Courtney Love wished us all a belated Merry Christmas today via her MySpace blog (which we don't normally check in on, but thankfully Curbed was on the ball). What did Santa bring her? An apartment in the West Village! So really, it's like a present for us all. She stated, in perfectly readable English:

i think/hope we foundteh PERFECT plaCE, its a w village 4 floor house 2 floors are being rented by the owners, itllcost ...alot...to returjn it to a house biut fbc doesnt need to have all that space til she moves here at 18 and its a great invesment.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an explosion at Linden Blvd. and 220th St. in Queens, a homicide on Sedgewick Ave. in the Bronx, and a water main break on Prospect Place in Brooklyn
• Santa may have to bypass coalition troops stationed around the world today, but holiday presents will be appreciated even if they do arrive a few weeks into 2008. Newsday has a nice piece on gift-giving to troops and how to do it.
• U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner is in permanent campaign mode to become Mayor of NYC, as the office now seems to be a viable stepping stone for higher national office. Interesting fact: Weiner was a post-college roommate of comedian/news man Jon Stewart.

Hassan Askari, the Muslim college student who intervened in a violent subway attack against a group of Jewish riders, was honored at City Hall yesterday. The fight allegedly started when some thugs boarded a Q train yelling "Merry Christmas", prompting one of the Jewish riders to respond with a "Happy Hanukkah." Fisticuffs ensued, with one of the non-Jewish attackers shouting, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus!" One of the goons is also said to have exposed his tattoo of Jesus before the fight, because you know how Jesus was all about beating Jews. more ›

Oops! WNBC's Mistake Causes Problems for St. Louis TV Station more ›

The story around the possible hate crime attack on a Q train the other night seems to be made for the season. Not only does it come while subway violence is a big topic, it also involves a group of Jewish subway riders being called "dirty Jews" and "Jew bitches" and attacked by people who cried, "Happy Hanukkah, that's when the Jews killed Jesus." And here's the kicker: The only person who stepped in... more ›

It's hard to believe Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" came out almost 20 years ago. The song was included on the 1987 A Very Special Christmas album, the first in a series of compilations to benefit the Special Olympics. Also on that cd (which included cover art by Keith Haring): Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band singing "Merry Christmas Baby". Happy Holidays! more ›

It wasn't an anti-Muslim hate group that bombed a 24 hour deli owned by Pakistani immigrants in Staten Island after September 11 - it was the mob! The NYPD says that Edward "The Irishman" Fisher firebombed My deli & Grocery because it competed with a mob-protected bagel business nearby (it happens to be owned by a Pakistani immigrant as well). Fisher is supposedly a Gambino family associate, and other crime families were involved as well: My Deli & Grocery owner Hamim Syed was intimidated by members of the Luchese crime family, and Syed later asked for help from a Pakistani businessman with Genovese ties (the Daily News says the businessman "arranged a sitdown with two other gangster at the Hooters" in Staten Island). more ›

Right about now, both Christians and Jews are each celebrating their respective holidays. Apparently, this is only the fourth time the two holiday have converged in 100 years. Gothamist's only question is what is this doing to the Chinese restaurant industry tonight? more ›

- Pirro might not keep her Senate campaign money after all... more ›

- Or, take his family to see Santa at Macy's in Herald Square, sit on Santa's lap and tell him "what a bad boy he has been."Or else, "the head will be 'handed to our renegade elves at the North Pole and used to make wooden toy dolls for the boys and girls of New York City next Christmas.'" And the group brilliantly included photographs of the doll being menaced by a candy cane! more ›

Gothamist wishes everyone a Merry Christmas as well as a Happy Last Saturday in December if you don't happen to celebrate Christmas. We loved this Reuters photo by Chip East which celebrates two of our favorite things: Gus the polar bear in Central Park and holiday gift giving. Here, he has just received "trout with peanut butter and chocolate sauce, topped with whipped cream in a large cardboard barrel decorated with drawings of a Christmas tree and lights." Awesome. more ›

It's Gothamist's second favorite Times Arts & Leisure feature of the year (after the Fall Preview, which, even though "Fall" is less of an event in film and TV, just seems to be an exciting way to ring in the best season), when all the critics give their favorites and hateds of the year. The film critics list their best, with Elvis Mitchell calling Pirates of the Caribbean his top movie (Merry Christmas, Jerry Bruckheimer), A.O. Scott naming Master and Commander his, and Stephen Holden picking Angels in America (technically a film made for cable, but considering its ten month shoot, $60 million price tag, and ultimate 6 hour running time, it's certainly an event, so why quibble?). Then the critics have a discussion about the worst things in movies this past year (roles for women, children's movies); Scott reveals that when critics tell their children some movies are bad, the consequences are dire: [Also Scott on the year in general and Dave Kehr on the Year of the Documetary.] more ›