David Ortiz is back! That guy who went to Japan, kind of looked like Papi, swung with a handicap, and made lots of outs was replaced by the confident slugger we all know and love. The real Papi singled in the fifth for his first hit of the year, then put the Sox on the board with a 2-run homer in the seventh. The blast made a winner of Jon Lester, who pitched a great......

First, there were the rumors about Tom Brady getting hair plugs. Now, our Governor shaves his head. The state of the Commonwealth's hair is in flux. The reaction on the internet to this news has been mixed: Boston Daily drew comparisons to Britney Spears' infamous head shaving. Local pundit Seth Gitell, though admittedly biased, praised Patrick for his "courageous leadership." Meanwhile, the majority of Universal Hub voters say that they don't care about the story......

Update: Gintautas Dumcius at the Dorchester Reporter was also early to the Yakovleff story and covers the reaction in the Tuttle Street neighborhood where Yakovleff died. While police have asked for assistance in finding the killer of Daniel Yakovleff, the city's gay community is understandably concerned, the Globe reports. Yakovleff, who was a stylist at Liquid Hair, was out and may have been targeted for his sexual orientation. The incident has galvanized gay activists, who......

Peter Berdovsky--VJ, artist, and one of the men behind last year's "Mooninite Menace"--and the city of Boston better learn to live with each other because Berdovsky isn't going away anytime soon. The AP interviewed Berdovsky about his post-Aqua Teen life, which Bostonist has covered before. Berdovsky has been working steadily as an artist and was voted a top "VJ" in his chosen art medium. He certainly hasn't been shunned by the art community. However, as......

--News the Boston Fire Department doesn't need: An anonymous person has accused firefighters of cheating on a promotional test in November. [Boston Globe] --In Hyde Park yesterday, a four-alarm fire that started at Maria's Hair Fashion damaged eight apartments, two restaurants, the salon, and another business. No one was seriously hurt, but this is the second time a salon belonging to the same owner has burned down. [Boston Herald] --Mary Marques, the oldest resident......

There's so much to say about former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential aspirant Mitt Romney's looks. His political views may be ever-changing, but one things for certain--some people find him attractive. And some people like to get a little closer. First, an Iowa tweenager probably just becoming acquainted with her hormones got close enough to Romney to ask to touch his hair. Romney took her hand and placed it, probably to make sure that she......

Enza Sambataro may not be a household name, but she inspires a passionate response from baseball fans. She's about to marry the beloved Red Sox player Kevin Youkilis. The Globe recently ran a light lifestyle piece about how Sambataro won't be the ordinary baseball wife. She dated Ben Affleck, she jokes about Yooooouk drinking too many margaritas, and she has a shoplifting record, around which the article danced delicately. Adam Reilly at the Phoenix detected......

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......

A 25-year-old woman was nearly raped after leaving a Green Line train from the Brookline Village stop early this morning. She told police that the man followed her from Government Center to Brookline Village and attacked her on Cypress Street. When he attacked, she managed to get away and run home. Brookline police have released a description of the man. From the Globe: A Hispanic man, possibly of Mexican descent, who is about 5 feet......

Josh Ritter Tuesday, December 11 Club Passim, Harvard Square 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., $35-$75 (SOLD OUT) When Josh Ritter closed his most recent Somerville show with a rambled monologue in which he dispensed impractical driving directions from Davis Square to Canada (via the Fresh Pond Whole Foods) and plugged his two upcoming benefit concerts at Passim, Bostonist jumped at the chance to see him in such a cozy, acoustic-friendly venue—and so did everyone......

Now that David, the Somerville LARPer, took the grand prize in Beauty and the Geek, we are focusing our attentions on Denise, the martial-arts aficionado with the heroic hair. Denise has hung on throughout several rough rounds of Survivor:China. This week, Denise caught a break since the reward challenge involved the presence of family members. The producers saved Denise's husband for last--for good reason. He is a big, burly dude who looks like he would......

Many women get close to their hairdressers, whether they're forking over too much for a haircut or going to SuperCuts. But have you been worried that your hairdresser might hate you? Kayleen Schaefer at the New York Times did a trend piece on how the most successful hairstylists don't gossip with or barely even talk to their customers. The first hairstylist profiled was Mario Russo of Boston: “I’m not in a position to give you......

If you see something, say something! Especially if it's a middle-aged man with white hair and a long beige coat packing a newspaper and an exposed pee-pee. For the past several months, a man fitting the above description above has been getting grabby and flashy with high school students on the Green "E" Line between Brigham Circle and Government Center. Oh, man -- skeee-eee-eeeve. If you have any info about the Green Line Groper......

The Five Brothers, aka Mitt Romney's kids who all blog for Dad, are toothy, cute, and so wholesome it could make your brain bleed. They strike us as mostly harmless sorts who just want to tell the world how cool their Dad is. But they do not, under any circumstances, need to be playing touch football with streamers dangling around their butts. The Team Romney football game marks the second time that Bostonist has seen......

Other -ists, such as Chicagoist, Houstonist, and Austinist, regularly peruse Craigslist's "Missed Connections" for the good stuff. Boston's Missed Connections have been fairly straightforward, with the exception of the guy who thought he found Fung Wah Love. But this has been a good week for impressive Missed Connections. First, a love note to a "meter maid" caught our eye: You waited until I backed into the parking space to tell me that in the future......

Now that Donald Trump is eyeing Massachusetts for a new casino, what would life be like with Donald Trump sightings? Pretty cool, actually. The Track Girls can cover incidents in which the wind blows back his hair and shows what's underneath that critter sitting on his head. Maybe we'll get a taste of the Trump shenanigans that Gothamist sees on a regular basis, such as when Trump defied the ghosts of SoHo to build a......

Everybody's favorite mustache month is wrapping up nicely, with some film stars ostensibly in town to shoot movies but succeeding mostly in displaying some fine facial hair. Both William H. Macy and Steve Martin rocked the 'stache in Boston recently. We like Martin's dapper style, but Macy wins for volume. (The bathrobe is a nice touch, too.) And with December looming, Santa brings out the beard 'n mustache combo, much to the dismay of some......

--House speaker Sal DiMasi is renovating his office and is shouting from the rooftops that he is paying for "most" of it and really needs new carpet. Unlike some people. [Boston Globe, with picture of carpet with nasty stain on it] --Moved by Governor Deval Patrick's plan to bring gambling to Massachusetts, Donald Trump--along with his hair--has been looking for land. [Boston Globe] --In related news, whoever makes maps at the Globe might want to......

On Saturday night at the Paradise, UMass alums Dinosaur Jr. brought their intense melodies and insane guitar work back to Boston for the first time since the release of their latest album, Beyond. For a show featuring dudes old enough to be your dad, it rocked much harder than most indie bands do today. Satisfying both longtime fans now in their forties (or beyond), twentysomethings who felt the pain in middle school, and XX-handed minors......

ImprovBoston Benefit Dinner Sunday, November 18, 6:00 pm UpStairs on the Square 91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge $50 for dinner, $10 without More info ImprovBoston is moving from Inman Square to Central Square, on Prospect by The Field. The plans are already set in motion, but they need money to fund the move to the new space, and they are working hard for the bucks. They began a Funny Money Capital Campaign, and they've taken advantage......

Rock 'N Roll Fashion Show 10 pm, Friday, November 16 Milky Way, Jamaica Plain Directions | Tickets $10 Update: The Milky Way's permit was suspended due to enforcement of the nightclub sprinkler law. However, Carol Downs, one of the owners, said that they will be appealing the fire department's refusal to grant the Milky Way an extension at the sprinkler board. If they don't get the appeal, they'll go to Superior Court. Regarding tonight's event,......

Not only does Project Runway Season 4 feature a contestant named Sweet P (was the "ea" part of "pea" that intrusive?), it also has the requisite dude with whack hair, dude with whack facial hair, and a fabulous first episode title: "Sew Me What You Got." Sweet! None of the designers appear to have Massachusetts connections, but models Lauren, Marcia, and Wendi are all from the Bay State. Lauren started modeling in Boston, and Marcia......

-- 18 protesters were arrested during yesterday's Veterans Day ceremony at City Hall Plaza. They were members of Veterans for Peace, an organization of former soldiers opposed to the Iraq War. The American Legion had placed the group in the rear of the Veterans Day parade and told them that they could not carry signs protesting the war. The Veterans for Peace responded by blocking the official ceremony podium with gags in their mouths and......

--A Boston judge sentenced three cocaine dealers yesterday and then told them that, after they serve their time, they will not be allowed to move back to the city for 12 years. According to the Herald, 19-year-old Amos Carasquillo of Mattapan, 26-year-old Nathan Garrasteguy of Roxbury, and 21-year-old Louis Garcia Jr. of Roxbury have 60 arrests among them. Besides those guys, eleven gang members have been rounded up in the past few weeks. --Last night,......

Sarah Hartshorne, also known as Vita Lightly of the Boston Babydolls, was eliminated from this week's America's Next Top Model. She took the time to answer a few of Bostonist's questions about the experience and her future plans. 1. What advice would you give anyone who is considering trying out for America's Next Top Model? I would say to take everything seriously except for yourself. There is so much to learn and so much to......

We wondered what happened to Peter Berdovsky and Sean Stevens from the Aqua Teen Hunger Force incident. Berdovsky, also known as "Zebbler," has made lemonade out of the experience. After the Cartoon Network and viral-marketing company Interference, Inc., hung him and Sean Stevens out to dry, Berdovsky made a comeback and has been named one of the top 20 VJs in the world by DJ Magazine. No doubt a little ATHF publicity helped to......

--A cabbie got shot by an armed robber early yesterday morning in Roxbury. O'Ryan Johnson writes that the cabbie was changing a tire when the robber accosted him. After the cabbie handed everything over, the robber shot him and wounded him in the leg and buttocks. Elsewhere, early this morning, a man was shot several times in Roslindale and is now in the hospital. --More problems for cabbies: A BU student gave a cabbie a......

--A man and his mother were shot while riding in a car yesterday in Dorchester. The Globe reports that Darnell Ricks Jr., 20, was hit in the arm, and his mother "appeared to have been grazed in the face by a bullet." Police have a detailed description of the alleged perps: "They were looking for three black males who appeared to be in their late teens and about 5 feet 8 inches tall. One wore......

Halloween's over, Thanksgiving's not for a few weeks, and you don't even want to think about Christmas shopping yet (even though the store displays are already urging you to). So what's a Bostonian to do for the first 2/3rds of November? Easy: grow a moustache. For those not in the know, November is now officially Movember, a time for shaving one's face clean on the first of the month and growing the most glorious moustache......

Be prepared to take a long lunch break tomorrow. Mayor Menino has announced that Red Sox celebration festivities will begin tomorrow at noon. Bostonist watched the WBZ webcast of Mayor Menino giving the details. The players will be riding in duck boats in a repeat of 2004's "rolling rally." Menino said that the parade will follow the same route as it did in 2004. Here's an image of last year's route from the Globe.......