In the wake of the State Senate's 38-24 rejection of a bill legalizing same-sex yesterday, advocates of gay unions will hold a rally on the north side of Union Square tonight at 6 p.m. Demonstrations are also expected in Albany and other cities, as people vent their frustration at the latest in a series of setbacks in the campaign for gay marriage equality around the nation.

    

The Sesame Street gang is stopping by today's Tyra, and we've got a sneak peek of Elmo, Rosita and Cookie Monster — who were all there in celebration of their show's 40th anniversary. But what's happening in these above photos? We're told: "Rosita, who reveals she rocks her natural hair and does not use weaves, checks Tyra's hair for weave tracks." And OK! Magazine points out that "it looks like Cookie Monster has his hand on Tyra’s booty!" Innocence: lost.

After getting into a public squabble with a CUNY trustee at a groundbreaking event on Tuesday, City Councilman Charles Barron wants him out. According to the Daily News, the controversial Council member told an audience at Medgar Evers College (a CUNY school), "The Board of Trustees has to change... This is a racist, rednecked right-winger who's sitting on the Board of Trustees. Make sure you write a letter and say he must be removed."

Basking in the glow of his fourth racketeering-and-murder mistrial, "Deadlock Don" John Gotti Jr. gave a few interviews while enjoying freedom in his Long Island home. He admitted to 1010WINS' Juliet Papa, "I'm a little off. For 16 months I was in a bed by myself and for 13 or 16 months I was in solitary confinement so I had quiet."

             

Despite a steady rain, thousands of people amassed at Rockefeller Center last night for the annual tree lighting event. Besides the dramatic moment when the lights go from off to on, there were performances by Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, Jo Dee Messina, Barry Manilow, Shakira, The Muppets, and The Roots. Photographer Katie Sokoler got a bird's-eye view from Rockefeller Center's "620 Loft & Garden," where the Canadian Tourism Commission held an invite-only event intended to lure tourists to their country... by celebrating a classic New York tradition?

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Hofstra University has decided to cancel its football program. President Stuart Rabinowitz said, "The cost of the football program, now and in the future, far exceeds the return possible from an FCS program, which does not generate significant national interest. Given that, along with the low level of interest, financial support and attendance among our students, our alumni and the community, the choice was painful, but clear."

Today's mid-day links: Four struggling schools are being shut down, a man is pleading not guilty in the murder of his Rockland County neighbor, Streetsblog wants big Grand Army Plaza ideas from the DOT, and more.

[UPDATE BELOW] The Occupy Everything student dissidents have sent out another video from one of their strident street demonstrations, which is always a fun way to start the day. This one is described by the group as "video of last night's incident when the police attacked students at the anti-war march in times square." Man, here we go again, another outrageous example of the police state in action, with pigs cracking skulls to suppress dissent and... Oh, actually, it shows officers using reasonable force to arrest two direct action demonstrators blocking traffic. But then wait until you see how the protesters get attacked once they surround the station house, reciting their favorite chant, "From New York to Greece, Fuck the Police!"

A small business owner in Brooklyn Heights took to the streets in April and taped an envelope filled with 15 business cards onto a Court Street lamppost. That is, of course, not legal... but it also doesn't seem quite right that the sanitation worker who fined her wrote out a separate summons for each card in the envelope! Now Susan Hager is fighting the fines, and she told the Brooklyn Paper, “It said I’ll be paying a minimum of $75 for each card, and I could ultimately pay up to $3,000 for the whole deal. I don’t mind paying $75, but $3,000?”

Yesterday, the Florida Highway Patrol released photographs of Tiger Woods' damaged SUV, which had crashed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his Windermere home. And the crash wasn't just a simple crash down his driveway—the Post says, "Tiger Woods turned a ritzy gated community into a one-vehicle demolition derby as he fled his home as if he were being chased by an angry woman wielding a golf wedge," referring to the rumors that he and wife Elin Nordegren were arguing about his alleged dalliances.

Five female employees at Battery Park Swim and Fitness say they were fired after complaining to human resources about a manager who ran the place like his own personal frat house. A lawsuit filed by two of the former employees, membership consultant Courtney McCallion and trainer/receptionist Maggie Alexander, contends that manager David Anglin was usually about as mature as Rodney Dangerfield on his fifth martini during their employ at the gym, and his harassment included such timeless flirtation gambits as bra-strap snapping and jokes about their cleavage.

There's been much debate about how to handle overweight passengers on flights. While some airlines may charge for an extra seat, not all do — and now a flight attendant allegedly snapped a photo on an American Airlines flight (destination and take-off point unknown), which of course has been leaked to the press.

Elmhurst resident Jack Rhodes, who was convicted of beating up and robbing three women (including a 101-year-old using a walker) was sentenced to 75 years in prison yesterday. Queens Supreme Court Justice Gregory Lasak said, "That comes out to about a year for every dollar you took from those people"—Rhodes managed to steal just $78 from the three muggings—"Your actions ...were reprehensible. It shocks the senses. I've never seen anything like it."