A number of immigration protests are planned for today across the country. From the AP:

Though this year's turnout will likely be lower, organizers say immigrants feel a sense of urgency to keep immigration reform from getting pushed to the back burner by the 2008 presidential elections. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Broadway in Queens, a water rescue from the Bronx River, and a retaining wall collapse on Waterview Ct. on Staten Island.
• A judge awarded equal custody of a 17-month-old infant to the child's father, the boyfriend of Jennifer Rubell. She is the daughter niece of the late club impressario Steve Rubell, and previously claimed her boyfriend was a stoner mooch, who refused to leave her apartment or get a job.
• The former head of the Brooklyn Democratic party, Clarence Norman, Jr., is heading off to prison for 1-3 years, for what amounts to a shakedown of a judicial candidate.
• Al Sharpton is turning his attention from Imus to the Hip-Hop industry, and demanding the end of racist and sexist content. We're feeling good about his recent increase in police protection following Imus-related death threats.
• Some students at Columbia want to return to the days of 1968-style radicalism, but without all the bra-burnings, free love, and drug use. Sticks and carrots, kids.
• We hope East Village Idiot tipped this waitress well for her subtle observation
• Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind wants to know why there's such great disparity in what NYC hospitals charge for identical or similar procedures, because the differences can be pretty outrageous.
• The Anarchist Book Fair was held this Saturday at the Judson Memorial Church, but there's no word yet as to whether the Dewey Decimal System is oppression or not.
• Finally confirmed: Hipsters love vinyl records

THEATER: You’ve got just three more weekends to experience one of the wildest and most entertaining late-night theater extravaganzas to hit New York this century. The Curse of the Mystic Renaldo The defies description – what begins as a fake silent movie (ostensibly unearthed during the construction of 3 Legged Dog’s sleek new theater center) quickly dashes off in countless delirious directions at once: There’s live rock, hilarious vaudevillian slapstick, both high and low art, free popcorn, free regular and light beer, side-splitting ribaldry and, above all, the virtuoso performance of Aldo Perez, the show’s charismatic creator. (Not to take anything away from his equally brilliant co-stars Jenny Lee Mitchell and Richard Ginocchio.) See it now so you’ll have time to catch it again before it closes. - John Del Signore more ›

The week of Arcade Fire shows at Judson Memorial Church is over, and mostly everyone who didn't have a ticket and showed up at the venue that night, got in. more ›

It is upon us, five whole nights of Arcade Fire. If you weren't one of the lucky ones to get tickets to Judson Memorial Church (we hear capacity is only around 300), you'll be happy to hear the band will be back for three nights in May. Most definitely at a bigger venue (we've been calling United Palace Theater for a while now - though nothing is confirmed as of yet). more ›

DISCUSSION: What is the future of alternative journalism? Find out tonight as experts Elizabeth Spiers, Jeff Koyen, Bob Cox and Roxanne Cooper tell you all about what they foresee. If you don't know who those people are, then you probably don't care about the future of alt media anyway. more ›

We're hoping that The Arcade Fire does some more busking when they're in town, because - like you - we didn't get tickets either. The five night run at Judson Memorial Church sold out in under 5 minutes, and people are not happy about it. more ›

Ah, remember when the Arcade Fire played Mercury Lounge and on the street in Union Square? Now they're back for a five night run which is thankfully not at Webster Hall, but at Judson Memorial Church. Rumors of a church venue have been circulating recently, and we're glad they're true. If you've heard their new song, Intervention, you know a church is very fitting. From ArcadeFire.net: more ›