[UPDATE BELOW] Don't think for a second that just because disadvantaged douchebags have won the right to ride at the front of the stretch Hummer limo and drink bottle service at the same banquette as everybody else that they no longer face hateful discrimination each and every day. Even in 2011—when the D-word itself is widely considered taboo—D-bags everywhere must still overcome the soft bigotry of low (like, really low) expectations. And the venomous contempt for douchebags isn't just seen in ignorant backwaters like the Meatpacking District; the progressive East Village has its share of D-bigotry, too. One of the most shameless D-haters even holds a position on the local Community Board, where the D-word was brazenly D-ropped during a public meeting last night. more ›

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I’ve seen some memorable entrances in my time as a theatergoer, but Patrick Leonard’s appearance at the start of La Vie is going to be hard to top. I’m reluctant to spoil the surprise, so let’s just say you’ll never know what hit you. Most of what follows in La Vie, the erotic existential circus currently running at the opulent Spiegeltent, is as surprising as Leonard’s entrance; it may not be a show to take Grandma to, but it’s certainly an ideal setting for a hot date. And since there’s music, drinks and food served outside the tent before the show (as well as a bar inside), you can come early to canoodle and enjoy the breathtaking view of the harbor from foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. more ›

MUSIC: There's no better way to end the week by heading over to the Seaport Music Festival on a Friday evening. Sit on the pier with a glass of wine and watch some bands as the sun goes down. The water and ships provide the perfect summer backdrop. Tonight Fujiya & Miyagi will get you moving with some dance beats and Black Moth Super Rainbow will stick to the synth-rock. more ›

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A Bourne, a Cloon and a pirate, oh my...with the Memorial Day holiday this weekend, we're entering the prime summer movie season and it's time to get psyched. Psyched! Here's just some Hollywood flicks we're awaiting between now and Labor Day. With all of these things to see, it's probably time to spring for the econo tub of popcorn and a bucket of soda to get through it all. more ›

FILM: Who doesn't like a rendez-vous? Tonight come to Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. The event is in its 12th year and will introduce you to what's been playing on Parisian movie screens. Tonight is the first night and Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose plays - the film will educate you on French legend Edith Piaf. more ›

Queens residents and people headed to JFK, be on the watch for a skinny, most likely hyper dog that responds to the name "Vivy." Her real name is Ch. Bohem C'est La Vie, and the three-year old whippet had just won an Award of Merit at the Westminster Dog Show, when she apparently went missing at JFK Airport yesterday. Authorities aren't sure how Vivy got out of her cage, the cage apparently was keyless. Delta told the NY Times, "We are working with the local authorities to retrieve the animal" but left it at that because Vivy is a customer and there's a customer privacy policy. Her owner, Jill Walton, who was told about Vivy's disappearance while waiting for the plane to take-off, is worried about Vivy in the cold. And the authorities are taking this very seriously: There was a helicopter involved in the search. more ›

It's been oh, about five million, thirty-one thousand, three hundred sixty minutes since the musical Rent premiered on Broadway, and Gothamist must admit that because Seasons of Love has been playing over and over again thanks to the ads for the movie Rent, we're tempted to see it in order to get the song out of our head. Some early reviews are out (Variety thinks it's very Chris Columbus, very lame but the Hollywood Reporter is much more positive), but we have enjoyed Perptually Nauseous's take on the film, after seeing it with "with five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred homos." Mainly, it's about realizing that Father Time has truly done his job:

And when the big "La Vie Boheme" number came on, I know, without a doubt, that if I were to be put in that situation, I would be the one saying... more ›

Ordinarily Gothamist wouldn't recommend seeing a director's works based on the coolness of his name alone, but the fun induced when saying "Aki Kaurismäki" in a sing-song voice is directly proportional to the whimsy found in his movies. Whimsy plus memorable characters and compelling melodrama often about the Finnish under-classes, mind you. more ›