Rebecca

It's often fun, when watching a reality show, to guess why the contestants sent in audition tapes. Sometimes, it's obvious: They're narcissists hoping for career advancement, even the chance for some small spinoff showbiz opportunity. The incentive for appearing on "Ex-Wives Club" is less clear, given the price: They have to sob, sniffle, and repeat ad nauseam the worst humiliation of their lives. In tonight's premiere, which airs at 9 on ABC, we meet Kevin, 35, who lost his wife to his best friend.

Rebecca Meyers , who has been the director of film programs for ArtsEmerson since 2010, e-mailed friends on Tuesday to tell them that she would be leaving her post. "The organization has decided that, due to financial constraints, it has no alternative but to cut the position of Director of Film Programs," she wrote, adding, "I feel very fortunate to have been offered the rare opportunity to develop a 35mm repertory and art-house cinema in Boston. " ArtsEmerson executive director Rob Orchard explained to us - also via e-mail - on Tuesday: "Rebecca Meyers has done a phenomenal job in establishing...

Who knew that Tim Gunn, who lends such endearing support to aspiring fashion designers on Bravo's "Project Runway," could be so mean to the common woman? Who knew that he could think so badly of us all? In tonight's premiere of "Tim Gunn's Guide To Style," the fashion-maven-of-the-moment reacts with abject horror at some photos of a woman's wardrobe. "Oh my God! It's all jeans and T-shirts!" he gasps. "And they're ugly! Every single proportion's wrong! And the color's not clever!"

A Billerica truck driver was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail today after a Suffolk prosecutor alleged he knew about the 2008 murder of Northeastern University student Rebecca Payne – but lied about it even after he was granted immunity. With Payne's parents and former roommate in the Suffolk Superior Court room, Michael Balba pleaded not guilty to four counts of perjury stemming from grand jury appearances in 2010 and this year. The burly 55-year-old was described by his attorney, James Dangora Jr. as a "productive...

Watching somebody exercise ought to be as interesting as watching dirt. Most gyms -- despite the fancy exercise equipment -- are largely unappealing places, full of sweaty people wearing too-small clothes, and often grunting. This is not the case at Sky Sport and Spa, the setting of the new six-part Bravo reality series "Work Out. " Here, in a Beverly Hills penthouse, the trainers look as if they could get modeling contracts, the clients are often demi-celebs, and if you remember who Jody Watley is, you can watch her do stomach crunches.

As things in Gaza seem to worsen daily, Amos Gitai's new movie, "Free Zone," underscores a crucial, if simple , part of the problem. Neither side is listening. His film is a road flick that crams the Israel-Palestine situation into a car. Obviously, the only place anyone really seems to drive anyone else is crazy. A former architect, Gitai has put a lot of thought into how to imply some of the conflict's complexities without directly defining the politics. Those are in the air. But, really, they should be on the ground.

Amy Fahey is averaging a sizzling 28.4 points per game for the women's basketball team at Fitchburg State University, a breakout start for the sophomore forward from Wilmington. And she is doing so without the 3-point shot as part of her arsenal. The 5-foot-9 Fahey is scoring the old-fashioned way - two at a time. The trey just isn't in her comfort zone. Not only does she not score from beyond the arc, she very rarely shoots from there - not one attempt through the first five games this season, and just three shots in 24 games last season.

Ted Teichert would like to drag his old boat to the curb, put a "Free" sign on it, and have someone take it away. What has stopped him is the certainty that his boat will meet the same fate as his old bed frame and his old sit-down mower — it will end up across the street in his neighbor's yard, among a number of portable sheds and other items covered with tarps. The Andover resident and former selectman believes his neighbor could be a compulsive hoarder, given the years-old and growing piles of items in his front yard, among which are...

Are we going to go nuts in there? I couldn’t help thinking that as we walked along the platform at South Station, peering at the Amtrak train we were about to board. My husband, Ian, and I had overnight reservations on the Lake Shore Limited, bound for Chicago. We were sharing a Viewliner Roomette, the smallest sleeper space possible, and through the train’s wide windows we could see all the compartments lined up inside, looking tiny, even toylike. Hoisting our bags through our room’s narrow door, we circled tightly on the available floor, the way dogs do...

ARLINGTON – Everyone in town knows the purple house. Strangers knock on the door asking for tours. The post office once delivered a letter addressed simply to "The Purple House, Arlington. " Rebecca and Doug Perlo's 1850 mansard Victorian, painted a rich shade of boysenberry, with red and green accents and surrounded by a matching picket fence, certainly stands out. But the exterior is actually the least unusual thing about the house. Inside, it's a warren of funhouse rooms, each more whimsical and ornate than the last.

Last year Exodus International, a Christian group that regards homosexuality as sinful, expressed that view in a software app created for Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Over 150,000 people contacted Apple to protest the app. In response, Apple barred the software from its online store. A victory for tolerance? Perhaps. But as Internet policy maven Rebecca MacKinnon warns in an important new book, Apple's decision should serve as a warning that the liberating power of digital technology is under threat from corporations and governments alike.

Neither age nor infirmity can slow down Lennie Sogoloff. The force behind Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike, the West Peabody jazz club that played host to the likes of Duke Ellington and Buddy Rich, Sogoloff now books Devereux House, the Marblehead nursing home he shares with 63 other old folks. This week Lennie rang us up to say that Rebecca Parris will be singing at Devereux House Jan. 12. (Parris, who hails from Newton, has performed with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to David "Fathead" Newman.)

Rebecca Black's infamous "Friday" video has topped all other YouTube videos of 2011 with 180 million views. The Google Inc. video-sharing site announced its most-viewed clips of the year Tuesday. The 14-year-old Black was turned into a viral video celebrity after her parents paid a production company to make the music video for her. "Friday" became an unlikely, off-key global hit. Because of a legal dispute with Ark Music Factory, the video has had two YouTube incarnations, both of which were tabulated in the year-end count.

Amy Fahey is averaging a sizzling 28.4 points per game for the women's basketball team at Fitchburg State University, a breakout start for the sophomore forward from Wilmington. And she is doing so without the 3-point shot as part of her arsenal. The 5-foot-9 Fahey is scoring the old-fashioned way - two at a time. The trey just isn't in her comfort zone. Not only does she not score from beyond the arc, she very rarely shoots from there - not one attempt through the first five games this season, and just three shots in 24 games last season.

With a name like “Masterpiece,’’ it has to be good. For a quarter-century, Rebecca Eaton has overseen this weekly British drama showcase whose reputation for excellence is undisputed. But now, with “Masterpiece’’ marking its 40th year (it first aired in January 1971), the pressures of maintaining that masterpiece tradition might have reasonably begun to wear on the person in charge. “It’s my life’s work,’’ declares Eaton, looking anything but pressured, “and I love it.’’ The PBS series’ summer phase —...

Who knew that Tim Gunn, who lends such endearing support to aspiring fashion designers on Bravo's "Project Runway," could be so mean to the common woman? Who knew that he could think so badly of us all? In tonight's premiere of "Tim Gunn's Guide To Style," the fashion-maven-of-the-moment reacts with abject horror at some photos of a woman's wardrobe. "Oh my God! It's all jeans and T-shirts!" he gasps. "And they're ugly! Every single proportion's wrong! And the color's not clever!"

This piece was written by James H. Burnett III, Nicole Cammorata, Ike Delorenzo, Sheryl Julian, Doug Most, Anne V. Nelson, Kathleen Pierce, Mark Pothier, Julia Quinn-Szcesuil, Denise Drower Swidey, Rachel Travers, Adrian Walker and Eileen McEleney Woods. 3 LITTLE FIGS Chef, baker, and co-owner Katie Rooney got her start at area farmers' markets, but the family affair (mother, husband, sister) put down roots last fall in Somerville. The airy cafe is a stylish understated place with stylish understated offerings: avocado muffins, glazed lavender scones.

It's often fun, when watching a reality show, to guess why the contestants sent in audition tapes. Sometimes, it's obvious: They're narcissists hoping for career advancement, even the chance for some small spinoff showbiz opportunity. The incentive for appearing on "Ex-Wives Club" is less clear, given the price: They have to sob, sniffle, and repeat ad nauseam the worst humiliation of their lives. In tonight's premiere, which airs at 9 on ABC, we meet Kevin, 35, who lost his wife to his best friend.