The Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square just annouced that it has some serious money problems. The 52 year-old moviehouse needs to raise $500,000 in the next two years or it will close its doors. Bostonist is no stranger to debt (hello, student loans), so we feel the Brattle's pain. The Brattle is not only an institution; it also shows great films that need to be seen on the big screen (like the current Greta...... [continue]

Remember when tattooing was illegal in Massachusetts? Ahahahaha. But seriously, every once and a while this town starts to feel wicked puritan. Luckily, we have Ray Aims, the Boston-based body-piercing performance artist. Tonight at Art Interactive, someone’s gonna get poked and laced live. Titled “Flesh and Foundation”, the performance will explore “the fine line between beauty and pain, structural integrity and decadence, the temporal and the seemingly infinite.” Part of Art Interactive’s Summer X... [continue]

Long before Being John Malkovich, Team America, and Avenue Q, there was a puppet master, and his name was Jim Henson. This year, the Jim Henson Company turns fifty, and the Brattle Theatre is celebrating with new 35mm prints of two of the best of the bunch- The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Now, Bostonist may not be Star Wars or Lord of the Rings movie trilogy kind of folk, but we are certainly Labyrinth... [continue]

Bostonist got up extra early this morning to tell our dear readers about the many fantastic events happening this evening, but then we turned on the news. Now, we’d really rather just go back to bed for awhile, but here’s a few suggestions that may be close to home, in case you don’t feel like traveling. Over in Allston, at Great Scott, great bands are rocking socks off tonight. The Constantines are teaming up with... [continue]

Republicans aren't the only thing to watch out for in Cambridge today. Apparently it's the season for exploding manholes, too. We're not really sure what constitutes an "exploding manhole", but we're pretty sure it's bad. The AP is reporting that an NStar equipment failure led to an underground fire around 3pm. Police closed Mass Ave. in Central Square and the Red Line is slow as molasses. Let's just hope you aren't one of the... [continue]

Free Doughnuts! Best Day Ever! Austinist deserves a thousand thanks for telling us about Doughnut Day at Krispy Kreme. We're sure the Prudential shop has a line all the way to library, but we're still going down there for a free caramel kreme crunch. Bostonist hopes other local eateries will join Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's and give away their sugar-packed fatty goodness at least once a year. We just wish they'd wait... [continue]

Bostonist's usual yard sale attendance has been way down this season, what with the rain and all, but that just means we have more money to drop at the fifth annual Punk Rock Flea Market this Saturday. From noon to six, Mass Art's gym turns into a crafty wonderland, with local record labels, screenprinters, and crafty citizens selling their original creations for the masses. Oh, and they have DJ's and a raffle for a... [continue]

Harvard's annual four day art festival, Arts First, starts tonight with an art walk to four of the dormitory galleries. This year includes over 200 events, from Japanese tea ceremonies and Shakespeare to Yo-Yos and jazz. Throw in a parade and a picnic, and we're sold. Maybe we'll even catch a glimpse of John Lithgow, the exceptionally tall founder of Arts First. Perhaps he'll be at the conversation and reading with this year's medalist,... [continue]

According to the Globe today, Boston's got itself it a coyote problem. Poor little Maggie, an 18 pound West Higland terrier was killed in her Jamaica Plain back yard. Bostonist often longs for a four-legged friend, but the thought of walking it overwhelms us, so we can't even fathom having to protect it from wild animals. According to Animal Control, coyotes are protected in the state, so we're stuck with the pesky critters. Unless...... [continue]

Bostonist had been overwhelmed by all the visual art happenings around town lately, and we're itching to make some art ourselves. Luckily, a bunch of like-minded folks are converging in Harvard Square Sunday for Chalk on the Walk. Local businesses are sponsoring blocks of sidewalk, which are then assigned (free) to artists to draw whatever they like. The Cambridge Rotary runs the event, and the proceeds go to a scholarship fund. Interested artists should... [continue]

Possibly the only thing Bostonians can agree on is that we're an opinionated bunch of people. And it seems these days like everyone Bostonist knows has a fancy digital camera and a constantly updated Flickr page. Which is why we're glad that the city of Boston is putting together a show of 375 Views of Boston, in celebration of the city's 375th birthday. Now's the time to teach your neighbors where the prettiest (or... [continue]

PAs Lounge is Somerville is fast becoming a favorite of Bostonist's. There's something about that big room that takes us back to the time of middle school dances in gymnasiums. This month at PAs, the calendar looks amazing. They've got a residency by BJ Snowden. Every Thursday night, BJ will be rocking the house with Fred Schneider-approved tunes like "In Canada". Snowden has been composing songs since she was three, and her mother still... [continue]

Bostonist is itching to get out of work today and go see this year's The Animation Show. We caught it last year and it renewed our faith in all things cartoon. Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead) and Don Hertzfeldt (Billy's Balloon) created the project to showcase the best of animation world. This year will feature, among others, a new short by Mr. Hertzfeldt (The Meaning of Life), an Academy Award nominee (Guard Dog) and...... [continue]

The Museum of Fine Arts has announced its upcoming exhibition schedule, which excludes what is sure to be another blockbuster show. The MFA is planning a large-scale swap with the Marikina Shoe Museum of the Philippines. The Shoe Museum opened in 2001, a project of legendary shoe collector Imelda Marcos. The museum's collection features hundreds of Marcos' gems, as well as traditional Philippine footwear and shoes of well-known figures. A spokesperson for the MFA... [continue]

What is about this time of year that makes us so mischievous? Is it just the long standing tradition of April fools jokes? Is it the emergence of somewhat decent weather? Or are we Evil? Maybe these aren't the questions MIT has in mind, but they are holding a summit on the topic of evil all day Sunday. They'll be chatting about ethics, politics, Ted Kaczynski, and the Church of Satan. Some Boston-area bloggers... [continue]

Poor John Paul II. The Pope did manage to appear at Easter Mass yesterday but was unable to speak. The Globe reports that "aides had brought a microphone to the Pope's mouth...he made a few sounds but was unable to pronounce any words." Many in the crowd were crying and applauding the Pope's efforts, which were obviously causing him pain. In the end the pontiff's Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sondano, delivered the pope's Easter... [continue]

Verizon is preparing to up the price of directory assistance Friday from 34 cents to $1.25. Even though customers will get ten free calls a month, the 267% increase is quite a rate hike. Lucky for Bostonians, we've got options. A North Carolina company is hope to profit from Verizon's new rate. 411Saver is offering directory assistance for 59 cents, but they won't connect your call. To lure customers, 411Saver is offering free directory... [continue]

It seems as if everyone is having cameras follow them these days, and Massachusetts judge's aren't being left out. A videographer has been hired to tape some "deficient" judges, so they can watch themselves in action and see how to improve performance. It's all part of a larger effort to improve our state's judges, in addition to some educational programs. Eight of the finest judges around have volunteered to do some taping to set... [continue]

Bostonist lost all faith in winter ever ending, so we're trying a new strategy. We're welcoming what's left of winter with open arms. Which is why we're happy Matt Pond PA is in town tonight. Forget that it's a college show (Chums at Brandeis) or that the band has been getting serious soundtrack time on the OC. They are not another Killers clone. These kids like nature. They play cello. And they can write... [continue]

As Bostonist readers may recall, the First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain went up in flames on January 18th, on one of those particularly frigid nights we'd rather forget. Pastor Ashlee Wiest-Laird hasn't forgotten. She is leading an effort to rebuild, even at an estimated cost of ten million dollars. The church suffered a similar fire back in 1975, and rebuild with money from bake sales. But they're trying some different things this time... [continue]