It’s the first day of Spring, which also means that it's the tallest resident on Sesame Street's birthday! Big Bird first appeared when the show premiered in 1969, but he doesn't look a day over 6 (the age he is frozen in). To celebrate, the Sesame Workshop interviewed Caroll Spinney (Big Bird's human), where he talks about the saddest day in Big Bird's life: more ›

Yesterday the Oreo cookie turned 100 years young, and although half the office was diving into Double Stufs all day, we didn't give the cookie any ink. We just assumed the cookie was from Ohio or something! But this morning we learned (via this handy PDF sent to us) that in 1912 the first Oreo rolled off the line at... the Chelsea Market in Manhattan! Which makes sense since from 1898 the building was the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) factory complex. more ›

New York City has a long, long history of great writers and today we celebrate what would have been the 150th birthday of one of its greatest: Edith Wharton. Born on 23rd Street in 1862, Wharton (nee Edith Newbold Jones) was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and, along with her friend Henry James, remains one of the best Old New York writers going. A wicked, wicked writer whose style and settings, as the Times pointed out this weekend, are currently enjoying a renaissance thanks to a little something called Downton Abbey, is definitely worth revisiting. more ›

The first ever episode of Saturday Night Live aired on this date, back in 1975—so it's time to say Happy Birthday to Lorne Michaels & Co. (may we suggest some Schweddy Balls?). Recently, we revisited the early days with these audition tapes, and below, you can check out scenes from Season 1. Here is host George Carlin's opening monologue from the first night, which he begins, "Thank you! Talk about a live show! It's nice to see you, welcome, and thanks for joining us—live. Um.. I'm kinda glad that we're on at night, so that we're not competing with all the football and baseball. So many, man.. And this is the time of year when there's both, you know?" more ›

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince, who once wrote, "Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them," would have been 111 years old today. And while Saint-Exupéry was undeniably French, he did most of the work on his most famous book right here in New York. more ›

After spending an awkward Groundhog Day together, Staten Island Chuck wants Mayor Bloomberg to know that he's sorry. The Staten Island Advance reports that the Staten Island Zoo's resident groundhog "sent some Valentine's Day affection toward Mayor Michael Bloomberg to apologize for biting him during a Groundhog Day celebration... To mark the mayor's birthday, which coincides with V-Day, and to get back on good terms with the man who holds the purse strings for a portion of the Zoo budget, Chuck offered Bloomberg a heart-shaped box filled with chocolates as an olive branch." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg let his feelings about H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, which was signed into legislation by President Bush on Wednesday, be known. Mayor Bloomberg said the government "is spending money it doesn't have," and "I suppose it won't hurt the economy, but it's in many senses like giving a drink to an alcoholic." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on 20th Ave. and 37th St. in Queens, a hate crime on East 9th St. and Ave. H in Brooklyn, and a missing child on Decatur Ave. in the Bronx.
• Hyperactive performer Robin Williams is David Letterman's guest tonight, in his first new show in weeks. Letterman, as well as Craig Ferguson, have worked out pacts with the Writers Guild of America, allowing writers to come back. Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien are crossing picket lines to come back. Riffing on Robin Williams' routines are not as funny when hard to distinguish from KKK impersonations in the deep south.
• A Port Authority policeman in the department's K-9 unit was involved in an auto accident that killed the woman driving the other vehicle. The officer was hospitalized and his partner was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
• A man with a hunting knife was arrested after entering and then exiting Hillary Clinton's Iowa campaign headquarters. There was no overt violent action, but local police described him as a local unpredictable character.

June 21-23: NYC Food Film Festival, Part 2 more ›

American counterculture and literary idol, Kurt Vonnegut, died yesterday at the age of 84. He was in Manhattan, and his death was the result of brain injuries from a fall several weeks ago. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week:
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- And NJ reaches a budget deal, but it means a 1% sales tax hike more ›

Londonist prepares a Happy Birthday bath for Buddah this week and then things get all cliched. A madman goes on a rampage while axe-wiedling and London's mayor warns an American diplomat to avoid the kitchen if the heat bothers him so much. more ›

- And the NYC man with anthrax is not doing well! more ›

- Cops are looking for a "brazen sexual predator" who attacked three young women in their apartment buildings in the Bronx this week. more ›

Here we go: it's a huge weekend for year-end Oscar-bait and questions abound. Will audiences flock to see the "forbidden" love of ? (No.) Is it any good? (It's OK.) Will people be turned off by the heavy (and occasionally heavy-handed) allusions to Christian imagery? (Possibly, but we were moved more by Aslan's humiliation and sacrifice than Jesus' in Mel Gibson's biblical slasher film) more ›

Another week, another slew of choices for New York film lovers. We reach the half-way point of the 43rd New York Film Festival this weekend. We've already presented some coverage from the fest, and there will be more to come tomorrow, and through the very busy weekend and next week at Alice Tully Hall, the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual celebration of the best of world cinema will continue to dominate the attention of local cinephiles, but there's actually plenty of other stuff going on around the city that's worth your time. more ›

Craig Wedren, Musician more ›

Natalia Paruz, The SawLady more ›

-Ebay Seller more ›

Happy Birthday, Jerry! You are our favorite 68 year old man by a long shot. more ›

Leo Tolstoy. Adam Sandler. Justin Case. Aside being great men of their times, their common thread? September 9. Happy Birthday, Justin. more ›

Yes, today is Alfred Hitchcock's birthday. Gothamist finds the Google tribute funny, especially since we all know the bird will poop on Hitch's head, which is a nod for Hitch's fondness for poop humor. more ›

Sam Turns 27
Celebrating Sam's birthday is always an exciting event, and tonight was no different. more ›

Happy Birthday to Sam, talented art director and designer of many things, including Gothamist's logo. more ›

For a second week in a row, I went to Tinkle. Lessons learned for anyone interested to going: more ›

Josh's Kobe Beef Burger Birthday Gothamist celebrated Josh's birthday at one of the city's temples of beef - The Old Homestead Steak House. more ›

, Schmoops!
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