A Pretty Weak Showing at the Oscars for Massachusetts


A Pretty Weak Showing at the Oscars for Massachusetts. Last year, we showed up loud and proud to the Academy Awards with 16 nominations linked back to the Bay State in some way, shape, or form (not to mention that the “The Fighter” and “The Social Network” both took noms for Best Picture). This year, Massachusetts was practically relegated to the peanut gallery by relying on “adopted New Englanders” like Viola Davis and Glenn Close to make up the list. But, hey, at least it was a good night … for the French. [Boston.com]

Terry Francona Thinks The Red Sox Are High School Students on a Field Trip. On the Red Sox’s recent “PR move” to ban booze in the clubhouse, now-analyst Francona had this to say: “I think if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one. You know, it’s kind of the old rule … If your coach in football says no hard liquor on the plane — I mean, you serve beer and wine — somebody’s going to sneak liquor on the plane.” [ESPN]

Public Transit Big Wigs: The People Who Can Never, Ever Do Anything Right. Daniel Grabauskas, the former director of the T who was forced to resign back in 2009, is positioned to take a job in Hawaii where he would oversee the construction of Honolulu’s elevated-rail system. But, as we know all too well, public-transit officials can never, ever do anything right, and must always, always have the deck stacked against them from the get-go. So it’s really no surprise that that’s the case in Hawaii, which has seen its fair share of delays and developed a lengthy list of opponents. “He faces some real difficulties; I hope he’s got a good contract,” says Cliff Slater, chairman of an anti-rail group. “This project is going to go down one way or the other.” [Herald]

Hey, Whitman: Here’s Our Best Rat Trapping Advice. Maybe it’s a good idea to figure out exactly where your rat problem is coming from, but, as a city built on a landfill, our best advice on how to trap a rat is to bait the rodents with what they really want: Slim Jims, pepperoni, or canned clams. [Wicked Local]

This Headline Puts State PACs on Par with Deadly Viruses. Oh, wait … [MassLive.com]