The Fenway Winter Classic and Other Exciting Venue Swaps Around Boston

Walking on Van Ness Street this morning I noticed workers moving in and out of Fenway Park. It turns out they're building the hockey rink for this year's NHL Winter Classic (you can watch them yourself by clicking here), in which the Bruins will face the Flyers somewhere between the infield and the outfield.  

While you might think this is a cheap cross-marketing ploy, it's actually done in the name of tradition; the Winter Classic motto: "The game was born outside. Now it returns." Be sure to get your commemorative hats, cups, pucks, coins, and t-shirts - they're already all for sale on line. 

With the Winter Classic generating so much buzz - select tickets are reportedly selling for $9,000 - many local institutions are planning similar collaborative events. Considering how excited folks are to watch hockey in a baseball stadium, some of these are sure to truly titillate.    

-In a move that stunned critics who were excited to see Avatar on giant Loews screens, director James Cameron will preview his 3-D masterstroke at the Brattle Theatre. Reached for comment, Cameron told the Phoenix that while he may have spent $400 million on the passion project, he still considers it to be "creatively independent."  

-For the next two weeks, Anna's Taqueria will serve its burritos at all Qdoba locations and its tacos at Chipotle. If you want a Chipotle burrito, you have to go to Taco Bell, which will be topping all of its Mexican pizzas with calamari from Legal Sea Foods. Also: the Sam Adams seasonal this Winter will be Narragansett lager.

-Starting next week the Phoenix will be printing Globe copy, while the Herald will feature articles from the Jewish Advocate. Meanwhile, the Christian Science Monitor will run the Weekly Dig's Media Farm column, while Boston Common magazine will fire its reporters and finally just allow publicists to write everything.  

-The Museum of Fine Arts will open its doors to Mission Hill graffiti writers for a week-long free-for-all. In the meantime, the institution's finest works will be hung at fraternities and college bars around the area. MFA spokespeople hope to lure multiple new demographics with the campaign, and have hinted at keeping several of the tags in their permanent collection. 

-Don't be surprised if your UPS driver brings packages from the United States Postal Service, while your local mailman delivers your pizza from the Upper Crust. Various bike messenger companies will also be conducting an experimental campaign with Zipcar, which will temporarily rent its customers skateboards in lieu of compact vehicles.

-The Dropkick Murphys will be performing New Kids on the Block classics at JAM'N 94.5's "Holla Day" Jam at the TD Garden. When they're finished, Steven Tyler will face off against Ernie Boch, Jr. in a game of one-on-one basketball to be refereed by embattled Harvard professor Skip Gates.