By this point, we've already seen the geography of our fair city repurposed for the Ultimate Manhattan Movie Map and the Ultimate NYC Super Mario Map. Both are nerdy in their own right, but are they... the nerdiest? NO. Because this is the Ultimate Nerd Guide to New York, just in time for Comic-Con! more ›

Everyone's favorite candy cane-striped trickster, Waldo, has been known to pop up in all sorts of unexpected places (Rutgers, fashion week, Google Earth, New Jersey, etc.), but now, you don't have to wait for him to appear! Take matters into your own hands with the upcoming Where's Waldo NYC Neighborhood Challenge. more ›

Comedian Mike Birbiglia is also playwright Mike Birbiglia, and his second solo show, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, might make one wonder what the difference really is between a theatrical monologue and stand-up. But there's really no time to ponder such aesthetic distinctions during Birbiglia's performance, because you're too busy howling. It certainly feels like theater, and Birbiglia is awfully entertaining for a guy who, at first glance, comes off as the good-natured preppy fellow who amiably pumps the keg at frat parties. more ›

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art's Festival took place this weekend at the Lexington Armory, drawing successful and startup comic artists, writers and enthusiasts from all around the area. Big name artists like Michael Kupperman, Jon Rosenberg of Goats and Chris Hastings of Dr. McNinja were in attendance. However, the festival welcomed all types interested in comic art. Publishers like IdiotsBooks were there, and TV on the Radio singer Tunde Adebimpe even made an appearance at the sketch table! more ›

Ever wonder what museum security guards are thinking as they stand next to great works of art for days, weeks and months on end? A new journal, Sw!pe Magazine: Guards’ Matter, addresses the question from the perspective of the workers themselves, reports the Times. It’s put together by 35 guards at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, themselves working and aspiring artists in all different media from comics to photography (image gallery here). To accompany the release an exhibition of their work will be on view through tomorrow at 25 CPW Gallery at 62nd Street and Central Park West. “Being surrounded by the art, if you’re not helping someone, you’re just thinking about your work” said one featured artist, Jack Laughner. “I got my master’s at the Met,” he quipped. more ›

It's the final day of New York Comic-Con, and there are still tickets left for today! The fans have been flocking to the Javits Center since Friday to get their fill of their favorite comics, graphic novels, anime—you name it! The hungry Watchmen fans got to see a never-before-seen 30 second clip of the very anticipated film (more details here). And Pixar devotees certainly got their money's worth with Disney screening four clips of Up (totaling 46 minutes!) of their next summer blockbuster. more ›

New York Comic Con took place at the Javits Center this weekend and drew thousands of fans to meet authors, artists, actors, and characters of pop culture. It's also an opportunity for professionals in the industry to mingle and do business. This is the third year that the event has been held in New York. more ›

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ART: Art, fashion and blogs meet tonight at the Met. In an exhibition entitled blog.mode: addressing fashion, viewers will be able to comment on what they see. It's "the first in a series of shows designed to promote critical and creative dialogues about fashion. The exhibition presents some forty costumes and accessories dating from the eighteenth century to the present." Visitors are then encouraged to share their reactions online or from a "blogbar" of computer terminals in the exhibition galleries. Pictured is one of the dresses -- you know you have comment about it. more ›

Writer/director Robert Tinnell has sifted through his fond childhood memories of big Italian Christmas gatherings and emerged with a unique fusion of comic book and cookbook called The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Originally a popular internet comic, the humorously fictional book is inspired by the Italian Christmas Eve tradition involving big seafood dinners and lots of red wine. (The book's boisterous familial storyline will also be adapted into a feature length film of the... more ›

Tonight striking writers and friends will take the stage again for a 2nd Strike Night! Joining John Oliver (The Daily Show), Liz Cackowski (Saturday Night Live), Andy Secunda (Conan) and Maggie Carey, Joe Grossman (Letterman) is John Mulaney -- possibly one of our favorite young comedians today. Mulaney helped host one of our Movable Hype shows last year and currently can be seen on stages around town and on screen at Best Week Ever. Buy... more ›

Margaret Cho returns to the stage in a whole new way with her stage show The Sensuous Woman. The production is at the Zipper Theater starting tomorrow (more details here) and is bringing burlesque back. The variety show will feature some famed burlesque performers, along with stand-up and sketch comedy acts. And of course, Margaret -- who we had a few questions for recently. more ›

Our friends from the Great White North are feeling flush from the strengthening of the Canadian dollar versus its US counterpart, and New York is apparently ready to relieve them of their excess cash. The Loonie, or Canadian dollar, is even with the US dollar for the first time since 1976. If you've ever wondered why the backs of paperback books usually have a second, more expensive, price printed on them them for Canadians, it's not because we don't want our northern neighbors to read inexpensively. It's because the Canadian dollar has traditionally been weaker than the US dollar and the exchange rate necessitated dual pricing in North America. more ›

The NY Times has a slide show of assorted items that could be perfect wedding gifts for book lovers. Suggestions range from whimsical bookshelves to personalized book plates. more ›

MOVIE: The 2006 Clark Kent hit the big screen in Superman Returns. Tonight catch the superhero do his thing all over again at the River Flicks outdoor film series. Free popcorn, free film and a nice cold summer breeze. Bring a blanket! more ›

"I've seen bizarre sex acts followed by gentle poetry followed by very perplexed wannabe stand-up comics." Francis "Faceboy" Hall has been hosting Faceboyz Open Mike for just over 13 years, with its 666th weekly performance coming up on July 15th. His stage has been graced by countless comedians, musicians, performing artists, and everyone in between, making it an institution of what it means to aspire to entertain in New York City. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a church shooting on Schenectady Ave. in Brooklyn, a pedestrian struck on West 17th St. and Union Square West in Manhattan, and a water rescue in Raitian Bay between Staten Island and Sandy Hook, NJ.
• City Councilman Charles Barron's chief of staff, Viola Plummer, was suspended for six weeks from the City Council and by Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who she's also heckled, with a promise of reinstatment if she promises to behave herself. Plummer is in her 70s, but threatened another Councilman with assassination on a contentious vote.
• A grand jury in a federal court case voted to indict four alleged plotters that wanted to blow up JFK airport, kill thousands, and cripple the U.S. economy with a harebrained scheme to take out a pipeline that runs towards the airport.
• "...the red, white and blue leader of the Avengers was felled by an assassin's bullet on the steps of a New York federal courthouse." Captain America got capped, by Marvel Comics no less.
• A 21-year-old White Plains worker at the Rye Playland Amusement Park was killed when thrown from a gyrating ride. Gabriela Garin had changed shifts with another ride operator and then got on the ride to make sure visitors were properly secured, when her replacement started the ride.
• The new rules against noise and trans-fats go into effect tomorrow. Somehow we feel that NYers will remain louder, skinnier, and better looking than the rest of the country, regardless of what laws are passed.
• The City has a list of all the designated grilling areas around the five boroughs. The Parks Dept. says "Designated Barbecuing Areas," but frankly, we don't want to get into all that right now.
• We've pretty much given up on listening to radio, but this blog may point us to something it's possible we'll want to hear. Thank you New York Radio Guide.
• The Staten Island Advance points out that Mayor Bloomberg's ambitious plan to make all yellow cabs hybrid in a few years overlooks the livery cabs that service the outer boroughs. Car service owners and drivers would prefer to keep it that way.

We may have to wait until next April for Comic Con in New York, but there's plenty of comic goodness over at the Puck Building this weekend at the MoCCA Art Festival. Their well-punctuated description promises a generous dose of the genre: "Meet comics and cartoon artists! Four full ballrooms of cartoonists and publishers! Get sketches and autographs from Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Staton, Arthur Suydam and others at the MoCCA Fundraising Sketch Table! Buy comics, comix, cartoons, graphic novels as well as prints and original artwork! Sit in on our always entertaining and educational panel sessions!" more ›

Comedian John Roy has been all over TV and the country. He's won Star Search 2003, was featured in season 4 of Last Comic Standing, has been on Comics Unleashed and Premium Blend, and now he's coming to the Comic Strip on March 20th and 21st. more ›

Andy Borowitz's talent transcends mediums. He's conquered TV with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Internet with The Borowitz Report, the stage with his stand up and regular host of The Moth, a story telling series, and books with his tomes The Republican Playbook and Who Moved My Soap: The CEO's Guide to Surviving in Prison. What's next for this master of humor: the future! more ›

Usually, if you want to see Brian Posehn you need to wait for a repeat of Just Shoot Me, Mr. Show, or The Sarah Silverman Program to come on, but on April 19th through 22nd you can head on over to Caroline's to get your Posehn fix. Gothamist decided to do a quick Q and A with Brian to find out what this comedy super star thinks of some of life's biggest issues, like religion, death, and balls. more ›

At the end of this month, your friendly neighborhood Spider Man will be all over New York for...Spider Man week! A five-borough-wide celebration (marketing ploy) featuring a ton of live events, screenings, parties and exhibits. The city has been central to the Marvel Comics legend since Spidey's beginning in 1962, so it only makes sense to launch the latest movie here. more ›

Frank Santopadre and Jim Pharo are Comedywise, a service that provides humorous speeches for CEO's, jokes for award shows, copy for advertisements, and things of that nature. So what exactly is it like to work in an office where your job is to write jokes? How do you even get the word out about such an endeavor? What's the dress code? more ›

A beloved Bronx Zoo grizzly bear died last week at age 13. "Jughead" had been ill for months and had also undergone surgery for abdominal abscesses according to the AP. The Bronx Zoo is planning a necropsy, and the zoo's director said, "Jughead was a wonderful, charismatic animal and he will be missed by all of our staff and visitors." more ›

There's a Page Six today about Rachael Ray being attacked by a dog. Apparently an unleashed dog in Union Square Park (we will guess it was at the dog run) was very aggressive and caused quite a bit of havoc. Ray's rep told the Post, "Rachael and some others shooed it away, but it came back and attacked Isaboo [Ray's pitbull mix]. Other dogs were involved, and Rachael jumped in and was bit by one of the dogs on the leg." more ›

Fifty pages of murder suspect Paul Cortez's diary were read aloud by prosecutors. Cortez, who is on trial for the murder of ex-girlfriend Catherine Woods, had kept diaries as a teenager and had been writing in jail as well. Manhattan ADA Paul Casolaro read entries in a monotone, like:

"Don't look back/ She's still not there/ The swan is gone/ She's in the air/I'm not the same/ I just can't bear/ The time you stole/My soul/Oh no/This isn't real/She's still not here/ Release the wheel/Your thoughts ware/ Now pray & kneel/ For the electric chair/ Burns you brains insane" more ›

Jackie Clarke is super terrific and up to lots of stuff! She performs Improv at the UCB with Death by Roo Roo, hosts a variety show with Julie Klausner, and is doing plenty of writing and video projects. In this interview, we discuss candy, dessert islands, NASA, radio, and her many endeavors all while showcasing her quick wit! more ›