Cheaper than a night at the Met, and less smelly (and intoxicated) than the Elmos of Times Square, buskers in the subway break the banality of our subterranean commute. They also can make a decent amount of cash. "Come holiday time, I can make up to $400 a day," subway drummer Jakeh Thomas tells the Post. "It's the season for giving." Thomas, who is 18, used to work at a carpet store. "They were paying me $10 an hour. But I'm making $10 every fifteen minutes out here." Maybe the president should consider supporting one of the MTA's many "shovel-ready" projects? more ›

Details are emerging from yesterday's destruction of the Ed Sullivan Theater's glass doors, and it appears that the suspect, 22-year-old James Whittemore, was an aspiring actor who had hit a rough patch. Whittemore graduated from the AMDA in 2009, and worked in restaurants between stints at regional shows at the Tropicana in Atlantic City and the Six Flags in Massachusetts. Just two weeks ago, he was jumped near his home on W. 135th Street and had his nose broken. "Jimmy is a good kid with a bad life," his foster sister tells the Daily News. Whittemore's mother was allegedly an alcoholic who hung herself in prison, and his father is a homeless ex-con. His uncle tells the paper, "The demons just grow in our family like that." more ›

As Archbishop Dolan once eloquently said: "Last time I consulted an atlas, it is clear we are living in New York, in the United States of America—not in China, or North Korea." This means that people are free to lick their shoes on the subway or dress up in costumes of popular TV and movie characters, roaming Times Square for lucrative photo opportunities with hapless tourists. But are these freedom-loving entrepreneurs breaking the law and diluting the brands of these fine american companies? more ›

Elmo sure does get around. The Sesame Street character is apparently much more complex than we thought—he's got an evil side, and a Katy Perry-loving side, and now he's getting in touch with his inner biker! Yojimbot over at Harlem Hybrid spotted the furry character popping wheelies on the streets of New York—what would the gang back at Sesame Street think of his new friends? more ›

After disappearing for a few months, "Evil Elmo" has returned to his post in Times Square, demanding payment for photos and generally disturbing all who grace his path. But according to Elmo himself, he's just trying to earn an honest wage! He told the Daily News, "I'm not being rude. Taking an Elmo picture without paying is rude." Ugh, tourists. more ›

Katy Perry may have made the headlines for her cleavage getting cut from a recent Sesame Street skit, but it's her co-star Elmo that's becoming a bit of a publicity whore. The character turned up on Good Morning America this morning to discuss the controversy (video below), and insisted that he "loves Miss Katy and we had a good time. We’ll have another playdate.” We're guessing it'll be chaperoned. Executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente also spoke on the show this morning, saying, "(Perry) is a wonderful musical talent and we had a good time. We would never produce anything that was inappropriate. We were surprised not only at the amount of feedback but how fast it came in. It was a lot." more ›

Elmo recently answered some questions about Sesame Street in a long Q&A with fans of the show (seen below), and we finally find out how to get to the famous street! Well, sort of. When asked, Elmo says taking "a plane, a bus, a subway" should get you there (when we visited, we took the N)—and if you like it so much you want to stay, Elmo takes his best guess at what his parents paid to own a home there. He declared: "They must have bought the place... for probably a gazillion dollars. Do you know if it's a buyer's market or a seller's market on Sesame Street? Elmo heard mommy and daddy talking about that." more ›

Recently a clip from Katy Perry's appearance on Sesame Street got parents riled up when it was released online (the episode the singer appears on isn't set to air until November 3rd). In the clip, Perry is singing a kid-friendly version of her song "Hot n' Cold" to Elmo, but some parents think she's showing too much skin during the skit. more ›

Costumed characters from Sesame Street and other children's shows have become a regular fixture in Midtown, where they can make about $80 per day posing for photos with tourists, according to the Post. The tabloid spoke with the men behind the masks, and learned that there's a science to figuring out the rates. "I charge one dollar for some people, and more for others," said José Montier, 40, who dresses as Cookie Monster. "It depends on if they're a big group, if they look like they're rich." more ›

Just a few more days until the return to school comes for students across the city as medical experts anxiously await just how badly swine flu might affect the upcoming academic year. Already at Cornell University in Ithaca, 140 students have come down with flu-like illnesses in the two weeks since school has reconvened. more ›

Michelle Obama has experienced a lot of exciting, historic stuff this year, but yesterday she visited Sesame Street and according to Newsday declared it to be the most exciting thing to happen since her time as First Lady. more ›

We knew that Office creator Ricky Gervais doesn't hold back on his signature off-color smarminess when he appears on award shows, but apparently children's shows aren't safe from it either. Gervais recently visited the set of Sesame Street and taught Elmo a word we're pretty sure the show hasn't learned before. But despite Gervais's notorious quick wit, puppeteer extraordinaire Kevin Clash didn't miss a beat. Here's the AP's clip of the two of them behind the scenes. more ›

One West Coast baby blog has had it up to here with the lack of respect Grover is getting on Sesame Street, asking "has anybody gotten screwed over" more than the lovable blue guy? The one time Big Muppet on Campus has been overshadowed by that fame whore Elmo. They claim the red muppet, who has less of a pot belly and a dumbed down version of Grover's schtick, has become what Al Roker is to Willard Scott. It's also noted that the other Sesame Street elders, like Big Bird, get more respect, with "classy elder statesman" roles. What's next, will Super Grover be taken out of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? more ›

Last weekend, reader RGP saw two people dressed as Bugs Bunny and Elmo walking around 42nd Street in Manhattan. While the pair could have been out to bring Easter cheer to crowds, it seems unlikely since they were carrying Christmas stockings. more ›