Yesterday's $355 million Mega Millions jackpot fostered many dreams, most of which are dead today. Psychics and spiritualists believed that the winner would be a woman (probably a Gemini) from New York... but the two lucky ticket holders are out-of-towners, from Idaho and Washington to be exact. According to CNN, their odds were one in 176 million! And the psychics weren't totally wrong, there were eleven $250,000 Mega Millions Winners from New York. more ›

Head cheerleader Bloomberg held a press conference in Bay Ridge yesterday to spin the stats on the city's 2009 tourist numbers. Although tourism was down nearly 4 percent from 2008, with the number of visitors to New York City declining by almost 2 million last year, the mayor struck a triumphant note, because those precious 45.25 million tourists defied a dire prediction that tourism would drop by 10 percent last year. "Last year, while tourism declined significantly in cities across the country, we fared far better than most. In fact, for the first time in 20 years, we were the most popular tourism destination in the country," Bloomberg told the press. Sorry, Orlando! more ›

Last year Times Square got a new LED-lit ball for its New Years Eve celebration; two years ago the number 8 took the 6 train to the Crossroads of the World; and yesterday morning the numbers 1 and 0 got ushered in by pedicab! The duo will be on display for a week at the Duracell Smart Power Lab at 1540 Broadway. Somehow none of the LED bulbs managed to burst during the surely bumpy ride. more ›

Days after the NYPD announced plans to expand their anti-terror surveillance network to a huge swath of midtown, it's been revealed that the department is also quickly amassing a vast database of cell phone users. Officers have been instructed to remove suspects' cell phone batteries when making an arrest, for the twofold purpose of "avoiding leakage" and also documenting the phone's International Mobile Equipment Identity number [IMEI]. The IMEI number is registered with the service provider whenever a call is made, and can be used to connect the dots between suspects. Naturally, the NYCLU is pissed. more ›

Just when the iPod jingle got out of your head, it's back! Feist stopped by Sesame Street to sing a new version of her song "1 2 3 4" to Elmo & Co. The episode featuring the Canadian songstress will premiere on August 11th, but you can watch the video here. Other celebs who will be stopping by the Street during the 39th season include: Will Arnett, Jessica Alba, David Beckham, Heidi Klum, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jack Black. more ›

Glory Days, the new musical written by a pair of twenty-somethings from Virginia, closed after its official opening night last night, joining such Broadway flops as Moose Murders and Teaneck Tanzi in the illustrious "Open/Close Club." The negative reviews proved too much for producers, who chose to pull the plug and eat their $2.5 million investment. In writing his delicate pan, Ben Brantley noted that the producers “have done this little, hopeful show no favors by dragging it into a spotlight that invites close and unforgiving inspection.” more ›