Facebook is great for so many things: ordering pizzas, picking up hookers, exchanging messages with underage kids, wishing death upon your students, and railing against gay marriage. But according to a new study, there's a dark underbelly to the social network: kids who regularly use it are more likely to do drugs! "The findings in this year's survey should strike Facebook fear into the hearts of parents of young children," said Joseph Califano, one of the researchers. more ›

Move over Mark Zuckerberg! Justin Timberlake is taking his role in The Social Network off screen. The performer now has a stake in MySpace—you know, that thing you forgot your password to when Facebook came around? Timberlake noted that he believes “there’s a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers," and he hopes to "bring artists and fans together." But what about his music? He hasn't put out an album since 2006! (Though he's been plenty busy acting, co-founding a fashion line, starting his own record label, launching his own brand of tequila, and co-owning restaurants—including one in NYC). more ›

In 2008 the State passed a law called the Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) which is meant, among other things, to help restrict sex offenders' Internet use. Last year the State used to law to purge 3,533 offenders off of sites like Facebook and MySpace. And now e-STOP is all grown up. This week cops busted 31-year-old Feliz Ortiz for violating the law after he allegedly told cops he didn't have any internet accounts (he had logins on Gmail, AOL, Facebook and MySpace). So what's his prize? If convicted Ortiz, who was serving a 10-year-probation for promoting a sexual performance by a child in 2008, could get up to four years in prison. more ›

From the braggadocio files: NYPD are now regularly monitoring Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube to try to catch big-mouthed criminals who like to brag about their illegal activities. They caught Manhattan thief James Roberts that way; he boasted about his new bling on MySpace days after mugging a man at a Chelsea bus stop, and even put pictures up wearing the watch and ring he stole. Police called Facebook "instrumental" in busting up a ring of drug dealers who sold coke, ecstasy and dope at nightclubs like Rebel and the Roseland Ballroom last year, and gangs regularly have their own MySpace pages with easy-to-identify pictures. "It's almost become unfair. Facebook and MySpace are killing these guys," said one law-enforcement source. more ›

At a joint press conference with Facebook execs today, MySpace introduced a new feature called "Mashup," a redesign of the website which lets Facebook users easily create "a personalized stream of entertainment content." Facebook users who want to "opt-in" can now sync their Facebook profiles with MySpace, which is out of the "social networking" business and into the "sharing entertainment and music" business. Using "robust algorithms," MySpace will mine all your personal preferences to create a new, personalized way to interface with your "favorite bands, celebrities and movies!" Which is just what America needs! Instead of wasting another moment of our rapidly dissipating life force writing about this, we'll be taking the coward's way out and pasting the momentous press release below. Suddenly, we miss Tom. more ›

Last week MySpace honcho Mike Jones finally admitted the site "is not a social network anymore." Indeed, it is a garish Internet backwater strewn with tumbleweeds and isolated, eccentric holdouts like Patton Oswalt. Now comes news that MySpace is holding a joint press conference at 3 p.m today with its far superior rival Facebook. Insiders speculate that MySpace, which lost $156 million last quarter, will announce it will launch a Facebook Connect button across its site, letting people use their Facebook accounts to access MySpace. MySpace will also read a prepared statement apologizing to the world for being a worthless turd of a website that isn't fit to lick the bottom of Mark Zuckerberg's flip-flops. Facebook executives are expected to silently sit there looking smug. more ›

Sex offenders love networking on Facebook and MySpace just like everybody else, but a 2008 law called the Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) put tight restrictions on their Internet use—especially if their prior offense involved a minor. In the first major crackdown since the law went into effect, 3,533 registered New York state sex offenders have been purged from Facebook and MySpace, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday. more ›

Ladies, meet Martin Berres, a 62-year-old single man who describes himself on his MySpace page (martynycforever!) as a "classy native New Yorker." His heroes include Niccolò Machiavelli, and he is "in better shape and health than most men 1/3 my years. Do not let the age mislead you; I am young in heart and looks... I consider myself to be a find." Marty would love to meet you provided you meet the "paramount" requirement of "outside beauty" and "inside beauty." Oh, and you should also have lots of money and jewelry he can pawn—according to two women who say Berres swindled them out of $400,000. more ›

A Long Island math teacher, who was arrested in July for having sex with a 15-year-old girl in an elementary school parking lot, is being charged with yet another sex crime. Daniel Rothbard, 28, was out on bail for the first alleged statutory rape when he was arrested again yesterday. Police say that two weeks before the parking lot incident, Rothbard allegedly lured a 13-year-old girl and her 14-year-old friend to his house, where he resided with his pregnant wife. Prosecutors tell Newsday the 14-year-old walked in on him having sex with the younger girl. None of the victims were his students; Rothbard met them on MySpace posing as a 17-year-old with the screen name "DJ" or "D to the J." According to CBS2, the house is now empty and for sale, and Rothbard's lawyer says his client is on suicide watch and pleading not guilty. But Nassau County Police Lt. John Allen expects to find more victims, and the Valley Stream school district has barred Rothbard from school property and prohibited him from having any contact with children or their parents. He's currently behind bars in lieu of $600,000 bail, an amount his lawyer called excessive. more ›

The woman whose parents say she was murdered due to a rumor put on MySpace ended up with her photo on Facebook—taken by an EMT at the scene of the crime! Richmond University Medical Center officials fired Mark Musarella when they found out that he had posted a picture of the body of Caroline Wimmer, whose murder was just in the news last week after police arrested a suspect. Musarella, better known as "Moose," is a retired NYPD detective known for high-profile rescues and was described as "a little off-the wall...a raw sense of humor." The SI Advance says that while the picture of Wimmer was taken down, Musarella's Facebook may still have a picture of a car crash he responded to. The hospital also informed the NYPD after they were tipped off to the photo of the victim by one of his "friends" on Facebook. more ›

Police have arrested a man suspected of fatally strangling Caroline Wimmer in her Staten Island apartment back in March. Calvin Lawson was charged with murder and while police didn't not disclose a motive, Wimmer's parents told the Staten Island Advance that their daughter was killed due to rumors on MySpace: The victim's mother Martha (Marti) Wimmer "said investigators believe a female enemy of her daughter's used the social networking site to suggest to another girl that Lawson had been cheating on her with Ms. Wimmer." more ›

The ongoing internet trail leading to Kari Ferrell photos and information has now led to a cached MySpace page, which she started under the name "Sylvester Stabone." As one might expect, it's jam packed with sexual innuendo, topless photos and other nonsense. But her past is coming back to haunt her in other ways as well—now firmly settled into Day Six of Griftergate, the fascination with Ferrell-penned notes has reached a new level: eBay! A matchbook from Greenpoint's Coco66 is being auctioned off, with a note reading: "The only meat in my mouth comes on a six foot stick," signed Ping Pong. With 5 days left, it's got 11 bids and is up to a recession-friendly $11.50. There's no way this is getting up to three-figures, but if it does, perhaps Ferrell can be pat on the back for bailing out one hipster at a time. more ›

The fourteen-year-old girl who faces child pornography charges after being arrested this week for posting nude pictures of herself on MySpace may get off with a slap on the wrist. An assistant prosecutor told the AP, "Generally speaking, a person charged with this, with no priors, would not get jail and would most likely not be required to register as a sex offender." The severity of the charges and possibility that the girl would have to register provoked a reaction of outrage from many parents. Even Maureen Kanka, the mother whose late daughter "Megan's Law" is named after, said authorities should be "ashamed of themselves." The girl posted nearly 30 explicit pictures of herself, supposedly as revenge against an ex-boyfriend. A law professor at UPenn said, "To deploy the nuclear weapon of child pornography charges shows almost as bad judgment as posting the nude photos themselves." more ›

Police have now revealed that the 16-year-old suspect who has confessed to the murder of WABC news reporter George Weber is John Katehis of East Elmhurst. Katehis was picked up last night at a bus depot in Middletown up in Orange County. more ›

An ex-con arrested for possession of a weapon was able to beat the rap by using the arresting officer's MySpace and Facebook statuses against him. During the trial, Officer Vaughan Etienne had to explain why his MySpace mood was set to "Devious" on the day of the arrest and why his Facebook status was “Vaughan is watching ‘Training Day’ to brush up on proper police procedure” as the trial approached. The nail in the coffin for the officer though was probably some online comments he had left on an arrest video that included, "If he wanted to tune him up some, he should have delayed cuffing him... If you were going to hit a cuffed suspect, at least get your money’s worth ’cause now he’s going to get disciplined for a faggot-ass love tap." Etienne, who had previously been suspended for steroid usage, told the Times, “What you say on the Internet is all bravado talk, like what you say in a locker room.” Recently it was revealed that the NYPD is drilling their trainees on what not to put online after catching cadets flashing gang signs in profile pics. more ›

23-year-old David Silverman (pictured) is due in court today in Manhattan to seek bail after being charged with child pornography and statutory rape. Prosecutors say Silverman was raised in a Hasidic family upstate but left home in his teens, shaved his hair, tattooed his body, pierced his ears, and, in the Post's words, immersed himself in "the sex and drug-drenched rave and trance music scene." Then in 2007 he allegedly started trolling MySpace for underage girls in Westchester and luring them to a nightclub-style porn set near the Javits Center, where he'd get them drunk and videotape the sex. In case that wasn't TMI enough for your Monday morning, also note that Silverman called himself "King Dingling" on his Facebook page. But now the King says he's abdicated the throne and rejoined the Hasidic fold, so he can't possibly discuss the charges or look at the evidence "for religious reasons," according to his lawyer. That's all we've got on the case of the alleged Hasidic MySpace porno predator for now...stay tuned for more creepy updates later in the week. more ›

The NYPD is beginning to force its recruits to face the music and reveal to investigators just what is on their MySpace and Facebook pages before it becomes a headache for the department down the road. Not surprisingly, a few things have already turned up that have put would-be cops into hot water. The Post reports that one recruit's page featured a picture of him pointing a gun at a friend and a couple of others "whose networking accounts included boasts of gang membership, or photos of the applicant sporting gang-related tattoos and making gang gestures." more ›

An NYPD officer is accused of passing along personal information about a teenage arrestee to his younger brother and advising the lad to ask her out on a date. In an "exclusive" article headlined "Busted & Lusted," the Post reports that 27-year-old officer Shan France is being investigated for allegedly giving 15-year-old Destiny Russo's contact info to his sibling. Her lawyer says that France's brother found her MySpace profile and wrote, "My brother gave me your information and said we should hook up." more ›

A group of Staten Island teens who survived a near brush with death after their car flipped over last week appear to have learned a valuable lesson...that faces full of scars make for great MySpace photos. After one of the six teenage boys in the car last Friday spilled the beans to the SI Advance about what was just regular old 100 mph ride in 17-year-old Justin Sacchi's Nissan before the airborne turn that would flip them over five times, the group then refused any further comments. Except for Sacchi's mother, that is--she denied any speeding and blamed a "dangerous bump" on the exit ramp that the DOT should have fixed years ago. But kudos to the Advance for checking the teens' MySpace pages where they publicly bragged about hitting 103 mph and the 10 feet of air they caught, one changed his user name to "We CheAteD DeAtH iTseLf" and another listed his mood as "high on morphine." The profiles still appear to be unlocked. more ›

If you've been following along with the allegations of sexual harassment and general depravity at The Box—the nightclub where guests pay over $1,000 so that performers like transvestite Miss Rose Wood can pull a Jameson's bottle out of his ass, take a swig and then spit on them—you may be interested in NY Mag's lengthy profile on owner Simon Hammerstein, "The Impresario of Smut." He strongly denies the most scandalous accusations, but unnamed sources say auditions for Simon sometimes climax back at his apartment. Miss Rose Wood has perhaps the best Hammerstein horror story: "Then Simon said to me, ‘So, can you pull a string of Christmas lights out of your ass?’ I said to him, ‘Well, you know, I’m Jewish. And so before the Christmas lights come out, I’ve got to dislodge the menorah.’" That's professionalism, people! more ›

A missing 12-year-old's grandparents tell the Daily News that they fear she was "lured into a trap" by someone on MySpace. Apparently Juliana Carrozza claimed she was 17 on her MySpace profile and grandfather Vinny Carrozza, who has custody of Juliana, said, "She went on MySpace a lot, fooling me and my wife. She knew how to delete it without us picking it up. The language on there was disgusting for a 12-year-old. There was guys there, too." Last seen on November 14, she said she was sick and stayed in her room. But neighbors say they saw her go into a black car, possibly a livery cab, which "peeled off about 5:45 p.m. near her home...in Windsor Terrace." The News, which points out how MySpace's user agreement says visitors must be 13, reports the police are investigating; Juliana is listed on the NY State Missing and Exploited Children Clearninghouse. more ›

The stripper couple who lured two teenage girls they met on Myspace into an involved sexual tryst pleaded guilty to charges sprung forth from the crime on Friday. You may remember Julio Rojas and Sophie Soto as the pair of married strippers who invited two underage girls back to their apartment where they had "numerous orgies" and topped it all off by bringing the girls to their strip club and having them perform sex acts on customers onstage. Soto is looking at two to six years in prison while her husband Rojas is expected to get eight due to a prior charge of seducing a minor. more ›

Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson (fresh off of Fashion Week) woke up on this 9/11 morning and went straight to their MySpace blogs to deliver their messages of remembrance. If their "currently listening to" sections are to be believed, their blogging was soundtracked by John Lennon's "Imagine" and The Concert for New York City cd. Feel free to put one of those selections on now as you read their reminiscences. Lohan writes:

“I am in New York and I would like to remind everybody to take a moment today for those lost in tragedy that occurred on 9/11/01. thank you. xox L”

"waking up in nyc this morning 7 years later and it feels like just yesterday this city and our worlds were turned upside down.... never in my lifetime had I ever believed that I would see such horror- the kind that you see in documentaries set in far off places and read about in text books- never in my life had I ever thought that I would wake up and fall asleep afraid- watching things on television that felt like a film- walking through a city that felt like a war zone. there were army vehicles on houston street, barricades dividing neighbourhoods and lines around the block of people waiting to donate blood set in front of a backdrop of smoke filling a space where two of the largest buildings once stood. Two buildings that shaped one of the most famous skylines in this country, or in the world...... Seven years later and I will never forget. I don't really know what to say except to all those we lost we will never forget and never take for granted the sacrifices that you made. xoxo"

Scandal has once again ensnared The Box, that decadent burlesque nightclub where the elite gather to enjoy diversions like ''toss a ring on rods stuck up the lady’s orifices." Yesterday self-described "fetish-burlesque" performers Amber and Heather Langley, a.k.a. the Porcelain Twinz (pictured), posted a long, 5,085 word jeremiad on their MySpace blog condemning club owner Simon Hammerstein for sexual harassment, unsafe working conditions, debauched drug use, and leaving his Labrador behind to defecate "all over" the filthy, rat-infested green room. (He allegedly blamed that one on one of the performers.) more ›

Hey teens! Cutting, huffing and BB guns are such a didgeridon't. Know what’s cool? New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: As of today, the department is now one of the cool new people on MySpace, and it’s looking for friends. The actual profile name is NYC Teen Mindspace, and according to deputy commissioner Dr. David Rosin, the goal is to “reach out to young people where they socialize, in a style they can relate to” so they can get help with problems like depression, drugs, and dating violence. more ›

After Remy Ma was found guilty earlier this week, she was carted off in handcuffs screaming, "Oh, my God! My son! My son!" If she receives the maximum sentence of 25 years, her son will be 33 by the time she's free again -- and she will be 51. more ›

According to its website, Murray Hill's Tonic East “is the most well rounded sports bar in the area, with an attractive scene of locals.” But it seems black was not deemed beautiful by the management: they recently agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the tune of $35,000. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on 109th Ave. and Merick Blvd. in Queens, a person under a train at Sutphin Blvd. in Queens, and a cyclist pinned beneath the wheels of a bus on 14th St. and 1st Ave. (looks like victim will survive) in Manhattan.
• The tech-savvy youth who got himself arrested for stealing a Sidekick mobile device and then allowing its owner to track him down via MySpace remains jailed on $20,000 bail.
• Welcome Abigail Fulop. The Leap Year Baby was born on Staten Island at 2:23 a.m. on the 29th. Her parents Dave and Michelle will be celebrating their daughter's birthday on March 1st three years out of four.
• A scholarship endowment fund has been established in the name of Ossie Davis to aid young actors who are not only pursuing performance arts, but embodying the activism of the late actor. Davis died in 2005, was the husband of actress Rubie Dee, and was a featured speaker at the funerals of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
• Hoboken, NJ police officers are now claiming that they were forced to go to a Hooters restaurant and hand over their automatic weapons to scantily clad waitresses while posing cheerfully for photos.
• Red Hook's new IKEA manager isn't from New York. The Brooklyn Swedish mega-furniture-mart boss is from North York, in Canada. Will the perfidy of our pleasant and polite northern neighbors ever cease?
• We find this harder to swallow than a cat fur-covered Milkbone: AIBO robot dogs are as effective at relieving lonely old persons' isolation as actual living dogs.
• Colson Whitehead is an established and successful author who lives in Brooklyn. If you're only 50% there, get over your zip code and give the attitude a rest. Apparently, Brooklyn writers are the new actor-waiters.

Frank Nardi, Jr. (pictured), who appeared as a surprise guest on Fox reality show Moment of Truth to ask his married ex-girlfriend Lauren Cleari if she believes she should have married him instead, has come forward to tell the New York Post that he “really just wants all of this to be over.” The Post’s weekly circulation is usually in the neighborhood of 650,000. more ›

A dwarf bowling tournament planned for Staten Island bar Big Nose Kate’s has been cancelled after an unidentified scold alerted the media to the event, which was to be hosted Saturday by d-list celebrity dwarf minstrel Beetlejuice (pictured), an occasional guest on the Howard Stern show. In dwarf bowling, players take turns rolling a dwarf (wearing protective gear) on a skateboard down makeshift bowling alleys toward small pins. In exchange for his dignity, the dwarf/bowling ball earns more than $100 an hour, according to Beetlejuice’s co-manager. more ›