You'll have to forgive the Celtics if they felt like they arrived in Portland having lurched their way up the Oregon Trail. Three losses in a row doesn't quite compare to running out of buffalo meat and spilling a wagon into the Big Blue River, but combine that with the debacle in Phoenix, and you can understand why some of the team felt like they died of cholera. Things reached the lowest of the low......

Oscars Hooray that the writers' strike is over, and we can see overmedicated stars and their pretty dresses walk the red carpet! Regarding the actual movie-picking, Reel Hub is a touch grouchy due to the shadiness of the Oscar voting process. If you'd like to watch the festivities with others, dress up for the Fafarazzi.com Oscar party at Lir, 903 Boylston, Boston, 5:00 pm. Travel Plans The Boston Globe Travel Show is on at......

Jacoby Ellsbury seems to be popping up all over boston.com as the new hot endorsement machine. Boston.com did a http://www.boston.com/business/gallery/sports_endorsements/">photo gallery of famous endorsements by sports figures, and they front-loaded it with an image of a shiny, muscled Ellsbury pushing a ridiculously large tire and a photo of him at Taco Bell. Is the new fascination with Ellsbury a sign that Tom Brady might be losing ground as Boston's resident sports stud? Even after BabyDaddyGate......

Elections are expensive this year, and it turns out that former Massachusetts governor and former presidential aspirant Mitt Romney paid a pretty penny for each delegate he received before dropping out of the race. Foon Rhee reports that Romney put in $42.3 million of his own money into his presidential campaign. As of last October, he had already put in $17.5 million, suggesting that he made a massive money push in the last days.......

Patriots coach Bill Belichick flicks his "Sexy Beast" switch on and off like a light. One moment, he's all Mr. Serious and Scary, and, the next moment, he's on a cougar hunt. It seemed that Belichick would focus on the football during Super Bowl weekend. However, the Track Girls have spotted not one, but two, cougars joining Belichick in Arizona. Linda Holliday has been seen with Belichick in the past and may have inspired the......

The mayors of Boston and New York City, Mayors Menino and Bloomberg, are engaging in the standard "friendly wager" based on the outcome of the Super Bowl. If you compare the two lists, it's pretty clear which city has the better food options, and we're not talking about the Big Apple here: --100 cups of New England Clam Chowder from Legal Sea Foods; --42 pounds of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts in honor of Super......

The Somerville News reported some heartbreaking book news--McIntyre and Moore Bookstore of Davis Square, the perfect place to find literary buried treasure, is closing. Their lease is up on April 1, and the reason for the move is that, in the age of Amazon, a place like McIntyre & Moore simply isn't as profitable. Bostonist called up co-owner Dan Moore, who had some heartening news about the closing. Chances are that the store will......

No better icebreaker exists than taking off your pants in a crowd. People who normally would never speak to each other on an MBTA train had plenty to talk about once they "depantsed" on Saturday afternoon for Boston's first annual No Pants 2K8. At first, when aspiring pants-free T riders gathered at Alewife station, the event was at risk of being a bust. The area between the gates and the stairs was packed with people,......

After Dunkin' Donuts was going to take down its legendary sign in Brighton, the question arose--what next? What are the options if you want to make sure that Dunkin' Brands Inc. doesn't put anything boring or ugly in its place? Inspired by the preservation of the Citgo sign in the 1980s, Bostonist called the Boston Landmarks Commission to see if the sign could be designated a landmark. A representative said that, to become a......

Victor Thompson of New Hampshire is a bigger Pats fan than you are. Sure, he's never actually been to a game in Foxboro, but he'd like to. But that doesn't matter. Maybe you watch all the games on TV, maybe you own a Wes Welker replica jersey, maybe you've even trekked down to Gillette (or even Schaeffer) Stadium, but you haven't done what Victor's doing: getting a Tom Brady helmet tattooed on his head. The......

The Globe and WBZ are reporting that the beloved, beautiful Dunkin' Donuts sign in Brighton is coming down. A Dunkin' Donuts spokesperson said the sign is in bad shape and must go. Change is inevitable and usually a good thing, but the sign is a part of history. And, besides, it just looks nifty. Bostonist put in a call to Dunkin' Donuts and received a statement from Margie Myers, Senior Vice President of Communications:......

What does one get a missing mobster on the anniversary of his vanishing? A Hallmark card? One that says, "Thanks for leaving"? Today is the 13th anniversary of mobster Whitey Bulger's disappearance, a reminder that old white guys everywhere should be careful while vacationing in Italy. Since Bulger has vanished and is supposedly living the high life somewhere in Europe, police have kept their eyes peeled for men who might resemble him. Unfortunately, a lot......

Bostonist had the wonderful luck to talk to some big-time talents in all fields this year. And, no, we're not sure how we tricked these people into talking to us. Here's a look back: Authors Diane Rapaport, The Naked Quaker, 11/20 Jonah Lehrer, Proust Was a Neuroscientist, 11/13 John Fulton, The Animal Girl, 10/22 Jonathan Messinger, Dollar Store Series and Hiding Out, 10/9 Shalom Auslander, Foreskin's Lament, 10/9 Steve Almond, Not That You Asked, 9/11......

Recently, the world learned that Ann Romney, former First Lady of Massachusetts, is an equestrienne and that one of the Five Brothers gave presidential candidate Mitt Romney a horse mask so Momma Romney would give Daddy Romney a little more attention. Riding the ponies has also helped Ann better manage Mitt, as shown in a public exchange in Rochester, New Hampshire: The evening opened, though, with Romney introducing his wife, who said she could tell......

Former Massachsuetts governor and Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney has been at the center of Bostonist's thoughts. That's not because of his freshly minted ultra-right politics or the cute way he pretends not to know Massachusetts when the state comes up in conversation. It's because his previous official portrait as governor makes for some really funny photo mashups. Bostonist should probably be banned from Photoshop for life, but here's a look back at the Year......

Ann Romney, wife of former Massachusetts governor and current Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney, is considered the expert on happy homemaking. She raised the five brothers, she's active in causes, and she wins over voters with her charm, beauty, grace, and recipes. She's kept her handsome husband hopelessly devoted to her for decades. What's her secret? Horses. She loves dressage. In fact, she might love it a little too much: Last Christmas, Josh Romney presented......

Many fans and striking writers turned out for the Writers Guild Rally at the First Parish Church meeting house at Harvard Square at noon today. As his mom Wendy looked on, Max Schapiro, of Needham, toted a sign that said, "My Mom let me skip school to support the WGA!" Other people sported orange-and-yellow wool caps made popular on Joss Whedon's brief television series "Firefly." After the fans and several striking writers filled the pews,......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. And here it is--the complete list of T stops with the most distinct odors: Aquarium: High tide, dolphin pee Airport: Pleather luggage,......

Charlie, Fletcher, and Special Ed of WFNX morning show The Sandbox invited Bostonists Korri and Caroline up to chat about the Smells of the T. Little did we know that smells would be the theme of the entire show. Callers were eager to share the smells they have encountered all over the state, such as peanut-butter factories, burnt coffee, prison feet, and pee simmering on radiators (ugh). For the record, the WFNX studio smells like......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. The Red Line offers so much variety that you just might get dizzy--or drunk: Central Square: 40s, vodka, burnt rubber, more 40s,......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. Today marks a trip down the Orange Line. You might get the munchies on this one: Downtown Crossing: Fried food, mouse poop,......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. Today, we'll breathe in the Green Line--slowly: BU Stops (all of them): Natty Light, vodka, wet UGGS, Acqua di Gio cologne, raging......

For the past few months, Bostonist has engaged in a scientific experiment. We've been sniffing around T stops to find out which ones are the most pleasant and which ones are an offense to the olfactory nerves. Each day this week, we'll evaluate the odors you will find at various T stops. Today, the Blue Line: Aquarium: High tide, dolphin pee Airport: Pleather luggage, SFO-BOS redeye sweat, pee Government Center: Dunkin Donuts, stale cigarette......

Okay, okay, the photo you see here is blurry, but Bostonist had to pay tribute to the Best T Outfit Ever, and you can't even see half of it. We marveled at this rider while riding the Red Line from Downtown Crossing yesterday. Her red-and-black ensemble was spectacular: black high-heel boots, very low-riding leather black pants, a studded black belt, a bright red shirt with a sequined red band, a studded leather vest, and a......

--Surprise snow! --A local kid figured out something to do with bubble wrap other than pop it. [WCVB] --Did you get stuck on the Red Line for a while today? A "very small trash fire" at Andrew Station shut down the Red Line this afternoon for 15 minutes. [Joe Pesaturo at the MBTA] --Doctors believe they have successfully reattached the lip of the child whose father bit it off over the weekend. [WBZ] --Cambridge can't......

You know that former Massachusetts governor presidential aspirant Mitt Romney is rich. But did you know just how rich he is? He has spent a total of $10.2 million on TV ads--$85,000 a day, according to CNN. Ponder that a second. $85,000 a day--much of it his own money. He's donated $17.5 million of his own money to the campaign so far. To give a little perspective, Team Romney can drop $85,000 a day,......

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney may be trying to tell potential voters to set his Mormon faith aside, but one large chunk of the voting bloc is speaking out about Romney's beliefs. The Osmonds, that legendary Mormon entertainment dynasty, have so many members it's difficult to count them all, but they're welcoming Romney into the fold. In one of the least shocking semi-endorsements of all time, Donny and Marie Osmond delivered a positive evaluation of......

It's safe to say both the anti-gay presidential aspirant and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and readers of gay.com got quite a shock when they saw a Mitt Romney for President ad on the website. Was Romney letting his rainbow flag fly? Jim Rutenberg at the New York Times reports that it is no joke: "Over the course of at least two days in August, [readers of gay.com] may well also have seen banner advertisements......

An audition for the next bubbly Rachael Ray or earthy Emeril Lagasse would be rowdy, right? You'd think the personalities would be bouncing off the walls as chefs rumbled over who made the best coq au vin. But yesterday's atmosphere at the Flat Iron Tapas Bar & Lounge at the Bulfinch Hotel was tense and quiet, almost like a classroom in which students wait to take the SAT. The Next Food Network Star had......

Bostonist always knew that The Hub offered prime casting choices for the CW's Beauty & the Geek. This season features three local geeks and one local beauty. Naturally, the casting crew headed to Boston to find new talent for the next cycle. Based on what Bostonist saw at The Estate on Saturday afternoon, the casting team couldn't have been disappointed. Despite miserable, dank weather, plenty of beauties and geeks arrived for group interviews. Two MIT......