Gripe all you want about hidden fees and the rage-inspiring "music" you hear when on hold (and we will!) but a Verizon worker who saved a Brooklyn man from a basement blaze earns the company some kudos. Verizon employee Steven Baudille saw smoke pouring out of a Midwood building and stopped his van to help. After helping two cops kick in a window, he pulled the man to safety. "I reached in and saw an arm. The guy grabbed my arm and we dragged him out," Baudille told the Daily News. more ›

The stalled A train that had passengers trapped inside for seven hours may have gotten all the attention, but behind that train there was another train, driven by a motorman who repeatedly risked his life so that the train could crawl forward. Yann Willam Hicks says he had to get out of the train 20 times to clear snow from the metal signal arms that had become frozen in the storm. "I did this on the bridges above the water!" Hicks tells the Post. "We'd travel for a bit, get stuck, I'd get out, then we'd travel again... Every time I jumped off the train, I couldn't see the third rail—I had no idea where it was... I told the dispatcher, 'You've got to be kidding! You're sending us out in this stuff? This is suicide!" But it was all worth it to get everybody to Aqueduct station in the middle of the night in a blizzard! more ›

An estimated three million people assembled along Broadway during yesterday's ticker tape parade to celebrate the Giants' 17-14 Super Bowl XLII win over the New England Patriots. more ›

Update: Here are some of our photographs from the parade route - it look us a few hours to download the photos and decompress/shake out the confetti from the parade. We'll be adding a slideshow later. more ›

After the stunning Giants' Super Bowl win, people cheered like they hadn't seen a Super Bowl victory in 17 years! Throughout the city, folks were stumbling onto streets, chanting the names of players and even getting arrested. more ›

What has Conan O'Brien been doing in his spare time? His writers have only been putting pen to paper for their picket signs, and even though he returned to his late night desk earlier this month -- he's been a one-man show, lacking his trusty troupe of scribes. Alone and living in a world of reruns, he's been unloading in his diary strike journal. more ›

After news that a Green Bay Fox affiliate would not be showing Seinfeld because it's Giants quarterback Eli Manning's favorite show (the Giants are heading to the land of Cheeseheads to play the Packers in the NFC Championship), it was up to Jerry Seinfeld to rise to the occasion. The Mets fan told the Post, "I'm going to send Eli a complete collection of 'Seinfeld' DVDs and a partial collection of 'Hogan's Heroes' for inspiration!" We think Eli's gonna have to ask Archie about Hogan's Heroes. more ›

Johnny Podres died last night in a hospital in upstate New York at the age of 75. He'd been suffering from serious medical problems for some time. In 1955, Podres ensured himself a place in Brooklyn and baseball history as a young left-hander who pitched the Dodgers to their only World Series Championship while in Brooklyn, and he did it against the hated Yankees. more ›

An off-duty firefighter was charged with misdemeanor assault after he beat up a Brooklyn motorist in front of the driver's wife and two sons. Michael Crespo, who is a 28-year-old copier technician, says that he was driving in Brooklyn when Stephen Spagnola jaywalked in front of his car. Spagnola, who is with FDNY Engine Co. 28 and also posed as Mr. September in the 2005 edition of the FDNY's racy Calendar of Heroes, objected to Crespo's objections and soon enough, Crespo was out of his car getting brutally beaten by Spagnola and a his friend. The Daily News quotes Crespo's wife, "I was hysterical. My oldest child saw everything. He was afraid for his daddy." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a foot pursuit on West 50th St. and Broadway in Manhattan, a missing person on West 110th St. in Manhattan, and a stabbing on Grove St. and Seneca Ave. in Queens.
• The 57-year-old man shot to death by a federal agent during a grenade sting this week was a career criminal. Authorities believe the proposed sale of what turned out to be an inert grenade was probably just an attempt to scam a gullible buyer.
• On the heels of his attempt to curb NYC's pigeon population, Councilman James Oddo now wants to reduce the population of wild turkeys on Staten Island, which he claims are a nuisance to the town of Ocean Breeze.
• Dick Wilson, the actor who played the ("Don't Squeeze the") Charmin salesman Mr. Whipple, died this week.
• A firefighter featured in the 2005 Calendar of Heroes was arrested on misdemeanor assault charges yesterday.
• Contrary to popular opinion, it isn't the tryptophan in turkey that makes people tired after Thanksgiving dinner. The likely culprit is a combination of eating too much, alcohol, and a long day.
• Approximately 1,000 doctors at Columbia University are now at risk for identity theft after a healthcare provider published their social security numbers online.
• BoingBoing brings us the holiday krunk video "Turkey Wrap."

A look at some of this week's noteworthy television: more ›

The season really gets underway this week so a lot of old favorites like The Simpsons, Heroes, and Boston Legal (along with some that shouldn’t be like The Batchelor) are back so you do know what to expect with them. more ›

Jim Riches is the Deputy Chief of the FDNY. He is one of the producers of Urban Legend, a video that doggedly questions the supposedly heroic actions of Mayor Giuliani on 9/11. We recently asked him a few questions about that, today's anniversary and the future of the WTC. more ›

It’s been over three decades since experimental theater company Mabou Mines arose out of a collaboration – which took place in the small Nova Scotia town of Mabou – involving JoAnne Akailitis, Lee Breuer, Philip Glass, Ruth Maleczech, and David Warrilow. In the years since, the company has become renowned for restlessly shoving the boundaries of theater in myriad different directions. Tomorrow a new production directed by Maleczech begins a five night run outdoors in Long Island City, Queens. Called Song for New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting, the ambitious multi-disciplinary work will be performed on a barge anchored in the East River at Gantry Plaza State Park. The production celebrates each borough through live music, oral history and poetry commissioned from five New York writers. Gothamist recently spoke with Maleczech about the project, the company, Frank Rich and New York City. more ›

Earlier this week, the FDNY Foundation, a non-profit that raises money for FDNY causes, released the 2008 edition of its popular Calendar of Heroes, featuring some of the Bravest's bare-chested hunks posing in all parts of New York City and thrilling many. But after the calendar crew appeared on the Today show, the eagle-eyed realized that cover boy Michael Biserta, of Ladder Co. 131 in Red Hook, was also featured in a Guys Gone Wild video, showing, as the Post calls it, "his God-given hose." So now the FDNY has decided to stop making the Calendar of Heroes. God, Joe Francis ruins everything! more ›

Submitted for your consideration: menu choice #93 at Carluccio’s Italian Hero Shop in Bensonhurst, the Joey Fatone: “This hero is really N SYNC”- Bologna, pepperoni, yellow American cheese & mustard. $8.00 more ›

It's not just venues closing down these days, the latest real estate casualty is still music-related, however. AMNY reports that Sony BMG is closing its Hell's Kitchen studios. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: more ›

We have some exciting news to share with our readers - Jen Chung, co-founder, editor of Gothamist, and executive editor for all Gothamist sites, has won a Wired Rave Award! The Rave Awards look for people that are "innovators, instigators, and inventors" in their field, with Jen receiving the award for blogs (she's "The Town Crier"). Lest you think Wired hands the award out to anyone, Jen has some pretty good company. Some of the 2007 Rave Award winners include: Tim Kring, creator of Heroes (and Crossing Jordan!); J.K. Rowling; Alfonso Cuarón; fellow blogger, Arianna Huffington; and the Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television programs this week: more ›

MUSIC: Five O'Clock Heroes, The Octagon and Ford & Fitzroy play Mercury Lounge tonight. In an odd turn of events we're most excited for the opener, Ford & Fitzroy - who played our Movable Hype show in February (video here). more ›

Mayor Bloomberg headed to Washington D.C. to ask for more federal aid related to September 11 illnesses. The NY Times noted that Bloomberg was "surrounded at the hearing mostly by Democratic lawmakers from New York who have sought more aid for 9/11-related health problems" and "The two Republican senators present asked gentle questions."

Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and a physician, said he did not doubt that there were “a lot of pulmonary problems associated with large particulate intake” at ground zero, but he asked the mayor, “Is there a point at which this stops in terms of a federal obligation?” more ›

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association voting pool for the Golden Globes only consists of 83 members, but every year their mainstream tastes become one of the potential early prognosticators for the Emmys and the Oscars. Over in Beverly Hills today, the stylists are putting the finishing touches on the stars' couture, that long red carpet is being laid and some assistant is double checking the seals on the envelopes. Here in New York of course, we get to play the more enviable armchair critic job hashing out who might be taking home this year's statues after tonight's telecast [8 - 11 pm on NBC]. more ›

With visions of sugar plum fairies dancing through their heads, the -Ists began to get into that holiday mood. Well, some did. more ›

Even though the weather isn't encouraging you to stay inside, there's still a whole host of new flicks to check out at the theaters. more ›

If there was ever a reason to leave the cocoon of air-conditioning at work, it might be this: The FDNY's official 2007 Calendar of Heroes (the one we mentioned in June was the non-official one) is on sale today and the firefighters will be near Herald Square signing the calendars. The Daily News says that calendar's cover boy is Mark DeRosa from Ladder 18 on Pitt Street: He's 22, single, from Staten Island and "auditioned half as a joke and half-seriously, but I'm proud to be part of it." more ›

THEATER: The River to River Festival isn't just about outdoor concerts, and Canadians not only have great indie bands, they also have theatre troupes breaking into the experimental downtown scene. Bluemouth Inc.'s What the River Said, which is in both R2R and the Sitelines series, is a case in point; the play, which evokes "the struggle for acceptance in the calm before the family storm" is the third part of a trilogy originally performed along a creek near Toronto; you aren't likely to feel lost if you haven't seen the other parts, but you almost certainly will be eager for the full production to make it here. - Mallory Jensen more ›

Another week begins and it's time to start penciling in some shows. Tonight, The Concretes are back! The Scandinavian 8+ person band will be playing Bowery Ballroom. While over at Sin-e King of France, Less and Dawn Landes play a more intimate gig. more ›

EARTH DAY EVENT: Earth Day isn't just for hippies. This weekend celebrate our planet at Earth Day NY. Exhibitors will educate you on how to treat Mother Nature a bit more kindly and show you how to find the nature right here in New York City. more ›