Playing Freeze-Tag may have been a horrifying experience when young and socially awkward, but now that we've all grown out of our shells, it's time to revive these nostalgic schoolyard games! That is why we revive these things, right? Anyway, this coming Saturday you can head down to the corner of Wall and Broad Streets for a game of Freeze-Tag, happening there from noon to 3 p.m., unless police join in with the pepper spray (it is SO hard to stay frozen when your skin is burning). Organizers say: more ›

Last night Lady Gaga was back in the stands of a sporting event dribbling beverages all over the place. Seems like just yesterday the beer-slugging pop tartlet wore her underwear to a Yankees game, and flipped off the Mets. Last night she classed things up a little bit at the Giants game, however, spilling champagne all over the place. more ›

That's correct, the first modern crossword puzzle was published on this very day, back in 1913, in the New York World newspaper (and it was the very one you see pictured above!). According to Inside the Apple, the paper was owned by Joseph Pulitzer at the time, who "raised its circulation through sensational news coverage, stunt reporting, and a focus on distractions and pastimes." Enter: the crossword! Or as it was called back then, the "word-cross." It was created by Arthur Wynne, and ran in the Sunday Fun section of the paper—where it became an instant hit... among most. Oddly enough, the New York Public Library and the New York Times both criticized the game. more ›

So there's this great game called Facebook, and it's very popular with widget nerds and teachers who want to flirt with their students. But the name of the game this game plays is what-have-you-innovated-for-me-lately, so the company has been working on a top-semi-secret Project Titan, which will take the game to a level at which no game has ever been played before nor will ever be played again. On Monday, the fruits of that project are expected to be unveiled—Facebook will announce their new internet-based email service designed to compete against Gee-mail. The biggest innovation is said to be the "priority inbox," which will undoubtedly improve the way we live in such a way that the way we live now will cease to seem like any sort of way for anyone to ever have lived. more ›

Lady Gaga may have only flipped off her old high school this week with her mind, but yesterday evening she quite literally flipped the bird while attending a Mets game at Citi Field. Lewd gestures in a ballpark? Why yes, that is front page news! more ›

Last night we sent photographer Jeanne Wilson over to The 69th Regiment Armory to check out an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest dodgeball game. The title was previously owned by San Diego, who had 450 in attendance for a game, but yesterday New York stole that honor when around 700 folks showed up to whale rubber balls at each other. Way to go, Team NYC! Check out some video below—the chaos ensues around the 1 minute mark. more ›

Do you enjoy the exotic taste of gorilla, chimpanzee, and bonobo? If so, you could be putting yourself at risk for simian foamy virus, and it would be just terrible if you suffered any negative consequences as a result of your appetite for endangered primates. Scientists have found strains of the virus in three different species of monkeys that were brought into New York to be eaten. Though they say it's related to H.I.V., it's "not known to cause disease." But the virus's long-term effects remain unknown, and diseases like "monkey pox, SARS, and HIV/AIDS (via human infection with simian immunodeficiency virus) have all impacted public health through the consumption or trade of wild animals," which is otherwise known as bushmeat. more ›

The Giants and the Jets will both play in their new stadium on opening week, though the G-Men will play first. After tense negotiations between the teams, Commissioner Roger Goodell flipped a coin and decided that the Giants will take the field first at the new Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 12, according to the Star Ledger. The following evening, the Jets will play the season's first "Monday Night Football" game in the stadium. The Giants wanted the first game because the Jets had the final regular season game at the old stadium, and the Jets wanted it because they felt like "second-class citizens in Giants Stadium," the Post reports. The stadium might host the Superbowl in 2014. more ›

Today a hopeful, young New York Rangers fan thought he'd pop the question to his girlfriend at a Valentine's Day game at MSG. Instead of the camera panning in for a clichéd shot of the couple embracing, however, it ended up being what some call "arguably the most botched marriage proposal of all time." When his question: “Melissa, will you be my Blueshirt Bride?” came up on the big scoreboard screen, she simply stood up and walked out, as fellow Rangers fans booed her. It was all caught on tape, as most embarrassing moments are: more ›

It's bad enough that yesterday's loss to the Colts brought an abrupt end to NYC's dream of living vicariously through New Jersey, but for one poor Jets fan, the agony of defeat was prefaced by the sting of electricity. There is no video (yet), but police say Patrick Mallon, 26, was belligerent and threw beer at Colts fans outside Indianapolis stadium. He was charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication at a tailgate party, which is like getting a speeding ticket at the Indy 500. But witnesses say cops used excessive force, and Mallon's father is a criminal defense lawyer, so you can guess where this is going. more ›

In an article apparently timed to coincide with the U.S. Open, the NY Times looks at Mayor Bloomberg's relatively recent fondness for golf. While one might assume a billionaire like Bloomberg would have been playing golf for decades, he apparently only started playing in 2000; Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan clarified, "You probably wouldn’t want to call that golf, what he played" then. And City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said, "He is obsessed with it." more ›

How many Ghostbutsters video games does the world need? Guess one more can't hurt. The NY Times has an interesting little piece on Dan Aykroyd and also reports that Atari "has approached Ghostbusters: the Video Game as a major production in its own right. In a reversal of the traditional entertainment food chain, the game, to be released June 16, will come to market even as planning for the long-awaited third Ghostbusters film remains in the earliest stages. The expectation is that the game will both revitalize and expand interest in the franchise ahead of a new movie." The company is promoting the game as having been written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, but the latter says, “The crassest way I can put it is that they couldn’t have paid us enough to give it the time and attention required to make it as funny as a feature film.” Though the Times says it is actually quite funny, and the graphics don't look half bad either—just check out this trailer. more ›

The Super Bowl is this Sunday, who cares? Oh right, millions of people. Okay then, we aim to please, so for those in need of a place to enjoy the big corporate diversion in a public setting with food and booze, here are some appealing options. (And if watching men in tights wrestle each other to the ground isn't your thing, it's always a great day to go skiing or snowboarding. There's also the Astor Center's "taste-experience" class exploring what a Japanese scientist named Kikunae Ikeda called the fifth taste, or "umami.") more ›

The Budget Maze is a new "game" from the Gotham Gazette -- because what's more fun than cutting city spending? However, one can learn more here than at, say, Guitar Hero; "If you're seeking to lobby the powers that be, the game offers a useful guide. If you're a student or an armchair activist, the three mazes should help you better understand the tortuous process that shapes city taxing and spending." more ›

Attention competitive eating fans – hey, stop snickering; it’s a legitimate sport regulated by an International Federation! As one fan site says, "For those of you who doubt it's a sport, try making your body consume 20 pounds of food in 10 minutes." Anyway, C.E. fans will definitely want to plan for an extra-long lunch break on Tuesday, May 20th, when two of the world’s biggest "gurgitory gladiators" will lock horns in a Battle Royale for watermelon eating dominance. more ›

The revelation that Bruce Ratner, would-be Atlantic Yards developer and Nets owner, has been secretly discussing selling the team to the owners of the New Jersey Devils, has put Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s athletic reputation on the line. Newark mayor Cory Booker, who would love the team to come to the Prudential Center in his town, has offered to settle the fight for the Nets with a simple, winner-takes-all game of hoops: Cory vs. Marty, one-on-one. more ›

Open wide for the forthcoming Nintendo Wii game Major League Eating, which lets players compete as some of the most famous speed eaters in the world, like Takeru Kobayashi, six-time winner of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest. If the game turns out to be half as fun as this promotional trailer, there’s going to be a lot of virtual binging going down this summer. more ›

A NY-based nonprofit called Breakthrough launched a video game yesterday called ICED: I Can End Deportation (also a play on the acronym for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Department). more ›