Jaunted is planning our fall travel with some help from the networks. Check out our Fall TV 2008 Map to go where your new favorite characters go.

Given that "LOST" creator JJ Abrams' new series "Fringe" (Sept. 9, 8 pm, Fox) begins with a plane crash just like its established cousin, we're pretty sure the producer and director has a serious phobia to deal with. But Flight 627 lands at Boston's Logan with every single passenger dead, and dead in a particularly gruesome way, so there will be no desert island shenanigans here.

A federal agent (Anna Torv), a mad scientist (Peter Noble) and his genius brat son (Joshua Jackson) believe the answer to the fate of Flight 627 lies in the realm of "fringe science"--explaining the unexplained with possible supernatural intervention. So, in other words, the Cloverfield monster did it with an assist from the smoke monster.

We haven't seen the two-hour, $10 million pilot yet, but Wired.com says it contains "a doomed airplane, hairless weasels, rooftop chases in the 'Bourne Identity' vein, acid-tripping federal agents and more translucent skin than you can shake a fat-encrusted artery at."

Related Stories:
· Fringe Pilot Script Review [Collider.com]
· JJ Abrams Tries to Play It Straight(er) With "Fringe" [NYM]
· First Look: JJ Abrams' Fringe [Wired.com]

[Photo: Collider.com]

We did make mention last week that five Sheraton hotel lobbies were now the proud home to Microsoft Surface screens, and we checked in on the first public demo too.

So far so good, but now we've seen a demonstration of it in live action at the Sheraton Boston.

Calling all dudes who ever wished they could enter in the Miss USA Pageants....

The first-ever Mister USA Pageant will be held in Boston on Sept. 23rd at the Lenox Hotel.

So far, 11 young men will "walk it out" to become the first Mister America, who will then travel to the Mister International pageant in Taiwan later this year. Mister USA founder, Rafa Delfin, explains his decision to start up the pageant for men to the Boston Globe:

"There's so many opportunities for young women to participate in pageants . . . they even have mother-daughter pageants, for Pete's sake!"

Like all other pageants Mister USA has some requirements for contestants. Men must be

The historic Colonnade Hotel in Boston -- best known for its rooftop pool and Dow Jones-based room rates -- has just completed a renovation (to the tune of $20 million) and is now up and running, boasting a more eco-conscious and tech-savvy style.

On the green end of things, every window has been replaced with energy efficient panes, energy-saving heating and ventilating systems have been installed (turned off in between check outs and check ins), and the hotel is the first in the nation to implement ElectroCide cleaning, a completely nontoxic cleaning process that essentially eliminates the use of bleach within the hotel.

The Seaport Hotel in Boston has always been a geeky...er tech-savvy hotel, having employed the SeaPortal, a sort of iConcierge that eliminates the need for human interaction when staying at a hotel.

But now they move from software to playware (?) with their Guitar Hero contests.

The hotel has a Twitter account (as does HotelChatter) and has let its followers know that tomorrow it will be holding a Guitar Hero contest from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the hotel's Tamo Bar. And judging from regular SeaPort "tweets", it seems the contest is a standing Wednesday night thing. So if you can't make it tomorrow, try the next week.

However, there's not much info we

The opening party for the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel has received all sorts of love and attention from its corporate parent, Marriott. From its own Flickr set, to a YouTube video, the hotel's opening is probably one of the most-promoted Marriott openings in recent history.

But what we were even more pleased to learn about was the creation of Celtics-inspired cocktails that were served at the party:

Two signature martinis were also created in celebration of the Boston Celtics' 17th victory in the NBA's Championship. Downstairs at the party, the Celtics' 3 Point Shot featured Stoli Blakberi, fresh cranberry and orange juice, served with a fresh orange and blackberry garnish. Upstairs,

Technically, Boston's Nine Zero Hotel wasn't used as a set for the new Steve Carrell movie Get Smart, but the hotel has put together a wicked package for the fumbling spy enthusiast in all of us.

Making good use of the tech-laden penthouse suite, Cloud Nine where an iris check is essentially your room key, the Get Smart Weekend Package includes:

· Two nights of luxury in Nine Zero's Cloud Nine 19th floor penthouse suite featuring 1,200 square feet of luxury and comfort
· Two tickets to Get Smart starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway
· Two Spy Kits

Before we get on to the price of this package, we had to inquire--what is included in the Spy Kits? However, our

Get your hot dogs, sunscreen and beer guts ready: Independence Day is just over two weeks away! If you're headed to a big city for some fireworks fun, we'll be taking a look at hotels with prime fireworks views. Have a favorite hotel for gawking at bombs bursting in air? Send it our way.

Celebrate your country's independence by spending a night in an old jail! Head to Boston and check out our Fourth of July SPLURGE hotel pick: The Liberty Hotel.

The swanky, newly-converted jailhouse is offering the Independence Day Perfect View Package, a bundle of goodies that may be best for you to indulge in without the kiddies.

This quirky North Boston cafe is about as far from a corporate coffee shop as you can get.

Owner L'angelo--who goes by one name--named his place after his two favorite dances, and that should give you a hint to Flamepoeira's artsy sensibilities. The sandwiches are all named for famous artists: You can go for the classic Da Vinci or the eclectic Dali, but you'll get more props from the staff if you venture for the avant-garde Warhol or the screaming hot Munch.

The espresso is strong and the WiFi is free, but this isn't the place to put on the earphones and dive into work. The lounge-y open room inspires conversation, and the cafe draws a crowd of artists and activists who are quick to slide in next to you and talk your ear off about the eclectic artwork on the walls, Barack Obama's election chances or the virtues of fair-trade coffee.

Related Stories:
· Flamepoeira [Official Site]
· Starbucks Alternatives coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: GV Chang]

While the Lakers-Celtics finals continues with Game 4 in Los Angeles tonight, Us Weekly got some dirt on what Kobe Bryant was doing at his hotel in Boston last week.

A "nail technician" told all to the trashy tab saying she was summoned to Kobe's room at the Four Seasons Boston to give him a mani-pedi.

"He started doing his pedicure around 5 p.m. He was watching the movie 21 and he got on his couch," [Donna] Nieves tells Us [Magazine], adding that the reigning NBA MVP was "really concerned about the appearance of his hands and feet." Nieves added, "He told me he tries to get mani-pedis on a regular basis!"

Wow. There are no words. Let's