Even so, Levine’s shadow loomed large over the BSO tour in the programming. In Boston, he advocated big time for the American composers he admires, including Elliott Carter and John Harbison. Unfortunately, Carter’s recent Flute Concerto, which was played in San Francisco on Tuesday, wasn’t heard Saturday –- the day before the still-composing Carter’s 103rd birthday. Instead, Brahms’ Violin Concerto, with Gil Shaham as soloist, opened the program. Harbison’s Fourth Symphony, however, happily made the Disney cut. Under Morlot, the BSO sounded mellow and delectable, which has been Continue reading >>>

Reviews by Benjamin Ivry Alice James: A Biography Jean Strouse New York Review Books Classics, 400 pp., $17.95, paperback “The Diary Of Alice James” (Northeastern University Press) is a moving account of a psychologically fragile Bostonian, born in 1848 to an overachieving family, a sister of philosopher William James and novelist Henry James. Brother Henry called Alice “rare and remarkable,” and Strouse’s literate and literary 1980 life story, now in a new paperback edition, sympathetically portrays her virtues as well as travails. Finding a niche in the 1870s as a correspondence Continue reading >>>

1. Friends and Family coupon at Clarks. Clarks has a coupon good for 25 percent off your entire purchase from Dec. 1-14. It's a great deal for gifts or to help you complete that holiday outfit. Redeemable at any Clarks, Bostonian, or outlet store. In Marlborough, the Clarks store is at the Solomon Pond Mall. 2. Holiday Catering Special at Dino's Trattoria in Marlborough. Through Jan. 1 save 10 percent off catering orders of $50 or more and save 20 percent off catering orders of $100 or more. Note that Dino's will be closed on Christmas day, so orders for Christmas should be picked up on Christmas Continue reading >>>

Whitney Johnson is a She Negotiates grad, author of the upcoming book titled, Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream. She’s a recovering institutional investor analyst, and one of the founding partners of Rose Park Advisors, and she’s fond of talking about her company’s passion for Disruptive Innovation. She knows a thing or two about a thing or two. In the professional realm, she’s negotiated deals to be sure, but lest you think asking is coded in “some people’s” DNA, here’s a little story from Whitney: Continue reading >>>

    I don’t write much about the Bruins in this space, and believe me, that’s probably for the better.While I obviously have nothing against the B’s, truth is I know next to nothing about hockey. I wasn’t brought up on the game; I never played. Between my 12th and 30th birthdays the B’s advanced passed the second round of the playoffs exactly zero times. Add it all up, and I just never caught the fever.When the Bruins reached heights unseen last season, and that dominance carried into the 2011-2012 campaign, I was faced with Continue reading >>>

Whilst most bloggers develop their sense of style as they develop their blog, Sarah McManus started in the fashion industry early on and created her blog to share her love of fashion and her fabulous personal style. Blogger behind Blonde In Boston, McManus is a fashion staple. Her blog offers insightful reviews of fashion pieces and beauty products, behind the scenes insights into fashion shows, and a preview into her chic life. Need a closet revamp? McManus offers many stylist services including interior design, "The Home Boutique", seasonal closet refurbishing, and personal shopping. Madeleine Continue reading >>>

A real quacky holiday gift for the family Boston is a city hugged by water, rich with history, and best explored on duck-back. This holiday, give your brood a family outing that they’ll fly off the hinges over with today’s family deal:  $24 for one Boston Duck Tour ticket (worth $37). You can buy one ticket for yourself and as many as you’d like as gifts for family and friends. The season starts 3/19/12, so bring the whole flock in from near and far for a day filled with Bostonian facts, cross-city fun, and a whole lot of quackin’ around! Your vouchers will be good for the 2012 Continue reading >>>

Extreme emotional highs and lows. Boston has come to be a city of champions. With each of our “Big Four” teams bringing a title or two to the city in recent years, we've gotten used to a certain standard of living. But every action has an equal and opposite reaction, as they say: For example, that on-top-of-the-world feeling we had after winning the Stanley Cup was shortly thereafter dulled by the rock-bottom disaster of blowing the MLB playoffs amid rumors of clubhouse drinking. And so the vicious cycle begins anew. Mental health issues. Boston fans most commonly suffer from delusions of Continue reading >>>

Examiner.com is the inside source for everything local. We are powered by Examiners, the largest pool of passionate contributors in the world.

Examiners provide unique and original content to enhance life in your local city wherever that may be. Examiners come from all walks of life and contribute original content to entertain, inform, and inspire.

This photo by Daphne Weld Nichols shows a bride who apparently came in to give her husband-to-be a photo album of sexy pictures as a wedding present. Channel 7 filmed this woman for a segment they did a short while back The other day while sitting in the locker room at my gym, I saw a segment on Inside Edition discussing a new trend called “boudoir photography.” For those of you who didn’t study French, “boudoir” means a lady‘s private bedroom, sitting room or dressing room, or, according to Urban Dictionary, “a room where you can get SM with Rihanna.” Let’s use the first Continue reading >>>