Willow the cat continued her media tour of adorableness by speaking to additional media outlets after her Today Show appearance yesterday. The feline, who went missing from her Colorado home five years ago only to be dropped off at a Manhattan animal shelter last week (it's believed Willow was chilling in Brooklyn these past years), was reunited with her Colorado humans, thanks to the microchip the Squires family placed in her. more ›

While we think we've solved the mystery of how Willow, the Colorado cat who went missing five years ago only to surface in New York this week, traveled to the Big Apple, there are still many questions. Like how could Willow's microchip, with information about her Colorado home, not be detected? Well, there are some theories. more ›

After telling us that Willow the Colorado cat had been living in Brooklyn, our tipster added, "If either of my cats disappeared for years I would just want to know what happened and that he or she was loved... Please contact her Colorado family!" So we did: We got in touch with Jamie Squires who said she was "grateful" to Willow's New York owner for taking care of her. And how does Squires know Willow was taken care of? "She's fat!" Squires joked, referring to how Willow, a small calico, was five-and-a-half pounds when she ran off and is now clocking in a healthy seven pounds. more ›

Willow's NY owner "fell in love with her on a ski trip when she was a stray in Colorado, and flew her back to Brooklyn, thinking she was too amazing to leave behind." more ›

The Colorado parents who apparently orchestrated a massive hoax involving a runaway helium balloon and their young son last month will plead guilty to charges, according to their lawyer. A statement from lawyer David Lane said, "Richard and Mayumi Heene will enter pleas of guilty in Larimer County Court.... Mayumi Heene will plead guilty to False Reporting to Authorities, a class 3 misdemeanor (the lowest level misdemeanor in Colorado law) with a stipulated sentence of probation. Richard Heene will plead guilty to Attempting to Influence a Public Servant, a class 4 felony. The prosecutor has stipulated to a sentence of probation." more ›

"Balloon" Boy FOREVER! After yesterday's not-quite press conference where "Balloon" dad Richard Heene simply claimed again that Thursday's Fort Collins, Colorado runaway balloon was not hoax and offered a cardboard box for reporters' questions, the Larimer County Sheriff's office announced they were preparing charges against the Heene family. According to the Denver Post, "The sheriff did not give specifics, but he said the charges would probably be a Class 3 misdemeanor. False reporting is a Class 3 misdemeanor." more ›

The Larimer County Sheriff's Department will investigate the family suspected of falsely claiming that a 6-year-old boy was trapped inside a runaway helium balloon yesterday. Sources tell TMZ that officials have not decided if it's a criminal investigation, but detectives will interview each family member starting tomorrow. (The family's presumably all booked up with interviews today.) The investigation will try to determine whether the parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, filed a false report, perhaps motivated by an insatiable lust for fame—TLC confirms the family did pitch a reality TV show earlier this year. more ›

Earlier today, a 6-year-old boy was believed to have been in a homemade helium balloon that floated away over northeastern Colorado, sending the media into a frenzy. When the balloon finally landed, the boy was nowhere to be found. After a search, he was found in his family's attic. more ›

The relentless eradication of everything that gives New York character got you down? The Tourism Board of Colorado is here to sweep you off your feet with a hard sell for the Rocky Mountain state at their “Lets Talk Colorado” gallery near Grand Central [317 Madison Ave]. As this photo suggests, here you can marvel at videos of men wandering through desolate landscapes without an abusive cabbie or $81 hamburger in sight. more ›

"The skin was peeled off her toe; it's a pretty horrifying injury,” says the lawyer representing the family of a 3-year-old girl in a $7 million lawsuit against the Colorado-based footwear company Crocs. The girl, Emma Hochberg of Westchester, was wearing pink clogs when she got caught in an escalator at JFK Airport, chewing up her big toe and causing “severe and permanent” injuries. more ›

For those of you that still collect baseball cards (are there any left), be on the lookout for a joke card from Topps. The card manufacturer of our childhood, Topps is sneaking in a card with the former mayor and Yankees fan as a member of the Red Sox. You ask, "'But that's just nuts! He's a Yankees fan through and through! Why would Topps do such a thing?'" Well, because Rudy said in October that he was actually rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series. more ›

As of 11:45 p.m., Hillary Clinton and John McCain are projected to win their New York primaries. The Democratic primary distributes NY delegates proportionally, so the final total will be important in determining how many will go to Clinton and how many to Barack Obama. more ›

Truck driver Alan Nelson of Colorado is used to making long hauls, but not without his best friend riding shotgun, a 23-pound reddish-colored Shiba inu named Sato. Nelson and Sato were reunited last Friday afternoon, after their separation became a news story and galvanized volunteers to search for the dog who ran off from a lower Hudson Valley rest stop. more ›

Unfortunately for New York, Ryan Hollweg took a stupid boarding penalty and his five-minute major penalty combined with Martin Staraka’s holding penalty resulted in a 5-on-3 advantage for the Oilers. Edmonton converted and their second power-play goal of the game looked like it would hold up. But, Sean Avery drew a big penalty late in the third and with the goaltender pulled, the Rangers converted with six second left in the game, thanks to Chris Drury and after overtime, things headed to a shootout. more ›

It’s not Tracy Letts’s fault that his play, August: Osage County, has been breathlessly overhyped by the critics, from the Times’s Charles Isherwood on down. It’s also not his fault that compared to many other Broadway spectacles the play stands out as a polestar of humor and intelligence. Still, it’s difficult to disassociate the play from the deafening buzz; August: Osage County is being heralded as an Important Theatrical Event, when it’s really just a well-crafted new play that happens to stand out among Broadway’s other lowbrow pygmies. (Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll is well acted but as affectless as it is thought-provoking; the current revival of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming is absolutely magnificent but, obviously, not the New American Drama critics lust after.) more ›

A report released by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that foreign born immigrants living in New York are socioeconomically closer to the average citizen than elsewhere in the country. The study says that New York immigrants are more likely to be in the country legally, have health insurance and tend to be better educated. The New York Times reports that the states with the widest income gaps between immigrants and citizens are California, Texas,... more ›

As we mentioned last week, this past Friday Union Hall was host to many a dead creature during the 3rd annual Carnivorous Nights -- presented by the venues Secret Science Club. The creatures and their caretakers came out of the woodwork for the event, below are a two-headed calf, a pope squirrel, a sea rabbit and a fiji mermaid. According to the owners of the calf, called Tango, he's the real deal and they purchased... more ›

Bostonist knows how to party, and party it did this week! As the Red Sox played their winning Game 4 against the Colorado Rockies in the World Series, one fan composed tunes for each player on the team. Then, when the Red Sox won the World Series, fans celebrated all over town and snarfed the free tacos that Taco Bell gave the nation when Jacoby Ellsbury stole a base. Then they watched jigging Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon get his boogie on at the Red Sox Rally after the World Series. Manny Ramirez also invited them--and the entire city of Boston--to his house for drinks, but since the invitation came from the elusive Mr. Ramirez, Bostonist didn't believe him. And now we're moving on to the mother of all football games and the rise of Ghidorah on the basketball court. Beyond Red Sox news, Bostonist is honoring the passing of the late, great Robert Goulet by encouraging men to grow mustaches. more ›

The current Devils are one of the best teams in the NHL over the past 12 seasons, but that meant nothing as they opened up their new building with a loss. The Senators blew open a 1-1 game after two with three goals in the third and the Devils fell to 3-6-1 on the season. Luckily, they have a lot of home games coming up at “The Rock”. more ›

Rudy Giuliani better check his sports allegiances. While campaigning in Boston, a reporter asked the former mayor which team he would be cheering for in the World Series - the Colorado Rockies or the Boston Red Sox. To our surprise (and Bostonist's), he went with the Red Sox, "I'm rooting for the Red Sox. I'm an American League fan, and I go with the American League team, maybe with the exception of the Mets. Maybe that would be the one time I wouldn't because I'm loyal to New York." Last time we checked, the Yankees and Red Sox were bitter rivals. We're betting that you won't catch a Mets fan rooting for the Braves or Phillies in the World Series or a Giants fan rooting for the Cowboys or Eagles. more ›

The Top Chef Miami finale is upon us and we're going to weigh in with some thoughts. There will be spoilers, but they'll be after the jump. more ›

more ›

We love fine dining as much as the next gourmand, but there’s something about fancy French restaurants with their retinues of waiters, sommeliers, captains and bread sergeants that we find slightly offputting. Upon arriving at Last Thursday’s tasting of Vérité wines at Bouley we were in a bit of tizzy, not because of our issues surrounding Le/La/Les establishments, but due to our walking in some five minutes before vigneron Pierre Seillan’s speech ended. This gaffe was largely due to our looking for the restaurant on Broadway instead of West Broadway. In retrospect, this may not have been a bad thing, since the hourlong vertical tasting of three wines started at 11:30 a.m. In order to do it justice, Gothamist would had to have sampled 21 wines, or vintages from 1998 to 2004 of each red on offer, all on a relatively empty stomach. Besides as Seillan, the creative force behind the acclaimed Sonoma County winery, graciously pointed out, our lateness allowed the wines to open up a bit more. more ›

18 years after its big screen release, and 171 years after Hans Christian Andersen penned the fairy tale...The Little Mermaid is ready for Broadway. Ariel & Co. will take the stage in New York starting November 3rd, and since mid-summer the musical has been out in Denver for a pre-Broadway engagement. more ›

As Americans continue their race slow, labored walk towards larger and larger coffins, New Yorkers are not far behind. According to a study published yesterday by the Trust for America’s Health, obesity rates rose in 31 U.S. States last year including New York where 22.4% of adults are obese – up by 0.7% from 2005. more ›