As with every year, the FDNY has sent out a friendly public service announcement, reminding folks that this weekend is Daylight Savings Time—specifically it starts at Sunday, March 11, 2012, 2:00am (you LOSE an hour, so you move your clocks ahead an hour, e.g. 1 a.m. is 2.a.m.)— and that everyone should change their smoke detector batteries. They will be setting up 20 different locations across the five boroughs to get free smoke detector batteries, listed here. more ›

Last night, Daily Show reporter Aasif Mandvi delved deep into a hidden danger poisoning the nation's youth: hot dog addiction. According to Science, there's a link between hot dogs and cancer, and hot dogs are as addictive as...somewhere between The Wire and crack. Just ask special guest star and unrepentant addict Takeru Kobayashi, who tries his darndest to scare the kids straight. more ›

Summer is winding down—it's time to start packing on that winter weight to keep you warm. Start today with some FREE hotdogs from East Village stoner snack paradise Crif Dogs! Crif has partnered with Scoutmob, an online deal finder that offers subscribers free things, like the aforementioned hotdogs. Sign up or download their mobile app to "claim" the deal now (act fast—the claiming period expires at midnight, though it's available all week on the mobile app), and then collect your free dog at any point before September 7th. more ›

Just in time for your big Labor Day cookouts, Martha Stewart-on-crack expert Amy Sedaris stopped by Jimmy Fallon last night to show him and buddy Will Forte how to cook hotdogs with a rake ("because some people can't afford sticks."). Jimmy has some trouble shimmying his dogs onto the rake, but Amy give him a hands-on lesson in the proper technique, proving that is never not funny to watch a woman manhandle wieners. Is there anything this woman cannot do? Behold: more ›

There are a fair amount of 7-Eleven stores around New York City (let's say... 26? Who's counting? No one.), which means there's a fair amount of stores that will sell you Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips. That's correct, fellow American, the franchise has just introduced their latest product, which got its flavor inspiration from 7-Eleven's own Big Bite hot dog. There are also ketchup, mustard and relish spiced chips, according to Laughing Squid—so in theory, you could mix all of these up for what one Gothamist staffer called "a symphony in my mouth." more ›

Dirty water dogs, once the stalwart of street dining in this fine city, are being pushed out by hordes of fussy, health-conscious eaters who wrinkle their noses at the prospect of a mysterious tube of emulsified meat. What's taking their place? Organic, grass-fed, sustainably raised, locally sourced, non-genetically modified, nitrate-free, free range tubes of emulsified meat, of course! more ›

Controversy continues to plague the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest held at Coney Island on July 4; but this time, it has nothing to do with Kobayashi vs. Chestnut, and everything to do with a female eater named Grace Lee. more ›

When Tareku Kobayashi took to the rooftop of 230 Fifth this weekend to compete live via satellite with the Major League Eating-sanctioned hot dog inhalers at Coney Island, an ecstatic crowd cheered him on to a world-record breaking victory of 69 dogs in 10 minutes. But it seemed just a little too convenient that the previous record, held by Kobayashi's arch-nemesis Joey Chestnut, was 68, and now, some are calling into question the validity of Kobayashi's feat. more ›

Joey Chestnut won the official Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island yesterday with a whopping 62 dogs in ten minutes—no doubt an impressive feat, but not enough to beat his own 2009 world record of 68 dogs. No, that distinction goes instead to blacklisted Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi, who ate 69 dogs from the rooftop lounge of 230 Fifth. But what does it all mean?! more ›

America, we have the first champion of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest for women: Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas has finally won her first Mustard Belt. She ate 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Yes, she earned her Pepto-Bismol! more ›

Before you start bragging to your friends about how you got the last package of Organic Purified Nitrate-Free Low Sodium Fair Trade Meat-That-Holds-A-PhD-In-International-Relations hot dogs at the bodega for the 4th, your cookout bonafides may just be a bunch of bull. Hot dog manufacturers are claiming that the USDA's rules for hot dog packaging that disclose whether or not the dogs contain nitrate or nitrite—preservatives that have been linked to colorectal cancer—are confusing and downright deceptive. Does this mean new gross labels for hot dogs too? more ›

If eating meat by-products mixed with fat mixed with sodium nitrite just isn't your thing, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on the great July 4th tradition of the hot dog eating contest. Cowgirl's Baking is offering up something for the vegan set, and are inviting people to come sign up for their very own vegan hot dog eating contest this weekend. They say it's taking place "any time" from July 2nd to the 5th, and ask "How many vegan hot dogs can you eat?" We've reached out to the East Village spot for more details, and will update if we hear back... they do, however, promise prizes. more ›

Blacklisted competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi spoke today, shedding some light on his ongoing battle with Major League Eating and describing his night in jail after bumrushing the stage at last year's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. more ›

We're just a few weeks away from the annual Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest at Coney Island, and it's time to get serious about placing your bets. There's big money to had with this thing, people! Here's what we're looking at this year. more ›

We thought the rapture had come and gone already, but today comes another sign (literally) of impending doom, with word that the Gray's Papaya on 72nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue is raising their prices. And they're damning the man while doing it! At least according to their window sign: more ›

The brouhaha surrounding this year's July 4th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island carries on today, just like Joey Chestnut in the final moments of competition. Last week we reported that Major League Eating decided to split the contest into men's-and-women's sections in the interest of fairness. This was generally good news for fast-eatin' women, until it was revealed that the purse for the women's competition was only $2,500, compared to the men's prize of $10,000. Outrage ensued, until today. more ›

The epic battle of wills between Major League Eating and major league eater Takeru Kobayashi has not cooled since the hot-dog eater went to jail last July 4. Hidden by the League's announcement of a new ladies-only hot dog eating contest was the fact that Kobayashi, a six-time world champion, has been removed from the league's "Wall of Fame." Worse, he's been replaced by no less than Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, who has never won the competition (but has eaten a terrifying 41 dogs and buns in ten minutes). more ›

Training for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest yet? If you're a woman, you could just be that much closer to the a crown! Because according to George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, stuffing your face with hot dogs is basically like tennis. “Leading sports organizations including the NCAA, USTA and professional golf have long had separate championships for men and women,” he said in a statement. “Sonya Thomas has been called the Michelle Wie of Brie and the Mia Hamm of Ham, but she’s never been called Nathan’s Famous July Fourth Champion. Perhaps this is the year she secures that title." more ›

What better to pair up with your trip to the Guggenheim than a nice packaged portion of meat paste, or hot dogs, or whatever. Well, dream on carnivorous Kandinsky lovers, because the Landmarks Preservation Commission just denied the museum its Andre Kikoski designed food kiosk—a move that shocked Eater. According to the website—which posted these renderings earlier this week—"the commissioners said the tiny teardrop-shaped stand underneath the Fifth Avenue overhang was too intrusive and distracted from Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark." more ›

Hungry for some more details about the most important competitive eating court case in the history of the sport? CNN reports that Takeru Kobayashi may be a free man after his court hearing on Thursday, but that's only provided he stays out of trouble for the next six months. Not too bad considering he was charged with resisting arrest, trespassing, obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct after storming the stage at this year's annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Competition on Coney Island. The deal is sitting well with Kobayashi, who declared, "I am very happy. It was a more nervous victory than winning the eating contest." He'll be celebrating with a pizza eating contest in Ontario, Canada later this month. more ›

Takerua Kobayashi just had his day in court... and for some reason TMZ was on the scene in Brooklyn with a live stream of the "action." To recap: Kobayashi was arrested last month at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest after he refused to compete under the MLE's contract, and stormed the stage as Joey Chestnut received the Mustard Belt. According to TMZ, who has TOTAL COVERAGE of this important hearing, the judge has now dismissed the case. They report, "He was issued an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACD). Basically the case will be officially dismissed 6 months from now." The competitive eater is now free to shove water-dunked meat slurry down his throat. Mmm... tastes like justice. more ›

Here's video of six-time Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Takeru Kobayashi discussing why he jumped onstage after Sunday's event, which led to his arrest on charges of obstruction of governmental administration; resisting arrest; trespassing and disorderly conduct. Kobayashi, who did not compete due to a contract dispute (he claims organizers would limit his participation in other events), said through a translator, "I went as a spectator to cheer on my friends, and everyone was yelling 'let him eat,' so I was hoping they would let me eat and prove I am still the champ." And, yes, he wished he could have had hot dogs because all he had was a peanut butter sandwich and milk! more ›

While this year's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest threatened to be overshadowed by Takeru Kobayashi's arrest after the event, two people who enjoyed the display for its pure, human endurance-testing, Coney Island-exciting, 100% beef self were Michael Bisberg and Laura Silver. The pair won VIP passes to the contest from us and shared their photographs and observations from the heart of the action. more ›

There are a few more details about the strange arrest of competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi after Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Kobayashi, who claimed he was not participating in the event he won six times because of a dispute with Major League Eating organizers (hence the "Free Kobi" shirt), had been watching the event from the crowd. Apparently the crowd's chanting of his name inspired him to rush the stage; he said, "I went as a spectator to cheer on my buddies that I used to eat with. Everyone in the crowd kep chanting 'let him eat, let him eat'. So I jumped onto the stage to prove that I am still the champ, but I was arrested." more ›