Dunno what your Saturday night Grammy pre-game was like, but ours involved a tough-ass veggie-and-chicken plate, the world's longest power-point presentation, and the company of every newspaper in New England not named the Boston Globe or the Boston Herald. Believe it or not, this is what passes in the fishwrap industry as a hell of a time, and don't be fooled by our cynical description of the festivities: we wouldn't miss this shit for the world.

For the second year in a row, a Boston Phoenix staff writer was named Journalist of the Year, and the Phoenix took home 18 awards -- including 11 first-place prizes -- at the annual New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Awards.The mammoth haul included awards for design (including overall design, photos, illustrations, and photo illustrations), writing and reporting (in arts, news, editorials, and features), and multimedia (a convergence award for best mix of print and web storytelling).