--Violent revelers turned a party for "Girls Gone Wild" at Aria on Tremont Street into a full-on fracas early this morning: "Two people were shot, a state trooper broke his arm and a Boston police officer was in a cruiser crash." A brawl involving 20 to 35 people swinging champagne bottles broke out, and then one armed man started firing into the crowd. [Boston Herald, BPD News] --Police are looking for a former student at......

Console yourselves, people. Go out tonight. Puppetry! The Bread and Puppet Theater launches a run of several projects at the Cyclorama, including The Divine Reality Comedy, the "family-friendly" The Divine Reality Comedy Circus, and a "cheap art" show. And, yes, there will be bread--rye brad with garlic aioli, to be precise. Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama, 539 Tremont St., South End. Runs through February 10. Movies The Coolidge Corner Theater is celebrating the......

Given our current state of divisive affairs - debate about the war, the ever-intensifying drama between presidential candidates, New York versus Boston - it's somewhat nice to know that there's one thing the vast majority of the American people can agree on: we're in The Office withdrawal. It's unclear at the present how long we will remain unified as one nation missing Michael Scott, given that the Writers Guild of America and the majors are......

--Three firefighters were injured in a blaze in Weymouth. At first, officials suspected arson because the home was about to be sold, but they've since declared it accidental. [WBZ] --Firefighters could use a dose of good PR, but it's not coming. On the heels of cheating accusations, some firefighters are under suspicion of boosting their disability pensions by claiming their injuries took place when they were filling in for higher-paid superiors. [Boston Globe] --In a......

This is probably like preaching to the choir because of course all Bostonist readers promptly shovel their sidewalks. But, in light of City Councilor Chuck Turner's claim that he wasn't going to shovel his sidewalk because people in his neighborhood didn't walk on them (!!!), it's even more important to shovel because the disabled are having a hard time getting around. Andrea Estes at the Globe does some old-school citizen journalism on the Neighborhood......

Bostonist is looking back on the year in weird, silly, or just plain creative crimes. Yesterday, you met some pugnacious bowlers, but you haven't seen anything until you meet a certain postal employee, overeager college students, and an exceptionally creative gravedigger. 7. Going Postal. A postal worker didn’t honor her profession when she nearly hit a detail officer. Police realized why. She was driving while on the cell phone and "with a cigarette in one......

Bostonist is looking back on the year in weird, silly, or just plain creative crimes. We'll be counting down the top 10 over the next few days so you can find out just how wild it gets around here. Today's list includes produce, assault-inducing donuts, and Big Lebowski references galore. 10. Making the Onions Grow. The Northeastern Crime Blotter is chock-full of youthful indiscretions, and one young man peed all over a stack of onions......

Beauty and the Geek: For the next-to-last episode, the teams traveled to wine country for an "I Love Lucy" challenge. They had to pick grapes, stomp them, and bottle grape juice--while tied to each other. Despite the disturbing sight of Big Dave and Little Jasmine hunkered over each other while stomping grapes, the pair won the challenge, prepared three bottles of grape juice laced with Eau de Foot, and guaranteed themselves a spot in the......

Wednesday, November 14 Jonah Lehrer, Harvard Book Store, Proust Was A Neuroscientist, 7:00 pm, Harvard Book Store Lehrer, a Rhodes scholar and writer/line cook/lab tech, dives into works of classic literature and art and finds out how each work beat neuroscientists at determining how the mind works. Check out Bostonist's interview with Lehrer. Thursday, November 15 David Michaelis, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith Michaelis is the biographer of Charles Schulz, the creator of "Peanuts." Imagine our......

Boston city councilors Stephen Murphy and John Connolly aren't the only ones who have to learn how to get along. City councilor Chuck Turner, he of the stunning goatee, will also need to learn how to get along with Northeastern University, or vice versa depending which side you're on. Before the city council elections, Turner was angry with the school for not treating the neighborhood he represents with enough respect. He didn't mince words on......

We're a day late on Authorial Intent, our wrap-up of the week's readings. That's largely because we were talking to two of the authors who will be in town tomorrow night, which seems to be the night that the stars aligned and all writers thought it would be a good idea to visit Boston. So, without further adieu … Thursday, October 11--Today, Super Thursday! Robert Reich, 6:00 pm, Swedenborg Chapel (via Harvard Book Store), 50......

--Any reader of crime logs must admit that Northeastern University generates some of the most entertaining crime logs known to humanity. A crime log is not judged on the amount of mayhem listed (though it is good to know what is going on in one's neighborhood, don't walk along at night, etc.) but by the sheer stupidity of the crime involved. And Northeastern students know how to deliver. They've given us an incident worthy of......

"Authorial Intent" is Bostonist's fledgling attempt to wrap up all the readings in Greater Boston. Steve Almond, Thursday, September 13, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith. Read Bostonist's interview with Steve Almond. His latest book is named (Not that You Asked). Rest assured, if you ask, Almond will answer. In great and glorious detail. Brookline Booksmith's latest e-mail blast warns that, if you plan on attending, you better bring candy if you know what's good for you.......

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren't many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and......

School's just started, and already two freshmen at Northeastern University were busted for selling weed out of their dorm room on Sunday. As a matter of fact, one of the sellers must have been stoned out of his mind because he leaned out his window and shouted in public that his roommate was selling pot if students needed any. Plainclothes BPD officers were right there. Matthew Ferrante is the alleged seller, and Michael Emery will......

Watch your back MIT, the nerds across the river are gaining ground. The Rubik's "Magic" Cube achieved instant classic status when it was introduced in 1980. There's probably one, unsolved, somewhere in your house right now. There are, of course, some people who have mastered the secret patterns of twists and turns that will solve the puzzle quickly – computer scientists at Northeastern have managed to create a method to put all sides to single......

Shot in the Hood will screen with "Bullet Full of Knowledge," "Streets 2 Suites," and "The Maggot" on Friday, August 3, at 6:00 pm at the Cabral Center at the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute, Northeastern University. The Roxbury Film Festival is running from now through Sunday at various venues around town. Check the Roxbury Film Festival's website for a schedule and details. "Shot in the Hood," showing at the Roxbury Film Festival, comes from......

--We're not saying Northeastern University students like to urinate on stuff. But first it was the onions, and then it was the time-honored closet of the roommate. The NU crime log says, An intoxicated 20-year-old male student walked into his roommate's bedroom in West Village A, urinated in his closet and returned to his own bed. He will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. We just find it interesting......

We can't get the image of the neon red lights invading Kramer's apartment in the episode of Seinfeld when Kenny Rogers Roasters opened up a joint right outside his bedroom window. The affliction for Northeastern University residents in the proposed building wouldn't be the sleepless nights, apartment trading, and addiction to rotisserie chicken, rather perverse Village People nightmares as the YMCA sign flashes into the evening. If approved, the GrandMarc, a proposed 34 story......

--We're starting with the comic relief because, well, the rest ain't pretty. The Northeastern University Crime Log reports a man who up and peed all over a stack of onions at the Symphony Market. What did the onions do to him? Naturally, the manager took umbrage, and the offender happened to leave his Northeastern ID behind. NUPD tracked the peeing perp down at his residence hall. The Symphony Market manager must be a nice guy......

This week is officially Bike Week. Regular commuters, part time enthusiasts, friends, and allies of bikers will be donning their helmets (please put on your helmet) and taking to the streets to celebrate a great form of human powered transportation. While many events take place from Boston to NoHo we're focusing our attention on those happening close to home. Free biker appreciation breakfasts and group rides have been organized. Check out the full listing at......

Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj is the kind of love-it-or-hate-it college movie that will split the population of Boston moviegoers. A large chunk of them - the college students who flow in and out of the universities - will love the beer-soaked parties. The others - namely residents who dread the arrival of said rowdy students - will quake at the prospect of yet another movie that applauds collegiate partying. However, two......

Wonkette.com reports rumors that Al Gore is "on the shortlist" for presidency of Northeastern University. Gore could bring the "big name" to help with jumpstart fundraising at the school where the fundraising has been in a slump. Deans and professors really are the academic backbone to the University machine – the post of President is largely regarded as a handshaking titular head, responsible for bringing in the bucks. Current President of Northeastern, Richard M. Freeland,......

After all the attention over James Frey’s “memoir” scandal last week, Bostonist was ready to throw in the towel and just concentrate on reality television. But then we started reading about some upcoming author events and remembered that we do in fact, like to read. So, in honor of finding the joy of reading again, we’ve decided to help you all get back on the book wagon again with a Bostonist contest. Author Siri Hustvedt......

Yesterday, a story hit the wire about the location of the Commonwealth’s most hazardous communities. The 59 page report was authored by Northeastern University sociology professor Daniel R. Faber and Eric J. Krieg, a professor at Johnson State College in Vermont and showed that 24 of the 30 most environmentally hazardous sites in the Bay State also had communities that were 25 percent or more non white. Bostonist can’t help but think about a memo......

While the Patriots get closer to Superbowl Sunday, the city of Boston is in preparation as well for the big day. Last night, Mayor Menino met with local police and university administration to discuss preventing more game-related rioting. He plans on putting an 600 more police officers in "key places" (i.e. Kenmore Square, Faneuil Hall, and the Northeastern University area) throughout the city, along with a no-tolerance policy for those involved in any sort......