Now that the NBA season is pretty much dunzo, maybe we can lobby for Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to play basketball on Sesame Street! The pair's segment with Grover—to discuss the word "compare"—aired on this morning's episode and it was pretty cute: more ›

Hey guys, did you somehow forget about Kanye for a second? Do you know he has an album coming out with Jay-Z? No? Oh, okay, don't worry, he dropped in on Nicki Minaj—who is opening for Britney Spears's tour—at Nassau Coliseum last night to remind you that he still exists. more ›

In a situation that immediately calls to mind the great Montauk Monster fiasco of 2008, a giant, prehistoric-looking monster from another world was dragged out of the East River over the weekend. Anybody hungry? more ›

The empty lot next to Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street will be a filled with a building one day, that's just a fact. How high will that building be? That's more debatable. After much noise was made about the proposed 1,250 feet/85 story Hines Tower (which some dubbed the MoMA monster) , the NYC Planning Commission voted yesterday to cut 200 feet off of the Jean Nouvel design; because another tall building in this city would just be overkill? Who knows. But the NY Times sheds some light on the thought process, noting that "Edith Hsu-Chen, the director of the Manhattan office of the Department of City Planning said that although the overall design of the building is 'exemplary,' the commission is concerned about its effect on the skyline, and does not feel that the top of the tower merits being in the zone of the Empire State Building’s iconic spire.” more ›

While you were sleeping, the Montauk Monster story kept spinning, this time landing on PlumTV, Newsday and...CNN. In an attempt to reassure a jittery public, the CNN quotes "experts" who say it's either a dog or raccoon; some think it may have washed up from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. more ›

Yesterday Gawker posted a photo of what quickly became referred to as "the Montauk Monster." Lizzie Grubman jokes were made, spines shivered, conspiracy theorists pondered (the Montauk Project, anyone?), a new internet superstar was born, and most came to the conclusion that the thing that washed up near the Surfside Inn was a bloated turtle without its shell. Or a monster. more ›

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Untitled photo of Monster Segway, by JCN on flickr more ›

Say, did you hear anything about this movie that opens today, Cloverfield? No? Yeah, it’s kind of a [Spoiler Alert!] obscure art-house thing, all shot with a camcorder from the perspective of a few friends fleeing a massive monster smashing Manhattan. We attended a screening earlier in the week and deemed it top-shelf disaster porn; though the main characters are rather annoying and the apocalypse takes a little too long to blast off, “by the time that massive beast slouches toward lower Manhattan, bowling the head of the Lady Liberty with a nonchalance befitting the Bush administration, you’ll be almost as bloodthirsty as the monster.” And blood you’ll get, along with spectacular special effects and almost relentless suspense. more ›

The last sentence uttered before all hell breaks loose is, “Forget about the rest of the world and hold onto the ones you care about.” Though probably unintentional, those words of brotherly advice – spoken to a lovesick young yuppie named Rob – perfectly sum up the prevalent attitude in fin de siècle New York: the world’s spinning into a cataclysm of total war and catastrophic climate change, but fuck it; let’s party and get ours. And in Cloverfield, the well-connected young Manhattanites at the story’s center do indeed get theirs, just not the way Gossip Girl said they would. more ›

The mystery surrounding the new J.J. Abrams movie, which tore up the LES last year, will soon be in the past as it finally hits the big screen this week. Cloverfield (long thought to be just a code name for the movie) will be unleashed this Friday, and is getting some great reviews. But what everyone wants to know is: what does the monster that's responsible for decapitating Lady Liberty look like? One description from that review: "He's a fiend that a heroin addict might see in his sleep during his first night in rehab." more ›

Since settling in New York in 2001, promoter Todd Patrick – known through his website as Todd P – has established himself as a major force in the avant-garde rock scene. In the fastidious spirit of a modern day Bill Graham – though without the passion for profits – Patrick has distinguished himself with his commitment to producing shows at atypical, under-the-radar locations like lofts, rooftops and funky, “illegal” clubs. Often eschewing such vagaries as... more ›

EVENT: Join Chief Jim Riches, 9/11 families, rescue and recovery workers in an effort to Tell Rudy Giuliani to "Stop Politicizing 9/11". Rudy will be at a fundraiser at the Waldorf later today, and will be greeted by those who believe he's no hero. Why? They say: "He failed the FDNY & uniformed & civilian victims. He gave us incompetent commissioners ( FD,PD, OEM). No integrated command. He abandoned us on 9/11. He gave the FDNY defective radios. He lied about the toxic air -- 70% of responders and many civilians are sick." More info here. more ›

TIP: According to Paper's Mr. Mickey, Chloë Sevigny is having a tag sale on her block this Saturday. We're guessing there will be lots of vintage Balenciaga. Check out her apartment in House & Garden...pretty nice! more ›

The NY Times has a slide show of assorted items that could be perfect wedding gifts for book lovers. Suggestions range from whimsical bookshelves to personalized book plates. more ›

"Hello from the gutters of N.Y.C., which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine, and blood," these were the opening lines in a letter written by David Berkowitz to columnist Jimmy Breslin thirty years ago. more ›

Last night at Irving Plaza, Andrew "William Ocean" Litz became the 2007 US Air Guitar Champion. Ocean, who lives in New York City, used his home-field advantage to...his advantage. He had several of his supporters in the crowd to aid his performances - throwing water in the air (like an ocean, we suppose) and supporting him as he crowdsurfed. Ocean's moves were enough to move him from 2nd place entering the finals/compulsory round. He defeated 14 other air guitarists that qualified in regional US Air Guitar events, including 2006 US Champion Craig ‘Hott Lixx Hulahan’ Billmeier and Fatima "Rockness Fucking Monster" Hoang, who was in first entering the finals. more ›

Maybe there is good reason to try to stay off Forbes' list of 400 wealthiest people. The Manhattan DA's office charged a 24-year-old Russian national with an elaborate identity ring that targeted rich Americans. more ›

Coney Island may be changing a lot after its last summer with Astroland scheduled to close and redevelopment of the area, but the people over at the Coney Island History Project are doing their best to preserve memories of the old Coney Island. This season, the project inaugurates a permanent home, which is fittingly under the Cyclone. The Times reports that the space had many previous forms: a souvenir stand, a hot dog stand, and a ice cream stand and that the support pillars in the storefront shake when the Cyclone passes. The project's location has its grand opening on Thursday. more ›

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes more ›

It's been more than 30 years since David Berkowitz began his drawn out killing spree that paralyzed New York City with fear. Perhhaps roused by the release of the movie "Zodiac" in March, which details the pursuit of an infamous west coast serial killer who was never caught, Berkowitz is desirous of some public attention. He sat down with a reporter for WCBS news for an extensive interview in a program that will air in three parts over three nights, beginning Monday. The program will also include interviews with the NYPD detective who took Berkowitz's confession after his arrest and the killer's Attica prison guard. A self-described Satanist at the time of the killings, Berkowitz now claims to have found God during his time behind bars. more ›

Casting for the stage production of Young Frankenstein has Cloris Leachman fans up in arms. Leachman originated the role of Frau Blucher in Mel Brooks' classic film and has just been let go from the Broadway production, which will hit the St. James Theater stage this Fall. more ›

Three years after his death, Spalding Gray: Stories Left To Tell has opened at Minetta Lane Theater. Running through May 13th, the performance features five actors surrounded by stacks of marble notebooks, similar to those Gray filled in his lifetime (up to 300). Selections from "Swimming to Cambodia," "Monster in a Box" and other monologues are read, but perhaps more insightful and often eerie are his unpublished works. From his last entry (a tape recording from December 18th, 2003): "Everything's in my head now, my timing is all off. Tomorrow is the day I'm going to kill myself." more ›

MOVIE: The 10th Annual New York International Children's Film Festival commences tonight, starting with the US premiere of the French animated film U (which includes unicorns!). A kid-friendly catered reception will take place after the film. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A large fight in the Bronx, an unusual MVA in Manhattan and a "Jet Blue aircraft disturbance" at LaGuardia - Gate B5
• Promises from the Department of Transportation mean nothing, even after two children die
• Activists want tax-paying immigrants to have the right to vote; immigrants did vote in national elections between 1776 and 1926

Peter Boyle, who you may know as the father ("Frank") on "Everybody Loves Raymond", died last night at the age of 71, in Manhattan. more ›

Jagshemash! more ›

this way, and sporting those Buddy Holly-esque free plastic glasses during a matinee was a blast. more ›

Thirty years is a long time, and yet for many people not long enough. Today, Sunset Parker reminds us, marks the thirty-year anniversary of the first of the Son of Sam killings, one of the most notorious murder sprees in Gotham's history. more ›