Forget the debate over whether Clinton should drop out; there’s a more divisive argument going on at Newsweek, where two critics are locking horns over whether “Seinfeld” (the TV series, not the car-crashing Bee Movie star) is still funny after all these years. The series went off the air ten years ago this month and reruns are broadcast on 200 stations nationwide. “Seinfeld” advocate David Noonan argues that the show’s enduring success is largely owed......

The Atlantic is asking if today's McMansions are tomorrow's tenements in an article titled The Next Slum. It seems suburban developments nationwide are seeing the same problems the city streets are: druggies, homeless, grafitti, gang activity, broken windows, stray bullets, and even in Pleasantville copper wire is a commodity. Suburban decay is on the rise, making them a far cry from what they were presented as at the New York World’s Fair of 1939 and......

Lawyers for Jerry Seinfeld insist the comic was just joking when he described "Sneaky Chef" author Missy Chase Lapine as a "wacko" for accusing his wife of plagiarism. Lapine is currently suing for trademark infringement because she says Jessica Seinfeld’s hit book about sneaking healthy food into kids’ snacks, called "Deceptively Simple," contains too many similarities to "Sneaky Chef" – and it was published by HarperCollins, who twice rejected Lapine’s pitch. While appearing on Letterman’s......

Any color you like, by Unlisted Sightings at flickr; Artist: Jim Lambie at MoMA.Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on East 39th St. in Manhattan, a large fight on 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, and a child in cardiac arrest on Pitt St. in Manhattan. Police in Nassau County are conducting an active homicide investigation in New Cassel, after they were called to a home where three children--all under the age of seven--were found......

A New York State senator is proposing a law that makes criminals legally responsible for the inadvertent harm to helpful bystanders who might come to the aid of a person under attack. The proposal comes in the wake of the death of Flonarza Byas, who may have been killed by Maurice Parks while he was defending himself during a robbery. The media are calling this a strengthening of the Good Samaritan law, but when we......

A study to be published later this year in the Journal of Food Safety proves that George Costanza’s cavalier method of double dipping his chip is, in fact, “like putting your whole mouth right in the dip.” For those who may have missed the Seinfeld episode or somehow not seen it reenacted at every party serving dip since it aired in 1993, we’ve posted the scene below. Suffice it to say that Costanza’s preferred dipping......

Photo of people shoveling the seats at Lambeau Field on Thursday by AP/Morry Gash There is a lot riding on the NFC Championship Sunday. Yes, a trip to the Super Bowl may be the ultimate prize, but how about a whole lot of food or a place in a wedding party? And, look at the lengths that some “fans’ will go for victory, is it ethical to deprive someone of the ability to watch......

After news that a Green Bay Fox affiliate would not be showing Seinfeld because it's Giants quarterback Eli Manning's favorite show (the Giants are heading to the land of Cheeseheads to play the Packers in the NFC Championship), it was up to Jerry Seinfeld to rise to the occasion. The Mets fan told the Post, "I'm going to send Eli a complete collection of 'Seinfeld' DVDs and a partial collection of 'Hogan's Heroes' for inspiration!"......

Staten Island Ferry, by General Erin at Flickr Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: missing children on 12th Ave. in Brooklyn, an overturned tractor trailer on the eastbound BQE in Queens, and an armed robbery on West 42nd St. in Manhattan. The contraband room at JFK International: it's like a freegan's vision of heaven. The clock atop the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower (now One Hanson Place) started ticking today at noon. A man was......

Is it something or nothing that an author's cookbook about hiding pureeed vegetables in children's food is similar to a later-published cookbook about hiding pureeed vegetables in children's food? Well, if the later cookbook's author is Jessica Seinfeld and Jerry Seinfeld refers to the other author as a "wacko" and "nut job," it means a lawsuit is in the works! Our readers debated the merits of the lawsuit (plagiarism claims are unclear, but defamation seems......

Missy Chase Lapine, the children’s cookbook author who claims Jessica Seinfeld – the comedian’s wife (pictured) – “brazenly plagiarized” her work is now taking it up a notch by slapping both Jessica and Jerry with lawsuits. She’s accusing Jerry of defamation because when the scandal made headlines back in October, Jerry went on TV and talked some trash that was as arrogant as it was stupid. On Letterman, the funny boy characterized Lapine as a......

A Brookings Institution study reveals that New York is a great place for walking, with 21 out of 21 walkable urban places. But Washington D.C. is the most walkable on a per capita basis while New York is ranked 10th, because New York is measured as the NYC metro area, including NJ, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The study's author, Christopher B. Leinberger, admits there are issues with the methodology, namely that walkable places are weighted the......

Two movies set in New York are coming out today, and both are getting a lot of press, promo and opined upon. American Gangster is set in 1960-70s New York and stars Russell Crowe as a detective working to take down a real-life heroin kingpin, Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington). Lucas claimed to gross $1M a day on 116th Street dealing drugs, which he got to the States by smuggling in the coffins of......

Sean L. McCarthy has got it made. Blogger of comedy for The NY Daily News, New York's Funniest Reporter , and he spends his nights hanging out with some of the funniest people in the world. A truly enviable position! What's his secret? How did he get to where he is? Gothamist wanted to know and found out! You recently won the Funniest Reporter competition. How'd you prepare? The New York Underground Comedy Festival......

Being funny is a very valuable skill. Think about it, do you think Jerry Seinfeld's ever going to find himself lost in the woods with nothing but the stars and his wits to guide him to safety, or that Steve Martin's ever going to have to worry about not having enough money for the meter? No, of course not. And neither will if you read and memorize all of the comedy secrets contained within Comedy......

Remember that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer’s convinced that Calvin Klein has stolen his fragrance idea – “The Beach” – and marketed it as “Ocean”? It’s a plot line that’s sure to take on a peculiar resonance for author Missy Chase Lapine, whose cookbook The Sneaky Chef– about getting kids to eat healthy by slipping veggies into treats – is startlingly similar to Deceptively Delicious, a recent cookbook by Jerry Seinfeld’s wife Jessica (pictured). Both......

Yet more proof Ann Coulter likes to hear herself talk - and that talk shows like that! She appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, and talks about how Jews need perfecting - "we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say" - to the point of being Christians. Deutsch was shocked, argued with her, and went to commercial by saying, "Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans,......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a carjacking at Tompkins and School Rds. on Staten Island, a person was killed by a 5 train at Bowling Green station in Manhattan, and an armed robbery at 51st Ave. and Northern Blvd. in Queens. Bidding closed at $2,600 for the new owner of the Seinfeld ASSMAN license plate prop on eBay. Another Mister Softee driver was busted for selling drugs out of his ice cream truck, this......

A look at some of this week's noteworthy television: The Next Iron Chef (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., Food Network) Alton brown hosts this new reality series which searches for the chef for the next season of Iron Chef America. Life Is Wild (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WPIX 11) A widowed doctor moves his family to South Africa and family friendly programming ensues. Mystery!: Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Series 6: Chinese Walls (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13; Tuesday, 9:00......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: The War: A Ken Burns Film (Sunday - Tuesday, 8:00 p. m., WNET 13; Sunday - Tuesday, 10:00 p. m., WLIW 21) The Ken Burns World War II documentary wraps up this week. Top Gear (Monday 8:00 p.m. & 9:00 p.m., BBC America) We recently stumbled onto the insanely brilliant BBC 2 show which is in theory about cars, but is really about three crazy Brits going......

Fancy yourself a Seinfeld expert? TBS has a montage up which will test your knowledge of the show and little references from episodes. If after nearly ten years you can get more than half of these then we suspect the network has been doing their job in showing the show ad nauseam in syndication. We're not complaining though, and we especially like the "www.master" sign in the montage!......

Margaret Cho returns to the stage in a whole new way with her stage show The Sensuous Woman. The production is at the Zipper Theater starting tomorrow (more details here) and is bringing burlesque back. The variety show will feature some famed burlesque performers, along with stand-up and sketch comedy acts. And of course, Margaret -- who we had a few questions for recently. Tell us about your new burlesque-style variety show The Sensuous Woman.......

The Kid From Brooklyn sees famine, war, and despair in the world's future. " I've got foresight," he says, but even he could never have predicted his own popularity. Michael Caracciolo started his website TheKidFromBrooklyn.com to entertain friends and family, uploading videos of himself ranting wildly about whatever he happened to feel passionately about that moment, whether it be border control, the President, or even Starbucks. It's led to television appearances, a memoir about his......

L.B. Jeffries would be screwed! City Council member Peter Vallone Jr. is proposing legislation to ban "non-consensual peeping with cameras to peeping with the naked eye" according to the NY Sun. The crime would be a misdemeanor, with a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail. CityRoom has some of the legislation: b. Voyeurism in a private place. It shall be unlawful to deliberately view another person, without that person’s knowledge and......

The Observer people watches the people watchers this week with a piece on The Bench. Almost too ridiculous to report on, the Lower East Side American Apparel happens to have a hot spot outside of its windows which has become the "epicenter of perhaps the hottest 'anti-scene' scene on Saturday nights." Exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to be forged outside of an American Apparel, it even has founders - including DJ Big Black......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a possible abduction at 39th St. and 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, falling debris from 820 Columbus Ave. in Manhattan, and a stabbing on East 214th St. in the Bronx. Queens Councilman James Gennaro was fined $2,000 after admitting to the Conflict of Interest Board that he asked a staffer to volunteer on his campaign, although he says he has no recollection of the 2003 incident MTA CEO Elliot Sander......

Well, it looks like its walls are made out of regular ol' brick. Maybe it's been artfully distressed, but given it goes for $225,000, we were expecting marble, maybe a robot manservant, though some people do go gaga for exposed brick. This the parking space mentioned in last week's NY Times article, the one that made New Yorkers and non-New Yorkers alike think, "What the hell is going on with the real estate market?"......

Open tryouts for ball boys and ball girls at the U.S. Open was this Thursday at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. Anyone can show up and run the drills set by the USTA's Director of Ballpersons. The tryouts themselves have turned into a sort of perennial institution and even made their way into an episode of "Seinfeld", when Kramer became a ball boy. Nearly 400 candidates sprinted, threw, and otherwise exerted themselves at......

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they......

Apparently hand models do not wear kitchen mitts or baseball mitts to protect their hands when they're not on the job! Because a hand model is suing a Midtown apartment building for $1 million after a door slammed into her moneymaker - her right hand. The Post reports that 24-year-old Catherine Frances Scott was leaving her boyfriend's apartment at West 52nd Street when a "fifth-floor door slammed on the tip of her finger, crushing the......