AltWeeklies Wire
CDs for Christmas -- One Last Timenew
The major record labels are pulling out all the stops to release a plethora of new and reissue albums in the hopes that they can pump some blood back into what is increasingly looking like a moribund business model.
Boston Phoenix |
Daniel Brockman |
12-12-2008 |
Music
The 2008 Heroic Holiday DVD and Blu-ray Gift Guidenew
At the end of this year, when you're deciding between making December's mortgage payment or spending just a little bit more for little (or big) Billy's holiday gift, keep in mind that dear, cute Billy will always fondly remember 2008 as the year that his beloved superheroes whammed!
Boston Phoenix |
Brett Michel |
12-12-2008 |
Movies
Funds Cut for Campus Assault Preventionnew
Combating sexual assault is especially tough if your workspace is the size of a professional basketball player's shoebox.
Boston Phoenix |
Sara Faith Alterman |
12-12-2008 |
Education
The Nutcracker + Burlesque = The Slutcrackernew
"Later, Drosselmeyer returns with the vibrator. Lo and behold, it grows bigger and becomes the Slutcracker Prince. The Slutcracker courts Clara and convinces her with his wily ways to come to the land of sexual fantasy." Slideshow attached.
Boston Phoenix |
Jim Sullivan |
12-12-2008 |
Performance
Terror Unlike the Usual Terrors: A Report from Mumbainew

Mumbai, India has endured terrorist attacks for decades, but the November assault on the Taj Mahal Hotel stopped the city in its tracks.
Boston Phoenix |
Kathryn Gearhart |
12-03-2008 |
International
From Russia, with Vlognew
Russia, a country not exactly renowned for its press freedoms, has prosecuted bloggers in the past, but last month, the country acquired a new uncensorable voice online -- President Dmitry Medvedev's. He joins other world leaders in the blogosphere.
Boston Phoenix |
Peter Piatetsky |
11-26-2008 |
Media
Bollywood's Terrorism Masalanew

Bollywood's colorful, multi-genre musicals serve up their most interesting protagonist yet, the singing, dancing terrorist.
Boston Phoenix |
Seetha Narayan |
11-26-2008 |
Movies
Two Boston Poets Use Their Art for the Good of the Tribenew

What if a poem were a social force? Boston poets Rafael Campo and Franz Wright have laid bare a live wire between poetry and isolation.
Boston Phoenix |
James Parker |
11-26-2008 |
Books
Skiing on the Levelnew
Laughing in the face of fear doesn't mean you're not a coward.
Boston Phoenix |
Sara Faith Alterman |
11-19-2008 |
Sports
Mayor Menino's Mosquenew
A few weeks ago the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center finally opened its doors for prayer -- five years late, millions over budget, and still far from complete. The bizarre story behind the construction of the city's most controversial building.
Boston Phoenix |
David S. Bernstein |
11-19-2008 |
Politics
What's the Fuss Over the Fairness Doctrine Really About?new
The conviction that Obama's win and Democratic gains in Congress mean the impending resurrection of Fairness Doctrine, a defunct policy aimed at creating a balance in broadcasting -- is tormenting both the wing nuts and conservatism's grownups.
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
11-13-2008 |
Media
GOP Strategy: Divide and Be Conquerednew
The partisans will howl in protest, but while certainly not the only culprit, the relentless stream of invective from the right side of the dial has undeniably been a major contributor to the GOP's demise. It's no coincidence that the Republican eclipse began just when conservative talk radio found its audience.
Boston Phoenix |
Steven Stark |
11-13-2008 |
Commentary
Is the Red State/Blue State Thing Over?new

Will the end of the Bush years signal the simultaneous end of interstate rifts? Or will the antipathies between the government and its malcontents only calcify further?
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
11-13-2008 |
Commentary
Learning To Lindy Hopnew
In the Lindy Hop community, guys just start dancing, and gals -- no matter how many women's-studies classes they took in college -- follow respectfully.
Boston Phoenix |
Chris Faraone and Sara Faith Alterman |
11-06-2008 |
Culture
Half-Baked Alaska: Why's the Coldest State Such a Hotbed of Corruption?new
Before we met Sarah Palin and Ted Stevens, little did we denizens of the Lower 48 realize how truly sleazy things get up in the great wild North. Shows how much Juneau.
Boston Phoenix |
Kara Baskin |
11-06-2008 |
Commentary