The reviews are in for the $180 million production of The Golden Compass, and they’re lackluster at best, which is a pity not just for fans of the novel from which it’s adapted but for New Line Cinema, which was banking on another Lord of the Rings cash cow. Times critic Manohla Dargis calls it flawed and cluttered, although her description of Nicole Kidman ought to sway any dudes reluctant to see a movie starring......

Earlier this week, a National Labor Committee report claimed that crosses sold at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity Church and other churches were made in Chinese sweatshops. The NLC said that the Singer Company employed young women at 26 cents an hour and forced them to work a 100 hours a week; plus, the woman are docked pay for food and boarding, leaving them with pay of just 9 cents an hour. You can read......

All four of the local papers devote attention to the Detusche Bank building fire, which took place 8 days ago and took the lives of two firefighters. Here's a roundup:Newsday reports that state politicians suggest hiring retired firefighters to inspect buildings for things like "poor sprinklers, blocked doorways and malfunctioning standpipes." The Deutsche Bank building's standpipe had a 20-foot piece missing, and the FDNY had not kept up with inspections to the under-demolition building......

Police charged a man with rape, assault, and burglary for a Monday afternoon attack on a senior citizen in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Staten Island. Julio Lainez allegedly broke into Sarah Dotwin's home while Dotwin was upstairs and her husband was at the doctor's. When she heard breaking glass, Dotwin went downstairs to investigate, only for a man to repeatedly punch her in the face and chest. Lainez allegedly tried to choke Dotwin and......

The Queens DA's office has charged a man in the murder of 20-year-old Natasha Ramen. And it turns out that Hemant Megnath had raped Ramen in 2005; police believe the Megnath slashed Ramen's throat last Thursday to keep her from testifying about the rape. In May 2005, Ramen had been apartment-hunting and was introduced to a fellow Guyanese immigrant, Megnath, who had been working for a broker. Megnath took her to his Brooklyn apartment and......

Last night, a man was crossing Queens Boulevard at 67th Avenue when a silver SUV hit him without stopping. The 59 year old man had been returning home from Yom Kippur services, and Queens DA Richard Brown said, "I'm troubled. I went to temple myself today. It's the most important day of the Jewish calendar, and apparently he was on his way home from temple after observing the holiday, and to have this happen to......

The September 11th emergency response tapes were released today downtown. For $13, any accredited reporter could pick up a set of CDs containing 130 edited messages. The recordings were excerpted, because the city decided that they didn't want to release recordings of any voices they couldn't identify. More than twenty callers were identified, and those two-way conversations were also released this week. All of the city newspapers are busy preparing transcripts, which we'll link......

Here are our initial ideas on a Project Runway Season 2 drinking game... if you have suggestions, put them below and we'll have a revised game for next week's second part of the finale! Drink when: - Santino does some outrageous (just a teeny sip - we want you to be able to go to work tomorrow) - Chloe says how her line will look expensive - Daniel tosses his hair or tries to be......

On Sundays, Gothamist publishes essays about topics relevant to life in New York. The one below is by our favorite poet historian, Matt Levy-- master of the extended metaphor: Welcome back Ladies and Gents, to the hip happening hotspot that’s absolutely not possible: New York City outside the space-time continuum! I am your host and it has been my extraordinary pleasure to allow you, the good readers and citizens of Gotham City, to enjoy......

Coachella confirmations are starting to appear, after many many rumors. This year, the 6th, will be held April 30th to May 1st at Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA (same venue as last year). The lineup is still unconfirmed but you can probably expect Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand and the Killers. Others asked to perform this year are the Futureheads, Snow Patrol, Keane, Bloc Party, Secret Machines, Hot Hot Heat, Phoenix, The Bravery and Radio 4.......