Arts & Events: January 2010 Archives

Greenecam nailed it with this photo of the parkway. The composition is striking and beautifully abstracted. It’s well exposed, and it makes good use of both reflection and contrast. We also like how there are several linear elements moving towards the center of the frame; they impart feelings of motion and cohesion. more ›

There's something about this photo that screams intermission, and it's not just the title. Look at the couples' posture, how they're leaning against the wall, sort of sequestered from the crowd. And their expressions—it's like when you shuffle out of a movie theater and you haven't talked in an hour or two, and you're not sure where to begin. This is a distinct and intimate moment, cast in beautiful light. We're glad bluelliot had the wherewithal to take the photo. more ›

Acidgalore easily scooped up today’s photo of the day by playing on our unabashed love for books. In fact, we can’t remember the last time a photo managed to capture so many in a single frame. We like the patterns created by the spines, the shelves, and even the little white call numbers. Nice shot, and great perspective. more ›

Last week we ran a photo titled “Orange Explosion,” which garnered strong reactions from a few of our readers. It could have been the photo’s vague suggestiveness, or maybe it was just the fact that—in the middle of winter—super-saturated color can be jarring. In any case, today we’re running orange explosion #2. We like the textures captured by material guy and find the shot to be nicely exposed. more ›

We couldn’t resist extending the steam theme for another day. (Don’t know what we’re talking about? See Friday’s PotD.) In this one, by photographynatalia, the hazy white steam contrasts sharply with the dark sculpture. We like how our eyes are first drawn to the point of greatest contrast in the image—right around the sculpture’s face—and then led diagonally out of the frame on her gaze. more ›

The Haiti benefit events keep rolling on, with UpStairs on the Square offering special lunch and dinner menus today as well as $10 raffle tickets for some swank Harvard Square goods. more ›

Monday, January 25 6:00 pm, Brattle Theatre (sponsored by Harvard Book Store), $5 Joseph Stiglitz, Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy with noted editor Cullen Murphy 7:00 pm, Harvard Book Store The Harvard Square Book Circle discusses On the Origin of Species 7:00 pm, Porter Square Books Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders more ›

Imagine if photographer AaronBBrown had photographed this pair on their other side, so you could see the boys’ clothing, features, expressions, etc. Would it still be an interesting photograph? We think that AaronBBrown’s sophisticated use of silhouette—enhanced not just by the available light but also by the steam—makes this shot work. The distilled forms command the frame, the steam gives it texture and mystery, and the tree trunks and branches in the background subtly mimic the boys’ gaits. Excellent shot. more ›

The Haiti benefits keep on coming. Tonight, the Middle East brings together a number of local acts to play for Haiti relief efforts. Definitely head out if you're interested in helping while hearing some new Boston bands. more ›

Hey, remember that pregnancy pact at Gloucester High School? You know, where everyone thought some Gloucester teens made a pact to get pregnant, but really they just all got pregnant at the same time (one of them by a homeless man!) and made a pact to raise the babies together? And Time magazine said it happened because of opposition to abortion, and others said it was because Gloucester is crumbling, and it was a big uproar for a while but has now disappeared except presumably there are still babies being raised by teens as a result? Anyway, Lifetime made a movie about the whole mess, and it premieres Saturday night, starring Thora Birch and Camryn Manheim. If this wasn't a sign of the apocalypse, this movie surely is. Even the poster does a good job of summarizing some of what was wrong with the situation, like the boys who impregnated the girls playing no role and just sort of sitting in the background looking dumb, and adults either being totally absent in the sea of pregnant girls or completely missing the important point: that kids really don't need to get pregnant and have children while they're still in high school. Let's just hope that the moral of the Lifetime movie isn't that everyone should be a Teen Mom. more ›

Ah, Jersey Shore. A mind-numbing yet strangely gripping television show about incredibly tan folks who drink, fight, and fuck an incredible amount. (At least it gave us a fun name generator.) more ›

It was feeling like a long time since we gave you a photo with color, so today’s photo of the day—from prettydreamyforagirlfromrhodeisland—is just that: dazzling, vivid orange tones that make this picture sparkle. We hope it brightens your day! more ›

The Boston Comics Roundtable recently published a new collection of comics, incorporating work from numerous local artists, each telling a portion of Boston's rich history. Whether dealing with history class events like Shays' Rebellion and Sacco & Vanzetti, or more obscure topics like the first duel on the Common, John Wilkes Booth's acting experience in the city, or the Athenaeum's book bound in human skin, the book is a fascinating collection of original takes on historical topics. more ›

We’ve seen quite a few photos of the American flag, but few have played so creatively with color and geometry. We like the way the red and white stripes on the flag fall parallel to the metal work and mimic its vertical flow. We like how punchy the flag colors are, especially compared to the surrounding matrix. Great composition, and nice eye, JHamel. more ›

with music from Eric Martin (of The Neats and The Illyrians) and Drew O’Doherty at 7; Bill Janovitz and Chris Colbourn of Buffalo Tom, as well as Franc Graham at 9:30 more ›

Bostonist Flickr group member kmacgray has today's photo of the day with a gorgeous image of ice, snow, and water. We love the desaturated, almost black-and-white look and the languid curves. It reminds us of why we secretly like winter in New England. more ›

As if being a Dresden Doll, putting on high school musicals, naked tweeting, making rad videos, and playing New Year's with the Boston Pops weren't enough, Amanda Palmer has gone and gotten engaged to Neil Gaiman. And last night, she was his date to the Golden Globes, where Gaiman's Coraline was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film (Up won). Never a retiring sort of lass, Palmer (partially) unclothed, then "died" (above) on the red carpet at the Golden Globes. more ›

This image by historygradguy first caught our attention because it reminded some of us of our morning commute, but then we looked closer and realized it's a pretty nice photo. We like the contrast of the shiny bike and black coat against the mottled gray ice. We like that it's well exposed, so we can see the gradations of white and gray. We also like the clean and simple composition. more ›

8pm, $10 more ›

Sunday, January 17 11:00 am, Porter Square Books PSB Book Club will be discussing Broccoli and Other Tales of Love and Food. Visit the Book Club page for more information. 1:30 pm, Boston Public Library *George Saunders and Ha Jin more ›

We'll close the week with a glimpse of the Hancock Tower and surrounding buildings by photographer Bryan Bruchman. Nice composition, with the buildings reaching towards the center from opposing corners of the frame. Best of all, this photo reminds us that sometimes the money shot requires us to crouch down and look up. more ›

RIBS is a dark rock band sometimes compared to Muse or Queens of the Stone Age—or, less often, Joy Division. Sunday night, RIBS will play with other rough-edged local acts at Church, creating an evening of deep sounds with a metal tinge. If you have Monday off work, there's no excuse for not rocking out all night. more ›

Cat Mooney saw Passion Pit and Magic Magic live at the House of Blues last week... and lived to tell about it. more ›

Conan O'Brien has apparently resorted to selling his talk show on Craigslist. It's "guaranteed to last for up to seven months" and has the following fun features: more ›

Naked Girls Reading, the burlesque event started last year in Chicago by Michelle L’amour and Franky Vivid, will come to Cambridge tomorrow night, the first event of its kind in greater Boston. The show's title leaves as little to the imagination as its participants will. Five women will read books to a crowd of people while completely naked. more ›

This strangely captivating shot by rezsox is a fine example of how contrasting tones and bizarre subject matter can make a photo. We like how the white snow plays off the dark, textured stone. The photographer could have worked with many different angles, but the straight ahead perspective immediately focuses and holds our attention. more ›

An ordinary, even mundane scene on Plum Island, off the northeast coast of Massachusetts, gets imbued with feeling in this photograph by GloryRays. Notice how the patchy snow and collapsed folding chairs connote a sense of emptiness, and the dark sky overhead looms low and heavy. Beautiful, moody composition. more ›

For the second day in a row, we’ll keep with the theme of anonymity in photographs. This one by Stephanie par Pitié positions the Blue Line passenger front and center, but keeps the details of his face obscured. There’s something surreal and eerie, almost Kubrick-like about the way this photo draws together the anonymous passenger, the mustard yellow tones, and the glaring, florescent word, Wonderland. more ›

You've seen East Bridgewater native Tom Everett Scott in the films That Thing You Do!, and Boiler Room, and on TV in "Philly," "Do Over," and "Saved." He currently has a recurring role on "Sons of Anarchy" as the bike club's counsel. The Bay Stater was in Boston last Thursday to attend a viewing party and answer questions about a certain series he starred in last year, which is making it back to TV tonight. more ›

Using the textured sign and red bench as framing devices allows photographer stephieseye to guide our eye to the pedestrian in the center. stephieseye also plays with anonymity here, not letting us see the person's upper body or face. We like the muted tones and solid composition. more ›

Three businesses that share a block on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain will host an open house tonight that they are calling the "Three Ring Social." The circus-themed event, sponsored by Station 8 Salon, Vee Vee restaurant, and hipster millinery Salmagundi, will feature free Pretty Things beer, a wine tasting, art openings, a live DJ, and chair massages. more ›

Monday, January 11 more ›

When we peeked into the glass storefront of the MEME Gallery near Central Square, a trio of folks was focused on the orange-capped figure intently stroking the wall with a colored pen. Bostonist was warmly greeted by the group and artist. more ›

Sticking with black and white, as we have been for the past few days, today's Photo of the Day offers a fresh angle on the Boston skyline: a shot from the Polish Partisans sculpture at the World Trade Center Silver Line stop in South Boston. [MackayPhotography] more ›

The Nave Gallery in Somerville, which has had a cool exhibit or two (and often features fun music at its openings), has a few calls for submissions that caught our attention. The deadline for all submissions is February 1 (with responses to artists by February 17), so get your materials together and start creating—or submitting. Different themes have different requirements (and may have entry fees), so check the Nave page for details. The three shows are as follows: more ›

In a somewhat innovative move, NBC has confirmed that Jay Leno will shift to an 11:35 time slot but be followed by Conan O'Brien at 12:05, then Jimmy Fallon at 1:05, shaking up the traditional 11:35 / 12:35 / 1:35 late-night lineup. It's not clear whether any show will continue to be marketed as the Tonight Show. NBC hosts the Olympics in February, which would have disrupted late-night programming anyway, leaving open an opportunity to change the lineup. Regardless, it sounds like both of our local comedians are secure at NBC... for now. more ›

Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art can hardly be called a bastion of modernism, but that is exactly what it looks like in this intriguing photo by Nathan Tia. We've been running a lot of architectural photography lately and were excited to see such an abstract, clean-lined example of the genre. more ›

EandJsFilmCrew was in Harvard Square before the new year and took a perfectly exposed shot of the Out of Town News stand. Taken with a DSLR and processed as a B&W, this shot shows a lot of dynamic range and good detail. more ›

Brian Matiash is one of our favorites when it comes to HDR photography. He came up with this photo during a solo photo walk through Boston's empty streets on New Year's Day. Lots of detail, lots of texture, and excellent use of lighting. more ›

The Onion reports on a situation gripping the nation (or at least a part of Somerville): the cat that won't die. Nineteen-year-old Socrates has ulcers, kidney problems, and some kind of eye infection that presumably makes his peepers weep with wisdom. Gooey wisdom. Yet he keeps on keeping on. Of his cat's closest brush with death, owner Brian Pressman noted, more ›

Book events were dwindling pretty sadly in December, but 2010 sees them back in full force, with everyone from Joseph Stiglitz to Raj Patel unleashing brainpower on Boston. Gear up for the new year by hitting the books... and then the bookstores... to spark some new ideas. Innovative events include a wine tasting, a mini-conference on climate change, and Joe Pernice's unique novel/soundtrack combo, so there's more than enough to entertain even the less literarily inclined. more ›