----------BEGIN TRANSMISSION---------- Gumshoes: Listen up. We have an important mission for you. Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, is missing. New England media is asking questions. Fans are gettin' nervous. It's up to you to find him. The dossier: Thomas Brady. Grew up in California. Attended Michigan. Plays in New England. Cavorts in New York. Likes knit caps, Stetson, white flowers, cowboy boots, and throwing touchdown passes. Keep your eyes peeled for a......

It's unfortunate that yesterday's Herald gave huge play to a superficial analysis of Detroit's casinos and their similarity to Governor Deval Patrick's gambling vision. Bostonist was tough on the piece, which made up for its lack of evidence with a few anecdotes and general confusion. Meanwhile, today's dispatch from the Motor City by Dave Wedge is substantial and nuanced---and buried alive under a host of Patriots stories that the Herald willed into existence. Wedge......

There's nothing like a loud, baseless Herald story to get the morning started right. Today's tabloid trumps Heath Ledger's death with, "BUSTED! Deval Casino Plan's Just Like Michigan's... And They Lost $10M Last year." This Bostonist happens to be wearing a Detroit Tigers cap and sweatshirt as we type this, but we don't need Michigander bias to be dismayed by the lack of evidence in their piece. The story's only statistic-backed argument is that......

Riding high from his Michigan victory and the continued defeats of rival Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney is on a tear through Florida, and he's trying to connect with the young people. Unfortunately, Romney's pop culture references are stuck as far back in time as his well-preserved face. He buddied up with African-American teens and tried to sling lingo that he thought they would like. In fact, he uttered the immortal line, "Who Let the Dogs......

The state of Michigan has performed CPR on the flagging presidential campaign of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, according to MSNBC and CNN. He is the projected winner of the state's primary. John McCain came in second. Maybe it was Romney's Michigan roots? Maybe it was his business experience? Maybe it was Muffy? Maybe it was the MittGram? He needed this one. It was obvious from the banner on his official campaign homepage, which......

--Alexander Pring Wilson, who was convicted of manslaughter for the 2003 stabbing of Michael Colono in Cambridge and then tried again, has pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He will serve two years and one day. [Boston Globe] --The three men behind Massachusetts Care International, which was accused of using its money to fund writings that supported Islamic militant groups, were found guilty yesterday of conspiracy to defraud the United States. [Boston Globe] --A woman......

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential aspirant Romney is putting his New England Spanking behind him and focusing entirely on winning the Michigan primary. He has pulled advertising from South Carolina and Florida and is going whole hog. Michigan seems to be loving the attention, at least according to the AP. Writer Glen Johnson declared that Romney received a "Hero's Welcome." But it's still not the kind of welcome Romney was expecting only a few weeks......

The Celtics won their 24th game last night! That's what mathemeticians call a "significant figure", because they won 24 games last season. That was along with 58 losses, compared with 3 this year. So they theoretically could go 1-54 the rest of the way and still show improvement. But that won't work. They need to keep winning like they did last night in Seattle. The evening began as the Ray Allen Show; Ray spent several......

While on Meet the Press, when Tim Russert wasn't waving flip-flops in his face, Mitt Romney got teary when recalling the time in 1978 when he learned the Mormon church would accept black people. Some news outlets focused on the crying, such as the Boston Herald and Boston Daily. (At least one black Mormon wasn't impressed with the show because Romney didn't apologize for the church's discrimination.) Bostonist shrugged and figured all politicians have......

Our neighbor, New Hampshire, is indulging in primary one-upmanship by moving its presidential primary up to January 8 to beat Michigan's January 15 date. For Boston, this means an endless parade of presidential candidates on television, a lot sooner than we're used to now that the states are trying to get a slice of the money the primaries will bring. The early primaries force the candidates to put the pedal to the medal and automatically......

Few things in this state offer so much buildup with so little payoff as Plymouth Rock. It's famous, it's historic (well, kind of), it's enclosed in a grand and stately pavilion, and people run towards it with eyes aglow and camera readied, and...it's a rock. In some sand. It's not even a particularly big rock. And for a few months next spring, Plymouth Rock will be even more disappointing. It will be put in a......

Authorial Intent is Bostonist's wrap-up of readings around the city. Thursday, October 18 Joan Blades, 6:30 pm, Rabb Auditorium, Boston Public Library, Ford Hall Forum Series. Blades is the cofounder of moveon.org, and she's got a lot on her mind besides "General Betray-Us," which Congress gnawed on like they had nothing better to do. She'll be talking about momsrising.org, her organization that pushes for more rights for moms and families. Saturday, October 20 Frank, Mark,......

Revenge of the Book Eaters will take place on Wednesday, September 26th, at the Berklee Performance Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For ticket info, visit 826 Boston's website. This fall, the latest branch of 826 National, the series of fantasy stores/writing centers created by author Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari, will open in Egleston Square. Students will be able to explore the wonders of cryptozoology at the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute, and then......

No lead is safe against the Yankees. In case 100 years of bitter history hadn't taught you that, the fiasco on Friday night illustrated the need to jump on them, as soon as possible, and stay there. These guys have more lives than horror-movie villains. The Sox apparently remembered that lesson sometime between Friday night and Saturday afternoon, as they used a Josh Beckett masterpiece and a barrage of timely hitting to rout the Yanks,......

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a......

--Since we got accused of having dirty minds with yesterday's post about the "penis for lunch" sign in Dedham, we wondered what you would think of a post about "illegal dumping." No, it's not that kind of dumping. Geez! We're not that bad. Two men were caught dumping "carpeting, trash, and metal debris" in East Boston. The mayor announced that the city put surveillance cameras near the Chelsea Creek when it got too messy. If......

Today it seems like anyone can get an honorary degree. Even Pats owner Robert Kraft got one at this year's UMass-Boston graduation. But some honorary degrees get sticky. For example, twenty years ago, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe received an honorary degree at UMass. Today, UMass trustees are reconsidering their decision today. According to the Globe, "the Undergraduate Student Senate at UMass-Boston unanimously passed a request to retract the degree." And for good reason. Although he......

"Get to Know Us By Filling in the __ : An Evening of Literary & Musical Entertainment" will be from 6 to 9 pm tonight, May 23, at 647 Boylston Street. Clear your calendars because 826 Boston, the soon-to-be-opened Massachusetts division of the writing school that started in San Francisco, is holding its inaugural fundraiser. "Get to Know Us By Filling in the __ : An Evening of Literary & Musical Entertainment" promises to get......

According to Massachusetts is so blue that you can't tell if it's blue or black. We're not really sure what exactly that means. The Daily Show recapped the Republican debate and provided no fewer than three segments to dig into Mitt Romney. Perhaps it's a sign that the statesman from Massachusetts (and Utah, and Michigan, and…) is a front runner worthy of ridicule. But perhaps it's what we've known for a while: it's the little......

-- If ever there was a night the Red Sox would want to play Toronto, Tuesday was it. The Blue Jays, who have become an AL East Achilles Heel of sorts for the Sox, had lost six straight heading into the game at the Rodgers Center. Josh Beckett was set to go for his seventh win of the season. Manager Terry Francona was on the cusp of his 300th win leading Boston. Almost seemed too......

It seems like just yesterday that we were reading articles about the Sox home-field advantage, the way the team lights up the ballpark when they make it home to Yawkey Way. After Tuesday's 14-3 slaughter of the Mariners, Sox fans made their way into Fenway Park with cameras (lots and LOTS of cameras with very bright flashes) and the hopes that that advantage and the much-hyped Matsuzaka/Ichiro showdown would make for memorable baseball. It was......

The Bruins had their last game after flaming out so spectacularly toward the end of the season. They took on Ottawa and did what they do best - they lost, 6 to 3. When the Celtics are fighting harder than you are, you know it's time to hang it up. Coach Dave Lewis offered his typically cheerful thoughts on the season finale: "It's an awful feeling to play the last game of the year in......

Last week the Globe ran an op-ed by Robert Kuttner. He rented a Pontiac around Christmas and was real disappointed. His account of his experience was peppered with declarations like "So what's wrong with GM? The cars. GM is famous for being run by bean counters and ad men. Toyota is run by engineers." He goes on to cite American engineering feats like the iPod as an example to support his assertion that Americans can......

We can’t think much about all the fun outdoor concerts that are in store for the rest of the summer with all the rain we’ve been getting. Hours and hours of inches and inches of rain make us in the mood for some grilled cheese and tomato soup. When we’re done with the homey, comfy meal, we’re off to catch some music – the only other thing besides a good dose of cheese that......

Last week, mailboxes in Bostonist’s Somerville neighborhood started to get copies of a one-page letter, announcing the existence of one "Daily Museum of Amazement." “Hi,” the letter began. “My name is Raj, and I live on Newton Street. I’ve started a collaborative museum that centers around this neighborhood, and I’d like to invite you to contribute to it.” The letter went on to invite neighborhood residents to call a number and leave messages describing “things......

Boy oh boy, Mitt is really pulling out all the stops these days. After announcing he wouldn't seek reelection because he'd accomplished everything he set out to do, the governor tells the Globe today that the liberal Massachusetts media unfairly characterize him as conservative, and tells the Herald he wishes he'd never run for office in this dumb Commonwealth anyway. Um, thanks, Guv. That really gives us a lot of faith that your heart will......

Bostonist seldom delves as deeply into the weather as our big siblings at Gothamist, not least of all because we don't have a trained meteorologist on staff. One thing we do have, though, is someone who observes our city's pavement from close up. Based on these observations, it appears that, just as snow and its accompanying fender-benders have definitively arrived, so too have potholes. Usually, "pothole season" is said to begin with the spring thaw,......

Our Senator may have lost the presidential race, but Massachusetts is nevertheless solidifying its control over the rest of the country: Our old pal Bill Weld is getting more press coverage than he has in years as New York Republicans consider whether to nominate him if their current governor, George Pataki, doesn't run again. The New York Times tells us that Weld, who now lives in Manhattan, has been looking to get back into politics......

A woman was hit by a beer can on Saturday morning, then a bicycle. Both items were reportedly thrown off a third story roof by a 17 year-old from Acton. Getting hit with a beer can is one thing, but a bicycle? Bostonist is a little curious about this line from the AP report: The woman's boyfriend told police that the couple was walking in front of an apartment building in the city's Allston neighborhood......