From the group that brought you a flash mob pillow fight on the Common in the middle of December... The Banditos Misteriosos are back with a new adventure up their collective sleeve: Boston's First Silent Dance Experiment. On this Saturday, February 23rd at 1:00 p.m. tourists and Bostonians walking by the Sam Adams Statue in front of Faneuil Hall will be treated to a unique sight when hundreds of people hit play on their......

Upstairs was the teeming Cambridge Common; outside, the usual smokers' conversations. "Dude, you spit on my nachos." "No, I spit next to your nachos." And downstairs, Opera Boston Underground had returned to the Lizard Lounge for another well-attended performance. Proximity has a way of making up for bar-basement acoustics. Lacking any substantial musical education, this particular Bostonist has always enjoyed hearing such oversized sounds coming from human mouths, and this was the first time......

Yesterday, the BPD released its daily announcements after Bostonist wrapped up its own blotter list. Many, many thanks to commenter Middleman for pointing out the following instances of criminal minds at work: Exhibit A involves a gentleman who earns points for being an honest perp. When pulled over for running a red light, he admitted that everything police found in the car--a gun, a crack pipe, and Ritalin sans prescription--was his. But he was too......

--MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas has received plenty of angry e-mails in his time, and should be able to take some serious heat. But he is furious about an e-mail from a Department of Corrections employee that got way too personal. Grabauskas is gay, and the e-mailer used anti-gay slurs about Grabauskas when describing MBTA service. Now Grabauskas is upset with Deval Patrick and his administration for not doing something about it sooner. The......

Music --The Magnetic Fields, on Valentine's Day? Could anything be better for a first date, or any sort of date? They even work well for a broken heart. Well, only if you got tickets in time. Check the Craig, as this one is a hot ticket. Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, 8:00 pm, $27.50. Good luck getting in! --Drown your Valentine's Day sorrows with a night of indie rock and dancing at Viva Viva's Valentine's......

Opera Boston Underground "Quickies" Tonight, doors at 7:00 p.m. (Bostonist suggests getting in line early), show at 7:30 p.m. Lizard Lounge (1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge) $8 cover, 21+ Opera Boston Underground is the casual, subterranean branch of Opera Boston (whose smart, cute Semele we enjoyed earlier this month) and tonight they return to the Lizard Lounge for a handful of semi-staged mini-operas, with three libretti (and one score) by the late Gian Carlo Menotti. A......

--Four people, among them three juveniles, have been arrested for the fatal shooting of a man in Cambridge at Windsor and Howard Friday night. The victim was 18-year-old Lucien Christalin, of Mattapan. A spokesperson for the Middlesex DA said "the victim and shooter knew each other." [Boston Herald, Cambridge Chronicle] --The BPD swept the Boston Common, aka Deval's Front Yard, and made 10 arrests. [BPD News] --Police nabbed a notorious sex offender at a motel......

--A possible idea for Banditos Misteriosos? It might beat No Pants 2K8, if only for the reason that your bare thighs wouldn't have to touch any part of an MBTA car. [b0st0n LiveJournal] --Barstool Sports has no love for Arlen Specter now that Specter is mucking around with VideoTapeGate. A sample line: "Next up on the agenda, investigating the role of WWF referees in world title victory by Andre the Giant over Hulk Hogan in......

One of the better deals for parking in Boston just got a little worse. The garage underneath the Boston Common is raising its rates effective March 1, the Herald reports. Evening and weekend rates will rise to $11. The weekday rate will go up to $27. Then again, the rates remain much better than your other options. Many garages in the city charge $6 after 20 minutes, so $27 for a weekday rate isn't awful,......

First Night Monday, December 31 Everywhere (see below) All outdoor events are free. All indoor events are accessible with a First Night button ($15) Official First Night site Wizard-rockers Harry and the Potters will bring the magic to the First Night proceedings. At first, Bostonist was skeptical because, although the masses love their Harry Potter, that gimmick was bound to get old. And then we were thrilled to discover that they play straight-up, fuzzy......

First Night Film Festival Monday, December 31 All movies will screen in Room 312 of the Hynes Convention Center, except for the Dylan at Newport feature, which will be in Hall D. All indoor events are accessible with a First Night button ($15) Official First Night site First Night usually inspires thoughts of fireworks, ice sculptures, and outdoor activities. But movies are First Night's secret weapon because a) the lineup of movies is great and......

First Night Monday, December 31 Everywhere (see below) All outdoor events are free. All indoor events are accessible with a First Night button ($15) Official First Night site Artists use the cold weather to their advantage with ice sculptures. The sculptures will be on the Common starting at 1:00 pm until midnight. You can look at a frozen version of Florida courtesy of Donald Chapelle, an American eagle that would make Stephen Colbert proud, and......

A flash pillow fight went down at Boston Common yesterday afternoon, courtesy of the Banditos Misteriosos. Maria Varmazis took some great photos of the pillow fight. Some people took the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon approach: While others hid their Pillow Power under a tender Hello Kitty disguise: She has plenty more of feathers flying over at Flickr. If this is the first flash event from Banditos Misteriosos, then bring on more of them! Photos courtesy......

First Night Monday, December 31 Everywhere in Boston (see below) All indoor outdoor events are free. All outdoor indoor events are accessible with a First Night button ($15) Official First Night site First Night has been preparing to ring in the New Year. Revelers can enjoy all the First Night outdoor events, such as the ice sculptures and the fireworks, for free. But they'll need to pick up a button to attend the indoor events,......

Some Bostonists found out about this the hard way--by actually being on the green line and having our drivers announce "last stop Government Center"--but the Green Line is closed between Park Street and Kenmore Square this morning after two trolleys collided at Boylston. One trolley rear-ended a stopped trolley, and one car derailed, according to the Globe. Not only were legions (including some Bostonists) made late for work, but the Globe reports nine people complained......

--This week, Spatch revealed that he has been living with a celebrity and has been hiding it from the world all this time. [Derspatchel] --Joel Brown is puzzled over the Attorney General's decision that the Citi Center was "generally consistent" with other charities when it came to the money it gave to its CEO. [HubArts] --Men will soon have access to Manolos. And the leopard-print sandals are insane! [On Common Ground] --Carrying your own bag......

The game was tucked in the dark corner of the Cambridge Common last night, away from the lamp-lined paths and trees covered with Christmas lights. From afar, it looked like some kind of goofy science project: a pair of lights darting back and forth in the night. But when you approached the field and saw the players, you realized that it was something even more bizarre. Those floating lights were frisbees. The Illuminated Frisbee Nighttime......

--Veterans come home, but the trauma of war follows them. [Boston Globe] --The story behind the sculpture of an Iraqi soldier made out of 70,000 ball bearings. [Blue Mass Group] --Veterans Day closings for Monday. The Globe put liquor stores second on its printed list, third on the online list. Just so you know, liquor stores are open. [Boston Globe] --Ratings for local talk radio are sucking, and local radio stations are trying to......

Movember madness continues with Bostonist taking great leaps to link the Top Ten Mustaches of all time with our own fine city. Bet you never knew we had so many mustache connections, even beyond Wade Boggs. 1. Burt Reynolds Mr. Reynolds has apparently played a Boston policeman in not just one but two ridiculous movies you've never heard of. Score two for the force! 2. Tom Selleck Tom Selleck went out on a limb to......

--After a series of positive experiences, Urban Paramedic has reconsidered the Guardian Angels: "People may disagree over the value of Guardian Angel patrols, but they certainly deserve credit for believing in what they do." --The Food Monkey has an epiphany thanks to Jacoby Ellsbury's winning a free taco for America. --On Common Ground evaluates the Globe's choices for this year's Top 25 Most Stylish People and finds this year's list to be an improvement over......

Bostonist saw today's "Rolling Rally," featuring the players riding duck boats across the city and relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon dancing to the Dropkick Murphys, from two different vantage points--near the Common and at the Hynes Convention Center. Everyone clearly enjoyed themselves, especially Papelbon: Wherever you were along the parade route, it was simply madness. Of course, the Red Sox faithful turned out in their jerseys. Hundreds of little kids skipped school. College students sat down......

Be prepared to take a long lunch break tomorrow. Mayor Menino has announced that Red Sox celebration festivities will begin tomorrow at noon. Bostonist watched the WBZ webcast of Mayor Menino giving the details. The players will be riding in duck boats in a repeat of 2004's "rolling rally." Menino said that the parade will follow the same route as it did in 2004. Here's an image of last year's route from the Globe.......

Rally for Barack Obama Parkman Bandstand Boston Common Tuesday, October 23, 6:30 pm Now that Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has made the difficult choice of whom to endorse for president, he's ready to celebrate. Patrick's pick for Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, will stop in Boston for a little party for the people tonight. However, Obama is traveling with Secret Service, so security will be tight. Rally participants can't bring bags, signs, or banners. If......

Mighty Mighty Bosstones December 26-30, 7:30 Middle East Details on tickets in post Bosstones MySpace site Common November 10 UMass-Boston, Clark Athletic Center FREE Yo La Tengo November 15, 9:30 pm Museum of Fine Arts, Remis Auditorium, $25 Better hope you have some money in your wallet because there's some huge acts that are on their way. First off, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones are reuniting at the Middle East for a "Hometown Throwdown." Tickets go......

- Two men are on the lam after an attempted carjacking in broad daylight on the Mass Pike. The suspects jumped into the back seat of a car waiting in line for the Allston-Brighton toll. When they arrived at the booth the driver alerted the attendant to the carjacking while being "pistol-whipped" with a handgun. The car hit another and then stopped, at which time the two men fled and have yet to be......

Bostonist loves ourselves some opera, but sometimes theaters and and concert halls and opera houses all seem too obvious. In a city where you can get it with your oysters, or your popcorn, you should be able to get it with your beer: this is why Opera Boston Underground is inevitable. Combining a cozy subterranean venue (the Lizard Lounge, under the Cambridge Common restaurant at 1667 Mass. Ave.), a negligible cover ($8), and an impeccably-curated......

Dear Lola, Oh, Lola, how could you? You incurred the wrath of Gawker and left local bloggers puzzled as to what you were about, you coy little vixen! You claim to be the Boston Globe's new fashion magazine. You claim to be Boston's newest best friend. You resemble Louise Brooks, but shrunk down into the size of the old TV Guide. You seem so harmless at first glance. But we've discovered that you're a little......

You may not have noticed since they've been largely under the radar, but the Boston Film Festival starts this weekend at the AMC Loews Boston Common, and they have some good movies. The Boston Film Festival website has the full schedule, and Bostonist has pulled out some highlights: Lars and the Real Girl, Saturday, September 15, 7:30-9:30 Have you ever wondered what might happen if a fella bought a blow-up doll and actually fell in......

--Forget Kate Hudson and Steve Martin. Richard Simmons stopped by Fox 25 this morning and would not stop hogging the camera. If you wanted to watch the news or the weather, Richard Simmons was there, talking about the weatherperson's "biscuit" (she's pregnant) or running in front of the camera. VB looked a little frightened by the whole thing, if you ask us. Don't be surprised if you see Simmons sweatin' to the oldies on the......

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston's firefighters bent over backwards all week long - first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else - like Tom......