In August 1974, Philippe Petit, a Frenchman with a passion for walking on wires, captivated New York City as he stealthy made his way to the top of the World Trade Center. Once there, he walked across a cable strung between the Twin Towers, a historic feat that's vividly depicted in a new documentary, Man On Wire (which will be screening tonight). The famous walk turned a void 1/4 mile above the streets into a... [continue]

Kenley Collins is one of the designers competing in the season's Project Runway. Hailing from Florida, she now lives and designs in New York, where she's been working on her own line in a small boutique, as well as freelancing and teaching. She recently told us about the show, her fellow designers and what trends appear to be back in New York. How did you get started in fashion? I started reconstructing vintage when I... [continue]

Multi-instrumentalist Mike Gordon – revered for his virtuoso bass playing and distinctive singing with the trailblazing jam band Phish – is releasing a new solo album on August 5th, right in the midst of feverish speculation about a Phish reunion; speculation that's been all but confirmed by the band members themselves. As Gordon tells us in this interview, the timing of all this increased Phish chatter is a bit "weird," mainly because he's so excited... [continue]

Millions know fashion photographer Nigel Barker as a judge on America's Next Top Model. But Barker, who has had a photography studio in New York City for over a decade, is also spokesperson for The Humane Society of the United States' Protect Seals program and visited the Canadian seal hunt earlier this year. On Friday, an exhibit including his photographs and a documentary from the hunt, "A Sealed Fate?," will open at 401 Projects (running... [continue]

Earlier this week a video of Feist singing a Sesame Street-ized version of her hit song "1 2 3 4" showed up on YouTube. Now a highlight reel for the upcoming 39th Season is out, and even adults will probably be adding the show to their DVRs. There's Will Arnett as a magician, a lemon playing 30 Rock's "Liz Lemon" and a Brian Williams news segment on "mine-itis"! The season premiere airs August 11th--check out... [continue]

Yesterday was an appropriately blistering day for this year's eighth annual Village Voice Siren Music Festival at Coney Island, which, with the right frame of mind, can be a total blast. Yesterday had everything we've come to expect from the annual indie rock extravaganza: massive crowds of dehydrating hipsters, fresh clams on the mobbed boardwalk, and a bulging, unmanageable lineup of 14 bands on two stages. Those who stuck through until the evening were rewarded... [continue]

Illustration by Carolita Johnson. Who doesn't enjoy a peaceful lunch in Central Park? The above illustration is succinct in showing the ornithological, et al, breakdown of just who's getting leftovers. From pigeon to rat, there are two-winged and four-legged creatures savoring every dropped crumb in the park -- and they're just as pushy as some human New Yorkers when it comes to their lunch break.... [continue]

Picnics always look so appealing in the movies, like that scene in O Brother, Where Art Thou? where John Goodman breaks off the tree branch and starts swinging. But here in the real world, picnics take a lot of work and schlepping, and if you don’t have one of those deluxe picnic baskets an unspoken feeling of inadequacy can quickly turn that potato salad to sawdust in your mouth. Thankfully, there are a number of... [continue]

Director David Gordon Green, called "one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic independent filmmakers of the last decade" by The Believer, will be sharing his lyrical take on southern culture with Brooklyn moviegoers starting Thursday, when BAMcinematek kicks off All the Real Americans: The World of David Gordon Green. What's interesting about the week-long, early-career retrospective is that Green has paired each of his four feature films with six movies from the '70s and '80s... [continue]

As part of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game celebrations, the DHL All-Star FanFest opened today at the Jacob Javits Center. Running through Tuesday, FanFest offers activities that any baseball fans of all ages can enjoy. There are booths where attendees can test their pitching skills against video images of Major League Sluggers, attempt to hit "home runs," take fielding practice, and other active events. Fans can also have their photo taken for USA Today's Sports... [continue]

Not since Jacob took the birthright of his older brother Esau back in the Old Testament has a younger twin grabbed a bigger chunk of the spotlight than Kim Deal has over her sister Kelley throughout the years. However, Kelley is no slouch on her own. She has just written her first knitting book that will be released this fall, titled "Bags That Rock: Knitting on the Road with Kelley Deal." And of course, she... [continue]

People tend to either love The Hold Steady or hate them, but even those in the latter camp don't really despise them in a 30 Seconds to Mars sort of way. Say what you want about frontman Craig Finn's half-spoken/half-sung vocalizations, it's hard to knock a group with such an affable lack of pretension. A couple years after the dissolution of his previous band Lifter Puller, Finn started The Hold Steady in 2002 with no... [continue]

Yojimbot at The Origin of Species has some beautiful photographs taken during the release of some kestrels back into the wild. These kestrels (which are in the falcon family) were being rehabilitated by Bobby Horvath, who gathered other bird enthusiasts in Van Cortlandt Park for the big day. Here are some photographs from Yojimbot, who also has video.... [continue]

Yesterday's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest had a lot to live up to after last year's heavily-hyped and record-breaking victory that saw Joey Chestnut bring the Mustard Belt back to America by snapping the six-year victory streak of legend Takeru Kobayashi. How did they manage to top it? Overtime! After the two giants of competitive eating ended regulation in a dead heat at 59 franks a piece, Nathan's officials scrambled and decided to hold... [continue]

Along with Doug DeFalco, Sarah Hooper co-runs JellyNYC -- the company that brings free concerts to McCarren Park Pool each Sunday of the summer. With the space undergoing some changes in the future, we checked in with Hooper on the status of the parties and where they may go when the empty pool gets filled with water again. Good news: Marty Markowitz promises they'll be sticking around..and could possibly have a water view. Is this... [continue]

Back in 1985, when the meatpacking district nightlife was all about gay clubs like the Manhole and, as John Waters puts it, not getting mugged after a night of “watching men pay good money to get pissed on,” Frenchman Florent Morellet opened a bistro in an old greasy spoon called the R&L. Open 24/7, the place soon became a magnet for all sorts of soulful misfits drawn by the open-minded spirit cultivated by Florent himself.... [continue]

Savitri D., normally acting as director of the Church of Stop Shopping, became a mermaid this past weekend. After marching in the Mermaid Parade on Coney Island as Queen, and attending the Ball later that night, she began a hunger strike. She now sits in a storefront on Coney Island, fasting until a scoping meeting tomorrow regarding the fate of the area. You can see her on a livecam that's been set up; she talked... [continue]

This is way better than the Tony Soprano wardrobe auction, now you can be the proud owner of an authentic Cosby sweater! Just in time for Father's Day, too. USA Today reports:Cosby's daughter, Evin, said her mother and father were cleaning out a closet recently when they came across a batch of the sweaters her dad wore when he played Huxtable on NBC's The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992. "I pounced on these sweaters,"... [continue]

Since 2000, Anathallo has been traveling the world, delivering tunes to many a diverse audience. Band dynamics and direction have shifted over the course of their career, accurate since their name means to renew or bloom again, but their aesthetic has maintained a powerful balance of light and dark throughout. This time around they return with a new album under their belts, called Canopy Glow, and like good troubadours, they're back on the road (even... [continue]

Amstel's Beer Bike As far as marketing ideas go, this one may just take the beer-battered cake. May 15th marks a Dutch invasion of the Upper West Side in celebration of Dutch heritage, and the Amsterdam-brewed Amstel Light has kicked in with a takeover of Amsterdam Avenue on that day. They'll be giving away 150 bicycles (which should never be driven after imbibing their brew), offering up drink specials, and doing other things that... [continue]