An animal near and dear to the Gothamist heart has been embroiled in a Super Bowl controversy! This year's wardrobe malfunction is now the debate over an animated ad from SalesGenie.com that features pandas. During the commercials, two pandas discuss how to stay in business while speaking with Chinese (English-as-a-second-language) accents. There is also one panda who speaks in non-accented English. After the growing criticism (even College Humor dubbed it "the first commercial to......

Now that the focus is on the many state primaries held on next Tuesday, February 5, the political campaigns are spending money on advertising in those states. Which means we get to see those ads in here in New York, as many delegates are up for grabs. We haven't seen any ads from the Republican candidates (perhaps realizing spending ad money in blue-city NYC is an expensive and not very cost-effective solution) yet but......

"Broadway Joe" Namath (who's now hitting AARP-age) will be larger than life when his life story hits sacks the big screen. Starring as the Hall of Fame quarterback (and ladies man) will be none other than Jake Gyllenhaal, who will likely only have to do a touch of bulking up for the role.While other quarterbacks racked up bigger lifetime stats, Namath became the first football player to achieve rock-star status. The pic will tell the......

EVENT: White Castle is sponsoring an "over the top" (heh) event today at Port Authority...it's the 30th Annual White Castle Empire State Golden Arm Tournament of Champions. Over 100 ladies and gents will face off to become the arm wrestling champ! The event starts at 12:30 and the finals begin at 3:30pm. More info here. 12:30 and 3:30pm // Port Authority Bus Terminal [North Wing/Main Concourse at 625 8th Ave] // Free MUSIC: The Scotland......

Pitchfork-approved blog darlings Tokyo Police Club have spent the last year and change transitioning from flavor of the month boy band to reputable musicians with an enviable knack for short, hook-happy hits. On Thursday night these clever Canucks will have the chance to further extend their fan base when they perform at the “Woodie” Awards; they’re nominated for a “Breaking Woodie”. Broadcast on the 24-hour college network mtvU, the award show will feature performances by......

Musical theater star and lounge singer extraordinaire Robert Goulet died yesterday of pulmonary fibrosis while awaiting a lung transplant in an L.A. hospital; he was 73. In the early 60s Goulet skyrocketed to fame through his performance as Lancelot in the smash Broadway hit Camelot. He soon became a seemingly timeless fixture on both the musical theater touring circuit and the Vegas strip – in 1982 he was proclaimed Vegas Entertainer of the Year –......

Earlier this year the National Park Service ended Circle Line's contract to run their ferry service between lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (Hornblower will take over in October). Below you can check out some old footage of what their 3-hour boat tour had in store back in the day (with old-timey commercials played over the footage). Circle Line was introduced to New York on June 15th, 1945 when Frank Barry,......

It was reported last week that the 71 year-old Hartsdale, Westchester Carvel -- the very first outpost of the ice cream shop -- will likely be demolished at the end of next summer to make room for businesses that presumably make more money. Yes, the 68% milkfat solid, sidereal softy known as Cookie Puss is crying tiny crunchy tears as we speak; Flying Saucers are slowing down for their final approach. While the building’s current......

Mets 8 Pittsburgh 4: It’s funny to think now about how much criticism Omar Minaya took for the John Maine trade. In fairness, it was never called that, it was all about Kris Benson and Jorge Julio with Maine considered a minor part of the deal, but what a deal that has become for the Mets. Maine improved to 11-4 Tuesday with seven solid innings of pitching and a home run while batting. Lastings Milledge......

Animal rights protesters held a rally outside the National Football League's Park Avenue headquarters yesterday to ask for quarterback Michael Vick's suspension from the league. Earlier, the Atlanta Falcons star was indicted on federal felony charges for dogfighting. Here's what the Department of Justice's press release (PDF) said:According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in an ongoing animal fighting venture based out of a property located in Smithfield, Virginia, from early 2001 through......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: 2007 ESPY Awards (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., ESPN) Jimmy Kimmel co-hosts with basketballer LeBron James this sports awards show which only exists to give ESPN some programming and some overpaid athletes another trophy. Victoria Beckham: Coming to America (Monday, 8:00 p.m., WNBC 4) Thankfully this is a one shot deal since the 6 episode fakeality show deal fell through. The show itself chronicles the Victoria Beckham's move to......

It appears that the iPhone day incident between a television news producer and a charity mascot seems to be more than that it appears. The mascot, from a group that calls itself Hungrr was involved in a verbal altercation with the producer and was then asked to move along by the police. Watch the video for yourself, here. Here is what we know: WNBC released a statement yesterday afternoon saying: "We looked into this serious......

This morning, starting at 6:00 a.m. WABC radio (770 AM) is tossing out its right-leaning talk format for WABC Rewound - twelve hours in favor of how it sounded in its music radio top 40 glory days of the 1960s and 1970s for the eighth straight year. We always loved the retro sound, even though we weren’t around to hear it when it was new, so we definitely will enjoy hearing how radio sounded back......

The city settled a lawsuit involving the spraying of pesiticides to kill mosquitoes. A group of environmental organizations now has a pile of money from taxpayers, which it is going to spend on producing commercials warning citizens against the danger of sprayed pesticides. The city will continue to spray pesticides to combat mosquitoes, as the courts have allowed it to since 1997. The $80,000 will go toward educating the public about possible side effects of......

Governor Eliot Spitzer has reached the 100-day mark of his term as New York's highest official - now, just about 1360 more to go! His biggest battle thus far has been getting a budget passed (the final budget was a couple billion more than what he proposed and many deals were made secretly, but it was only a few hours late) while one of the most vocal fights has been the televised war of......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Gefilte Fish Chronicles (Sunday, 7:00 p.m. WNET 13; 10:00 p.m., WLIW 21) A look at three sisters as they spend weeks getting a traditional Passover seder ready. New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., ESPN 2) The Amazings start their 2007 campaign this year against the team that shouldn't have even been in the World Series. A bit of warning - the game is......

Perhaps you've seen the Kleenex commercials where an actor playing a therapist sits with a red couch in a busy public space, ready for people to share their thoughts and feelings - and maybe have a good cry. Well, the Kleenex "Let It Out" campaign was in Times Square over the weekend, where cameras were rolling for passers-by to add their experiences to the reel. Until Greenpeace came in. Greenpeace activists infiltrated the filming......

Superbowl MVP, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is set to host Saturday Night Live tomorrow. Saying, "The only thing I've done live is play football, and that's the best thing I do. I've told everyone those commercials are very taped and very edited, but being live is kind of like a game." Statistically he's one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but he'll be taking on a new challenge hosting the show. He's been tackling......

DANCE: A little while ago we told you about Matthew Bourne's adaptation of Tim Burton’s cult classic Edward Scissorhands into a dance performance. Scissors...dancing...sure, why not? The show opens tonight, and from what we've seen on the commercials that have been running - seems to capture the essence of the movie. 7pm // BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave [Fort Greene] // $30-$80 READING: Spy Magazine co-founder Kurt Anderson will be reading at......

Apparently, sexy Hollywood beefcake is what Columbia College is trying to promote at its Class Day this year! Last year, father-of-fellow-Columbia College-student Senator John McCain spoke, to wide protest. This year, Columbia College has selected Matthew Fox, star of Lost, to be the main speaker. Naturally, students are very divided about the news. One tells the Columbia Spectator, "I've never heard of this guy. The years before got a Pulitzer Prize-winner and a potential presidential......

Is it just Gothamist or does anyone else wish they were selected for jury duty at the United State District Court in Manhattan after reading the NY Times story about dodgeball movie dreams and theft. Judge Shira Scheindlin, the same judge who presided over the most recent John Gotti Jr. trial, ruled that a lawsuit from David Price, a national amateur dodgeball champion, and his writing partner Ashoka Thomas against the makers of Dodgeball: A......

After pointedly saying that it was easy for drivers to move their cars during the midweek snow-and-ice storm and that parking tickets would stand, Mayor Bloomberg backtracked and said tickets issued for alternate side of the street violations on Thursday and Friday would be forgiven (the message is also there on 311). The Mayor begrudgingly said he was sorry during his radio program yesterday:I’m sorry for the inconvenience to people, but you know you have......

Who doesn't love an over the top Half Time show? Prince certainly helped deliver an elaborate one during last night's game, starting things off with some good 'ol pyrotechnics. As the rain came down, people charged the field as he started to play a medley of past hits (his own songs, as well as Foo Fighters, Dylan and more). Since the Superbowl is all about commercials (and, uh, the game) they even made a commercial......

Puppy Bowl III (Sunday, 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m. Animal Planet) Puppies from shelters drink water, pee, and play for three hours is someone's idea of something to go up against the Super Bowl. Broadway: The American Musical (Sunday, 5:00 p.m. WLIW 21) Counter programming the Super Bowl, WLIW shows this 2004 documentary that chronicles the history of American musicals. Super Bowl XLI: Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. WCBS 2) Three......

A look at some noteworthy television programs this week: American Experience: The Berlin Airlift (Monday 9:00 p.m., WNET 13) A look at the use of airpower for good when the Allies supplied Berlin with food and other necessities via air to get around a Soviet blockade. The Power of Choice: The Life and Ideas of Milton Friedman (Monday 10:00 p.m., WNET 13) The life, work and legacy of the Nobel winning economist are looked into.......

Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. Londonist HQ—that is to say, the city of London—was battered by heavy winds, making it a bad time to be a twelve-meter (nearly forty-foot) tall snowman. Still, not everyone decided to keep warmly covered. Meanwhile, back indoors, the Big Brother racism is now causing all kinds of headaches for international diplomats, and Londonist got into......

Get your creepy crawly on with two potentially frightening movies out this weekend. Yet another '80s horror staple is getting the remake treatment with Dave Meyers' The Hitcher. Little do the college couple Grace (the former Mrs. Chad Michael Murray, Sophia Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) know what's in store for them when they pick up John Ryder by the side of the road. Though it would seem clear from his various bad guy roles......

MOVIE: Beware to those heading over to Pioneer Theater tonight, that Jackass Steve-O will be there promoting his new movie TV: The Movie. "A celebration of the ever increasing depravity of television in our society-- it's a channel surfing adventure through the most utterly ridiculous spoofed television programming and commercials." And we bet he'll totally staple something to his face. 11pm // Two Boots Pioneer Theater // Free THEATER: A revival of Kirk Wood Bromley's......

Tom Shillue performs at clubs all over New York City, has a Comedy Central Presents half hour special, has appeared in commercials for Audi, Heineken, Ameritrade, Snickers, and provided voiceovers for Verizon, for Amex, and Met Life. He'll be headling at http://comixny.com/event.aspx?eid=69&sid=221on the 14th. You were part of show called Meow Mix House . For the benefit of readers, could you explain what that was? I was hosting a reality show for cats in the......

If it's October and it's a midterm election year and it's your second (and final) mayoral term and you're very rich and may be considering higher office, what do you do? Well, if you're Mayor Bloomberg, you stump for other candidates! The NY Sun notes that Hizzoner has "intensified" his very helpful fund-raising, even appearing in TV commercials. Who would have thought three years ago that Bloomberg would be helping out Connecticut Representative Christopher Shays,......