But Martinez's fondness for the celebratory duck boat parade following the Red Sox' 2004 World Series win speaks to his fun-loving, gregarious nature. The 100th anniversary celebration of Fenway Park brought tears to some. But not to Martinez, who was rejoicing in the past Friday. "I feel like I'm still in the parade," Martinez said.

With his signature fusion of West Coast jazz optimism and classical influences, Dave Brubeck makes a perfect guest for the Pops. The 89-year-old pianist entered Symphony Hall to a standing ovation to start the concert’s second half Tuesday night. His pianism, always more dogged than dazzling, has lost some of its force, but his compositions stand strong. On a widescreen arrangement of his “Summer Music,’’ Brubeck’s blocky chords and Bill Militello’s fleet alto saxophone were swingingly supported by bassist Michael Moore and drummer Randy Jones.

WHOEVER PLACED the two Sunday op-ed pieces “Self-control in childhood brings future success’’ and “Men and their sex scandals’’ side by side deserves a standing ovation. Now, if we can figure out a way to get these men into a kindergarten “Tools of the Mind” curriculum. Lorraine Lordi, Londonderry, N.H.

Steven Stamkos scored his 60th goal of the season and Teddy Purcell had a hat trick — including the overtime winner — and the Tampa Bay Lightning ended their season with a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Fans recognized Stamkos' feat and gave him a standing ovation after Martin St. Louis sent a pass to the front of the net and Stamkos fired it over Ondrej Pavelec's glove at 3:29 of the third period. Only Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has reached the 60-goal mark since 1996.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff In a pageant that had the sellout crowd cheering throughout, the Red Sox celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first game at Fenway Park in 1912 by bringing 213 players out onto the field to take their positions. Hall of Fame left fielder Jim Rice was first, taking his place in front of the Green Monster. Another Hall of Famer, Carl Yastrzemski, was last. Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, Jim Lonborg, Nomar Garciaparra, Reggie Smith, Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, Rico Petrocelli, Mike Lowell and Dennis Eckersley were among those on hand.

Globe photo / John Tlumacki Here's Terry Francona from earlier today. He received a standing ovation from the crowd and chants of "Tito, Tito. "

Joshua Ledet ran ahead of the competition on "American Idol. " The booming 20-year-old singer from Westlake, La., had the Fox singing competition's judges on their feet Wednesday for his lively rendition of Bruno Mars' up-tempo tune "Runaway Baby. " After Ledet's routine, which featured a horn section and go-go dancer, Randy Jackson told him it was "another unbelievable performance" and he's got everything going for him. "You can sell a song like a work of art," beamed Steven Tyler.

(Photo courtesy Boston College High School) The BC High Concert Choir performed on stage at Carnegie Hall By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent After two Charlestown teenagers took the stage at one of New York City's iconic theaters, they and their school's choir exited to a standing ovation. Garrett Leahy and Matthew Perkins, both sophomores at Boson College High School, joined 83 other members of the BC High Concert Choir recently to perform at New York City's iconic Carnegie Hall.

Steven Stamkos scored his 60th goal of the season and Teddy Purcell had a hat trick — including the overtime winner — and the Tampa Bay Lightning ended their season with a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Fans recognized Stamkos' feat and gave him a standing ovation after Martin St. Louis sent a pass to the front of the net and Stamkos fired it over Ondrej Pavelec's glove at 3:29 of the third period. Only Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has reached the 60-goal mark since 1996.

Chris Phillips scored his first two goals of the season in his 1,000th NHL game, Jason Spezza also scored twice and the Ottawa Senators ended a seven-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Phillips scored his first goal in 75 games 7:50 into the second. He lay on his back on the ice after adding a power-play goal 13:35 into the third to put Ottawa up by two. It was his fourth two-goal game — his first since Nov. 19, 2009, in a 6-2 win over Pittsburgh.

No one ever is going to suggest he was a great ballplayer, but around here we loved our Trot. People here loved his dirty Pigpen hat, his all-out effort, and his general spunk. No Lou Grants around here. In these here parts, spunk is good. "He's a good player," Terry Francona was saying before last night's game. "I liked the way he approached the game, his willingness to run into the wall. He played hard. He got down and dirty. "He had that wrinkled hat in his back pocket.

Tim Wakefield has joined Roger Clemens as the only pitchers with 2,000 strikeouts for the Boston Red Sox. The 44-year-old knuckleballer reached the milestone on Sunday when he struck out Mike Carp on a foul tip to end the top of the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia then trotted to meet Wakefield at the first-base line and give him the ball. Wakefield received a standing ovation and tipped his hat to the crowd as he walked to the dugout.

OTTAWA - It has become an All-Star weekend tradition. Zdeno Chara winds up, shoots, and makes a mockery of a record he once owned. Last night, during the hardest shot competition at Scotiabank Place, Chara connected with a sizzler that was timed at 108.8 miles per hour. Chara's previous record was 105.9, which he clocked during last year's competition in Raleigh, N.C. "I was kind of surprised myself," Chara said last night. "Before every All-Star hardest shot, I try to do my best and improve.