One way to celebrate the late, great, John Belushi? Announce a musical version of Animal House on the 30th anniversary of the star's death. Because, yeah, that just happened. And the icing on the cake? The Barenaked Ladies are writing the music. Hey, it kinda worked for Bono and the Edge. more ›

After the rich folk who reside at the chic, Richard Meier-designed 1 Grand Army Plaza dodge the rat army, they can't even enjoy peace and quiet thanks to the frat house synagogue next door. 1 GAP's board is suing Union Temple because of the incessant, "pounding music throughout the night" from the people that pay to rent out their Grand Ballroom. An attorney for the condo board claims that the noise has been registered as being "eight times the legal limit," and "it literally blasts the entire building" with "raucous, loud parties that went quite late." Hmm, we'd never thought of converting until now... more ›

Following two incidents in recent years that highlighted the occasionally raucous atmospheres of City firehouses, the FDNY is cracking down on what it considers improper names for certain houses, like the Happy Hookers in Red Hook, Southern Comfort on Staten Island, Animal House in the Bronx, and The Nut House in Bedford-Stuyvesant. more ›

After years of legal wrangling, the Appellate Court has backed the College of Staten Island and says that the CUNY school can deny official status to fraternity Chi Iota. But the battle may not be over, as the brothers want to fight this at the Supreme Court. more ›

• Tody on the Gothamist NewsMap: a carjacking in Staten Island; a missing patient at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn; and a fatal accident in Queens.
• The Staten Island carjacking, which included a police chase, injured three people, including a child and a police officer. One suspect is in custody and police are on scene looking for a possible 2nd suspect.
• The fatal accident in Queens was a small school bus striking a 23 year-old woman in Richmond Hill. The bus had special-ed students from St. Joseph's - the students are uninjured.

Purebred dogs from across the country are rocking out at Madison Square Garden for the Westminster Kennel Club's 131 Westminster Dog Show. Over 2,600 dogs are competing today and tomorrow for Best in Breed and Best in Show prizes. Many dogs and their owners stay at the Hotel Pennsylvania across the street from MSG, where dogs meet each other and their owners sniff out the competition. more ›

EVENT: NYC Photobloggers will take over the Apple Store again tonight, for the 7th of their events there. The A-list...um, list, of past photographers is a long one. Six more will join the ranks tonight, as they are the centerpieces for this event. They are: more ›

And it's not that great when a FDNY spokeman gets nailed for coke possession. Mike Loughran, who is a civilian member of the FDNY and was arrested for snorting coke on in midtown over a week ago, claims a friend handed him a bag of coke. When he saw a police officer, Loughran "faked a yawn and tossed a Ziploc bag full of white powder onto the low, cigarette-littered rooftop of a nearby restaurant." But the police weren't fooled; they got the bag and charged him. Just think - there used to be a time when the big problem at firehouses was toxic urinal deodorizers.
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Also in Yonkers, but on the Metro-North: A 10-foot boa constrictor was on laying on the tracks. Before the MTA could remove the boa, a train came through and "bifurcated" the snake. And some deer were found dead near Metro-North tracks, too. Warning to animals: Living in Yonkers can be dangerous. more ›

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta met with reporters yesterdayalso said, "We're simply not going to let the activities of a few members ... soil the very hard-won reputation of this department," which, in Gothamist's mind, seemed to refer to earlier controversies with firefighters (drunk driving incidents, brawls, accidents due to drug use). The FDNY's investigation is being compared to the Knapp Commission, which was the investigation into police corruption more ›