One high end boutique I've never heard of is going to be replaced with another high end boutique that I've never heard of.

There's a series of shops on Boylston on the 1st floor of the Heritage on the Garden building (facing Boston Common) that I've never set foot in. Escada, Anne Fontaine, La Perla and a few others that I can't remember.

I was walking over to the Star Market in the Prudential to do some grocery shopping yesterday and saw that one of the stores - Marina Rinaldi - was closed and there was a sign up saying that a new store called Christofle would be opening this Spring.

I just googled Christofle and apparently they're kinda like Tiffany's. They sell flatware, picture frames, jewelry, etc - a lot of stuff made of silver. Someone will probabaly get mad at me over that analogy, but I'm not sure how else to describe a store like that.

Click (here) to check out the Christofle site.



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Elizabeth Banks is going to be in town next week for the 2009 Commonwealth Awards. She's going to be the keynote speaker. I <3 her. I loved her in 40 Year Old Virgin and also in Zack and Miri. Anyhoo, enough about my crush on Ms. Banks.

Presented every two years by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Commonwealth Awards honor individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to our communities, our economy, and our quality of life in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth Awards celebration will take place at the Massachusetts State House Tuesday, January 13 from 1 to 4 p.m.

We are pleased to welcome actress and Pittsfield native Elizabeth Banks (W., Role Models) as our keynote speaker.

The registration deadline to attend was 12/30, but maybe they can still squeeze you in if you try.

Click (here) to go to the registration site.



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CariDee English @ The Estate for New Year's Eve
Click (here) for more pics from The Estate's Gallery



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I had cards printed up for the Beantown Bloggery a few months back as part of my "advertising" efforts. The thought was that I'd take them with me whenever I went out to bars or clubs and leave a few of them when I left for folks to find. I don't think it's really worked out yet - mostly because I don't go out very often anymore and whenever I do, I forget to bring the cards.

But back to my original thought. I thought I'd share with you the company that I used to make the cards because 1. They were a great deal and 2. Their US Headquarters are in Lexington, MA.

What do you think? I think they look pretty decent. And I got 250 cards for a grand total of about six bucks.

They do printing of all sorts, so if you're interested, check it out using the link below.





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Based on a reader comment on an earlier post, I'm not sure whether to call this pilot "War of '04" as I've been seeing it or "Madso's War" which is apparently another possible name. For those that missed the previous posts (here) War of 04 is a pilot with a story line about the mob set in Boston. Everything that I had read previously said that this was a pilot for Spike TV. But according to a recent Globe blurb, Spike hasn't officially picked it up yet.

Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, Spike TV has not yet picked up the pilot for "War of '04." But the show, which is loosely based on Whitey Bulger's Boston mob saga, does sound promising. "I can't speak highly enough of the experience," says actress Judy McIntyre, who played the mom to Matthew Marsden's crooked character. "I mean, Sheila Jaffe cast it, so you know it's got some great people." (Jaffe's credits include "The Sopranos" and "Entourage.") The oldest sister of New Kid Joey McIntyre, Judy told us she also auditioned for a role in "Bunker Hill," the TNT pilot starring New Kid Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan. "But I just didn't have connections, I guess," she joked.

I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it gets picked up. With Dana White as the executive producer, I'm sure he can twist some arms and at the very least get the pilot picked up.

Click (here) for the Globe blurb.


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Wow, I was looking back at my old Ashecliffe posts and realized it's almost been a year since my first post on Martin Scorsese's movie filmed in the Boston area. According to a blurb I dug up from the Globe about a week or so ago, it looks like the name of the movie is back to Shutter Island.

Martin Scorsese can't make up his mind. Initially, the famed director was calling his next movie "Shutter Island," which is the title of the Dennis Lehane book on which the film is based. But while Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, and Max Von Sydow were shooting the movie here, the title was switched to "Ashecliffe." Now, the name's been changed again. Paramount Pictures has created a website for the film: www.shutterisland.com. We dropped a line to the film's publicist Larry Kaplan, but he didn't respond yesterday. Whatever it's called, the movie is about two US marshals who are summoned to an island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the whereabouts of a murderer who's disappeared from the island's hospital for the criminally insane.

Interestingly enough, if you go to www.ashecliffe.com, it points to a blog called "Hollywood In The Hub." Smart move buying that domain before the movie studios snatched it up. I bet it would have brought them a lot of internet traffic if the movie stayed stuck with that name.

Anyhoo, click (here) for the Globe blurb.



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Car Talk is my 2nd favorite NPR show (The first is Wait, Wait .. Don't Tell Me). I like it so much that I told myself that if I ever have trouble with my car (knock on wood) , that I'd try taking it to Click & Clack's garage in Cambridge.

As part of the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s 75th Anniversary celebrations, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, better known as Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, from NPR's popular radio show, Car Talk appear live on the Coolidge stage to present their favorite film, A THOUSAND CLOWNS, on Monday, January 5, at 7:00 p.m.

The Magliozzis will take "auto/biographical" questions after the film. Tickets are available in advance at www.coolidge.org or at the Coolidge box office, located at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline. For more details about this and other 75th anniversary events, visit the web site or call 617/734-2500.

For those of you are interested in meeting the Magliozzi's, here's your chance next Monday.

Click (here) to go to the Coolidge Corner Theatre site.

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This comes from a comment that was left on my post about Eliza Dushku being here last weekend at The Estate (here). According to Bloggery Reader Dan, Eliza's mom is a professor at Suffolk University. He even provided us with a link.

Judith Dushku is an Associate Professor of Government and from the looks of it, she's been teaching there for 40+ years and has a pretty lengthy list of accomplishments.

Click (here) to go to the Suffolk site.

PS. For those of you that are eagerly awaiting the debut of Dollhouse (the new tv show from Joss Whedon which stars Eliza Dushku) like I am, according to wikipedia the show starts on Feb 13, 2009.

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Happy New Year Everyone! Happy 2009 - good luck to everyone on their resolutions. To usher in the new year, I'm going to give stuff away to Bloggery Readers. This time it's t-shirts from a local company called CPR Gear.

What does CPR Gear stand for? Well it stands for the "Heartbeat of New England" sports and also simultaneously represents the Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox. According to the site:

CPR GearTM is a clever acronym created by a dedicated team of sports gurus to represent the heartbeat of all New England sports... and, yes, it does include the Bruins. CPRB just doesn't sound as cool, now does it?

As you can see from the picture above, I have 4 shirts to give away. Here are the sizes: Men's XXL, Men's L, Men's M, Women's S. And here are the rules:

1. Tell 2 friends that don't currently read The Beantown Bloggery about it and ask them to subscribe (email or RSS is fine).

2. Email me which size shirt you'd like to be entered for along with your name and mailing address. I'm going to hold a separate drawing for each shirt so make sure you get put in the correct bucket.

3. Contest will run for one week until 11:59pm on Friday 1/9/09. Winners will be announced/contacted the following Monday.

Click (here) to check out CPR Gear's full line.

Want to enter the contest?
Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com

Thanks to Bloggery Reader Carrah for the note on a Bridget Moynahan sighting.

ironic with tom and giselle possible wedding news - spotted bridgette monihan at bristol lounge of fourseasons in back bay on christmas night - with mother, i presume. must be staying there if still filming in town?

I'm not sure if they're done shooting the pilot of Bunker Hill (here) yet but if they are - hopefully the series gets picked up and Ms. Moynahan will be back.

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Again for those procrastinators, if you're looking to meet a celebrity, try checking if there's still tickets to the event at The Estate tonight. It's going to be hosted by Caridee English the winner of America's Next Top Model.

Regular tix are $75 and VIP tix are $100. Along with host Caridee English, there's going to be a lingerie fashion show. That undoubtedly means there will probably be a lot of dudes at this party.

Here's a little info about Caridee from wikipedia:

CariDee English (born May 22, 1985 in Fargo, North Dakota) is an American fashion model of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry. In December 2006 she won Cycle 7 of America's Next Top Model. Her prize was a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics, a modeling contract with Elite Models, and a six-page fashion editorial and cover for Seventeen magazine. She is the second ANTM winner from North Dakota, the other being Nicole Linkletter of Cycle 5.

Click (here) to get your tickets. Turn the volume down before you click.

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Haven't made plans for tonight yet? Looking for something a little classier this year? The Boston Pops is having a New Years Eve Gala that perhaps you should check out.

On Wednesday, December 31, at 10 p.m., the Boston Pops will ring in the New Year with a gala New Year’s Eve celebration at Symphony Hall. Glitteringly adorned Symphony Hall will feature a dance floor where concertgoers can dance the night and year away and toast the arrival of 2009.

Conductor Jeff Tyzik leads the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in a concert of danceable music ranging from swing favorites to lively arrangements of popular hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s including “I Feel Good,” The Hustle,” and “Grazin’ in the Grass,” to a Bossa Nova medley highlighted by “The Girl from Ipanema.” Also included is Mr. Tyzik’s melodic tribute “Lullaby for Basie.”

Tickets for the New Year’s Eve celebration are priced from $40 to $140.

Click (here) to get more details and to get your tickets.

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Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com

I remember first seeing Eliza Dushku in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh and that chick flick Bring it On. Well the Globe got a picture of her this past weekend at The Estate and here's a little tidbit that I found interesting - Ms. Dushku is apparently from Watertown. I wonder if she was home for the holidays visiting relatives.

How does "Dollhouse" actress Eliza Dushku celebrate her birthday? She dances nonstop. The star of Joss Whedon's much-anticipated new show threw herself a 28th birthday bash at The Estate Saturday, and boogied in black leather pants all night long. The actress, who hails from Watertown originally, was surrounded by dozens of family and friends, including new beau Brent Bolthouse, the LA-based nightclub owner and impresario who's appeared on "The Hills." (Dushku formerly dated Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny, who may well wind up signing with the actress's beloved Red Sox. . . . Wouldn't that be interesting?) The crowd at Ed and Joe Kane's Back Bay club also included the Big Papi's better half, Tiffany Ortiz, "Fantastic Four" actor and former Gisele Bundchen boyfriend Chris Evans, Shag owner Sandy Poirier, and "On Broadway" actor and producer Lance Greene.

Well, welcome to Boston to Eliza Dushku and I hope you had a great time while you were here.

Click (here) for the Globe blurb.

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Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com

I remember first seeing Eliza Dushku in episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh and that chick flick Bring it On. Well the Globe got a picture of her this past weekend at The Estate and here's a little tidbit that I found interesting - Ms. Dushku is apparently from Watertown. I wonder if she was home for the holidays visiting relatives.

How does "Dollhouse" actress Eliza Dushku celebrate her birthday? She dances nonstop. The star of Joss Whedon's much-anticipated new show threw herself a 28th birthday bash at The Estate Saturday, and boogied in black leather pants all night long. The actress, who hails from Watertown originally, was surrounded by dozens of family and friends, including new beau Brent Bolthouse, the LA-based nightclub owner and impresario who's appeared on "The Hills." (Dushku formerly dated Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny, who may well wind up signing with the actress's beloved Red Sox. . . . Wouldn't that be interesting?) The crowd at Ed and Joe Kane's Back Bay club also included the Big Papi's better half, Tiffany Ortiz, "Fantastic Four" actor and former Gisele Bundchen boyfriend Chris Evans, Shag owner Sandy Poirier, and "On Broadway" actor and producer Lance Greene.

Well, welcome to Boston to Eliza Dushku and I hope you had a great time while you were here.

Click (here) for the Globe blurb.

Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?
Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com

The Proposal - the romantic comedy featuring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds - has had it's trailer released. I found it on Youtube this week. I'm guessing the scene where she's in her bosses office was the scene filmed at the State Street Bank. And I could swear that I saw a little bit of Rockport in the background when they go to "Alaska."

Some filming was also done in Gloucester, but I've never walked around Gloucester before (only driven through) so I can't identify any of the Gloucester scenes.

See the trailer below and see if you can identify some scenes. It's a fun little game I like to play with the movies that were filmed here.





Click (here) if you can't see the embedded video.

Click (here) for my past posts on The Proposal.



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Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com

The Proposal - the romantic comedy featuring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds - has had it's trailer released. I found it on Youtube this week. I'm guessing the scene where she's in her bosses office was the scene filmed at the State Street Bank. And I could swear that I saw a little bit of Rockport in the background when they go to "Alaska."

Some filming was also done in Gloucester, but I've never walked around Gloucester before (only driven through) so I can't identify any of the Gloucester scenes.

See the trailer below and see if you can identify some scenes. It's a fun little game I like to play with the movies that were filmed here.





Click (here) if you can't see the embedded video.

Click (here) for my past posts on The Proposal.



Know of Any Interesting Boston News or Events That You'd Like to Share?
Email me at beantownblog@gmail.com

So last week, there was rumor that a movie might be in the works based on the life of John Martorano - an associate of Whitey Bulger's Winter Hill Gang. The original blog post is (here) if you'd like to get the background. I wonder if it'll be sort of like American Gangster, where Denzel's character started out as a criminal, got caught, then cooperated with the feds. Anyhoo, rumor is Martin Scorsese might be the one directing it.

Now don’t breathe a word of this. Because nobody’s supposed to know. But word from the Left Coast is that the man behind the controversial John Martorano movie is none other than gangster-filmmaker extraordinaire Martin Scorsese!

We hear that Scorsese met secretly with the Winter Hill Gang hitman at an Italian restaurant in the Back Bay while “The Departed” director was in town making “Shutter Island.”

Then, according to our snitch, Marty had his longtime collaborator, producer Graham King, lock down the rights to Martorano’s life story. It is also likely that William Monahan, who wrote the screenplay for “The Departed,” which Scorsese directed and King produced, will write the Martorano script.

No complaints here, bring more movies to Boston. With the recent rumors about J Lo's upcoming divorce, I wonder if she's ever going to make it over here to film The Governess (here).

Click (here) to read the Herald article.

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After a bit more reading, I've stumbled upon another article about Tom and Gisele's possible engagement. The Globe isn't sure if it's real either. Here was the latest from the weekend (here) until now.

A source close to Brady also said yesterday he heard the engagement is a go. But if it's true, Tom Brady Sr. says he isn't in on the news. "We don't know a thing about it," Tom's dad told us yesterday. "Nobody told me. We talked to him and there's nothing to say. It's rumor, rumor, rumor. It must be a slow news day." Brady's agent, Don Yee, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The blurb goes on to talk a bit about Tom's relationship with Bridget prior to getting together with Gisele a couple of years ago.

Click (here) to read the blurb.

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Click (here) for more details on ice skating at Frog Pond.

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Recession, recession everywhere. Everyone is getting beat up, from individuals to huge corporations. As of last week, the company that holds the leases for three of the locations in Faneuil Hall Marketplace is in a wee bit of trouble.

General Growth Properties Inc., the second-largest US mall operator, is offering to sell the rights to operate Faneuil Hall, as well as two other well-known East Coast tourist destinations, South Street Seaport in Manhattan and Harborplace & the Gallery on Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace is one of Boston's top tourist attractions, and its sale will be closely watched by city officials, merchants, and rival operators. The marketplace consists of four buildings owned by the City of Boston, including the Quincy, North, and South markets. General Growth operates those three, and is selling its lease-hold interests at the marketplace The city itself owns and runs the fourth building, Faneuil Hall, a historic venue for some of the country's most prominent orators.

According to the article, they've got until February 12th to refinance $900 million in debt. No word on what the three buildings are priced at. It'll be interesting to see who steps up to the plate and what (if any) sort of changes the new owner makes.

Click (here) to read the article.

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