SFist saw Christmas Day turn tragic after a Siberian tiger escaped from her pen at the San Francisco Zoo, killing a visitor and mauling two others. Phillyist counted down the top ten items on Philadelphia's New Year's wish list. Gothamist looked at the wooden bikes being offered for NYC's first bike share program on Governors Island. LAist received a Christmas present in the form of a drunk Santa Claus in a g-string. Bostonist launched......

Courtney Love wished us all a belated Merry Christmas today via her MySpace blog (which we don't normally check in on, but thankfully Curbed was on the ball). What did Santa bring her? An apartment in the West Village! So really, it's like a present for us all. She stated, in perfectly readable English:i think/hope we foundteh PERFECT plaCE, its a w village 4 floor house 2 floors are being rented by the owners, itllcost......

One of the most famous editorials of all time appeared in September 21, 1897 issue of the The NY Sun. Ten-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon's letter asking, "Is there a Santa Claus" was published with a response by editor Francis Pharcellus Church that now appears reprinted in newspapers year after year (though many times with one paragraph - the third to last - deleted). The video above has veteran newsman Gabe Pressman of WNBC reading the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an explosion at Linden Blvd. and 220th St. in Queens, a homicide on Sedgewick Ave. in the Bronx, and a water main break on Prospect Place in Brooklyn Santa may have to bypass coalition troops stationed around the world today, but holiday presents will be appreciated even if they do arrive a few weeks into 2008. Newsday has a nice piece on gift-giving to troops and how to do......

Santa came early and dumped some carnivorous coal down the throats of vegetarians in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood this weekend. The NY Press has reported that the beloved Veggie Castle – so named because it was converted from an old White Castle fast food restaurant – has abruptly closed. The Veggie Castle was as famous for repurposing the White Castle as it was for its vegetarian twist on Caribbean classics, offering such delicacies as jerk tofu,......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an abduction on 117th St. and Madison Ave. in Manhattan, someone robbed the Commerce Bank on 5th Ave. in Brooklyn, and serious trauma at The Marina Restaurant on Jerome Ave. and Clifford Pl. in the Bronx. Tommy Monahan, the 9-year-old boy who died in a fire last week attempting to rescue his pets, wrote a book about his dog Sophy. If you're wondering where your fare hike dollars will......

We can't believe it's been two years since we became acquainted with the Christmas home decoration stylings of Gramercy Park resident Joel Krupnik. Back in 2005, a Christmas display with a bloody knife-wielding Santa, severed doll head and more outside his East 18th townhouse caused much commotion after the Post dubbed Krupnik "Bad Santa" and put a photograph on its cover. Krupnik's 2007 display gets the Post up in a dander again, with the tab......

Have some extra cash to spend around the holiday season? Even the littlest bit can go a long way in the over 80 year old Operation Santa program. Every year letters pile up at the James A. Farley Post Office from (mostly needy) kids writing to Santa Claus (read one of them here). Their wish lists don't make it to the North Pole, but with New Yorkers pitching in every year, it's as if they......

FOOD: If you haven't been indulging enough this holiday season, have we got a sweet soiree for you. Chocoholics come together tonight to indulge in the finest goodies from around the world. Expect music, cocktails and a giant chocolate buffet. 6:30pm // Katra Lounge [247 Bowery] // $15 THEATER: The Irish Repertory Theatre has turned to Dublin native George Bernard Shaw’s comedy The Devil’s Disciple, which was his first financial success in 1897 after a......

Did your commute feel more like Springfield than New York today? If you're out and about than you'll likely run into the Simpson-izing of Manhattan! Too bad we don't have a monorail here. Earlier this year upon The Simpsons Movie release, we saw 7-11s transform into Kwik-E-Marts, and today with the DVD hitting stores, we'll be getting a lot more than KrustyO's.Today's Simpsonfest is an all-day Fox affair in the heart of the city marking......

Perhaps it was the near-freezing temperatures at yesterday's Jets-Browns game that kept breasts covered, but that weather didn't stop crowds from flocking to Gate D at Giants Stadium for a halftime ritual - men yelling at women to expose their breasts and throwing bottles or spitting at them if they don't. Despite an attempt to shut down rowdy fan behavior at Gate D, things didn't seem to change that much at all since new procedures......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Gothamist. Dewars Repeal Day, celebrating our freedom to drink as we please. Go Eight, bringing us a blowout Hannukah Party on Saturday Night. The Whitney Museum, host of Kara Walker's amazing "My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love" show. Rubin Museum of Art, the best spot for Himalayan art. Sony Card, perfect for funding your holiday purchases. Love is a Mix......

The entrée is so over, the top chefs tell us. Yesterday Times reporter Kim Severson sunk her teeth into the long decline of the entrée and the increasing dominance of side dishes and tapas at many fine restaurants. As former Gramercy Tavern chef Tom Colicchio tells her, “Eating an entrée is too many bites of one thing, and it’s boring.” Amid all the evidence of diminishing entrée options at restaurants nationwide (at Gemma, entrées are......

The tree is lit, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is another tradition back for a 75th season. The well-seasoned Rockettes steal the show from Santa every year, and have quite a history -- they were originally called The Roxyettes and originated in...Missouri:The group was started by Russell Markert in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri as the "Missouri Rockets". In 1927, Samuel Roxy Rothafel discovered them and brought them to New York City. They......

'Tis the season...not only for typical holiday shopping, but for auctions as well (the auction season kicked off earlier this month when a Matisse sold for over $33M). So what's the ultimate gift this year? If you missed out on the $18.5M Faberge egg, how about the Norman Rockwell painting of Santa Claus? The painting, titled Extra Good Boys and Girls, is expected to take in between $2.5 and $3.5 million, according to Christie's New......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a construction accident on 23rd Ave. in Queens, a child was struck on West Houston and Thompson St. in Manhattan, and shots fired on 29th St. in Brooklyn. Going along with a network-wide environmentally conscious theme at NBC this season, the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center will be decorated with low power-consuming LEDs. The flat rate for a single subway fare will remain $2 until 2009. The fares will......

After making a big, illustrated statement on his website yesterday about not speaking another word about his underground love, too precious for the press -- Patrick Moberg talked to the New York Post. People read that newspaper Patrick! And word is the Blackbook employee who found her is going to be on Good Morning America tomorrow. Could Patraussie be next up to hit the small screen? (UPDATE: both are confirmed to be on GMA tomorrow!)......

An update about the Tuesday-night incident where a reckless 19-year-old driver hit a bicyclist in Staten Island: The Staten Island Advance reports that Leon Wilson was high on painkillers while driving. And his past driving experience was so terrible that his learner's permit had been revoked in January. Yet somehow, he was behind the wheel of a rental car on Tuesday night, crashing into 47-year-old Juan-Han Guan, who had been biking home. Guan, who was......

We got ourselves a note in the inbox from the folks who run the Big Apple BBQ to let us know that Bubba FastPasses are currently on sale from now till May 25 for the June 9 & 10 event. Gothamist was all over this event last year; look for more great coverage and photos coming up soon. This year should provide a bit of a pre-show glimpse of what local pitmaster Robbie Richter has......

WCBS News now in HDTV . . . CBS 2 News did a bit of an unexpected midweek transition to HD news yesterday becoming the third station in the city and the second CBS owned and operated station in the country to do so after KYW in Philadelphia went HD last week. The new music package still uses the familiar CBS “I Love Chicago” melody in its umpteenth incarnation since first used in 1975......

It's time go over this weekend's NY Times Weddings Announcements! Total Number of Weddings: 24 (including Vows column) Total Number of Same-Sex Weddings: 0 (but the Styles section had a feature about "Dinah Shore Weekend," aka "The L World") Youngest Bride: 22 Oldest Bride: 38 Youngest Groom: 23 Oldest Groom: 42 Biggest Age Difference: 11 years Number of Couples Where Bride and Groom Are the Same Age: 3 (25, 32, and 35) Number of Columbia......

Earlier this week, the Daily News looked at the YouTube video showing a classic meltdown at the Kensington Post Office. A man, frustrated about the service, yells, "Get the manager over here! I want the manager. We'll see how long you have your job, sweetie." An employee says, "Who the hell do you think you are?" only for the man to reply, "I'm the customer, you stupid bitch." Yeah, that sounds about right. The......

Everyone in this city either has a story about the noisy neighbor, or is the noisy neighbor, whether you know it or not. Ironic Sans tells the story of living above a complain-happy neighbor in Astoria, fond of leaving notes. "One night, I came home to find the first in a series of notes slipped under my door. Small writing filled both sides of a sheet of loose leaf paper. I didn’t know what to......

Billy Bob Thorton sets aside his raunchy Bad Santa persona with his new family movie The Astronaut Farmer about a man building a rocket in his backyard. This family drama looks cheesy like Velveeta from the previews, but hey, that's what you expect with these "ordinary Dad does extraordinary thing" movies. They're always heavy on the sentiment. Jim Carrey senses the universe may be trying to communicate mysteries to him through numerology and a book......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: A large fight in the Bronx, an unusual MVA in Manhattan and a "Jet Blue aircraft disturbance" at LaGuardia - Gate B5 Promises from the Department of Transportation mean nothing, even after two children die Activists want tax-paying immigrants to have the right to vote; immigrants did vote in national elections between 1776 and 1926 Stop planning a scuba trip in Fiji - amNew York has the scoop on......

Even though we haven't heard a new Andrew W.K. song since that party hard tune back in the day, he's always managed to pop up with new projects here and there. Last week we mentioned his performance at PIT, and it seems as though he'll be returning there in March. From their website: "Andrew WK: The Joy Trilogy. Rock god and party guerilla Andrew W.K. brings his free-form soulsearching to the PIT! Andrew will riff......

There's a sobering article in the NY Times about the effectiveness of "safe haven laws". Safe haven laws allow babies to be abandoned at police stations, fire houses, and hospitals with no questions asked, instead of unwanted babies being killed by parents who are scared and worried. In 2006, six dead babies were found due to abandonment, which is twice as many as last year; one of the more notable cases was the dead newborn......

Let’s face it; you’re probably going to return the Santa sweater that is three sizes too big from your aunt that you see maybe twice a year. There is no shame in returning something that is wrong. Very wrong. It is this spirit of post-holiday grief that reminds us that the same thing applies to wine. If the wine is faulted, not unlike the sweater with holiday appliqué, then it is your right to return......

MOVIE: Now that the big jolly guy in the red suit has done his job, he's back to scare the yuletide cheer right out of ya. "Christmas Evil: You Better Watch Out", a 1980s slasher flick in which a Santa imposter is on a killing rampage, is playing in town tonight. Better hope you're on the "nice" list. After the screening there will be a poster signing by the director, Lewis Jackson. 7pm // Two......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a "car in the water / DOA" in Queens, an unstable building in Fort Greene, and an "unusual crime" at Laguardia ("PLANE RETURNING TO LAGUARDIA AIRPORT-US AIR. PILOT WAS HANDED A THREATENING NOTE. --BNN.") The Times has a touching story about a cave-dwelling homeless man in the Bronx-- together with a nun, he delivers holiday food to needy families in the area. A man took an upskirt cameraphone picture......