Born on this day in 1932, and dying 71 years later in 2003, Johnny Cash made a lot of fans and friends during his lifetime. Today would have been his 76th birthday, so with that here are some videos of him performing in New York City. In 1999 a televised tribute to "the man in black" was filmed at Hammerstein Ballroom; this was the first time Cash had performed publicly since being diagnosed with a......

Prestige filmmakers take note: If you want the Times critics to really love you, what you need to do is put the fear in them. At least it worked for Tim Burton; his adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd gave reviewer A.O. Scott nightmares. And for that, Scott deems the film “close to a masterpiece, a work of extreme – I am tempted to say evil – genius.” (Current Rotten Tomato rating: 88% fresh.) One......

The NYPD decided not to appeal a judge's decision that the NYPD should declassify its surveillance documents from the 2004 RNC, so it has set up a special NYPD RNC Documents website with the documents. Of course, you have to scroll down to the very bottom for a zip file of the 600 pages of documents. And what's above the documents is the NYPD's rather thorough explanation/ defense justifying why it did such extensive......

READING: READINGS: Looks like literary talent might just be genetic - 26-year-old Owen King, son of best-selling spookmaster Stephen King, has a collection of a novella and short stories out and is reading tonight at the Astor Place Barnes & Noble. We're All in This Together has been called "compelling" and "imaginative", and having a famous father can't hurt, right? - Krissa Corbett Cavouras 7pm // Barnes & Noble [4 Astor Place] // Free THEATER:......

- Kids today! They are so into tattoos - wait'll they realize they can't take 'em off easily - The Inside Man is commercial fun fare - The city is going to add 800 new police officers to the force - Sweat vest fan Governor Jon Corzine wants to increase NJ taxes - Yeah, a Johnny Cash musical without the darkness was a bad idea - And check out LED Throwies - "open source......

The Crooners, Old-Timey Musicians...

The holidays are upon us. Tomorrow sees the release of two of the more eagerly awaited films of the season, and we haven't even hit Thanksgiving yet! We've been hearing fantastic things about the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line. It wowed audiences at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and now critics are talking about Joaquin Phoenix's performance as they did last year about Jamie Foxx. One huge difference: Foxx lip-synced everything in Ray;......

Mick Stingley, Low-Rent Rock Critic...

TONIGHT: You can catch former Get A Life creator/star Chris Elliot present his semi-forgettable slapstick movie, Cabin Boy, as well as partake in a Q&A at The Anthology Film Archives at 8PM. Featuring the likes of Andy Richter, David Letterman, and Ricki Lake, Cabin Boy is a film that people either love or absolutely can’t stand watching. Either way, we still think observing Chris Elliot is worth the trip. And if you’re planning a night......

Gothamist remembers the day well. We were rolling out of bed, late for a meeting and still longing for more sleep. We flipped on the Weather Channel to help us decide what grade of heavy jacket we were going to need for the morning�s blustery walk to work. The clock struck 8 after, and we focused our attention on the �accurate and dependable� local forecast greeting us with a pleasant familiarity. But as the......

- East River, river of bodies and now sunken boats - Thinking of asking your friend for their iPod music collection? Think again. - RIAA sues a 12 year old and the public's response - People are stupid: Man ships himself from NY to Dallas - Pickle Fest 2003! - Murakami at Rockefeller Center: The big balls and Mr. Pointy - Mayor Bloomberg makes NYC school children drink Snapple - What's in the lost and......

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, died today, at age 71, from diabetes-related complications. Cash was one of the first popular musicians of this century to live hard, play hard, and sing about it. His long and storied career recently took a turn into the twilight, culminating with his cover and video of Hurt, which many called Johnny's farewell, as his voice ached and the images summoned up the highlights of his life and career.......

Okay, let's get it out of the way: Madonna kissed Britney. Madonna kissed Christina. Fine. Of course Madonna did something outre and not very Gappy by kissing Britney and Christina, but when Gothamist started to think about it, it was totally predictable and not that hot or exciting. It was calculated and a little boring. It's hot only in the way that the media will be able to say "girl-on-girl" action, but big deal.......

Gothamist guesses we need to report this bit of Lower East Side news, as Lockhart Steele is on vacation. As part of MTV's week of celebrating the MTV Video Music Awards, there's a $8.28 dinner entree promotion through tomorrow night at Lower East Side restaurants, including Essex, Punch & Judy, and AKA Cafe, are participating. See the full list here. Check out other VMA related events, like the Iggy Pop and the Stooges benefit......

June Carter Cash's funeral was held over the weekend in Nashville. Johnny Cash attended in a wheelchair and was helped to view the casket. Singers Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, The Gatlin Brothers, and the Oak Ridge Boys sang during the service. Gothamist on June Carter Cash's death.......

Singer-songwriter-actress June Carter Cash died last night. Though she was well known for being a part of the "Carter Sisters" country singing group, June Carter Cash is best known for her relationship, both professional and personal, with husband Johnny Cash. She wrote "Ring of Fire" about falling in love with him, and later wrote about Johnny Cash,"Those black eyes that shone like agates. I only glanced into them because I believed that I would......

It's official, Mark Romanek is my favorite video director. His video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Can't Stop," is fantastic: It's very stripped down for a RHCP video, with the bandmembers interacting with pieces that are "inspired by" the "One-minute Sculptures" of Erwin Wurm, an Austrian artist. What probably helps is that the RHCP peppers song is simpler and less busy than other ones (which is why the video is a great match). It's......

Today was all wet...worries aboutfloods are alarming, but don't really affect apartment-dwellers. In the mood of the day, here are some entertainment options: Madonna has a song, Rain. Watch the video, which was directed by Mark Romanek, who directed current favorite, Hurt as sung by Johnny Cash as well. Also, there's Missy Elliott's song, The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly). But there's nothing like watching Singin' in the Rain, as close as anything that can make......

Johnny Cash 'Hurt' Video
...It is the most beautiful and riveting video I've seen in a long time, because of how the images and music work together and how Johnny Cash, icon, haunts the video......