Yesterday tickets went on sale for the two Oprah Winfrey show tapings next month (September 10th and 11th) at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The internet went into overload immediately, shutting down the ticket websites. more ›

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too - two of them in -Ist cities. more ›

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In a victory for the city's theater industry and possibly good ol' fashioned American kitsch, the city's Planning Department has ruled Cirque du Soleil doesn't qualify as "legitimate theater." Therefore, the developer Related Companies won't get a special bonus for building at a lot on the far western part of West 42nd Street. Take that, Canada - you may have better healthcare and be the home of Degrassi and some Americans may go there to avoid fighting in wars no one believes in, but you can't take away money better spent on Madame Tussaud's! Oh, wait, Madame Tussaud's is British - maybe Disney wants to build a huge Chronicles of Narnia Experience there. Anywya, Related says they will look at their plans again, but most people do not think Cirque will happen (at least at that location) because, as the TImes reports, "of the prohibitive size and cost." And Related adds that the property is "not for sale, as of right now." Dunh dunh dunh. more ›

The Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested five Egyptian men in Newark, NJ for having "maps of the New York City subway system and video of New York landmarks," plus train schedules and $8,000 in cash. Hmm, that could be the mark of a tourist, but if the video of the landmarks doesn't have people wearing goofy Statue of Liberty headpieces or posing with the wax figures outside of Madame Tussaud's, then, yeah, that's pretty strange. ABC News reports that one of the suspects told the authorities the maps were for his new job as a street vendor, as well as the fact that he was the only person the apartment, but then authorities found a few other men in a search. This comes as the Daily News reveals the MTA keep files on people who are "stopped or questioned for filming or photographing bridges and tunnels." One source said most people let authorities see what they had filmed, saying, "Most of the time they show us the images right there because they are tourists." more ›