Acclaimed novelist, Amherst College graduate, and Harvard philosophy student David Foster Wallace committed suicide this weekend. Infinite Jest, perhaps his best known work, was set in Boston. Evan Fleischer provides commentary on the tragic event. "Camerado, I give you my hand." -- Whitman We met David Foster Wallace some six years ago when he was in town promoting Oblivion, a collection of short stories. There was a reading at the First Church in Harvard... [continue]

The Milky Way, Jamaica Plain's popular candlepin bowling bar and hangout, will close no later than next year, according to the Jamaica Plain Gazette. Bella Luna, its companion restaurant, will move to the Brewery Complex on Amory Street. The decision comes months after the Milky Way's co-owners spent $80,000 to install a sprinkler system to bring the nightclub up to Boston city code. The decision was motivated by a new lease and an enormous rent... [continue]

Boston loves seeing itself on top ten lists; every time we make a top ten list, we feel like a mighty juggernaut of a city. We are thrilled, therefore, that one of our own, alleged former head of the Winter Hill Gang and previous FBI Most Wanted fugitive James "Whitey" Bulger has made it to Forbes.com's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Bulger, who is the only American to make the list, is on the run... [continue]

Beauty and the Geek: When we first saw Jim from Bedford, he reminded us of a Furby because of his beard. And we demanded that he get a makeover because we wanted to see what was beneath the hair. Well, the CW granted Jim his--and our--wish about getting a makeover. Even though Jim and his partner, Tiffany, were booted before the makeover episode, the CW knew they had a good thing when they saw it,... [continue]

Much as the Dropkick Murphys are part of the Boston fabric, much like the marathon and the Red Sox, they might have stretched themselves a tad too far with their latest adventure. Red Sox Monster noted that they opened a sports bar today--McGreevy's 3rd Base Saloon at 911 Boylston. Fine and dandy. The Dropkick Murphys love the Sox, but the language of the release is remarkably Planet Hollywood: "The result is an unmatched Irish Pub... [continue]

Pizza is the quintessential cheap eats. A slice typically only costs a couple of bucks, and it's fast and portable. One slice, however, is often not enough, and you're left wanting more. At Pinocchio's in Harvard Square, however, one slice is filling, and two slices, for the low price of $3.95, makes a full meal. The Sicilian slices are hefty, especially if you snag a corner piece. The dough is crispy on the bottom... [continue]

--According to the Herald, the Commonwealth's Supreme Judicial Court ruled that, "Dancing nude in Harvard Square to protest the commercialization of Christmas is not a constitutionally protected act of self-expression," overturning a decision by a lower court to throw out a case against a local woman. The Herald doesn't have much background information about the defendant, except what they could obtain from a vague MySpace profile. [Boston Herald] --Police are investigating the dissapearance of... [continue]

Matt Ashare is leaving the Boston Phoenix. The Weekly Dig broke the news and seems happy, as, for once, [they're not the ones in the news for alt-weekly staff turnover. Apparently the shakeup happened because the Phoenix's music coverage wasn't keeping on top of the trends. Sam Baltrusis at Loaded Gun notes that things might have gotten a tad crusty over there: "The Phoenix has the exact same editorial lineup it did when I left... [continue]

Rami, Christian, and Jillian are all designer--and now household--names. But which one will prevail in this week's Project Runway fashion finale? Who will special guest judge Posh Spice deem most worthy of her fashion favor? Will knits prevail over feathers? Intricate weaving over knits? Floppy hats over Grecian dresses? Read on after the jump to find out!... [continue]

Bostonist tends not to eat at places with the word “junkyard” in their name, but when the food is as good as at Spike’s Junkyard Dogs, rules can be broken. Spike’s offers up hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, subs, salads, and wings (plus burgers at the Somerville and Boylston branches) that are quick, inventive, and delicious. The obvious order is a hot dog, but there are so many toppings to choose from. You can order... [continue]

Music Annie Clark went to Berklee, paid her indie-cred dues in Sufjan Stevens' touring band and the Polyphonic Spree, and named her solo project St. Vincent after a church where which she fell in love and the hospital where Dylan Thomas died. Her songs are chamber pop clad in synthesizers and charm. Middle East Downstairs, 8 pm, 18+, $12. Carnal Carnival Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys know how to throw a... [continue]

Veggiest Quick Hits -- Happy Valentine's Day! For us being vegan is all about the love. We love our bodies and want to keep them healthy and strong and free of animal products. We love the environment and want to protect it from the extremely destructive practices of factory farming. We love animals and don't want to see them mistreated. You'll most certainly be doing your heart a favor. Heart disease is still one... [continue]

James McBride, Song Yet Sung Friday, February 8, 2008 7:00 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church 1991 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140 Sponsored by Porter Square Books In an interview with Time magazine following her 1988 Pulitzer Prize win, Toni Morrison described thinking of Beloved as "the least read of all the books I'd written because it is about something that the characters don't want to remember, I don't want to remember, black people don't want... [continue]

Here comes red meat for the Weekly Dig's Media Farm: Yesterday the Globe decided to share the holiday cards it received with the public and show just how uncool the great unwashed really are. In fact, whoever put the slide show together said as much: "You may not have received Christmas and other holiday cards from the likes of Caroline Kennedy, Bob Kraft, NASCAR, and the Red Sox -- but we did." Now we're... [continue]

Everybody's making "best of" lists at this time of year, but who's in charge of making a list of these best of lists? Well, nobody really, so we've put ourselves in charge and assembled a list of the "best books" lists of 2007. Nobody really needs another list, but a compilation of lists--and determining what's best according to all lists--is something helpful that nobody else really does. Bostonist has checked out several "best of" book... [continue]

Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys Saturday, October 20, 8:00 pm Lizard Lounge Official Site Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys, last seen on Bostonist during the closing of Somerville's Sky Bar and the Great Lowell Cable Access Television Fiasco of 2007, will be bringing their experimental goth-rock to the Lizard Lounge. Their website promises that they combine "music, shenanigans, toys, and voice to make an organic industrial texture-core Death-folk ride...... [continue]

Junot Díaz will read at the Brattle Theatre on Wednesday, September 12, at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $5 and are available through Harvard Book Store. Some books are interesting. Some books are memorable. Some books may eventually win prizes. And then there are the books that, one day, will be taught in classrooms as an example of how writing is really done. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by author and MIT prof Junot...... [continue]