Is there anything Amy Sedaris can't do? She's conquered comedy with her stint with the Second City comedy troupe, as Jerri Blank on Strangers With Candy, and the co-author of Wigfield with some guy named Stephen Colbert (we think he did something in D.C. this weekend). She's shown the world she can entertain a household better than your mother ever could with her book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. And now, she's taking on the edgy world of arts & crafts with her new book Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. And no, it's not just about those bracelets you made with pipe cleaners when you were in preschool. We talked to her about about how she got started in the craft world, and whether or not she plans on giving Martha Stewart a run for her money. more ›

Just the kind of thing you'd expect a Warhol superstar to craft up: NY Post and Daily News needlepoint pillows! (Just like grandma used to make.) Brigid Berlin is opening her homespun exhibit at John McWhinnie and Glenn Horowitz Bookseller/Gallery later this month, and Animal reports that "the sixty-nine year old artist is showcasing 10 years of her fantastic embroidery works, including this 'Breaking News' series of New York Post pillows that feature some of the rag's most salacious headlines and crude front covers." She's even got the Keith Richards "I Snorted My Dad" cover in there! more ›

WNBC reports that on Wednesday, a "laid off construction worker left a backpack" on Pearl Street near the federal courthouse and Manhattan Correctional Center. But don't worry: It doesn't seem terror-related! U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia describes the suspect, Denis Nekrasov, 28, as a "homeless immigrant from Kyrgyzstan who had past training in math, physics and mechanical engineering. " If you read the complaint (PDF), you find that he saved the explosive materials from construction sites in hopes of making his own gun. Nekrasov had gone to 1 Police Plaza to apply for a gun-making permit and left the backpack outside since he knew he couldn't bring it inside. And when Nekrasov went to pick up his bag, authorities were waiting and he admitted his homemade gun scheme, but it was "in case he needed to protect or defend himself from others." more ›

We were intrigued by an AP story that mentioned how on yesterday's The Martha Stewart Show, Stewart showed off a nativity scene she made while in jail. Therefore, we went to the show's website and found the clip, which turns out to be from 2006 (confirmed by a caption and the fact that Stewart's mother, who passed away this year, is in the audience). more ›

Camera phone looky-loos, this one's for you. We're talking about the biggest band to hit small to medium sized NYC venues since Sufjan Stevens, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and The Arcade Fire. We're talking about Montreal's latest buzz band Wolf Parade. You've got three chances to see them this week. That's three chances to see them before they come back to play Webster Hall. If you can't find a ticket to the sold out shows Monday and Tuesday at Bowery Ballroom and Northsix, try to snag one of the non-student tickets available at the door to the NYU performance on Thursday. Listen to songs at their MySpace page. more ›

It's been over a week since Gothamist has been to a show we felt was worthy of review. Last night, we attended two. more ›

It's Easter weekend and the annual parade is tomorrow. Gothamist is a fan of parades, even when they don't involve elephants, so we wanted to make sure you had the details. It begins at 10am and runs through 4pm, going up 5th Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets. We found this photo [left] at the National Archives of the parade in 1900, taken by an unknown photographer. There were no marching bands or floats like today, just good old fashioned bonnet-wearing pedestrians. more ›