The fest will feature Snoop Dogg (performing Doggystyle LP), The Black Keys, TV On The Radio, City and Colour, Umphrey's McGee, The Big Pink, AraabMuzik, Felix Da Housecat & Fort Atlantic, to name a few. The full lineup will be announced soon, but as you can see they're not narrowing in on one genre, noting they'd like to create "a truly authentic, fresh and unique musical experience featuring over 50 artists that traverse many styles." more ›

Can't an artificially sweetened alcoholic drink reach our lips these days without the Man trying to rip it away? Just a few weeks after Pabst Brewing Company and Colt 45 introduced their new Blast alcopop, Attorneys General from 16 states have written a letter (below) to PBC, asking them to lower the alcohol content of the new beverage. The ABV is currently 12 percent; According to a statement released by Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler, "anyone who consumes a can of Blast within an hour will have engaged in binge drinking as defined by public health authorities." Well, they've got a market for that in New York! more ›

Now that Four Loko is so 2010, malt liquor purveyors Colt 45 want to be next in line to tempt teenagers and anger politicians. So they've jumped on the alcopop bandwagon! Their new beverage, Blast, is a 12 percent ABV malt beverage with "natural fruit flavors" like Strawberry Lemonade or Blueberry Pomegranate. Snoop Dogg is on board: more ›

It's been a few months since beloved alco-caffeinated backwash drink Four Loko was neutered by the FDA, forced to remove the caffeine from its sugary equation, thus denying millions of teens the chance to get blacked out and make soapy skateboard videos. But as we spotted in Dumbo recently, the new caffeine-free version is in stores! But will people still buy it? more ›

The Jets aren't the only ones who are getting wildly excited for tonight's game—the Steelers, who are in pursuit of their seventh Lombardi Trophy, and their fans are also engaging in their own forms of pre-game trash talk and intimidation. The Steelers defense, who were the NFL's top-ranked d-line this season, plan to be sleeveless tonight at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The weather forecast calls for a game-time temperature around 10 degrees with a wind chill that'll make it feel like 2 degrees. “No sleeves all the time, man,” said Steelers free safety Ryan Clark, calling long sleeves under the uniform “a sign of weakness.” Steelers super fan and friend-of-Gothamist Snoop Dogg went one further, tweeting, "Steelers gone beat jets $1000 bet to whoever wantit." A slightly more interesting bet than trading towels or snacks. more ›

Yesterday, Spike Lee held hosted another birthday party in Prospect Park for the late Michael Jackson, who would have turned 52 years old (here are some shots from last year's celebration). This year Snoop Dogg showed up and performed a few of MJ's hits! more ›

Click through to read more about Snoop Dogg in Brooklyn, The Tallest Man on Earth at the Highline Ballroom, and The Thermals at Brooklyn Bowl. more ›

Last night Snoop Dogg played a show at Brooklyn Bowl (review to come in this Friday's Week in Rock post). Following his set, we somehow found ourselves ringing in 4/20 with the man himself on his bus. Pictured is our very own Ben—who only got a contact high (fact: Snoop's entourage was fresh out of rolling papers). So right now it's 4:20 on 4/20, brahs, what are you doing to celebrate? Because we know you are celebrating—The Daily Beast has given NYC a high toke rating, with the borough of Manhattan alone coming in at number three. more ›

Snoop Dogg, who's playing at Brooklyn Bowl next month, was approached by some high school kids outside of the Eldridge on the Lower East Side recently. TMZ was there (natch) and filmed him listening to one of the kid's demos; the site reports that he was so impressed that he had his manager get his contact info! more ›

New York magazine hit the stands today (or, really, yesterday) with a bunch of features about our embattled ex-governors, from looks inside the world of prostitution, the Silda angle, and the irony of Governor Spitzer's fall. Best of all is the cheeky cover, which uses the image at right. Most disturbing quote: Call girl "Kristen" allegedly has what other call girls called "the most beautiful vagina in New York." more ›

The persona Snoop Dogg has created for himself is a fascinating one. Once a gritty, talented gangsta rapper from Long Beach, he's now some sort of lovable, cartoonish pot smoking pimp that seems to have a larger than life mainstream appeal, despite his questionable character traits. With a new album this week, which sounds more like pure retro funk than an actual rap record (at least going by the early singles,) Snoop was in New York to promote and celebrate. He hit up The View, performed on Letterman, acted on the soap One Life to Live, Threw a massive album release party at Touch nightclub, and blew it out at a last minute surprise show at the intimate Gramercy Theater. With all this going on, along with his family reality show on E!, this is likely not the last you'll hear from the Doggfather in the near future. Brace yourselves. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a person trapped under an automobile at 9th Ave. and 55th St. in Brooklyn, a missing delivery man at De Kruif Pl. and Dreiser Loop in the Bronx, and a scaffolding incident on 7th Ave. and 25th St. in Manhattan.
• NYC's Dept. of Health wants pharmacists to be allowed to administer flu shots, citing the death toll of the disease and underutilization of vaccination supplies.
• A female pedestrian was struck and killed by a sanitation truck early this morning at 50th St. and 7th Ave. in Manhattan. A few hours later, a male pedestrian crossing the street at 23rd and 7th Ave. in Manhattan was struck and killed by a U.S. Postal truck.
• Publication synergy at News Corp. as Gawker notes downtown vendors selling The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post together for just $1.
• Plans for a City Jail in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx have been nixed.
• The rap artist known as Snoop Dogg will be performing in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on March 13 as part of a VH1 special. Greenpointers has the 420 411 on how to win tickets.
• The Town of Huntington on Long Island has banned vendors from selling 'silly string' within 1,500 feet of a parade route; but people can bring their own if they want. Firefighters complain that the novelty substance damages the paint on their vehicles.
• And "Danny Boy" is too depressing for Foley's Pub in Midtown, which is banning the song for the entire month of March.

Snoop Dogg, in town shooting BET interviews last week, was caught green-handed with the drug he claimed to give up at age 30: pot. The rapper was busted outside of hotspot Lotus last Wednesday for marijuana possession, and was issued a desk appearance ticket. The Post reports that didn't stop Snoop from partying the very next night, with his 25-strong posse, at Serafina and the tapas lounge Lollipop (somewhere in between they ordered 15 pizzas, so we're guessing there may have been some weed around that night, too!). During one of the BET interviews, he claimed the accusation was "bogus". more ›

With many people trying to keep up that perennial New Year's resolution to lose weight/work out/get in shape, they're hitting their computers (or CDs!) to create the perfect soundtracks for their workouts. The other day, the NY Times chatted with a number of experts - physicians, life coaches, workout music producers - to figure out what makes a good work out song. more ›

It's been five years since Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) was murdered in his Queens studio, and though some people have recently started piping up about who may have pulled the trigger - no suspect has been named. Moving forward -- his friends, family and fellow musicians have begun to get closure in other ways. Mizell's widow, Terri, started the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music -- a non-profit that provides funding and resources to... more ›

The Red Sox has permeated nearly every facet of Bostonist's lives. When they're not live-blogging the games, waxing poetic about the games, thanking Curt Schilling for his splendid work, or telling Dane Cook to watch his hair, they're watching certain presidential candidates hop on the Red Sox bandwagon (sorry, Gothamist). The Sox are so branded on the local brain that people are using the Series to spice up their sex lives. Speaking of spice, Bostonist is really sick of that taco promo. And, while they're proud of John Williams, Bostonist is still trying to figure out Williams' "Very Special Arrangement" of the "Star Spangled Banner." more ›

. The NBC Nightly News actually had "breaking news" about the decision, and here's the statement from NBC News president Steve Capus:

Effective immediately, MSNBC will no longer simulcast the "Imus in the Morning" radio program. This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees. What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible. Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused.

"Over the course of the last week many of you have reached out to me and expressed your strong viewpoints on the Don Imus situation. I've had countless conversations, e-mail exchanges and phone calls with people throughout this company. I've heard you loud and clear. Therefore, we are announcing tonight that MSNBC will no longer simulcast the Imus radio program... more ›

Maybe Snoop Dogg knew a thing or two about how to mix a drink. You may not expect the botanical aromas and flavors in gin to combine seamlessly with fruit juices, but somehow it just works. We know the gin purists out there are pounding their heads against the keyboard right about know. Don’t go on, we will only be bastardizing the gin to a much greater extent from here on, forward. (Don’t worry, we’re the same way about scotch). more ›

Of all the possible "celebrities" you'd expect to get in a fight, Axl Rose would probably be on the list. But designer of preppy clothing that rapper somehow took a liking to, Tommy Hilfiger? At Rosario Dawson's birthday party at Plumm (VIP Room, natch) last night, apparently Axl Rose moved Hilfiger's girlfriend's drink down the table. And maybe she was jostled by Rose. A witness tells the Daily News, "Tommy put his hand out, Axl grabbed Tommy's arm and pushed it hard, and Tommy came back with a fist." Then, pow pow! Hilfiger punched Rose in the cheek, and then security came over to separate them - the Post says people starting running from room and trampled Kid Rock! Hilfiger was thrown out of Plumm, while Rose stayed to perform, dedicating "You're Crazy" to Hilfiger. more ›

After Wired ran a story documenting the GoogleCenter of the United States a bunch of ists jumped on the opportunity to figure out their own middle. Gothamist, Chicagoist, Bostonist and Seattlest all zoomed in on their creamy GoogleCenters. A crack cartography team is hard at work determining the GoogleCenter of the Ist-a-verse as you read this... more ›

The Chronic Candy site has been suspended. Nice work, Daily News. From what Gothamist gathered earlier this morning, there were many different kinds of candy for sale, as well as a DVD and clothing for men and women. more ›

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs announced his voter-registration/voter interest drive initiative, Citizen Change, earlier this week. The way to reach the 42 million voters between 18 and 30? The urgent, fatalistic and ultimately pithy: "Vote or Die!" (It also sounds like a video game.) The program is non-partisan, non-profit, and chock full of celebrity endorsers, with 50 Cent, Leonardo DiCaprio, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z and Ashton Kutcher on board. Vote or Die! shirts went on sale earlier this week, and Diddy Combs will be making appearance at both conventions - the Democratic National Convention on July 29 and the Republican National Convention on September 2. more ›

Semi-related: The Christina Aguilera Virgin Mobile ad that won't run in the states. more ›

Gothamist on Starsky & Hutch. more ›

You know, that was a choice I made, going for that soulless sound. I have to admit, when we were filming that scene and I had to sing for Carmen [Electra] and Amy [Smart], it was awkward--just seeing their expressions. You know when somebody shows you their baby, and you think the baby is not very cute but you try to smile anyway? That's how they looked. I could just see their interest in me flicker out--if it was ever there to begin with.