This week, the NY Times has some suggestions for wedding gifts from stores affiliated to museums, reasoning that those stores have wonderful gifts that are appealing to "people who are tired of shopping in the same old places — and might enjoy spending a couple hours in a museum as well." We wholeheartedly agree - when you know the couple well, that is. If you are wedding gift shopping for a couple you're vaguely acquainted......

In the recent history of television, the people have been given three separate but still gritty police procedurals set in New York City: The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders in Law & Order, the dedicated Special Victims Unit detectives who investigate especially heinous sexually based offenses in Law & Order Special Victims Unit, and the Major Case Squad detectives who chew scenery as well as they suss......

The police have revealed that their suspect in the brutal 19-hour rape and torture of a 23-year-old Columbia journalism student is William Roberts, a 30-year-old man with a criminal history. According to WABC 7, Roberts has been charged with attempted murder twice - once in 1993, once in 1996 for shooting a man in the back. Last year, he was charged with assault as well as fare jumping. There was a false sighting of Roberts......

A look at some noteworthy televison shows this week: Live From the Red Carpet: The 2007 Academy Awards (Sunday, 6:00 p.m. E!) The traditionally absurd Oscar pregame of celebrities arriving at the Oscars. 2007 Joan & Melissa at the Academy Awards (Sunday, 6:00 p.m. TV Guide Channel) Joan Rivers and daughter Melissa do their yearly schtick during the Oscar arrivals. An Evening at the Academy Awards: The Arrivals (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. WABC 7) Channel 7......

The Democrats officially have control of the Senate - Virginia Senator George Allen conceded Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a watermain break in the Bronx, an overturned ambulance in Brooklyn, and a shooting in Harlem. James Madison H.S. in Brooklyn has produced three current U.S. Senators. Now if they could only do something about all the metal-detectors. Adrienne Shelly's killer is at Bellevue, undergoing psychiatric evaluations City officials are saying the intersection of Flatbush......

After last year's mess of an awards show and this year's joke of nominations (where is love for Lauren Graham, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences?), we were going to swear off this year's Emmys. But then we realized Conan O'Brien was hosting, so we must watch and liveblog. And there's the hope of a good Steve Carrell bit, not to mention awkward reaction shots of Candy and Tori Spelling during the Aaron Spelling tribute.......

Warning: This post could be distressing because we're mentioning feminine hygiene products and fetuses. (We waited until after lunch to post it!) But it's really funny-bizarre, so it's up to you. Yesterday, we heard that there had been a fetus found on the grounds of a Queens golf course and the police were investigating the matter. Thanks to the NY Sun, we now know what happened: After a golfer at Forest Park Golf Club saw......

- The NY Times says that WiFi in some city parks will come by the end of the month (and Nokia is a sponsor) - and amNew York is also providing some free wireless news and entertainment as well - Did the Metropolitan Museum spend $45 million for a fake? - On the upside of the Emmy nominations, both Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay were nominated for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, making......

Even though the network media upfronts don't mean anything - except to advertisers - because schedules can be shuffled and shows killed between now and fall, Gothamist is still excited, because it's about hope (Tina Fey's new show to be good, Veronica Mars to be picked up) and new seasons of shows we love (The Office, My Name is Earl...and, heck, we can't help but watch Grey's Anatomy). Anyway, there are a lot of NYC-set......

Now, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has used guest star stunt casting pretty well - Amanda Plummer as a disabled rape victim, Matthew Modine as a suspected pedophile, Ludacris as Ice-T's nephew - if the plotlines are over-the-top. But news that Jerry Lewis will appear this fall, as a homeless man suspected of murder who just happens to be Detective Munch's uncle? That is GOLD - we cannot wait for some Munch and Uncle......

Sure, you might think of Christopher Meloni as the always angry Detective Eliot Stabler on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but he's also had some indelible roles in The Runaway Bride, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Wet Hot American Summer and, of course, Oz. We were perusing the official Christopher Meloni website when we found this great speech that Oz (and Homicide) creator Tom Fontana gave for him at a Human Rights......

Aha. The Post published this photograph of Mariska Hargitay as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Detective Olivia Benson in a pool of blood, and it seems like Benson will be hurt in some way so Hargitay can go on maternity leave. Connie Nielsen, probably best known as Lucilla from Gladiator but will always be Dirk Calloway's mom in Rushmore to us, is going to play the detective that fills in for Benson. What's interesting......

Holy cow - these might be the best TV-inspired Valentines since the "I Choo-Choo-Choose You!" Brandon Bird, a favorite artist of ours, has created SVUtines, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Valentines. You can see where Bird's affections are, with the inclusion of Stephanie March - and not Diane Neal - and with an amazing BD Wong card. There are ten cards in a pack, with each pack costing $10 (plus $5 shipping). Buy......

We were watching the Today Show this morning when former NYC DA Linda Fairstein was on the show, flogging her new mystery book, Death Dance, about a murder at Lincoln Center that was inspired by the real life murder of a musician at the Metropolitan Opera. And the real life murder story is what intrigued us, as this was the first we'd ever heard of it. It turns out that a musician, Helen Mintiks, was......

The moment that you thought the Peter Braunstein story couldn't get crazier, it does. Sure, there were reports of the suspected attacker of a Chelsea woman being spotted in Brooklyn (bring in the search dogs!) and then the journalist is in Ohio, posing as a movie producer, as the police determine that he has purchased various police-type badges on eBay. And now, his half-brother shames him on the cover of the Daily News. If anything,......

Police are still looking for Peter Braunstein, the man suspected attacking a former co-worker in her Chelsea apartment as he disguised himself as a firefighter. Police continue to say that they believe Braunstein "is enjoying" the attention, but are concerned he may attack again. The Post reports that security at Fairchild Publications, where WWD, Details, Jane, W, and other pubs are headquarters and where he used to work, has been increased, with extra guards "at......

In the slow August news season, it takes about two days from a story to make it from the webby trenches to be the cover story of the Daily News. Thao Nguyen's cameraphone picture of a subway masturbator seems to work perfectly in the Daily News's cameraphone-empowerment stories - they covered the cameraphone captures sleeping token booth clerk in March and the Catholic school girls showing a cameraphone picture of a perv to the police,......

The NY Times examines the Jerry Orbach effect on the latest Law & Order spinoff, Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Gothamist got misty when we read that Jerry was weaker when filming, and that there would be a mention of Detective Lenny Briscoe's death in the fifth episode. However, we've been a little unnerved by the NBC promos for L&O: TBJ, by saying, "Jerry Orbach's final performance" or whatever, because while they are his......

If you happened to watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit last night, you might have noticed that the plot involved some graffiti tagging kids ("his tag is psyko, mine is psyke!"). So, of course, Detectives and Stabler went to the Anti-Graffiti Task Force to find out about a certain crew, and the Anti-Graffiti Task Force cop was all "The Anti-Graffiti Task Force caught this many perps, yo." Gothamist wonders if the folks at SVU......

Various stars were at City Hall, stumping for a city tax break on film and TV production. Well, maybe the stars were more B-list, as they were Joey Pantoliano and Ice-T. But Gothamist will let Ice-T speak for all of us:"It's kind of really wack to be in Toronto shooting a New York movie. It's not cool at all."Totally not cool at all. And it's a great day for the American dream when one day......

Two women were raped and robbed last night in south Williamsburg. The two 27 year-old women were going back home from an art gallery and were unlocking the door to an apartment building when two men shoved them inside. An hour later, after assaulting, robbing, and threatening them, the men demanded to be taken to the car of one of the victims. One of the women managed to break free, scream and get help, which,......

Ms. Williams won't be playing a special victim. She just makes a special guest appearance. Tonight's episode, though, involves...the Internet: When the pledgemaster of a hardnosed local fraternity is found murdered and sodimized Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) believe the murder to be the result of the victim's Internet porn sight, which feature unwitting college girls at a local bar. However, when the evidence points back to the fraternity, the detectives......

Even though Gothamist finds Bobby Flay irritating in the extreme, we do wish him and Stephanie March well. The NY chef tells the Post about his proposal to the former Law & Order Special Victims Unit A.D.A. Alexandra Cabot (way to self–promote, Bobby). Flay did one of those public proposals: At center ice of Rockefeller Center, which would be cute if it weren't Bobby Flay (blech). As a chaser, reader Janelle let us know that......

Gothamist is lucky because our readers will email us about many Law & Order related things, whether it's a sighting or a show or an idea. And we love you for it. Here's a round up of some that we've gotten over the past few weeks: –Rachelle got L&O: Criminal Intent's Vincent D'Onofrio to stop and take a picture with her. Gothamist is impressed with Rachelle's moxie and that Vincent willingly posed – it's......

Oh, Stephanie March, what a way to leave Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. At first, we didn't know how to feel about you, what with your icy demeanor and blond blond hair. Then you grew on us, when you tried to stand up to your boss, played by Judith Light a.k.a. Angela Bower. Or when you were frustrated at the self-righteous even for Law & Order acts of Detectives Stabler and Benson. Maybe we......

This Saturday and Sunday, the IFP is holding its annual "From Script to Screen Conference" with panels of film, television, and stage professionals giving their insights and thoughts about breaking in, getting the work made, and the business involved. Paul Schrader, writer of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Last Temptation of Christ, will be speaking about his career (his most recent work was directing AutoFocus). Gothamist is looking forward to Tom Fontana, the creator behind......

Law & Order
In the lives of New Yorkers, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the makers of Law & Order, who consistently churn out topical, interesting, and entertaining programming; and the Law & Order fans, who eagerly watch the show and its offshoots on NBC, TNT, USA, and wherever else possible. These are their stories....