Trends of The Day

Hey, it's the holiday weekend. So no heavy lifting here - just a few unrelated nuggets as we predict the future of couples we don't know, and question whether Alex Rodriguez has a prayer with Madonna:

Just when you thought the culture couldn't get any sleazier, along comes WeddingBetting.com

Wedding Betting is an utterly inane but modestly diverting venture that lets you predict the wedded bliss of unsuspecting couples you've never met, based primarily on photos and brief biographies culled from local wedding announcements and other places.


"Joe is a plumber and Michelle is a school teacher. They met through a friend," we learn of one couple highlighted on Wedding Betting. Online peepers cast their votes on a scale ranging from "barely past the altar" to "happily ever after." After you weigh in, the site displays crowd-sources probabilities (number of voters, average number of years until the predicted split), then allows you to continue judging other couples ad nauseam.

As for Joe and Michelle, 6,702 people voted. Seventy percent believe they'll get divorced, while 30 percent believe they'll stay married. Of the people who think they'll get divorced, the majority gave the couple 6.1 years. Why I mention this I frankly have no idea, other than to denote yet one more decline in modern civilization.

That reminds me - you don't have to travel to West Virginia to experience the thrill of eye-watering fuel exhaust and burning rubber emitted by howling, souped-up cars commandeered by tattoo-festooned motorheads and their scantily-clad babes. Welcome to Worcester, Summer Nationals!

We also welcome "Girls Night - The Musical," at 8 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Hanover Theatre. The show, described by Applause Magazine as "Desperate Housewives" meets "Mamma Mia," is to benefit the YWCA's domestic violence programs Daybreak and Battered Women's Resources. The tickets are $52; $10 of each ticket sold will benefit the programs. The show is a raucous "tell-it-like-it-is'' look at the lives of a group of female friends and is designed to celebrate friendships among women. Sounds like a fun night out for a good cause. For tickets, call (877) 571-SHOW.

Speaking of good causes, in May I wrote about four charities that were uncharitably suing a Worcester dentist and his wife over a will that left the couple close to $3 million.

Five weeks before his death in 2001, 85-year-old Leonard R. Brener changed his will and bequeathed his estate to his niece, Lois Rosen, and her husband, Dr. Herbert Rosen, in gratitude for the care they provided during his battle with cancer. Since then, four nonprofits that had previously been the stated beneficiaries had challenged the will, taking their case to the state Appeals Court, which concluded in February that Mr. Brener was mentally competent when he made the bequest.

Two of the charities - Carroll Center for the Blind and The Maimonides School in Brookline, sought further review from the state Supreme Judicial Court.

Last month, the SJC struck a blow against misguided greed by declining further appellate review of the case, effectively ending the five-year battle.

"Needless to say, we're delighted that the SJC affirmed the decision of the Appeals Court," said the couple's lawyer, C. Peter R. Gossels of Boston. The Rosens have declined to comment throughout the legal battle.

And I'm delighted by news that the affable Gus Giordano of Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse restaurant is taking over the "function function" at Union Station. Ever since Joe Petrou left the catering and banquet business at The Grand Hall, the void has only added to the "white elephant" perception of the beautiful building. Let's hope Mr. Giordano can make a go of it. Union Station is quintessentially Worcester, and it needs to succeed. And now that the hall will be marketed as a site for weddings, maybe we can submit some lucky local couples for consideration on WeddingBetting.com.