This is not your daddy’s book festival.

In its second year, the Boston Book Festival is making sure it will be broadcast, podcast, blogged and tweeted. To this end, they’ve tapped 4G wireless high-speed Internet provider, Towerstream, to ensure that a signal will be coursing through Copley Square in time to mingle with that new book smell.

Said Debrah Z. Porter, Founder and President of the Boston Book Festival, “Boston is a city with an extremely rich tradition in literature and high technology, but until last year Boston did not have a public event devoted to celebrating book culture. When creating the Boston Book Festival, I felt it was incumbent upon us to acknowledge Boston’s character as a center of technological innovation by offering festival attendees a high-speed wireless Internet connection at our outdoor festival events. We encourage attendees to blog about the festival and continue the conversation in real time through social media platforms, and Towerstream’s portable high-speed Internet connection provides our plugged-in attendees with a simple solution to accessing the web.”

Commented Towerstream CEO, Jeff Thompson about his company’s participation in the event, “Towerstream prides itself on our ability to serve the needs of businesses large and small, and we take great satisfaction in being chosen to provide high-speed wireless Internet to the attendees of important community events like the Boston Book Festival. Since the festival is largely educational in nature, our outdoor wireless Internet connection will help foster impactful online discussions between festival attendees in real time.”

“Enron” is a smorgasbord of riffs on a notorious and epic corporate scandal. Well, maybe more of a tasteful office reception catering table—with a healthy dose of LSD in the mini club sandwiches. How else to explain the flashing lights and red-eyed dinosaurs?

There’s more to chew on in this play, however, than just the visual effects. It also serves up some juicy commentary. In this, the play’s U.S. regional premiere, the dynamic performers and production team of Zeitgeist Stage navigate some of the most painful moments in recent corporate history with undeniable flair and skill.

Unfortunately, like any buffet, there are dishes you’d like to skip. Playwright, Lucy Prebble, tried valiantly to cram nine years of controversy and American history into one play. Its resulting 2-hour-and-40-minute running time muddles its potential effectiveness. Prebble wrote the play primarily for U.K. audiences, so she may have wanted to include parts of American history that haven’t been hammered into Brits’ conventional wisdom (i.e. the 2000 election), but there are many scenes that could have been cut to make for smoother transitions in the hectic timeline of Enron’s rise and fall.

That being said, the 15-strong ensemble—only four of whom are principles—make the best parts of the script shine, whether they are celebrating a stock win at the end of the day, leading a sometimes harmonious barbershop quartet or playing a little girl in one scene and a dinosaur in the next. Greg Farrisi’s strangely loveable portrayal of Andrew Fastow, the socially awkward cover-up mastermind, stands out among the principles, though Erin Cole and Bill Salem as Claudia Roe and Ken Lay, respectively, seem to have been plucked straight out of the corporate culture. Victor Shopov has moments of brilliance as an intense Jeff Skilling, although we see too few changes in his emotional state.

The best scenes in “Enron” occur when the large cast unites in choreographed scenes interspersed with sound bites and images from the 1990s, courtesy of choreographer, Wendy Hall, sound designer Walter Edouardo and projection designer Thom Donn. Credit is also due lighting designer, Jeff Adelberg, who has lit the black box to evoke the inside of a computer, even using fluorescent lighting in some scenes to evoke office doldrums.

“Enron” calls for a delicate balance between the realistic and the fantastic, as it stretches itself over a formidable timeline. Sometimes energy is lost in clunky transitions and momentum wanes, but when it works, it really works. Even the production’s weaker moments are punctuated by a vibrant theatricality, using spectacle, humor and traces of genuine humanity to tell of an increasingly common phenomenon: the white-collar crime tragedy.

In front of the Newbury St. location of Lush, a handmade soap and natural cosmetics store, a small group of female employees wore nothing but barrels reading “Time For An Oil Change Or We’ll Lose It All” on Wednesday. The small protest was a result of Lush’s campaign against the Unites States Government’s ongoing support of Canadian tar sands oil.

Tar sands are a mixture of clay, sand, water, and bitumen, which is a glutinous and heavy black oil. Since tar sands cannot be pumped from the ground, they are generally strip mined using open-pit techniques. Because of its viscous nature, bitumen requires lighter hydrocarbons and water to be mixed in, which leads to a significant amount of fresh water being boiled and potentially poisoned. The production of tar sands emits three times more greenhouse gases than conventional oil.

The majority of tar sands production in Canada occurs in Alberta, and according to a press release from Lush, could turn an area the size of Florida into a toxic sacrifice zone.

"This is the most destructive project on the planet", said Emily Calvin, a Lush Harvard Square employee who was participating in the protest. "We are working on all of our dependence on tar sands and promoting renewable energy".

Lush is launching the campaign because they believe that the government needs to cease the subsidization of tar sands, and invest the billions of dollars into wind and solar power, as well as fuel efficient cars. For the next two weeks all of Lush’s locations nationwide (103 in all) will be transformed into campaign centers with pictures of deforestation and open pit mining strewn throughout the stores, while leaflets supporting the Rainforest Action Network will be handed out to customers.

The protest was met with general confusion by pedestrians who did not necessarily stop long enough to know what was going on, let alone sign postcards for President Obama encouraging he reallocate funds currently used for tar sands into renewable energy.

The Wild Country Rose bath bomb was created for the two week campaign and all of the proceeds will go towards the Rainforest Action Network’s efforts to end tar sand production. For more information visit www.lushusa.com and www.ran.org

In 2008, legendary jazz trumpeter, Chris Botti wowed the audience at Boston’s Symphony Hall by performing two nights in a row with the Boston Pops Orchestra featuring various musicians such as Sting, guitarist Dominic Miller, Josh Groban, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Lucia Micarelli and John Mayer.

The trumpeter, who was also named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" by People magazine in 2004, came back to Boston by having a show on Saturday, May 15, 2010 at the Hanover Theatre for Performing Arts.

The Grammy-winning recording artist started his show with "Ave Maria." His band consisted of drums, guitar, bass, piano and keys. The "really long" but clear and beautiful sounding of Botti’s trumpet even made people laugh at times.

When they played "When I fall in Love," a vivid combination of his trumpet and the band was really exciting, making Botti’s trumpet sound like someone was singing. The entire melody that Botti produced was so alive and it completely permeated through the bone.

After the tune, he shared the excitement of doing the show with the audience, "There is nothing I can say except for ‘Good night.’ That’s how great it is."

After he talked about the Boston shows in 2008, he started "Caruso," which he played in 2008 as well.
Botti talked a lot between the tunes. Despite the formal feel of the evening, he made a lot of jokes and kept the audience laughing. He even shared a special memory with Sting by saying, "English people sometimes don’t get jokes." When he played with Sting for a wedding party in Italy last July 4th, Botti was supposed to be the only one who would perform there at first but the bride’s favorite musician was actually Sting, and her "second-favorite" musician was Botti. He jokingly told Sting that but Sting obviously did not get the joke and said to Botti, "So I should be performing, shouldn’t I?"

After this sweet story, he started "Flamenco Sketches," which he referred as "Miles Davis kind of blues."
"Emmanuelle" was joined by Lucia Micarelli who accidentally tripped and landed on a wine glass last Independence Day. She cut her left hand open, severed a couple of nerves, and did not have full feeling in three of her fingers. However, she put so much effort to get a speedy recovery and spent several months for rehabilitation after emergency surgery. After listening to this shocking but amazing story, the sound coming from Micarelli’s violin sounded really heavy and strong but at the same time, it was fragile.

After Micarelli’s divine performance, Madonna’s Confessions Tour backing singer, Nicki Richards joined Botti to perform "The Look of Love." Her huge vocal dominated the stage. It was impressive and nearly competitive with Botti’s trumpet. They also played "The Very Thought of You," which was dedicated to a couple in the audience who was getting married in October, and "Good Morning Heartache." Richards’ vocal made each tune really fun, catchy, and rhythmic.

Botti started talking about Sting again when he showed his appreciation for Sting. Six years ago, Botti made a big breakthrough in his career, when Sting asked him to be a supporting act for his tour.
The entire show was full of sweet and bitter memories that Botti had with other musicians. Additionally, the sweetest thing happened in the end. Botti asked the audience, "Is there any young musician here today?" An adorable little 9-year-old girl answered that she played the piano. And, she was invited to come up the stage. After welcoming the cute little pianist, Botti started to share about his senior year in college doing short touring stints with Frank Sinatra. He paused, asked the girl to cover her ears with hands, and said "I ‘dropped out of college’ for that." Jazz pianist Billy Childs and Botti started the unplugged/acapella version of the Frank Sinatra tune "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" Needless to say, the show closed with full of smiles and excitement.

*Set list*
Ave Maria
When I Fall in Love
Caruso
Flamenco Sketches
Emmanuelle
The Look of Love
The Very Thought of You
Good Morning Heartache
Cinema Paradiso
Indian Summer
One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

Five people were injured when an escalator abruptly stopped during an appearance by Disney starlet Selene Gomez in a North Attleborough mall Saturday, police said.

While Selena — star of “Wizards of Waverly Place” and singer for Selena Gomez & The Scene — was answering questions at the Emerald Square Mall, an escalator lurched to a stop, sending a few people falling backward. Fire Lieutenant Jeffery Badger said five people were treated for minor injuries. Three of them were taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital.

Badger also said an investigation into the escalator malfunction will begin Tuesday. Overcrowding is a likely cause.

This weekend Justin Timberlake was named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year during a ceremony at Harvard University, the BBC reports. Hasty Pudding is the oldest collegiate theatrical organization in the US. Each year, the society picks a famous actor and actress to honor and roast; an ongoing tradition since 1951. Timberlake became the first male singer to win the award, joining previous honorees that read like a "Who’s Who” in Hollywood: Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and more, reports Rolling Stone.

“This is cooler than any Grammy or Emmy or anything I could have ever thought of. Thank you,” said Timberlake. Members of Harvard’s Hasty Pudding theatrical troupe poked fun at the Grammy winner by having actors impersonate Britney Spears and other ‘NSync members. The pop singer, songwriter, actor and producer was named by the group as “an accomplished artist who is now widely considered one of pop culture’s most influential entertainers.”

Timberlake donned pink high heels and a bra with tiny presents on each cup, a nod to "Dick in a Box," by the end of the ceremony. “This year’s Man of the Year is a triple threat," the Hasty Pudding troupe announced at the ceremony. "He sings, he dances and he goes straight to DVD." Timberlake hasn’t released an album since 2006′s FutureSex/LoveSounds and starred in the almost-straight-to-DVD “The Open Road,” so the reason he got chosen is most likely the fact that Timberlake plays Napster creator Sean Parker in the upcoming David Fincher-directed and Aaron Sorkin-penned film "The Social Network", which is based on founding of Facebook and was mostly filmed in Boston and Cambridge.

Since the 1970s, the band Cheap Trick has been performing the catchy and recognizable songs such as "I Want You to Want Me," "Surrender," and "The Flame" by powerfully blending elements of pop, punk and metal.

The band was honored in October of 2007 by the Chicago Chapter of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) for their tremendous contributions to the music industry with more than 5,000 performances, 20 million records sold, 29 movie soundtracks and 40 gold and platinum recording awards. Also, they were featured in the John Varvatos Spring 2008 ad campaign.

In September 2009, the band performed the classic Beatles album, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band," complete with an orchestra and guest artists Joan Osborne and Ian Ball for nine critically-acclaimed shows in Las Vegas.

Their most current album, "The Latest", has earned many glowing reviews worldwide, and they continue their reign as power-pop/rock progenitors as they celebrate their 35th anniversary.

Cheap Trick is dropping by Boston, MA and having a gig on the 30th. Blast got a chance to talk to Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist of the band.

BLAST: What is it like to be back on the road after all these years?

Rick Nielsen: It’s very good.

BLAST: How do you connect with audiences around the world?

RN: Oh! I’m really international and universal. And I think music is the other thing which helps me to stick at the language, so it’s all good!

BLAST: What types of fans are coming to your shows these days?

RN: When I played in New York,……yeah, all ages. ALL ALL AGES! It’s real good. Young kids, old fans, and new fans are coming too.

BLAST: How young are they? High school age?

RN: Even younger!

BLAST: Wow, that’s sweet.

RN: Yeah, we got junior high school kids last night.

BLAST: The band has played the Beatles’ songs as well. How does the Beatles inspire the Cheap Trick sound?

RN: Well, I think the Beatles’ music just inspired a lot of people. So, I don’t know! (Laughs) We are the four guys and play the Beatles’ world.

BLAST: What’s the meaning behind the new record title "The Latest"?

RN: We tried to think of the title and an interviewer said, "What’s the latest album of you?" We were stuck thinking of the title but the guy said, "What’s the latest being released?" So I just said, "Oh, you just called it ‘The Latest.’"

BLAST: So does it mean to "listen to the latest Cheap Trick sound" or something like that?

RN: Right. If people said, "I’d like to get the latest Cheap Trick record," then get "The Latest!” (Laughs)

BLAST: How have you managed to keep going over 30 years?

RN: I love to play and I think everybody in the band likes to play. It’s really good. And people like us! (Laughs)

Cheap Trick will be playing at the House of Blues in Boston on January 30.

The incidentally-informed generation of iPod-using, breakneck-texting facebooking bloggers will be pleased to learn that now, in order to read a book, they no longer have to buy one…or borrow their mom’s Kindle.

Twitter, which, at one point, was a site people only visited to get updated on Ashton Kutcher’s political opinions, has broken yet another boundary put in place by its detractors. Thanks to Kerry Israel, Audience Development Manager at the American Repertory Theater, tweeps who follow @ARTGatz can now ingest the classic novel “The Great Gatsby” in bite-sized 140-character pieces.

Israel was struck by the idea while trying to come up with a way to promote “Gatz,” the current production on at the Loeb Drama Center. The truncated Twitter promotion contrasts heavily with what it’s promoting; “Gatz” is a 6 1/2 hour play that recites the novel, word for word.

God bless the ART for trying to keep Fitzgerald relevant, but if you’re not a part of the Twitter nation and you don’t feel like sitting through a six hour play, perhaps you might just try picking up the book.

Politics is a messy business. One wrong move is all it takes to end a career: a blunder in a speech, backing an unpopular law, associating with the wrong people. Relatively minor problems can destroy a bright future in minutes. It is a testament to the lasting legacy of recently deceased Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy that he was able to persevere and affect so much change in his unusually long career despite so many setbacks and scandals. He is survived by his wife Victoria, sister Jean Kennedy Smith, the only living child of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald, and his three children.

Edward Moore Kennedy was born in St. Margaret’s Hospital in Dorchester on February 22, 1932, preceded by eight brothers and sisters, to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, both from well-connected Irish-American families. As a result of several moves, to New York, Florida, and London, Kennedy attended many schools and was a mediocre student at most of them. He spent his high school years at Milton Academy where he maintained average grades and excelled on the football team.

Tragedy marked his life early on, and by age 16 he had suffered the deaths of three of his siblings: Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. in World War II, Rosemary Kennedy to a failed lobotomy, and Kathleen Agnes Kennedy in a plane crash.

After completing high school, Kennedy enrolled in Harvard University, where his grades once again took a back seat to his football career. He had a friend take his Spanish exam in hopes of maintaining high enough grades to continue his sports career. When caught, both were expelled, leading to a stint in the United States Army for Kennedy in 1951.

Thanks to his father’s political connections, he was never assigned to combat in the ongoing Korean War and instead served as an honor guard in Paris after completing basic training and Military Police school.

Shortly after he was discharged as a private first class in March 1953, Kennedy returned to Harvard to finish his studies and, after his sophomore year academic probation ended, his football career as a second string end, working his way up to starting end by senior year. Despite not receiving a varsity letter he was contacted by a Green Bay Packers recruiter with an offer to play professionally, which he turned down to go to law school and “go into another contact sport: politics.”

While attending the University of Virginia School of Law between 1956 and 1959, Kennedy studied abroad at the Hague Academy of International Law and managed his brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s 1958 Senate re-election campaign, helping to achieve a record-setting landslide victory. He also received charges of reckless driving and operating without a license, the first of his vehicle-related incidents.

He graduated from law school and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1959, after marrying Virginia Joan Bennett on November 29, 1958, at St. Joseph’s Church in Bronxville, New York. They had three children together: Kara Anne, Edward Jr., and Patrick. Due to his womanizing and her growing alcoholism, the marriage was soon troubled.

In 1960, Ted’s brother John ran for president, and Ted managed his campaign in the Western States, helping John win the first battleground state of Wisconsin in the Democratic primary. After the general election, Ted wanted to remain out West and not run for office immediately, and he was not eligible for John’s vacated Massachusetts Senate seat until his 30th birthday on February 22. Instead, John asked Governor Foster Furcolo to name Benjamin A. Smith II to the seat, which would hold it so Ted could later run in a special election.

Rehashing his brother’s campaign slogan from 10 years prior, Ted Kennedy went against Massachusetts Attorney General Edward J. McCormack Jr., who said that Ted would be “one Kennedy too many.” He faced his first public scandal when McCormack revealed his Harvard expulsion publically, but Kennedy rose above this, aided by McCormack’s overbearing nature in a debate, in which he said “the office of United States Senator should be merited, not inherited,” and called Kennedy’s campaign a joke. Kennedy went on to crush McCormack in the primary by a two-to-one margin and Republican candidate George Cabot Lodge II in the November special election.

Ted Kennedy spent his early Senate career avoiding the spotlight and trying to avoid making enemies of the older, more established Senators, and instead focused on his committee work. Not long after his career started, while presiding over the Senate, he was informed of his brother John’s assassination on November 22, 1963. Seven months later, Ted suffered severe injuries in a plane crash in Southampton, Mass., including a punctured lung, broken ribs, and internal bleeding, and a back injury that persisted throughout the remainder of his life. The pilot and one of his aides died in the crash.

For a review of some of Ted Kennedy’s major political accomplishments, read Dan Kennedy’s piece for Blast on the Lion’s legacy.

In 1968, after securing the California primary against President Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, the family member Ted was closest with, was assassinated, devastating the young Senator. He delivered a eulogy at his speech, which included one of his most famous quotes:

My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.
Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: ‘Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.’

Seen by many as the natural successor to his brother, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago and others encouraged Kennedy to make himself available for a draft to take the nomination, though he declined as he felt unprepared and did not want to be seen as a filler now that his brothers were gone.

With his brothers dead, Ted took on the role of paternal figure to their 13 children, and rumors persist that he coordinated the marriage of Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis.

Despite the trauma and hardships he had recently suffered, Kennedy threw himself into his work and became the youngest ever Senate Majority Whip in 1969, a move that seemed to further position him for the presidency, which he still felt conflicted about.

A few months later, Kennedy was involved in what is now known as the “Chappaquiddick incident.” After leaving a party for the Boiler Room Girls, a group of women who had helped in Robert’s presidential campaign, Kennedy drove his 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off the Dike Bridge and into the Poucha Pond inlet. He quickly swam to safety, but his passenger, Boiler Room Girl Mary Jo Kopechne, drowned. Kennedy did not report the incident to police until her body was found the next day.

Kennedy received a suspended sentence after a guilty plea to leaving the scene of an accident a week later, and gave a nationally-broadcasted speech in which he avoided admitting guilt to driving under the influence of alcohol or improper relations with the 28-year old Kopechne, but expressed his decision to leave the scene as “indefensible.” Despite the scandal, Kennedy received a positive response to stay in office from the Massachusetts electorate.

Doubts have clouded the reports of the events of that night, and to this day many question Kennedy’s story, which a secret inquest by Judge James A. Boyle found to be inconsistent. A grand jury on Martha’s Vineyard also conducted an inquest which was inconclusive. Kennedy condemned Boyle’s inquest, which was made public after the local inquest’s report, as “not justified.”

Kennedy overcame the allegations and easily won re-election the year following the incident, 1970, but lost his position as Majority Whip to Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which he confided to Byrd was a blessing as it allowed him to focus on his committee work.

Kennedy spent much of the 1970s focused on real political work, pushing through legislation such as the National Cancer Act of 1971 and working tirelessly on issues such as the conflict in Northern Ireland, health insurance reform and campaign finance reform. He repeatedly entertained thoughts of running for president, but family problems and the ongoing coverage of the Chappaquiddick incident kept him from committing, despite polling suggesting he could easily win the primary and the lack of other viable Democratic candidates.

In 1973, Kennedy’s son Edward Jr. was diagnosed with chondrosarcoma, resulting in a leg amputation. His other son, Patrick, was suffering from severe asthma attacks, and Ted’s wife Joan sunk deeper into her alcoholism, resulting in several stints in instutitions and an accident due to drunk driving leading to her arrest.

In the late mid to late 70s, Kennedy was at his lowest point politically, as he found himself without a chairmanship and Carter taking the reins as the ranking Democrat. Carter’s differing priorities put a strain on Kennedy’s efforts to improve health care, and he instead focused on international good will, visiting China and the Soviet Union in 1977 and 1978. He rose to take the mantle of Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, but suffered another blow when Carter refused to back the $60 billion price tag of his proposed national health care plan.

In an unusual bid to unseat Carter, a member of his own party, Kennedy eventually ran for president in the 1980 election, and was the favored candidate due to Carter’s unpopularity and weak stances on many issues, but he ultimately lost, in part due to negative press regarding his answer to the Chappaquiddick incident question and the electorate’s sudden support of the president during the Iranian hostage situation and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. When Carter badly bruised Kennedy in the Iowa caucuses, many of Kennedy’s key fundraisers bailed, and it was a downward slope from there. Kennedy, however, clung to his fearless nature, no doubt earned on the grid iron in high school and at Harvard, and pushed his campaign all the way to the Democratic National Convention despite almost impossible odds, but conceded the nomination when his measure to free delegates from their voting commitments was defeated on the first night of the convention. Ultimately, Carter’s inability to win over Kennedy supporters aided in his defeat to Ronald Reagan in the general election.

In 1981, Kennedy faced unique challenges, including being a minority member of the Senate for the first time, and announcing his divorce from Joan Kennedy, settling for $4 million in 1982 after a relatively benign proceeding. Kennedy, meanwhile, tirelessly fought against policies of the Reagan administration, once again turned down calls for a 1984 presidential run, and embarked on a landmark trip to South Africa, staying at the home of Bishop Desmond Tutu, which could easily have cost him his life in the tumultuous apartheid atmosphere of the time. He later went on to be a key member of arms control talks with Mikhail Gorbachev under the Reagan administration; despite political differences, he and the president respected each other and maintained amicable relations.

After his divorce, drinking and womanizing became more of a public burden for Kennedy, and he was involved in drunken incidents with fellow Senator Chris Dodd in Washington, including allegedly unwanted physical contact with a waitress in a D.C. restaurant. These factors played a big role in his cutting short any plans of running in the 1988 presidential election.

Following the 1986 Congressional elections, the Democratic Party regained control of the Senate. As a result of his good working relationship with many prominent Republicans, Kennedy was once again one of the most powerful men in Washington, and used his position to effectively defeat Reagan’s nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court, which he saw as a threat to the civil rights he had fought so hard for. Kennedy used caustic tactics, including a speech which painted a picture of Bork’s America as a land of back alley abortions and segregation, which many saw as slanderous, but which was ultimately effective.

The 1990s saw Kennedy’s flaws magnified, through rape charges against his nephew following a night of drinking with the elder Kennedy, which Kennedy suppressed with a negative press campaign, as well as many articles and jokes about his conduct with women and his persistent drunken antics. This image put him in a position of ineffectiveness against the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, which he opposed due to Thomas’ refusal to comment on Roe v. Wade. His silence on the issue hurt Democrats chances of blocking the nomination, but to speak out would have been regarded as highly hypocritical.

The acquittal of his nephew, William Kennedy Smith, and his serious relationship with Victoria Anne Reggie, which led to their marriage in 1992, improved his image, and Victoria is credited with stabilizing his personal life, which let him focus on the larger challenges ahead, including his fight against Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America legislation which earned his title of Lion of the Senate, alater challenge from Republican Mitt Romney for his Senate seat, and his defense of President Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. More recently, Kennedy served as a voice against the Iraq War from the start, though he supported the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

By far his most passionate endeavour was the reform of health care in America, “the cause of his life,” he said, but which he died unable to attain. After a seizure in May of 2008, doctors announced Kennedy suffered from a malignant glioma, a brain tumor. After a risky operation to remove the tumor, which was considered a success, Kennedy underwent chemotherapy and radiation therapy. His condition declined quickly over the next year, and he died at his home in Hyannis Port, MA on August 25, 2009.

Frederick Rincon contributed research for this story.

Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia is calling for his colleagues in the Senate to honor his “best friend in the Senate” by naming the seemingly-impending health care reform legislation after the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who died after a year-long battle with brain cancer yesterday.

Health care reform was one of Kennedy’s flagship issues and a cornerstone of his policy throughout his decades in the Senate. By naming the bill after him, many hope that he will accomplish in death what he was not able to in life, another in a long line of personal and publicized tragedies in his expansive career.

Byrd’s full statement:

I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come. My heart and soul weeps at the lost of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy.

Senator Kennedy and I both witnessed too many wars in our lives, and believed too strongly in the Constitution of the United States to allow us to go blindly into war. That is why we stood side by side in the Senate against the war in Iraq.

Neither years of age nor years of political combat, nor his illness, diminished the idealism and energy of this talented, imaginative, and intelligent man. And that is the kind of Senator Ted Kennedy was. Throughout his career, Senator Kennedy believed in a simple premise: that our society’s greatness lies in its ability and willingness to provide for its less fortunate members. Whether striving to increase the minimum wage, ensuring that all children have medical insurance, or securing better access to higher education, Senator Kennedy always showed that he cares deeply for those whose needs exceed their political clout. Unbowed by personal setbacks or by the terrible sorrows that have fallen upon his family, his spirit continued to soar, and he continued to work as hard as ever to make his dreams a reality.

In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American.

God bless his wife Vicki, his family, and the institution that he served so ably, which will never be the same without his voice of eloquence and reason. And God bless you Ted. I love you and will miss you terribly.

In my autobiography I wrote that during a visit to West Virginia in 1968 to help dedicate the “Robert F. Kennedy Youth Center” in Morgantown, “Senator Kennedy’s voice quivered with emotion as he talked of his late brothers and their love for West Virginia. ‘These hills, these people, and this state have had a very special meaning for my family. Our lives have been tightly intertwined with yours.’

I am sure the people of the great state of West Virginia join me in expressing our heartfelt condolences to the Kennedy family at this moment of deep sorrow.

Massachusetts Senator Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy has lost his battle against brain cancer at his Hyannis Port home at the age of 77, his family announced this morning, just two weeks after the death of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Known as the Lion of the Senate, he will be remembered as one of the most effective legislators in United States history, due in large part to his uncanny ability to work with members from both sides of the aisle to push through important legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Edward M. Kennedy “" the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply “" died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port” said the Kennedy family in a statement. “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever.”

Governor Deval Patrick released a statement shortly after the news broke.

“One of the Commonwealth’s brightest lights went out last night,” Patrick said. “Ted Kennedy was a compassionate, effective, visionary statesman, family man and friend. Diane and I were blessed by his company, support and many kindnesses, and miss him profoundly. We pray for comfort for his beloved wife and partner Vicki and his entire family.”

President Barack Obama, on vacation with his family on Martha’s Vineyard, released a statement early today. Kennedy’s endorsement of Obama during the primary season was considered key in his eventual victory.

“An important chapter in our history has come to an end,” Obama said.

The House of Blues crew wheeled the keyboard onto the stage, and the crowd went wild.

When the lights dimmed and the shadowy band members walked out onto the stage to their instruments. The crowd needed no introduction to be whipped into a frenzy, with the pit in front of the stage churning and men bending their bodies over the balcony to cheer closer to the band. The lights flashed on and the cheers almost drowned out the first lines of Jack’s Mannequin’s opening song, “Crashin.’”

“I want to hear some music.”

That’s what the audience got: an hour and a half full of music.

Opener Matt Nathanson said it best at the April 27 show in Boston when he told the audience he was the fluff to get them ready for Andrew McMahon and the rest of the band members of Jack’s Mannequin to make love to them.

“People kind of go apeshit during [the songs] and that’s always kind of fun to see people reacting on that level to anything” said singer and keyboardist Andrew McMahon in an interview with Blast.

McMahon’s crooning into the microphone and stroking the keyboard keys was as close to making love to his audience as he could in such circumstances. The heart of the pit below the stage beat along in tempo with the speed McMahon led his fingers across the keyboard as the audience danced along to the music, getting more excited with faster songs and more relaxed with ballads like “Hammers and Strings.”

This was Jack’s Mannequin’s first performance at the new Boston House of Blues. The original Cambridge House of Blues was the first Boston venue McMahon played at when he started touring with his Something Corporate in 2002.

Boston was the 19th stop on Jack’s Mannequin’s current headlining tour promoting a new album The Glass Passenger which was released last fall.

The Glass Passenger is the long-anticipated follow-up to 2005′s Everything In Transit. Back then, Jack’s Mannequin was just McMahon’s side-project to Something Corporate. But when he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005, McMahon said it was the music in Everything in Transit that helped pull him through illness into recovery.

“It was a pretty painful and hard time to do this but the underlining current was just: “ËœMusic will pull you through. This music is going to stay no matter what’” McMahon said. “Obviously everything that transpired during the finishing and release of that record with me getting sick and all the bizarre references throughout the album to hospitals and doctors and sort of this bizarre foreshadowing that existed throughout that record, it was hard not to feel like I was writing my death in that album.”

The Glass Passenger is markedly more mature than the previous music McMahon has written. McMahon started writing the music and lyrics for The Glass Passenger when he was on tour for Everything in Transit following his recovery. The songs speak about his illness but also about his recovery and his need to move on with his life. Lyrics from songs like “The Resolution” show his desire to enjoy his life since he regained it: “Yeah I’m alive/But I don’t need a witness/To know that I’ve survived/I’m not looking for forgiveness/Yeah I just need life/I’ll be lying in the dark/As I search for the resolution.”

The First Ever Boston Graduate Student Party — billed as the hottest party for Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Emerson College, MIT, Northeastern, Suffolk, Tufts, etc., grad students — will be held April 30 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Roxy Nightclub on Tremont Street.

Email boston-party@mit.edu to get on the list if you’re a grad student!

This is one of the most exciting social mixers in the area for students. All graduate students are welcome, and it’s only $4 at the door!

21+ and bring your college ID!

With this photo essay from the 2009 Boston Marathon, Blast begins a regular photo feature from contributing editor Daniel Peleschuk

Blast photographer Sarah Gordon shares some visuals from the 2009 Boston Marathon

So April is not just about the great looks you will put together with the great deals you will find at your favorite stores. No, April is also about caring for the earth and doing something special for Earth Day, April 22.

However, if you’re not the type of woman that plants a tree or join PETA we have a cute‚ alternative‚ for you so you can look the part. One of our favorite stylists at SalonCapri, Nick Penna Jr., has shared‚ some neat hair tips to create‚ dreadlocks, the easy way.

Start by sectioning off your hair into half-inch sized pieces.‚ Apply a wax to the section of hair smoothly. By using a comb, tease the root area of the hair and begin to twist the hair slowly.‚ Spray with a light hairspray and you twist and use a flat iron to hold the hair in place and move it up and down to create a “dreadlock” look. Not only will this look real but you won’t have to shave your hair afterward.

Now, in order to do‚ something‚ that will actually help Mother Earth, Penna also gave us these earth-friendly beauty suggestions, like skipping on shampoo to conserve hair products and save money on your hair.

Shower daily, but don’t always shampoo. Just wash out hair with water and dry it normally.‚ Three times a week use shampoo and wash hair thoroughly. By reducing the amount of times you shampoo a week, you can also save on fading your color.

“Washing your hair every other or every third day is fine and actually better for your hair. Invest in a good shampoo. While it may cost more up front, it lasts much longer and you don’t need as much,” Penna said.

Now that you got the look part down for April 22, start looking for a charity that will be hands-on protecting the environment so that you can donate some of the money you will save on those hair products.

The story of Sleeping Beauty is widely known by every generation.‚  Most forget however that the popular Disney movie with all of its singing squirrels and flying fairies was preceded by the popular ballet of the same name that has captivated audiences for over a century.

Charles Perrault first published the traditional fairytale of Sleeping Beauty in 1697.‚  In 1890 Sleeping Beauty was preformed as a ballet in St. Petersburg to a score by Pytor Tchaikovsky with choreography by Marius Petipa. It would come to be known as Tchaikovsky’s first major success in ballet composition and the choreography was held as a standard for composers to come.

A cross between exquisite solos and elaborate party scenes Sleeping Beauty has every element of a fairytale ballet.‚  There is the evil witch with her menacing accomplices, good fairies, prince charming, and a blonde princess. Over the 100-year span it covers birth, death, marriage and everything in-between.‚  The ballet becomes more than just a story of love and spinning wheels, but a narrative carefully told through movement, expression and music.‚  With the single flick of a finger a ballerina may express what had taken a song in any cartoon version.

With updated scores by Jonathan McPhee, Boston Ballet Musical Director, and choreography by Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen The Sleeping Beauty never gets old at the Boston Ballet.‚  Running at the Wang Theater from April 23, 2009 to May 3, 2009, The Sleeping Beauty promises to revisit old memories and create new ones.

Restaurant Week in Boston is my favorite time of year. With seven prior restaurant week experiences in the books (and being an overall obsessive foodie) I consider myself a reasonable critic of all food. I’m not a picky eater when it comes to ethnicity, spiciness, or texture, but I hold very high standards for quality, freshness and overall experience.

Plaza III Kansas City Steakhouse seems to have found a way to upset all that.

The problem with Plaza III may have been that I went into my lunch date with a friend from college with the highest of expectations. Coworkers and friends had been raving about this restaurant for days telling me how jealous and excited they were for me that I was going there.

I should’ve seen the signs right away. When we first entered this Faneuil Hall upscale locale, the hostess gave a half-hearted “hello” and told us our table need to be cleaned off and it would be a two minute wait. Needless to say, all around were visibly empty and clean tables, and not just one or two, but approximately two dozen.

When we were finally escorted to our table, a nice window seat looking out onto the cobblestone walkways of Faneuil Hall directly facing Abercrombie & Fitch, the hostess did not make any eye contact and walked away after placing the menus on the table in front of my friend and myself. There was one waiter working about five tables around us, and when he finally made his way over he took our drink orders and walked away, even though we were ready to order. Then it took an unnecessarily long to get our drinks (a ginger ale and a water I might add). We finally ordered, excited to eat but mainly because we were very hungry now.

Our salads came after almost 15 minutes and were incredibly unimpressive looking. The Plaza III Garden Salad was on a too-small plate, tossed in boring ranch dressing with a small wedge of tomatoes and sprinkled with bacon and hard-boiled egg. It tasted good but wasn’t anything special.

After a half hour after we got our appetizer salads (which we received after the next table got theirs, and they arrived 10 minutes after us) our entrees finally came. Again, the presentation was worthy of a yawn, the “garlic” mashed potatoes tasted like they came straight from a box without a hint of garlic, and our fillet mignons were completely dull and overcooked at medium well, when we both asked for medium rare.

The asparagus was good — thin and cooked to a crispy and delicious finish. The Bƒ©arnaise sauce however was way too sour and very unappetizing.

If I hadn’t been so hungry and pressed for time I would’ve sent it all back.

Trying to maintain a positive outlook and spirit we ordered dessert. I went for the classic New York style cheesecake with strawberries and my friend ordered the Godiva chocolate mousse. They both ended up being delicious, if not predictable. The strawberry syrup not obviously out of a jar from the supermarket.

Overall I would rate my Plaza III, The Kansas City Steakhouse, Restaurant Week lunch experience as average. The trick might be to go in with low expectations so that I could’ve been happily proven wrong, but I’m still not sure that would’ve happened.

The names of subjects have been changed to protect their privacy and safety.

It was mid-day. Northeastern University student Sarah Alverston was sitting in the library staring blankly into a textbook that she couldn’t seem to focus on. She just had a fight with her boyfriend, and she knew she wouldn’t get anything done until she talked to him. So she sent him a text message.

“Sorry about earlier,” it said. “I’ve just been stressed out about other things. Want to meet me at the library? I want to see you.”

About 15 minutes later her boyfriend, Josh, walked up to her table on the second floor. He sat down and apologized as well for being stubborn. Then he gave her a look.

That look.

She knew what that look was for, and she whispered to him, “I can’t leave the library right now I have too much to do.”

But he told her it didn’t matter and winked. He motioned to one of the group study rooms. At first she thought he was crazy. There were people sitting right outside the room. Half of the door to the room was made of glass. There was no way. But then she got a rush of excitement and thought why not? It would be a great story to tell.

Alverston is certainly not the only college student who has performed sexual acts in public. One sophomore at Northeastern, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said that part of her job when she worked at the library was to make sure no one was doing things “they weren’t supposed to be doing.”

Last year during Northeastern’s annual sex week, a magazine was put together full of articles about sex. The magazine was called “Stripped” and contained a list of “Top Ten Places to Have Sex on Campus.” The list included places like the college’s underground tunnel network and the saunas at the gym. Number one was the library.

“I know tons of people who have had sex in public places,” said Alverston, in a recent interview. “I thought it sounded fun but I never planned on actually doing it.”

Other students have admitted to similar sexual experiences, the scenes ranging from dorm showers to parking lots. Jordana Kerr, a sophomore psychology major at Northeastern admitted to doing the deed in one of the school’s indoor gymnasiums.

“I worked there life guarding,” said Kerr. “(My boyfriend and I) didn’t get a lot of alone time because we both had roommates. One night he came to visit me and we ended up having sex in the racquetball courts. It was thrilling and it was a fun experience.”

However, if someone were to get caught, the student conduct handbook mentions these types of incidents would be handled as “sexual misconduct.”

Despite prohibitions and threat of punishment, many popular television shows portray sex in public as a natural and desirable activity. An episode of Sex and the City deals with a man who can only have sex if he thinks he might get caught. An episode of Friends includes a discussion about the craziest place the characters had ever “done it.” Even Homer and Marge Simpson rekindle their sex life by doing the deed at a miniature golf course.

This generation did not invent the idea of having sex in a place besides a bed. The openness and in-your-face style however, is something new.

John D’Emilio, author of the book “Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America,” thinks that every generation feels the need to be riskier than the one before it.

“It’s almost as if young people are pushing the boundaries one step further,” said D’Emilio. “Fifty years ago co-ed dorms didn’t exist, and now they do. And there’s no longer a curfew either. If you want to break the boundaries, you have to find a new way to do that.”

How Sex Has Changed

Public displays of affection are a pretty common sight around the streets of Barcelona. Media credit/mmoorr via Flickr

Alverston’s reason for having sex in the library was different from Kerr’s reason for having sex in the racquetball courts. Both of their parents however, probably didn’t think of performing a sexual act anywhere public, for any reason.

According to experts, each generation has had a different attitude about sex and adopted different ways of expressing themselves sexually as a reflection of the beliefs at the time. Sex in public did not used to be a normal practice. D’Emilio relates this trend back to the end of the 1800′s, when it was looked at with disgust.

“At the end of the nineteenth century there was public sex emerging,” said D’Emilio. “But it took place in neighborhoods that were deemed to be sex neighborhoods like red light districts where there was prostitution. This behavior was outrageous at the time.”

Those who were not labeled as outcasts of society kept sexual acts very private. It wasn’t until the emergence of automobiles and their growing popularity did that change. At a time when mobilization was much more plausible, couples began courting in their cars. Whether taking one another on dates to the movies or a remote place for privacy, sex began to move out of the bedroom for young people.

Sex was still relatively private though, and society built structure around this principle. Gina Ogden, a sexual therapist from Cambridge said sex was purposefully very repressed in the minds and practices of people in the past.

“Before and after the explosion of sex in the 60s and 70s, people were very constrained in their thinking of sex,” said Ogden. “There were male and female dorms. There was much less ability to be overtly sexual. During the Reagan years, I was a school psychologist at a boarding school. There was a big movement against ‘public display of affection,’ and people were getting expelled for holding hands. It was awful.”

The shift in how society views sex and also how people express themselves sexually has been a drastic one since then. D’Emilio thinks that societal acceptance plays a big role.

“What has really changed since then is that the assumption has become that young people will have sex before marriage. That’s just normal,” D’Emilio said. “It doesn’t push the boundaries.”

In a bold move, Emerson College has instituted a medical amnesty policy to encourage students who abuse drugs and alcohol to seek potentially life-saving medical treatment without the worry of disciplinary reprisal from the college.

“The overarching priority of Emerson College with respect to alcohol and other drugs is to ensure the safety and well-being of our students,” said Ron Ludman, dean of students at Emerson, in an email to the campus. “The College is committed to providing guidance so that students can learn to develop a responsible approach to social challenges, including whether to use alcohol, how to do so in moderation, and how to comply with local, state, and federal laws governing alcohol consumption.”

Ludman said that the college expects students to abide by the law and respect college policies governing drug and alcohol possession and consumption. “However, the College acknowledges there may be times when students may face medical emergencies involving excessive drinking and/or drug use. In these situations students are expected to call for assistance when concerned for their own health or welfare or that of another student,” Ludman said. “In order to encourage students to seek prompt and appropriate attention for alcohol or any other drug intoxication the College has instituted a “Medical Amnesty” policy.”

According to the policy: “Seeking medical assistance for oneself or a fellow student demonstrates responsible student behavior. When evaluating an alcohol violation the College will consider whether a student sought medical assistance for oneself or another person in need, and in most cases view the act of seeking medical assistance as good judgment and accordingly, not deserving of typical disciplinary sanctions.”

Therefore, Emerson students will not be subject to a disciplinary fine, hearing, probation, suspension or other punishment if they exercise good judgment and act in the medical best interests of themselves and their fellow students.

Students’ parents will still be called and students could be required to meet with the Emerson Counseling Center and Wellness
Educator in these cases.

Click here to read the entire Emerson College Medical Amnesty Policy

It was a half an hour before they were set to take the stage at Boston’s Harper’s Ferry, but the band members of A Cursive Memory weren’t wasting time stressing over their upcoming performance. After all, there were zombies to be killed and no time to waste.

“Since Colin (Vocalist and guitar player Colin Baylen) got the PS3, we have done nothing but play ‘Nazi Zombies’ from ‘Call of Duty: World at War’,” confessed Shaun Profeta, 19, who plays guitar and sings alongside Baylen, who’s also 19. “Like literally. I wake up and I’m thinking about killing zombies. I go to sleep, and I’m thinking about killing zombies. And while I’m sleeping, I’m dreaming about killing zombies. I’m playing a show on stage, and I’m thinking about killing zombies.”

They were required to take a respite from the murder and mayhem Wednesday night as they took the stage in Allston. They tried to make a shout out to the game during their performance, but the audience dominated by girls who looked at Baylen with blank stares as he asked who had ever heard of “Nazi Zombies.”

“We’re the band where (people ask), ‘Hey, do you want to go to this chick’s house,” Baylen said, “and we’ll be like, ‘Umm, yeah, we’re actually going to this different chick’s house.”

“And we’re actually playing ‘Nazi Zombies,” Profeta confessed.

“Bands hate us,” added Mark Borst-Smith, 20, who is the bassist and keyboardist for the group.

Profeta, Baylen, Borst-Smith and drummer Brian Bolen formed A Cursive Memory when they were in seventh grade. Back then their band was called Sincerely Me and not The Vagrants, contrary to information on Wikipedia.

Baylen said the band wrote and recorded most of the songs they perform now when the band first got together six years ago.

“By the time we were seniors we had a record done, and by the time we left high school we had a record contract and we were signed to Vagrant (Records) and on tour the summer after high school,” he said.

Drummer Dillan Wheeler, 20, eventually replaced Bolen. Profeta, played drums in between Bolen’s departure and Wheeler’s arrival.

A Cursive Memory was the first band to be signed by M-Music, the music management provision of Bunim/Murray Productions — the company behind shows like “The Real World” and “The Simple Life.”

The band’s managers incorporate their singles into the various television shows produced by Bunim/Murray and then allow viewers to go to websites like MTV Overdrive to find out what the songs were. Profeta said it was a good opportunity for the band to gain recognition.

“We’ve been their first project,” Profeta said. “They put some of our music at the end of some of the TV shows and it’s like, kids will watch their favorite show and hear a song and [...] if they liked it then they will check [the band] out.”

Profeta is the younger brother of ex-Hellogoodbye drummer Chris Profeta. He said Chris’ experience with Hellogoodbye allowed A Cursive Memory to understand what type of people they should and should not gravitate towards.

A Cursive Memory’s first tour was opening for bands like Hellogoodbye, Boys Like Girls and The Rocket Summer in 2007.

“For a first tour for such a young band, that was something cool that my brother and his band helped us actually get and do and that was really cool,” said Profeta.

A Cursive Memory’s performance on Feb. 18 was their third time returning to Boston. They said though they weren’t fans of Boston sports, they enjoyed their time in Boston Wednesday. It was an abnormally warm day for this cold Boston winter, so it was almost as though the Los Angeles-based band brought a bit of California to the east coast with them.

“Respek,” A Cursive Memory’s first EP, was released in 2007. The album derives its title from an episode of “Da Ali G Show” that the band quotes as an inside joke.

Baylen said the idea for the title came when the band was trying to come up with a name for the album, and someone said, “Respek! What should we call it?” The name stuck after that.

“You’re the first person that’s ever asked or ever brought up the (reference), so that’s kind of cool,” said Profeta of the album. “Not a lot of people know that EP, either.”

Their full-length album, “Changes,” was released almost a year ago on Feb. 19, 2008.

The band said they have big plans ready following the conclusion of the tour.

“I think once we wrap up this tour, we’re going to build a spaceship,” Baylen said.

“There’s a really great recording studio on the moon,” said Profeta.

“Yeah, drums sound amazing there,” agreed Wheeler.

All joking aside, Baylen said they would definitely begin working on a new album when they conclude the tour.

“I feel like we’re all so much more focused,” said Profeta. “Before we didn’t really know what we were, what A Cursive Memory was. We’ve found sort of our niche and our sound for the next record. We’re definitely excited.”

As for the influence of the song, some of their enthusiastic gaming might find a way to leak itself onto the new record.

“(A song) about a Nazi zombie?” asked Profeta. “I’m pretty sure there’s already three of them written. There’s nothing subtle about it.”

Reporting from the TD Banknorth Garden

The players are warming up and the fans are crowding the Garden for the 57th annual Beanpot Championship.

“Execute our game plan and come up high, there’s no more pressure than any other game,” said‚ Albie O’Connell Northeastern assistant coach.

After a decisive win against Boston College, the third-ranked Huskies are ready to go for the cup. Top ranked Boston University though is ready to reclaim its title for the 29th year.

Although a Massachusetts event, this year’s game has reached nationwide‚ attention‚ because‚ Northeastern has not made it to a final in more than 20 years.

So far the expectations are high and the tension is tangible.

In tonight’s consolation game Boston College beat Harvard 4-3. For some this was a good enough prize.

“Its a little depressing that we didn’t make it and its my last year, but we’re rooting for Northeastern because there’s been such a rivalry with BU all these years,” said Keith Malado, a senior at Boston College.

Some may consider a cappella nothing more than a joke of modern popular culture, but the practice of singing without instrumental backup has become more popular than ever, with fans swarming toward unique versions of hit songs. The number of college a cappella groups — always an incubator for this genre — is skyrocketing nationally.

“I understand why people make fun of it,” said Mickey Rapkin, author of the book “Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory,” in a recent interview. “It’s a group of guys sitting around singing Justin Timberlake songs without instruments. But there’s revenge. They’re laughing too, but they’re laughing all the way to the bank.”

Boston is home to several college and semiprofessional groups, including Overboard, which consists of eight men living out the dream of rock stars, complete with gigs, fans and recording albums, when they’re not at their full-time jobs.

But don’t compare this contemporary a cappella group and others like it to those glee clubs your grandparents knew, with four people standing around a microphone singing barbershop tunes, or the Tone Rangers full of sexually ambiguous men.

The men of Overboard, who range in age from 23 to 31 and balance their regular lives with their singing commitments, take the hits of artists like John Mayer, All American Rejects, Rob Thomas and Fall Out Boy and recreate the original songs’ rhythm and feel using just the sound of their voices.

“The thing I really like about a cappella is that you don’t need any equipment to do it,” said 29-year-old Nick Girard, who founded Overboard in the summer of 2006. “I don’t like to use the word organic, but it’s really such an easy, spontaneous thing to do.”

Arranging a cappella, however, is no longer as simple as gathering individuals to sing a song. Not all songs are compatible with the style of a cappella, and writing the score or rote memorizing the compilation can take days for some groups.

Girard said a song with a strong chord-based foundation lends itself to a cappella better than a song with the guitar and bass playing repetitive and similar notes.

When he arranges a song for a cappella, Girard said, he generally starts by concentrating on the bass and then bringing in the sounds of the other instruments, like the guitar or piano.

“You have to figure how many people are in your group and how many notes you need to represent to make your song sound like the real thing,” he said.

The common sounds used in a cappella to mimic the rhythms of background music include “ooh”s for softer sounds, and “ah”s “dum”s, “do”s and “jen”s for hard sounds.

But why bother making the human voice sound like an instrument when computer technology can manipulate sounds and certain instruments can modernize even the most classic works of music? Is a cappella even relevant today?

“The point is to entertain other people and to entertain yourself,” Rapkin said. “Why would technology keep people from singing together? You don’t need to set up; you just need your friends.”

Old school a cappella was primarily based on barbershop quartets singing jazz, but in the 1990s, the all-male group Rockapella seemed to reinvent the art form, channeling the theme that all sounds would be provided by the members’ “voices and appendages.”

Today’s groups incorporate contemporary music into their repertoires and make each performance “an exercise in how…close the human voice can come to real instrumental music,” Gerard said.

“It definitely has a certain charm to it, and it’s always well-received no matter who we sing to,” he added. “Turning popular music and being able to perform it the way we do is an interesting novelty that a lot of people haven’t seen. And there is a lot of money to be had. It’s family friendly and extremely portable.”

Gamer Doc, a California-based start-up billing itself as an alternative video game retailer, is expanding to the East Coast and plans to have new stores in Boston by the end of this year, the company’s president said recently in an interview with Blast.

“My whole belief is that the community of gamers all over the world, including Boston, is insulted by commercials, bored with TV content and is looking for a source of entertainment with more depth,” said Gamer Doc president Jim Belanger, 54. “Video games are providing that.”

“They want true freedom to play what they want when they want,” Belanger said. “They’re kind of rejecting the old ways of marketing.”

Gamer Doc has generated news buzz in local and national markets.‚  They sell games, but instead of just putting product on shelves, there are video games being played all around with game systems being repaired in the back and gaming-related events and contests going on in the middle.

This interactive “gaming community” experience promises to be unique.

“We’re like a Gamestop, a Blockbuster, an arcade and a repairs center all rolled into one,” said Jason Renfro, 37, who opened the first Gamer Doc in Los Angeles.

Gamer Doc hopes to launch three stores in the Boston area this year

Locations provide services based on the needs of the customer. By talking with staff, gamers and new players can increase their knowledge of specific games and systems. Customers can actually play games and participate in events in the store like tournaments, gaming leagues, new game demonstrations and release date events.

In the original Gamer Doc location, the model seems to have worked too well — “In December there was so much business in the store that we had to cancel all the events,” said Renfro.

When events do happen,‚  Gamer Doc locations will often recruit regular customers to help out the staff. Knowledgeable gamers can be a great asset to the community in a Gamer Doc location, Belanger said.

“They are key to our success,” he said. “We have a process of recognizing, and involving, the knowledgeable gamers to get them into the system.”

Belanger said GamerDoc planned to open three franchise stores in and around Boston

A franchise store is paid for by a group of investors. An agreement between Gamer Doc and the investors defines the market area. The challenge for the company is to find qualified franchisees, this will affect the timetable for store openings in Boston, Belanger said. The company sees benefits to franchising.

“The benefit to the owner is to be part of a growing and exciting brand,” the founding president said. “For the customers, we find generally, franchisees are more committed to the customer experience.”

Belanger and David Huether started the company in 2007. Many of the staff members on the current roster have been with the company from the beginning. There were many retailers selling video games at the time, but the pair had a different idea. Instead of simply selling the video games, they wanted to begin recognizing the role of “hardcore gamers” in the store.

“On the Xbox 360 there were these malfunctions called ‘the red ring of death’ that made the system inoperable,” Belanger said. “Hardore gamers were amazed when we gave them loner machines, so they could get back to playing their games,” Belanger said.

The focus on hardcore gamers will be reflected in the layout of the store. Locations will even have a specific line where gamers can quickly pick up their games and go if they want.

“Our idea is to make it so that people can get their games, and get to playing them right away,” Belanger said.

Belanger has been gaming since 1977. His first game was a “cocktail” version of the Pac-Man arcade game that sat two people for simultaneous play. His first console was an Atari 400. He currently owns an Xbox 360 Elite, a PlayStation 2 and a Wii.

He ended any ambition of PC gaming after repeated destruction in World of Warcraft, at the hands of his co-workers.

“Overall, I see the gamers of today are as the golfers of my generation, you have to play every stroke every time, or you’ll never know if you’re really good.”

The Boston Ballet, one of the leading dance companies in North America, returns to the Citi Wang Theatre this February with the annual performance of “The Nutcracker.”

The Ballet looks to have an impressive winter/spring season ahead under the leadership of the Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen.

“Our 2009 season is a noteworthy demonstration of the broad range of styles our Company excels in, and audiences will be exposed to a rare program line-up offering a rich history lesson of the art form and cutting-edge contemporary choreography, in addition to one of the great classical story ballets,” said Nissinen.

The season will commence with Jia Kylian’s “Black and White” program, which will make Boston Ballet the first company other than Nederlands Dans Theatre to perform the program. Including music by Mozart, Webern, Bach, and Reich, the five-part ballet plays with space, shape, and contrast to create what the Boston Globe described as a “dazzling” performance that challenges and enlightens.

George Balanchine’s “Jewels” will follow in late February, a three-part ballet that first opened in New York in 1967. “Jewels” provides a brief history of classical dance showcasing ballet’s French origin’s, Russia’s imperial influence, and Balanchine’s own style. The work emulates the elegance of 19th century France and is set to music by Gabriel Faure, Igor Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky.

“The Sleeping Beauty” — an audience favorite since 2005 — will open in April. Nissinen has reunited David Walker’s sets and costumes for this version of the ballet, which originated in the Royal Ballet. Set to Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score, “The Sleeping Beauty” is a fairytale of good, evil, and true love.

Boston Ballet’s “Ballets Russes Centennial Celebration” will conclude the spring season — a retrospective work paying tribute to the centenary of Serge Diaghilev. “Ballet Russes” became one of the most influential ballet companies in the 20th Century, known for its unparalleled technique and artistic collaborations. The program includes “The Prodigal Son,” “The Afternoon of a Faun,” “Le Spectre de la Rose,” and “Le Sacre du Printmps.” To compliment Boston Ballet’s program, “Ballet Russes 2009,” an eight day dance film festival will run May 16-23 in association with Boston University.

Tickets for season ballets can be purchased by phone at 866.348.9738, online at www.citicenter.org, or in person at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM box office, located at 270 Tremont Street in Boston’s Theatre District, open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Prices for season ballets start at $25. Discounted group tickets (10 or more) are available by calling Boston Ballet’s Group Sales at 617.456.6343. Rush tickets are available. Contact the Boston Ballet box office at 617.695.6955 or visit www.bostonballet.org for details.

On January 29, Friendship Home will be holding “The Groundbreaking Gala,” a fundraising event open to the public in hopes of being the final push to raising enough money to break ground on the Friendship Home facility.

Friendship Home will be located in Norwell, Mass. and aims to provide a safe environment for individuals with developmental disabilities to receive respite care and educational programming. Current programming includes recreational, social, and educational opportunities for adults with disabilities, but with the completion of the new facility, Friendship Home will be able to provide not only day and evening activities, but also overnight accommodations. Once completed, Friendship Home will be a two story, 12,600 square foot facility able to accommodate adults with disabilities for up to two weeks, giving them a safe and stimulating environment while providing respite for their caregivers.

The significance in a facility like Friendship Home is that most services for people with developmental disabilities drop off around the age of 22, since school programs provide a lot of help up until that age. Friendship Home, however, focuses on adults.

“It actually was started by two women, Wilma Goodhew and Joan Mullare, who are both parents of adult children with developmental disabilities. They spent a lot of time being very involved in advisory committees and parent support groups and through conversations with other families facing the same challenges, they decided to build a facility for programs and respite so if families had other things to attend to, their kids could have a safe, fun place to go” explained Lauren Payne, the Executive Director of Friendship Home, Inc., concerning the history of the group. Originally called The Friendship Club, Goodhew and Mullare’s community of friends would meet together for about four hours at a time, cooking meals, doing crafts, and participating in community service projects.

The fundraising event January 29 will be from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. To purchase tickets for the event, which will be $100 a piece, visit www.friendshiphome.net.

Donated prizes for the event include a ride in the Goodyear Blimp, 4 Red Sox tickets and dinner with Time Rice, tickets to the U.S. Open, a trip to a vacation home in Nantucket, a signed guitar, and many others. Doris Buffet will also make an appearance, since part of the reason for the event was based on a challenge she set for Friendship Home.

“If we raise $450,000 by February 1st, she’ll give us an additional $250,000, which will allow us to finally break ground” Payne said.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — On a snowy December afternoon, I found myself lying on my back, my legs suspended in midair by stirrups and pulleys on a contraption that looked at first glance like a medieval torture instrument, bending and extending my knees in a pattern that vaguely resembled pumping on a swing set.

And it counted as exercise.

The Movement Center of Boston offers instruction in this school of fitness, which is called gyrotonic. A collection of intricate wooden machines, called the pulley tower combination, unit-guide the body in a controlled series of movements tailored to a person’s individual needs and goals. The motions are familiar, lifting and lowering the legs or circling them like pedaling a bicycle. But the reasoning behind the motions was different. Where traditional training would focus on lifting as much weight as possible, the instructor, Lisa Pari, uses just enough resistance to balance legs in midair and isolate the muscles around joints.

According to fitness experts, that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are all about in 2009: switching it up and taking that tired fitness plan in a new direction.

Gyrotonic, originally invented by Juliu Horvath as a form of rehabilitation for injured dancers, has expanded to reach customers from elite athletes to 80 year olds who can’t swivel their spines to people who “just come because of the sense of wellbeing they get from the system,” said Pari. Its sister method, gyrokinesis, is performed on a mat and necessitates more strength and flexibility.

Movement Center owner and master trainer Kathy Van Patten said it took a couple of lessons for her to realize she needed to continue her gyrotonic practice. After studying under the system’s founder for years, she’s a true believer in its benefits, which are similar to those of swimming, tai chi, dance, yoga, and gymnastics.

“It’s growing by leaps and bounds, and it’s just a matter of time before it overtakes Pilates and yoga,” she said.

Whatever route people decide to take, a new exercise prescription seems to be the ticket to making lasting body transformations in 2009. And Mike Walsh, a certified personal trainer and manager of BodyScapes Fitness in Brookline, Mass., actually considers these frigid New England winters the perfect opportunity for Bostonians to make changes in their fitness programs.

“Use it as a chance to break away from your mode and to become a more well-rounded athlete,” he said. “Use these three months that are tougher weather to do something else.”

That might include trying yoga, he said, for people who usually run or bike outside. Or, for those who have never tried getting fitness instruction, the first of the year might be a good time to give a class or personal training a shot.

BOSTON — Seeing the Boston Ballet perform The Nutcracker is a New England tradition. It’s one of our “things” here in the Bean.

Blast attended on Tuesday, and we were really moved by the performance that balanced the playful with the traditional to weave a classic masterpiece into fun for all ages.

From the cutest little black sheep purposefully a step behind his brothers to the angels opening Act II from the Boston Ballet School, The Nutcracker is two hours of your life well spent.

It is a show that will feel very familiar to anyone, even if you haven’t been to a ballet before — and we know college students and 20-somethings tend to not see enough live theater. The music will take you away, and the familiar scenes like the always crowd-favorite Russian dancers will make you feel like part of the show.

My favorite scene is the sensual Arabian Dance with its unbelievably beautiful music (listen) and dancing. The Boston Ballet performs this scene and all others wonderfully.

There are six more shows, two on each day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so get your tickets now. Tuesday’s show was sold out.

Tickets start at $30, and there are group and student discounts abound.

The Nutcracker is a fairy tale ballet in two acts by Peter Tchaikovsky in the 1890s.

We all love movies, no doubt, but our generation really needs to pay more attention to theater, opera and ballet. There is nothing in the world like a live show, and some of the moves these dancers pull off are enough to make anyone gasp — you just KNOW that was difficult.

The Boston Ballet has settled into its new home at the Boston Opera House. It’s a wonderful ballet company that has been sorely under appreciated and underfunded in Boston, as the commercial Citi Center does all it can to bring in talent from New York and elsewhere.

The Nutcracker is a bold reminder that Boston’s home-grown talent is a world-class force. More plainly: it’s a reminder that Boston’s home-grown talent is awesome.

The Boston Ballet has a busy 2009 coming up, including an April-May run of The Sleeping Beauty that’s not to be missed either.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — The first flakes began to fall in the city moments ago, signaling the start of the first major snowstorm in Boston this season.

At the local Whole Foods Market, the usually jocular and friendly natural foods shoppers were replaced by a hoard of college students from Brighton in pajama pants and sweaters and elderly couples from Brookline in Volvos and Mercedes, vying for position in line. Carts clanged together as people gathered up produce, milk and other foods.

Winter has started in Boston.

Looking for a great place to rock around the Christmas tree this holiday season? Not looking to do it alone? Well, Forbes.com has unveiled its list of the 40 cities where you are statistically bound to find someone to meet you under the mistletoe.

Boston, home of Blast, was ranked lucky 7. Just barely beating New York City. To determine the rankings, Forbes looked at 40 of the largest cities in the US and ranked them according to “coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles”. Although some categories might leave you a little skeptical (“coolness” was determined by a poll that simply asked “Among the following U.S. cities, which one do you think is the coolest?”), the rankings are pretty interesting. Boston seems to fit rather fairly into the number 7 slot with a population of 4,058,570, with 29.09 percent of it being single.

Amongst the the criteria for ranking was online dating and Sam Yagan, owner of OkCupid.com and CrazyBlindDate.com which has a “chapter” in Boston, would have expected Boston to rank higher.

“It surprises me a little bit. I thought Boston would rank higher, just because there are so many young singles there and it’s such an easy place to be out and about,” Yagan said. Boston is one of the most popular cities on OKCupid.com for people between 18 and 34 he explained.

“The colleges absolutely have something to do with it. People who are in school are always dating – they are living in a dating bubble -there are lots of opportunities to get together, whether it’s parties or research around campus, and they have much more flexible schedule,” Yagan added, “On the other hand, the nightlife does tend to end a little early.”

That seems to be the main downside to Boston. Young adults are willing to stay out all night, but don’t really get that opportunity with Boston’s early bedtime – unlike New York, Las Vegas , and Miami, where the nightlife never ends. Boston’s saving grace in this category is its people. The night might end early, but the quality of the company might be a little higher than in other cities according to the polls.

“I’ve been single in both cities [Boston and New York] and I run a dating sight which also gives me insight,” Yagan said, “and I think that obviously NY nightlife goes much later, it’s usually 4 o’clock before most places think about closing, but Boston is more accessible and more casual. They’re not worried quite as much about what you wear, and in NY people are more focused on flaunting their wealth.”

Michael Winter, promoter for Saint one of Boston’s popular clubs, agrees. “As far as the people go, our people [Bostonians] tend to run clubs all over the country. Our people tend to be a lot more street smart and book smart. If you go to Vegas, a lot of the nightclubs there are run by Boston kids. I think we have a smarter breed … most of these kids have college degrees to boot. We’re a lot more real.”

Bostonians are apparently a lot more cultured, too, ranking second only to Los Angeles in the ranking’s categories. The Theatre District, array of musical groups and venues ranging from The Boston Symphony Orchestra to The Paradise have a lot to offer in the way of cultural diversity.

As Mark Twain once wrote, “In New York they ask ‘how much money does he have?’ In Philadelphia, they ask, ‘who were his parents?’ In Boston they ask, ‘how much does he know?’”. Boston is a thriving city of culture and colleges and a great place to meet other singles if you’re willing to spend a little quality time in a library or cafe rather than the discos.

Dominic Mallary was a hardcore singer for the band Last Lights, and he twisted the microphone cord around his neck during every show. It’s a usually harmless trick frequented by industrial and hardcore acts, like Orgy’s Jay Gordon in so many videos.

Something went wrong on Thursday, and Mallary is dead. He didn’t accidentally hang himself or strangle himself. He just did his thing and finished his set at Boston University’s BU Central late night campus venue. It wasn’t until later that something was clearly wrong.

“He seemed fine for at least an hour or two, but after the last band played, he said he was feeling faint and couldn’t feel his legs,” Last Lights drummer Patrick Murphy told BU’s student newspaper, “The Daily Free Press.” “When they arrived at the hospital, he started to go into seizures, and that’s when he lost consciousness.”

He died a Friday at Boston Medical Center.

He was 24 and a 2007 writing, literature and publishing graduate of Emerson College.

“The Daily Free Press” reported that the band had been signed by the music label Think Fast! two days before the fatal show.

Boston University junior Jeanne Mansfield told the paper that Mallary sang well and seemed fine after the performance.

“He was amazing in what he was able to do, not even just in singing and screaming, but dancing and jumping around at the same time,” she told the “Free Press.” “It’s just weird to think that him doing what he apparently loved killed him.”

Credits: Conceived and Written (six weeks later than he shoulda) by-Marc Shaiman Directed and Staged by: Adam Shankman Produced by Adam Shankman, Marc Shaiman and Mike Farah Edited by Bradly Schulz and Drew Antzis Cast (in order of appearance) California Gays and The People That Love Them Jordan Ballard, Margaret Cho, Barrett Foa, J.B. Ghuman, John Hill, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Rashad Naylor, Nicole Parker Proposition 8′ers and The People That Follow Them Prop 8 Leader- John C. Reilly Prop 8 Leader’s #1 Wife- Allison Janney Prop 8 Leader’s #2 Wife- Kathy Najimy Riffing Prop 8′er-Jenifer Lewis A Preacher- Craig Robinson Scary Catholic School Girls From Hell-Rashida Jones, Lake Bell, Sarah Chalke The Frightened Villagers Katharine “Kooks” Leonard, Seth Morris, Denise “Esi!” Piane, Lucian Piane, Richard Read, Seth Redford, Quinton Strack, Tate Taylor, Brunson Green Jesus Christ Jack Black A Very Smart Fellow Neil Patrick Harris Piano Player Marc “Marc” Shaiman —- Co-Choreographer: Anne “Mama” Fletcher Recorded and Mixed by Frank Wolfe & Greg Hayes Director of Photography: Michael Barrett Camera Operators: Jake Szymanski, Bradly Schulz and Drew Antzis Production designer: Nelson Coates Costume designer: Shanna Knecht Costume assistants: Leslie Schilling, Annalisa Adams, Elizabeth Abate Hair: Laura Sanchez Make-up: Shauna O’Toole, Atticuss Sharp Production sound: Bradford Craig Music editor: Lisa Jaime Music assistant: Brian Naguit Snacky: “Snacky” Special Thanks to Adam McKay for the nudge

Proposition 8 opposition in Boston

Check out Ty Burr’s take on “Twilight.”

Blast will have its review up by midnight with a second review to follow by our renown “Twilight” detractor, Kellen Rice.

Iomega, a company under the wing of local tech and storage giant EMC Corporation, announced Wednesday that they have released a New England Patriots-themed portable hard drive.

The Iomega eGo Patriots edition is decked out with the team logo above a 2.5″ 250 GB hard drive.

The tiny drive is a USB 2.0 product and retails for $129.99 at local retailers including Staples, the Patriots ProShop, and online at Patriots.com.

The eGo also comes with EMC’s Retrospect Express HD backup software, which allows automatic and on-demand backups of your files and drives. It works with Windows and Mac computers.

Thousands flocked to Boston University’s Agganis Arena last week where the “So You Think You Can Dance” Tour gave its final performance in Boston.

The tour, headlined by the top 11 dancers from the show’s fourth season, consists of the best and favorite routines from last season.

“I like the fact that they have the best dancers and the best routines,” said Barry Cosloy, an audience member at the show.

The show was emceed by video recordings of Cat Deeley, the show’s host, and Nigel Lythgoe, one of the show’s judges, as well as by the cast themselves.

One of the dancers, Katee Shean of San Jose, Calif., said that each of the dancers on tour had to come up with their own lines to host the event. Shean was the favorite female dancer from the fourth season of “So You Think You Can Dance.”

“So You Think You Can Dance” is now holding auditions for its fifth season on the air. The show was created by Simon Fuller, creator of the “American Idol” franchise. “SYTYCD” is organized similar to “Idol” – it airs twice a week and the American public vote the first night for their favorite performers and tune in the next night to see who didn’t make the cut. While the show has judges, it is the viewers of the show who decide who stays and who goes.

“I changed a lot [on the show] personally I guess,” said Mark Kanemura of Honolulu, Hawaii, another one of the show’s dancers. “[You realize] you’re capable of so much more than you thought you’re capable of.”

The show tests the versatility of each dancer by forcing them to perform outside their comfort zone. Of the 11 dancers at the performance Thursday, eight said that they were trained as contemporary dancers and two said they were trained as hip-hop dancers, with dancer Gev Monukian of Utah the only one who was a break dancer. However, “SYTYCD” made the dancers perform dances that they were not familiar with under limited time frames. Each contestant only had a week to learn their routines in the television show, so dancers who were unfamiliar with ballroom dancing or the samba or Broadway dancing had to apply themselves even harder.

For the tour, the dancers and show producers took the best routines from the show and chose those as the ones to perform. Monukian said that the dancers practiced for three weeks before the tour began.

“I think [the tour] is better because they have more time to practice and perfect the routine,” said Cosloy.

The tour has been traveling around the country for over a month now. The troupe performed at 28 venues previously and has 12 performances left, as shown on Ticketmaster.

“It just goes by so quickly,” said Monukian.

Dancer Will Wingfield of Nashville said that each set of dances changes night by night, so that each venue gets a different performance than the one previous.

One of the most memorable performances of Thursday’s show was the Bollywood routine, where Shean and Wingfield came out and performed a classic Indian dance, and then were followed by the rest of the cast as they performed an impressive and beautiful ensemble Bollywood routine.

“I think in real life it makes you appreciate how athletic it all is,” said Holli Roth, another audience member.

Roth, who has watched the past three seasons of the show, was at the performance with her mother, who does not watch the show.

“It’s different. It’s fun,” said Roth about the show. “It does make you appreciate the camera work [on TV].”

The dancers hold an optimistic view of their futures after the conclusion of the tour and the end of their time with “SYTYCD.” Each expressed the sentiment that they expected to continue dancing after the tour ended.

“Who knows what the future holds,” said Wingfield.

When it gets cold in Boston, you know it.

There are a few drinks out here that will warm you up, or at least fake it for you.

If you go down Southie, order a hot whiskey, which is about 3 shots of Irish whiskey, lemon wedges, cloves, sugar and hot (not boiling) water. The Irish say that’ll cure your flu.

And for the increasingly upscale Jamaica Plain neighorhood, one restaurant is dishing out something sweet.

“I wanted to emphasize [a] classic play on the Caramel Apple Cider Martini to relive my childhood memories of the local fairground,” said Susan Rice,‚ bar captain at Bella Luna Restaurant.

This one is actually really good, the added‚ butterscotch ingredient‚ gives it something extra.‚ 

The Bella Luna Caramel Apple Cider Martini

2 oz vodka
1 oz Butterscotch Schnapps
Splash of Organic Apple Cider
Cinnamon Sugar Rim
‚ 
Combine all ingredients and shake vigorously with ice. Strain and serve in cocktail glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar. $9.

She’s still got it. Performing some of her most beloved and well-known hit songs along with new upbeat tunes from her latest effort “Hard Candy” Madonna gave 100 percent to a full house at the TD Banknorth Garden October 15 in Boston. The provocatively named “Sticky and Sweet” tour featured elaborate stage structures, impressive lighting and enticing dancing, as per Madonna’s usual offerings during performances.

In her first stage appearance since announcing her divorce to husband Guy Ritchie, Madonna kept it light making only one fleeting reference to “emotionally retarded” people before singing “Miles Away” off of her 11th and latest album. She addressed the audience asking “Maybe you know some of those people. I know I do.”

She is the ultimate survivor and evolutionary pop icon, as proven by her complete commitment to putting on an energetic performance for her sold-out show. After such emotional and personally turmoil she still put on one hell of a show boasting colorful costumes, some of the best dancers in the business and digitally-recorded video duets with Kanye West, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake along with Miss Controversy herself, Britney Spears.

Her “duet” with Spears to “Human Nature” was a fresh take on a song that caused a stir during the 90s when the S & M themed-video first appeared. “La Isla Bonita” and “Get Into the Groove” were crowd-pleasers, for those who actually remembered her earlier songs and didn’t mouth incorrect lyrics. As for “Borderline” her very first single, the audience loved it.

Choice tracks from the new album that translated well to dance-filled stage numbers include “Heartbeat” and “Give it to Me.” A hands down personal favorite had to be “She’s Not Me,” an ode to Madonna’s undying fame and an overall pick-me-up for any woman. Because anyone can relate to the feeling of a significant other being “stolen” by another, and the imminent instinct that no one will ever provide the same things as you can in a relationship.

Oh well.

As for agenda-pushing, the Material Girl made it abundantly clear that she wanted everyone to vote … for Obama. Her political commentary and video imagery were liberally filled with material for the Left. And while audible sounds of “Just get back to the music” could be heard uttered by disgruntled republicans, the majority of the audience was in a united uproar to unite for her, and Obama’s campaign. Madonna relayed to the audience that she was told to “not mention Sarah Palin, speaking of ridiculous things,” and that was all she said on the matter.

50-year-old Madonna bumped and grinded all over that stage, even showcasing a soft-core number on the floor as she had her feet tied with rope as she gyrated and pulsated on all fours. If anything can be said for her, it is that her dancing is still flawless and effortless and her body is in amazing condition. More muscular than Michael Phelps, Madonna seemed to feed off of the energy of knowing that she represents decades of reinvention and that she herself will never be replaced in the public eye, no matter what Ms. Spears does.

The overall favorites had to have been “Hung Up” from the Confessions on a Dance Floor album along with “Like a Prayer.” The latter was performed to a background of Hebrew, Arabic and other foreign language texts and religious quotes from texts ranging like the Torah, the Bible, the Koran and Buddhist teachings. What would a Madonna concert be without a lesson in theology?

I’ll just have to say it again, she’s still got it. She never faltered and she never showed less than complete enthusiasm and dedication to her career and her fans. And despite her personal issues and sticky situation, she remembered the one thing that has kept her career afloat.

The show must go on.

Boys Like Girls will be releasing a new DVD, Read Between The Lines on November 4. It’s over 100 minutes long with 10 live performances, and it tells the band’s story from their very beginning through headlining their hometown on the recent Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour. There are also interviews with all the members and behind-the-scenes antics.

They’re doing a northeast loop tour that began in Northampton, Mass, is headed down to North Carolina now, and will end in Boston October 13 at a show at Northeastern University.

They are touring with Cute is What We Aim For and Lights.

Tour dates

10/3: Northampton, Mass., Smith College

10/4: Hempstead, N.Y., Hofstra University

10/5: Morgantown, W.V., University of West Virginia

10/8: Greensboro, N.C., UNC-Greensboro

10/10: Millersville, Penn., Millersville University

10/11: Pittsburgh, Penn., Gravity

10/12: Rochester, N.Y., Rochester Institute of Technology

10/13: Boston, Mass., Northeastern University

Bartender Stewart Bishop of Boston’s Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro made a special trip recently to bring back his cherished home state of Montana’s huckleberries for a new infusion cocktail called The Finn!

When asked why he went through these extreme lengths to bring back the prized berries to Boston, Bartender Stewart Bishop merely muttered, “I’ll be your huckleberry.”

One of the best lines in “Tombstone” — and by far Val Kilmer’s best role ever, except maybe Iceman.

The Finn

3 oz. of “Huck” Vodka (Huckleberry infused Absolut)
1 oz. Cognac
Splash of lime
Twist

Combine ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a twist.

Cost/availability: $11

The Bistro Bar hours are Monday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The Massachusetts Republican Party released this statement seconds after Governor Deval Patrick walked off the podium at the Democratic National Convention.

Boston, MA – The Massachusetts Republican Party issued the following statement today in response to Governor Patrick’s speech to the Democrat National Convention

MassGOP Chairman Peter Torkildsen said, “Tonight, Deval Patrick spoke in Denver, but he might have well as spoken in Hollywood, because what he talked about had no basis in reality and no relation to his own dismal record of broken promises. Having an eloquent, but extremely inexperienced Governor is bad enough: an eloquent, but extremely inexperienced President would be much worse. The bottom line is this, Barack Obama is not ready to lead and not ready to govern.”