When Tony Bennett's non-profit helped found your school, you can bet the famous crooner will show up at graduation. Bennett sang at the commencement of the Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts in Astoria, Queens—his hometown (he grew up on 32nd Street by Ditmars)—and Bruce Willis was the commencement speaker, telling students, "I don't think you should listen to anybody else. Just be brave and go out there and do whatever you want." The ceremony was held at the high school's sleek new building, which Bennett visited with the NY Times recently. Bennett brought his sound man to make sure the acoustics of the school's concert hall were perfect and said of his Manhattan high school, the High School of Industrial Arts, "We went to lunch and the ceiling fell down on the desks. We would have been smashed — that’s how terrible the building was." The Times has a charming video of Bennett walking around Astoria, "I come back here and I like this better than any place I’ve ever lived." more ›

A lively, discontented rabble marched through the East Village Friday night, protesting what they see as the neighborhood’s ongoing desiccation, caused by “real estate developers, landlords, yuppie wine bars and Republicans.” Organized by longtime gadfly John Penley, the group swelled to approximately 100 protesters, who jeered, sang, read poetry and generally condemned others for enjoying fine wine and luxury apartments. more ›

When it comes to turbo-gentrification, longtime East Village activist John Penley has drawn a line in the sand at the Bowery Wine Co.; the newish wine bar co-owned by actor Bruce Willis. Penley, who joined Jerry "the Peddler" Wade in pushing the Parks Department to permit this August’s concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Tompkins Square Park riots, not only objects to the “yuppie” wine bar’s sterile aesthetics but also Willis’s GOP support. A couple months back Penley announced plans to “roast a whole hog” named Bruce. more ›

Has Bruce Willis left behind beer and barstools for wine and a more posh drinking atmosphere? The NY Post is saying yes. more ›

Remember that whole Hep-A scare at West Village bar Socialista? Reports came in this week that the whole thing may have been a joke -- but who's laughing? Probably not the owners of Socialista. more ›

Making fun of hipsters isn't even ironically cool anymore, but this video of The Hipster Olympics somehow still manages to be funny. The hipsters go through a series of challenges including picking out ironic thrift store t-shirts (obvs), photographing themselves for their MySpace profiles, and tossing out albums by artists who have sold out by becoming popular (Of Montreal, Caribou, The Beatles and the sarcastic selection of Bruce Willis). Find out who wins the silver (which is the new gold): more ›

(directed by Brad Bird) more ›

(directed by Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis): more ›

. The running time is longer than a usual Hollywood blockbuster but the steady stream of oozing fake blood, rapid fire witty details and laughs at movie clichés are never boring. more ›

Scoping out movie sets is practically a city-wide past time in New York and today in the movie pales in comparison to parking parity. more ›

This week's new film releases are a lovely New York melting pot: ballroom dancing teens, Arab/Israeli anxieties, motor skills-challenged geeks, neurotic female friends, and a thoughtful Polish director thrown in for good measure. Spring may have sprung outside but it's also a great time to be inside at the movie. more ›

Can't you just feel the Oscar buzz in the air? The jangling of borrowed jewels and the buzzing of nominees nerves is like a cacophony even on this coast. Gothamist is excitedly anticipating the telecast like June Carter Cash before a duet with Johnny. In the meantime though, there are movies to be watched. more ›

Mos Def, the rapper-turned-actor, is having child support problems. His estranged wife, Maria Yepes-Smith (Mos Def's real name is Dante Smith), says that he's failed the pay the full $10,000-a-month for their two daughters that he's owed for the first two months of the year, only paying $8,000 each time. Mos Def's lawyer claims that his business obligations, plus supporting three other children, are making it difficult. Def even spoke up during the hearing, much the judge's annoyance, saying, "I'm the only person who's providing for my children." Def also claims his wife said she would homeschool the girls, but isn't, so he should pay less in support. Hey, private school costs money, too! more ›

Gothamist has our guacamole and Tostitos with a Hint of LIme (best tortilla chip ever!) and we're ready to see if anything crazy happens during the game. more ›

For the last 24 hours we've been deluged with requests to track down Chris Parnell's "Lazy Sunday Afternoon" video (AKA "The Narnia Rap"). It can be found at YouTube, and it is indeed the funniest thing SNL has put up in about five years. A quick transcription of the lyrics: more ›

Hey Ya! won four awards; there was a day when Gothamist didn't think we could get tired of Hey Ya! by Outkast, but it seems that day came like two or three months ago. We're sad that Jay-Z's incredibly beautiful and brutal video 99 Problems won most of its awards in the pre-show; directed by Mark Romanek, it shows Jay-Z in Brooklyn with a motley cast of supporting character, in a last hurrah of sorts. See the video on Romanek's site here. And our other Larry-King-in-USA-Today type thoughts:
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A.O. Scott calls Man on Fire partly a "moody, foreboding adventure in high-risk baby-sitting" and also a way for director Tony Scott to exhibit a "borderline creepy fondness for filming [little girls] in bathing suits." more ›

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It's good to know that Winona Ryder is basically like the Welcome Wagon for any semi-cute up-and-coming would-be rocker - at least someone is looking out for the lads. That's why she was the focus of a VH1 All Access:Winona Rules! Truly, it makes sense for Winona to be featured, because as Courtney Love says, as quoted on the show's site, "You�re no one in music until you have feuded with me or until you sleep with Winona!� more ›

NY Post follows up the birth of Carys Zeta Douglas with wondering about the insane names that celebrities give their children. They offer up: more ›