A look at some noteworthy television this week: 2007 American Music Awards (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WABC 7) Most awards shows are basically useless and awards shows where people vote on line are even more so. This year this awards show invented by Dick Clark in 1973 gets even more useless. Jimmy Kimmel hosts. Nature: The Beauty of Ugly (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WNET 13; Wednesday, 8:00 p.m., WLIW 21) A look at some of the strangest......

Unfortunately, what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas. Last night MTV took over the Strip and filled it with up and comers, the standard rock, rollers and rappers and of course...the token has beens. Last week The New York Times reported on some problems at the network over the past few years. For one thing, critics say the Video Music Awards, intended as a raucous counterpoint to more staid ceremonies, has become stale......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Series 6: Natural Causes (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13; Tuesday, 9:00 p.m., WLIW 21) The first part of series 6 of this contemporary British police series finds Inspector Lynley and his new boss searching for a killer in the English countryside. 2007 MTV Video Music Awards (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., MTV) Yet another useless awards show this time it is from MTV, which according......

From the tallest skyscraper in the City of Brotherly Love to Canadian tourism copywriting brilliance, here's what you should know from our -ist cities: This week, Phillyist took a gleeful listen to the White Stripes' exciting new release, watched in awe as their new tallest skyscraper was finally completed, found a cheaper way to get to Gothamist, invented a tasty new dessert, and brought back their Craigslist Round-Up feature with a bang. Bostonist watches......

A look at some noteworthy programs this week: iVillagelive (WNBC & Bravo, Monday, 12:00 noon) NBC launches this lifestyle show focused on women on Monday. What makes it different from other such shows is that it is going to have an interactive component, since it is a spin-off from the NBC-Universal owned website iVillage.com. The 2006 Billboard Music Awards (WNYW 5, Monday, 8:00 p.m.) Yet another music awards show. The only reason it is noteworthy......

A look at some noteworthy programs this week: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (WABC 7, Monday, 8:00 p.m.) The annual showing of this timeless classic Peanuts cartoon is always a must see. Despite being from 1973, the show holds up quite well and is a welcome reminder of simpler times. But would you really eat a Thanksgiving dinner catered by a beagle? He's a Bully, Charlie Brown (WABC 7, Monday, 8:30 p.m.) After the classic Thanksgiving......

Last night (or rather, yesterday at 4 in the afternoon) we headed over to the tiny spot that was given to us on the (way end of the) red carpet for MTV's Video Music Awards.The awards were back in NYC this year, and brought a whole lotta Hollywood with them. We stood next to Scott, who held a sign that said "The Internet", and eventually, some of the celebs came by to chat. The Raconteurs......

Taking time out of his usual schedule running NYC and counting his money, Mayor Bloomberg appeared on MTV in (a taped segment) to hype the MTV Video Music Awards, which are back in NYC this year. Yup, that's why it's messy around Radio City Music Hall and that's why all these celebrities and "celebrities" (LC from The Hills, we're talking to you) are in town. Famous New Yorkers are asked who they think will win......

When MTV first aired in the early 80's we were too young to really appreciate it, we grew in to it though and have fond memories of sitting on our plush carpet and watching "groundbreaking videos". These were pre-texting and pre-internet days, so to vote for a favorite video on the Top 5 at 5, one would would call "1-800-DIAL-MTV". The game show, Remote Control was one of the first (of many) non-music programs.......

Did Mayor Bloomberg brind the Country Music Awards to NYC to get some of the heartland vote? Earlier this week, the Norwalk, CT paper "The Hour" asked our Mayor about his presidential aspirations, if any. Mayor Bilng said, "Absolutely not... And anybody who's running will say exactly that." Plus, he made it clear he could pay for a presidential run. Well, duh - he could probably pay for a couple presidential runs, but we thought......

Gothamist is very grateful that we didn't have to witness Bloomberg's Hip Hop Press conference yesterday. OK, well, actually we kinda do wish that we'd been there, if only to see Bloomie chatting it up with Ice-T and Russell Simmons, but considering some of the soundbites that made it into today's papers we suspect that even that charm would have quickly worn off ("Welcome to City Hall, or my crib, as I like to......

MTV is going to broadcast the 2006 awards. Now, Gothamist will use our cranky and cliche cards: We don't remember the last time we saw a video on MTV! And we're kind of upset at MTV for making stars out of people who are worthless, although the horrifying pleasure we get when we watch My Sweet 16 almost balances that out. But the show itself is usually trippy fun to watch - whether it's a......

Forget whether or not New York City or country music need each other: If having the CMA Awards means that Mayor Bloomberg must awkwardly wear cowboy hats and hold guitars, then four more year! The CMA tried to pull out all the stops: Mayor Bloomberg introducing Garth Brooks (as Garth Brooks, but file this: A great Halloween costume idea is to be "Chris Gaines"), and then Bon Jovi! Billy Joel! Olivia Newton-John! Gothamist caught......

"There will be a standby line on the night of the shows and people will be admitted on a first come, first-served basis as seats become available." That's what Wall Street Rising's website says about the next seven days of sold out free shows happening at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. Count on some of those people who got their free tickets a month ago not showing up and get there early tonight for......

Um, we knew that city was very excited about the Country Music Awards coming to New York City, since even Mayor Bloomberg put on a cowboy hat last year. But who would have thought the city would take a page from Thundercut's walk signal pedestrian mashup book and create a country walking man "The County Takes New York City" banners? (cityrag is outraged.) However, we are impressed that the city's marketing team was able to......

What good are parents if they can't make up stories as to why you had to have a backing track while singing? In the aggressive counterspin in the SNL wake, minister-turned-manager/stage dad Joe Simpson told Ryan Seacrest that the acid reflux made her voice "hoarse" and "Just like any artist in America, she has a backing track that she pushes so you don't have to hear her croak through a song on national television. No......

The Country Music Awards are coming to New York City and Madison Square Garden in November 2005. During the press conference, Mayor Bloomberg said he would write a song called, "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Mayors." Yeah - just let them grow up to be billionaires. Anyway, Gothamist just wants to say we'll definitely take this picture of Mayor Bloomberg, in cowboy hat and armed with a guitar, as a better-late-than-never......

Last week was Extreme Republican National Convention Action on Gothamist, and you access our wealth of RNC-related posts via our posts last week, but in some non-RNC news: - The MTV Video Music Awards bored - Father gets arrested for leaving baby sleeping in hotel - The Yanks got shelled - Hoping for a new Penn Station - Midtown cleaning gondola accident And you can read more Gothamist, from all our different sections via......

Gothamist can only suspect that the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards were so stultifyingly boring is because somehow, Miami and the huge US Air Arena sucked the energy out of everyone. We think the overly manufactured entertainment industry is digging its own grave (A&R guy: "Hey, we need another 'rock' group...it's be a bunch of guys with spiky hair and punkish clothing...let's give 'em a wacky one-word name, too!"), because watching commentary-less CSPAN coverage of......

With the Tony nominations announced yesterday, everyone is buzzing about Wicked (this year's uneven and "quirky" Tony story; will Kristen and Idina cancel each other out?), Bombay Dreams (a little Andrew Lloyd Webber Schadenfreude), how Puffy wasn't nominated but the three other actresses all were (when you get "meh" reviews, what does he expect - this isn't the MTV Video Music Awards) and how hunky Hugh Jackman is...and they talk about how the Times's public......

Reasons why Gothamist is sad to have missed Chris Rock's comedy show (playing through early next week, but sold out, natch, at MSG), after reading Kelefa Sanneh's review : – "If you're black, America is like the uncle that paid your way through college but molested you." – On Roy Horn being mauled: "That tiger didn't go crazy. That tiger went tiger." – Krispy Kreme donuts' secret ingredient: crack Chris Rock and the Weitz Brothers'......

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......

The list of bets on Longbets reminds Gothamist of the classic Late Show with Conan O'Brien bit, In the Year 2000. For example, number 2 on Longbets: "In a Google search of five keywords or phrases representing the top five news stories of 2007, weblogs will rank higher than the New York Times' Web site." Maybe Longbets, a non-profit which aims to improve long-term thinking with all bets going to good causes, should work with......

The Post lets us know where the hot post-MTV Video Music Awards parties are going to be, who is expected to be there, and how to crash. Venues include the Four Seasons (Madonna, Fatboy Slim, Fred Durst), Show (P. Diddy's bash, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Ed Burns, the Hilton girls), Tao (Avril, Tim Robbins, Rosario Dawson, Tony Hawk), Splashlight Studios (The Donnas, Drew & Fabrizio, Iggy Pop), and we're sure enterprising kids will be photoblogging the......

Gothamist guesses we need to report this bit of Lower East Side news, as Lockhart Steele is on vacation. As part of MTV's week of celebrating the MTV Video Music Awards, there's a $8.28 dinner entree promotion through tomorrow night at Lower East Side restaurants, including Essex, Punch & Judy, and AKA Cafe, are participating. See the full list here. Check out other VMA related events, like the Iggy Pop and the Stooges benefit......