Good news for animal lovers: today, the Long Island swan that was cruelly impaled with an arrow by some sick person in July was released back into the wild, arrow-free. more ›

Last month, we reported the sad story of Winston, a West Highland Terrier who got spooked and ran off from his owners in Prospect Park. Today, we get some happy news from Michael Reinhardt, Winston's owner: the pup has been returned! more ›

By the nature of the news we see a lot of unkind stories about the NYPD (see: "rape cops," ticket fixing, this) so it is important to give credit for awesomeness where credit is due. And Queens Detective Charles Lopresti deserves a lot. On Sunday afternoon Lopresti reportedly went above and beyond the call of duty to help save the life of 32-year-old flight attendant and mother of two Averie Kenery. more ›

Yesterday, we experienced a thawing of our icy, bitter hearts when we encountered Zuzu the lost dog, her leash wagging in the wind. After a magical evening in DUMBO, Zuzu was happily reunited with her human. But though Zuzu may be back home pawing through a sea of doggie treats, we just can't stop all these feelings which have invaded out bodies! Whatever these strange sensations coursing through us may be, we won't be sated till we hear more tales of animal triumph over the hardships of this world. Thankfully, one Staten Island dog's story has heeded our call. more ›

A New York Hospital horror story has found a happy ending after 23 years. In August 1987 20-day-old Carlina White's concerned parents took her to Harlem Hospital with a fever of 103° only to have her promptly vanish without a trace. Though the case garnered headlines—it remains the only known hospital kidnapping in New York history—the baby was never recovered and the prime suspect, a black woman in white scrubs who consoled White's mother, was never found. Until now! more ›

Yesterday, it was reported that dastardly thieves stole a handicapped octogenarian's scooter outside a church on the Upper East Side. However, unlike just about every other theft story we hear about, this one has a happy ending: police were able to track down and return the mechanized wheelchair. And it may have all been a big mix-up! more ›

PARTY: Though we were sad to see former editor, Colleen Kane, depart the media mothership of maleness, Playgirl magazine...the show must go on. Tonight come celebrate their January issue and their 2008 centerfold calender...all at once. Free booze and gift bags for all! 7 to 10pm // Happy Ending [302 Broome St] // Free THEATER: For “sophisticated literate slapstick, big on laughs highbrow and low,” Culturebot recommends 500 Clown Frankenstein. Although the cast is 497... more ›

READING: Rosemarie Tichler, casting director and artistic producer at New York's Public Theater, and playwright Barry Jay Kaplan have put together a written work called Actors at Work. Tonight they'll be discussing this quintessential, and inspirational, resource. more ›

THEATER: Len Jenkin's Kraken imagines the details of an actual 1856 encounter between Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Melville, his Moby-Dick long since met with a critical “meh”, was in the midst of a spiritual journey to Jerusalem – a trip that would, two decades later, yield the back-breaking, 2 Volume, 18,000 line Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land. En route he stopped to visit his old Berkshire homey Hawthorne, now the American consul in Liverpool. In Jenkin’s dramatization, the two literary legends – neither one legendary in their day – spend the evening together confronting their “fears, failures, things of this world and the next”, etc. According to Hawthorne’s diary, ol’ Hermy may have droned on a bit: “Melville, as he always does, began to reason of Providence and futurity, and of everything that lies beyond human ken, and informed me that he had pretty much made up his mind to be annihilated; but still he does not seem to rest in that anticipation; and, I think, will never rest until he gets hold of a definite belief.” Garrett Eisler, who reviewed Kraken for the Voice, writes that the voyage does “dock at a satisfying port.” - John Del Signore more ›

THEATER: A.R. Gurney’s new meta-play, Post Mortem, takes place in a future tyrannical America where a college student discovers a lost “masterpiece” by the largely forgotten playwright A.R. Gurney. In Post Mortem's cowardly new world, many believe Dick Cheney to be responsible for Gurney’s death, and the discovery of an unpublished memoir reveals Gurney affairs with Cameron Diaz, Katherine Hepburn and Katrina Kerns. (Okay, that last one's from our own meta-memoir.) The student’s willingness to defy the government by producing the banned play wins him both a shot at the Nobel Peace Prize and his hot professor’s affection. - John Del Signore more ›

READING: Got some free time on a Thursday afternoon? Then head up to the 92nd more ›

THEATER: The talented Michael Gladis, who theatergoers may recall from the hit 2000 revival of Brecht’s Baal, is currently appearing in ‘nami at The Kirk Theater. This darkly humorous drama is about a suburban woman’s belief that she has uncovered a plot to sell a child of Tsunami-ravaged Indonesia into sex slavery by her neighbors. Sounds heavy, but Martin Denton at nytheatre.com hails ‘nami as “indie theatre at its very best” and the “most exciting play” he’s seen so far this season. That’s saying something, because Denton goes to enough shows to make him the Brooklynvegan of New York theater. - John Del Signore more ›

ART: Tonight Dreamland: Coney Island 1905-1925 opens. The exhibit is opened through August 19th and features "original drawings, blueprints, and vintage photographs of New York City’s favorite amusement park, Coney Island." more ›

COMEDY: Sara Schaefer's latest show is at UCB, following up her long running series "Sara Schaefer is Obsessed With You" with a new show called "Video Gaga". The night features Schaefer counting down funny music videos for you (we've been told that tonight will include The Fresh's Myspace video), a live musical act (tonight it's Erin McKeown), special guests and glittery dance numbers! (We hear she has her own version of Fly Girls!). more ›

It's soggy outside but it's cozy at the bookstores and bars this week. Tonight (6/16), Australian writer Peter Carey is reading from his latest book, Theft: A Love Story, at 192 Books at 7PM. Or, head down to the always cozy Half King tonight for the Spring 2006 edition of The Literary Review, where Lynne Tillman, Craig Mueller, and Cary Goldstein will be reading from their selections in the journal. It starts at 7PM and is free. more ›

It's not quite the lusty month of May yet, but spring fever is already gripping the denizens of the city. So for your monthly dose of sexy scribes, head down to Happy Ending Lounge (302 Broome St.) for the monthly In The Flesh Erotic Reading Series. This month's theme is True Confessions, featuring comedian Dan Allen, blogger and novelist Jessica Cutler (The Washingtonienne), Columbia Spectator sex columnist Miriam Datskovsky, among others, and hosted by the fabulous Rachel Kramer Bussel. It starts at 8PM and is free. more ›

Are you a fantasy baseball nut who finds your loyalties divided between your fantasy team and your real team? Are you a Mets fan who “owns” Chipper Jones, a Yankee fan with Curt Schilling on the roster? Maybe you are one of the millions who hate Duke Basketball. more ›

Maybe it's been a while since you sat down with some Law & Order Franchise and you've been missing your facetime with your Dr. George Huang, portrayed by the preternaturally calm B.D. Wong. We know we've been missing him lately, so tonight's the night to head over to Symphony Space (95th and Broadway) to check out Wong and Stephen Lang read stories from Roald Dahl and J. Robert Lennon, as part of the Selected Shorts series. Wong's a frequent reader for them, so if you can't make it tonight at 6:30PM, there's always another time. more ›

It's a packed week for the bookish types, with a couple of our favorite love-to-hate-them New York novelists on the readings circuit. Yeah, we're talking about the Jonathans. On Wednesday (2/22) Lethem is hosting a short-story evening at Symphony Space (W. 92nd St. and Broadway), with stories by James Thurber, Italo Calvino, and Jorge Luis Borges read by Malachy McCourt, Maria Tucci and Isaiah Sheffer. The show starts at 8PM and costs $21/25. more ›

Todd Zuniga, Opium Magazine more ›

So it's Valentine's Day. And if you're not busy cavorting with your Sweet Baboo in a gushy fountain of chocolate and self-satisfaction, consider feeding your snark instead, with Love Stinks: Tales of Hook-ups and Heartbreak, a reading all about the ugly side of cupid from the mouth of babes - well, by babes we mean some very funny authors and comedians like Marcy Dermansky and Heather Fink. The reading starts at 7:30PM at Mo Pitkin's (34 Ave A) and it's brought to you by the same people that produce Chicks and Giggles. Oh, and like heartbreak, it's free. more ›

more ›

more ›

Cocktails more ›

[Ed. note: We forgot our digi-cam the night we visited Happy Ending, and we tried to take a picture of Juan Carlos with our snazzy new cameraphone, but we're still trying to get the hang of it. That night, we apparently didn't. But for future reference, he's the super-handsome, very friendly fellow with long dreadlocks.] more ›

Our favorite trivia night in the city is Noah Tarnow's Big Quiz Thing which happens every other Monday at the Slipper Room and once a month at Happy Ending Lounge. The next Big Quiz Thing is scheduled for February 7th at the aforementioned Slipper Room. more ›

Here's the question for the day: Should Gothamist even mention sold out shows? There are a few of them this week. Mentioning sold out shows creates an environment where the "haves" are the winners and the "have nots" are the loser--unless the "have nots" turn in sexual favors with exes who thought ahead and bought two tickets. Is it right to pit the winners against the losers? Is it right to pour salt on the losers' ticketless wounds? Oh, whatever. The world is filled with winners and losers. Why tiptoe around the obvious? more ›

Amanda Stern, Author more ›

Gothamist Weather loves how New York magazine asked four writers to profile four ordinary New Yorkers go about their day. And check out the James Joyce Center and The Brazen Head, a website about James Joyce. more ›

For information on these events and more things to do in the city, check out Gothamist Events. And the Happy Ending Reading Series was mentioned in the Times earlier this week, as was Lindsayism's monthly Ritalin Reading Series. Rock on. more ›