"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," the Smiths-themed speed dating event, had its fourth monthly installment at Greenpoint's Black Rabbit bar last night. And with just about every table in the place filled with daters, it's safe to say that the ironic brainchild of comedian Dave Hill may have transcended gimmick status and become something of a minor phenomenon. (When we say ironic, it's not due to involvement of hipsters, but rather the event drawing its inspiration from Morrissey, at one time the most famous self-proclaimed asexual.) more ›

This is pretty cool: Brandon Stosuy at Stereogum has put together a one-of-a-kind charity event at Housing Works in May. Björk, she of (most recently) MSG and Coachella headlining fame, will be performing at the 300 capacity bookstore on Friday, May 8th to benefit the non-profit. She will be joining forces with The Dirty Projectors, and performing a new suite of music created by lead-Projector Dave Longstreth. Ticket prices are a bit steep, ranging from $100 standing room tickets to $400 VIP balcony spots, but considering the cause, size and uniqueness of the show, it's surely worth it if you can spare the coin. They go on sale officially April 1st (no joke) on their venue’s website and at the store, but there are some tickets available right now if you act fact. more ›

Morrissey has been touring his 49-year-old ass off as of late, most recently with a series of smaller shows, perhaps the most intimate being this past Saturday at Bowery Ballroom. There was some notable between-song banter, and Newsday has a Top Ten list of Moz quotes from the night, including "I’m the type who just can’t find love," and "Who am I? This is a question that many have died trying to answer...I can only be identified on a slab, by the scars of pain." (Aw, give this guy a hug if you see him around town.) He also made note of the high security at the venue, saying, "We’re like a jealously guarded can of sardines." Wonder if anyone found love in the audience. more ›

Are any New York-based Morrissey fans less miserable now? Last night a Smiths speed dating event went down in Greenpoint, and NY Mag tossed themselves into the mix of single Moz fans. Sadly, but appropriately, it was as awkward as one might expect— this charming man reports back: "Among the single souls who turned up hoping to use mildly suicidal rock music as a basis for true love was your Intel correspondent's ex-girlfriend. Along with every other single girl in Brooklyn." It turns out too many women showed, throwing off the gender balance and forcing host Dave Hill to announce that "we have to close the registration to women.” which even meant “The girl with the Smiths tattoos got turned away”. Le sigh. Perhaps band-themed speed dating should be reserved for more upbeat groups like They Might Be Giants. more ›

Never one to bore or keep you off your toes, the Mozzer dropped a couple bombshells this week regarding his plans for early next year. First off, he signed with Lost Highway, of all labels, to release his upcoming record in the states. The Nashville label is best known for pushing Americana/Alt Country types like Ryan Adams and Willie Nelson, which of course he has hardly anything in common with. more ›

We've been following the fallout over the late Brooke Astor's will and estate for a while, but today's in-depth article in the NY Times about lawyer Francis Morrissey's numerous clients who put him in their wills is pretty damning. Morrissey was indicted (along with Astor's son Anthony Marshall) on charges if trying to, essentially, loot Astor's estate last month. more ›

EVENT: Come feel the love at the hotel QT tonight, as the Love party returns. Get those swimsuits out of storage, because there's a pool! And don't worry, the open vodka bar (8-9) will help you warm up. more ›

Anthony Marshall, the son of the late Brooke Astor, might have chosen a different lawyer if he suspected that he'd be eventually accused of looting his mother's estate. Or perhaps Francis X. Morrissey was the perfect man for the job. Papers are reporting today that Marshall's lawyer has a long history of profiting from soon-to-be-deceased clients. He was in court yesterday, arriving handcuffed, but leaving free on bail.It would seem to be the darkest moment... more ›

Anthony Marshall, the only son of New York society legend Brooke Astor, pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of criminal activity related to the handling of his mother's finances. The 83-year-old former Marine spoke in court once (to utter "not guilty") and, after his bond was approved, left the courthouse using a cane. He also apparently cried. Among the accusations the Manhattan DA's office made against Marshall and his former lawyer Francis Morrissey (a PDF... more ›

Dare we say that Brooke Astor is rolling in her grave? Yesterday, it was reported that her son Anthony Marshall and his former lawyer Francis Morrissey would be indicted for criminal activity over the handling of her will. And this morning, Marshall turned himself in at the Manhattan DA's offices, to face charges of fraud, forgery and grand larceny. Or, as DA Robert Morgenthau said, "The indictment charges that Marshall and Morrissey took advantage of... more ›

It was only a few years ago when Morrissey's run of 5 shows at the Apollo Theatre was the hottest ticket in town, and it's a bit sad to see Mozzer basically begging for people to buy tickets for his run at Hammerstein Ballroom this week. The $65 ticket appeared to be a bit too rich for the average fan's blood, despite these shows being his first in NYC since 2004. The ticket price dropped to a mere $20 some nights of this "Greatest Hits" run. The set lists have been great and on Tuesday, the night we went, he still sounded at the top of his game. Tix are still on sale for all nights, and cheap ones for the Sunday night finale. After such a tepid reception in NYC, this may be the last time Moz comes through town for a while, so catch him while you can. (pic via roddyrick's flickr) more ›

People close to the case of Brooke Astor and the possible mishandling of her estate by her son Anthony Marshall say that they have been contacted by the Manhattan DA's office and told they could expect a grand jury to be convened as soon as September. The grand jury will be investigating whether Marshall fraudulently made changes to his mother's will that enriched him personally, while she was suffering from a state of reduced mental capacity. more ›

Has Andy Warhol's estate been dominating the market for the artist's work? One owner of a silkscreen by Warhol says that it has, and yesterday filed a $20 million lawsuit in the U.S. District Court. more ›

One of the nice things about being a music fan in New York City is that you rarely have to wait very long to see a band you're recently missed. The Black Lips famously played about 6,000 shows at SXSW this year, yet despite our interest in checking them out, we managed to catch them exactly zero times (with our final chance being cut short by that whole collapsing balcony thing.) So we were stoked to discover they were going to play last Monday back home at Bowery Ballroom. The show lived up to our ever inflated expectations and managed to bring the house down with their drunken-fried punk. While their "wild boyz" antics may seem a bit forced at this stage in their careers, the music more than holds up on its own. It's not easy to play such sloppy rock and roll so precisely. (Pic via Sandwich!) more ›

Billy Bob Thorton sets aside his raunchy also comes to big screens this weekend. more ›

Myspace.com/heresthethingcomedy is Sean O'Connor , Nick Maritato , and Andrew Wright . You're going to be hearing those names a lot starting February 6th when their show makes its debut at The People's Improv Theater. They'll lure you in with their line-ups, but it's their hilarious sketches and stand up is what's going to keep you coming back for more. more ›

ART: Yesterday we mentioned a few friends who spend their time making hamster nests, art and apparently making people very upset by merely existing. Anyway, one of them, Ryan McGinley, had an opening last night for his new show Irregular Regulars. His photographs of Morrissey were taken at shows from the past two years, and seem to depict Moz as God. more ›