Books --Charles Bock's Beautiful Children isn't as delicate as it sounds. A couple reels after their child vanishes in the Las Vegas desert--only it's so, so much more than that, and it's received a flood of attention. The Globe thought Bock threw too much into his debut, but everyone seems to agree that he's ambitious. Brookline Booksmith, 7:00 pm, free. Speaking of free, he's letting you download the book without dropping a single dime.......

Harvard LoveFest: Science is Sexy Cambridge Queen's Head Pub, Harvard Square Noon As the old saying goes, "Valentine's Day at Harvard is like Father's Day at an orphanage." In other words, the geeks just don't get the girls (or guys, for that matter). Fortunately for the beaker-bearing types, a group of determined Harvard students has decided to change that. Today's Valentine's LoveFest, organized by a group of science-minded Harvard students called Zing, will feature stimulating......

After freezing our buns off outside Casa Lampoon, while 'Pooners were slinging T-shirts and crackers at the crowd, only to be told that Paris Hilton was late, we're glad that we weren't the only ones who missed out on seeing the Queen of Wine in a Can.* The BPD denied a group of rowdy fans the opportunity to see Ms. Hilton early this morning on Warrenton Street: As officers were attempting to move traffic and......

Cloverfield whupped on its competition at the box office this weekend and set a record for January. As Reel Hub noted on Friday, people couldn't decide if they loved it or hated it, which means the movie was at least interesting. 27 Dresses seemed like the kind of movie Julia Roberts would have turned down back in the days when she was shooting all those bridal movies like Runaway Bride and My Best Friend's Wedding.......

"Authorial Intent" is Bostonist's roundup of reading events in the area. All events are free unless otherwise noted. Thursday, November 1 Alice Medrich, 7:00 pm, Brookline Booksmith Not in the mood for candy corn but still craving something sweet? Alice Medrich, aka the "Queen of Chocolate," will inspire your palate in a discussion of her book Pure Dessert: True Flavors, Inspiring Ingredients, and Simple Recipes. Friday, November 2 Paula Kamen, 3:00 pm, Harvard Book Store.......

Twins ace Johan Santana only made it five innings, but that was more than enough to send the Red Sox bats into a tizzy from which they never recovered. The Minnesota bullpen, if anything, was sharper than the starter, and the result was a 2-1 loss and the waste of a very good outing from Sox starter Julian Tavarez. Tavarez went six, giving up only four hits and two runs, while striking out seven. But......

Bostonist would much rather sit in an obstructed view right field seat behind a sign-wielding fan gabbing on his cell phone than trade in Fenway Park for a newer model. Whenever Tim Wakefield takes the mound in a domed facility, however, we can't help but wish that there was a canopy or something that the Fenway crew could erect over the ballpark every five days. The typically fluttery knuckleball becomes even screwier, allowing Wakefield to......

April Fool's Day is on the Horizon, but we ain't foolin this week. A solid line up of shows – starting with the Tourfilter DJ Night at River Gods – is ahead. It's mid-week heavy this time around so kick it like a rock star and be thankful you can sleep in on Saturday. Monday, 3/26 TourFilter Mixtape Tourfilter founder Chris Marstall will be at River Gods in Cambridge equipped with an evening full......

Last night the Golden Globes were awarded in California. We would have watched but 24 was on with hours 3 and 4 of season 6. If Scarlett was going to get groped again surely it'd be up on the internets in a matter of minutes (she didn't and it isn't). This morning we checked out the coverage of some of our favorite nominees. The Departed brought Southie to the big screen this year, and......

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward......

Don't peace out just yet. There's a music agenda to complete before you're off for the holiday. After you've stuffed yourself full of all the mashed potatoes, yams, and turkey – oh, and the cranberry sauce, come right back. Tuesday 11/21 Francisco Mela Quintet Drummer Fancisco Mela recently played sold out shows at the Blue Note in NYC with heavy weights Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Mark Turner, and Paquito D'Rivera. Now you can catch......

Last night's Massachusetts gubernatorial debate was almost as much fun as a pro-wrestling cage match. Right from the start, the debate promised to be a good one. The moderator was none other than the pugnacious and cadaverous Chris Wallace, who recently got his comeuppance from Bill Clinton during an interview for Fox News. The opening credits also made it sound like each candidate was a prizefighter. All the audience needed was for the candidates to......

If you're not into traveling all the way to the Tweeter Center for Journey and Def Leopard, check out this week's picks. Even if you are into heading down to the big name act's show you'll need something to do the rest of the week. There's no joking about it this week. Fall is here. By the time the weekend hits it's time to break out the cider and make some pumpkin pie. We're......

It's a good week to take the whole week off. Well, is there such a thing as a bad week to take off? Grilled meats will be invading your pores for the first time in such a heavy dose since Memorial Day, which was only about a month ago. In addition to this weeks picks for some of the great shows creeping up on us in Boston we'd like to point you over to......

Phillyist notes a fistfight between local pols that leaves one man down for the count. Jehovah's Witnesses get a Philly contributor out of bed, things get a little geeky with a film festival and geeky gets taken to a whole new galaxy when they talk with the Dragon Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Shanghaiist gets all excited this week over a new nightclub in the city unfortunately named "Snatch" and Mike Tyson is scheduled to......

Torontoist throws down the gauntlet and challenges all comers: pillow fight, bitch. They also stand up for a fellow blogger taking heat from the TTC and welcome city-wide WiFi. SFist can finally admit it: It's possible that Bary Bonds juiced. Is Bay Area artist (tempted to put quotes around that) Thomas Kinkaid "kinda crappy" or "explosively crappy" or does he just like marking territory? SFist wonders. Technology comes in the form of new Mac goodness......

This week we're trying hard to think about something other than how hard it is out here to be a pimp. Well, ok, maybe Bostonist is looking at the Oscars and just scratching our heads. We didn't know Jon Stewart could be that bland. We're still waiting to hear what Three 6 Mafia were wearing that made the camera all jakey last night. Now that we're done with the Academy we're looking back to Grammy.......

It takes someone who’s lived in Massachusetts for more than a year or two to understand why a song titled “I'm From Lynn, What Can I Say?” is funny. That’s exactly why Bostonist has high hopes for an onslaught of clever tunes and townie jokes at Songstreet’s “14th Annual Festival of Funny Songwriters” this Saturday at the Somerville Theater. We’re counting on the featured veteran and local favorite Don White (who also gives workshops at......

On the near eve of the Hip-Hop Empowerment Summit (coming to town Saturday), Berklee has partnered with Essence magazine to promote kinder, gentler lyrics in rap music. Today we saw the Boston Globe touting the partnership between Berklee and Essence’s Take Back the Music campaign. At face value the partnership and consequential contest seems like a great idea; take some of the violence and derogatory imagery of women out of rap. Ever since we got......

We live in an iTunes nation. It's easy to pull a track down to your pod for under a buck. Bostonist still longs for cover art, liner notes, and that masterwork that is a multi-track collection of songs we call an album. Listed here is our much discussed, unbiased by payola, top 25 albums of 2005. After the jump you'll find where some of us stand individually on the subject of the years best. (Apparently......

Neophyte British imports, The Subways, played Great Scott Saturday, December 3rd as Session #10 in the Fenway Recordings series, making a massive impact with their 3-piece barrage. With no more than 160kg (350 lbs.) shared between the band’s 3 members, The Subways impressed the packed house with maximum levels of energy and volume, thanks to the science of amplification and the miracle of sheer will. Guitarist/singer Billy Lunn was already standing on the kick drum......

With 2005’s Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River’s Will Sheff has found his voice. Having already established his band’s American folkternative sound with Down the River of Golden Dreams, Sheff now celebrates the confidence and dexterity to sing his songs with a power already present in his writing. The instrumentation raises similarities to other contemporary artists while distinguishing the record from Okkervil’s previous releases. Compare the gentle strings and lonely narrator of “In A Radio Song”......

Bostonist had heard the hype—and the debut LP from Montreal’s Wolf Parade—prior to picking up tickets in time for last Thursday’s show at TT the Bear’s Place in Central Square. One of the latest in a series of bands gaining widespread popularity to pass through Boston/Cambridge in the last year, Wolf Parade is touring on the release of their first full-length, Apologies to the Queen Mary on SubPop. Drawing constant, but due comparisons to The......

Today and tomorrow mark the Jewish holiday of Purim, traditionally a commemoration of Persian Jews being saved from extermination thanks to the chutzpah of Queen Esther. Nowadays marked by three pointed cookies, noisemakers, costumes, and synagogue carnivals where young children win half-live guppies and other cheap prizes, Purim has become the most festive of Jewish holidays. For the grownups, Purim is also the only holiday when Jews are commanded (yes, commanded) to get drunk. Given......

The 47th GRAMMY Awards aired last night on CBS and while Bostonist was hoping for something exciting to happen, like a wardrobe malfunction for example, nothing out of the ordinary really occured. Ray Charles was the big winner with the his collection of duets (completed a few months before his death), "Genius Loves Company" winning Best Album and "Here We Go Again," a duet with songstress Norah Jones, picking up Record of the Year. Charles......