The Mayor's Office announced that Mayor Menino and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper have set up a bet. Depending on who wins the World Series, the losing mayor will ship foods native to that area to a local charity. The press release's language is precise: "When Boston wins the World Series" and "If the unthinkable should occur." The mayor is leaving nothing to chance when it comes to winning the Red Sox World Series, and we......

Your optimists can say that the Red Sox still have a decent lead in the AL East. That October is a foregone conclusion at Fenway. That Schilling is back and hitting his stride just at the right time. That's why optimists don't last long around here. Games like last night, when the Sox couldn't get ONE SINGLE measly solitary guy around to score against the Devil Rays, break their spirit. In the midst of first,......

By now you've probably noticed that we're tracking Tommy Grella's progress in The Next Food Network Star because we're still annoyed that Boston wasn't represented in Top Chef (you hear us, Bravo?). And we like the fact that Grella breaks the "Boston tough guy" reality-TV character. Despite the ever-present cigar and Mafioso style that had one judge yelp, "You almost looked pissed off at us!" Tommy Grella is a tremendous teddy bear. This week's episode......

Early in the third quarter, this one looked like it was about to get really ugly, as the Pats had jumped out to what looked like an insurmountable 24-0 lead over the Jets at the Meadowlands in New Jersey last night. But the Jets made it more than a game, but in the end, Tom Brady and the Patriots were up to the task, winning their 7th consecutive game against the hated Jets. This......

Usually we try to wax poetic about some sort of relevant piece of information. This week we're dropping all that fluff and jumping right into this week's set of picks – lots of good shows on tap for this week. Zydeco to classical, hip hop to electronica, and Bon Jovi. Monday 7/24: Wattstax with Eli "Paperboy" Reed & the True Loves Allston's Paperboy plays an opening revue for a screening of Wattstax, a film......

Don't forget Saturday is the Bostonist Anniversary Party at the Kinsale. In the interim please feel free to rev yourselves up with some of the great music rolling down the pike. Monday 3/20: Editors Neo-post-punk brits Editors (a la Joy Division & Bloc Party) with appropriately asterisked Stellastarr*. Roxy. Editors: Myspace | All Sparks.ram | purchase Tuesday 3/21: The English Beat, Westbound Train, The Sterns, and DJ Ford E. Buxworth More than just a......

Todd Gross is a meteorologist, astronomer, astro-photographer, and TV personality currently without a station. He has been forecasting New England's weather for over 25 years, starting with the two blizzards of ‘78. Until recently he served as WHDH’s Chief Meterologist. Currently Todd is keeping his finger on the weather by drawing those arrows, forecasting, and podcasting at toddgross.com. He can only imagine forecasting the weather in an exciting, changeable environment - anywhere else would......

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......

It’s been hard to hear today. The snow has muffled and muted the sounds about town. We can hear the roar of snow blowers and the backing up beep of the salt and sanding machines. With the snow and rain today, and the thunder and lightning we just saw (seriously, flash of lightning and the crack of thunder, we really have had everything today) it’s a wonder that we’ve overheard anything at all besides......

In the wake of recent shootings, Mayor Menino called a meeting of top public safety folks to figure out what could be done (short of spending more money, of course). Despite numerous suggestions and resulting proposals, the Herald homed in on Menino's absurd plan to confiscate "Stop Snitchin'" t-shirts from stores. While Bostonist would like to take the Globe's more measured approach and talk about everything that came out of the meeting, we know our......

Last night, for the first time in our irreligious, left-leaning life, Bostonist really thought that God might be getting ready to punish eastern Massachusetts, Santorum style, for our secular humanist, intellectual sins. We haven't heard thunder like that since, well, ever. The storm just seemed to sit above our house and pound the sky forever, with constant lightning flickering through our bedroom. This morning, we expected to find a scene of hurricane-like disaster (trees down,......

This past weekend Franklin Park again played host to the annual Puerto Rican Festival. Boston seems to have lost interest in the festival overall. The only imagery, besides our own, found in local media came in the form of a single picture run in black and white in the Boston Globe and in color in the Metro. The Boston Herald used some imagery from the parade to discuss the recent filing in U.S. District Court......