America's Next Top Model is back in New York and in its second episode, which airs tonight, things are getting a little bit real. The episode brings the fourteen newest model wannabes to the not always fashionable streets. After the troupe mingles with the tourists at their fashion show in Times Square, it's off to their first photo shoot. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a home invasion robbery on 11th St. in Brooklyn, an unusual rescue on Selwyn Ave. in the Bronx, and a shooting on Rugby Rd. and Foster Ave. in Brooklyn.
• The 30-year-old homeless man charged with raping and torturing a Columbia student in her apartment in April was found mentally fit to stand trial.
• Negotiations between Thor Equities and several Coney Island boardwalk tenants are nearly settled, allowing many attractions to remain through next summer.
• New York magazine notes that NYC may soon receive a movie theater that has a no-children-under-the-age-of-six policy.
• Norman Hsu, one of Sen. Clinton's primary fundraisers during her run for the Presidency, is being charged by federal prosecutors with running a Ponzi scheme and defrauding people of tens of millions of dollars.
• A Brooklyn car salesman scammed rides on a fire truck with members of a Bed-Stuy firehouse after producing a forged letter and bearing stolen FDNY gear.
• Not getting too far by striking, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance is now suing the city to prevent the mandatory installation of GPS equipment in cabs.
• As he led cops on a 70 mph chase through the streets of Flatbush before allegedly shooting officer Dillon Stewart, accused killer Allan Cameron was watching a porn movie on the DVD player in his Infiniti.
• Best use of 9/11 in a new fall season program (so far): Kitchen Nightmares, when a Long Island restaurant "owner," upon Gordon Ramsay criticizing him about the state of a kitchen, "blame everything on me! Blame fires in Chicago, Hurricane Katrina, 9-11" (via Television Without Pity)

Last night Top Chef began with a Quickfire Challenge consisting of everyone cooking Padma breakfast...we swear she thinks of the challenges when she's stoned (see: the onion cutting relay. C'mon!). After the "food awakening" they were in for a rude awakening. Sent to New York City, the contestants seemed genuinely happy when they saw the Manhattan skyline...but their dreams were dashed when they were held in New Jersey for a day at Newark Airport. Cooking airplane food. Oh dear. more ›

Gothamist is a big fan of the FX show, Rescue Me - it's incredibly funny, realistic, and riveting but also difficult to watch. And last week's episode was no different, as Denis Leary's character may or may not have raped his estranged wife in the final scenes. The ambiguous scene, where firefighter Tommy Gavin overpowers his wife into having sex (she protests some, but seems to have enjoyed it by the end; he leaves with a smirk), has prompted a lot of debate in the news. And executive producer Peter Tolan even went to the Television Without Pity messageboards to explain and defend the scene. We were distressed by the scene, but it seemed to work with Tommy's overall moral depravity and lack of control when it comes to his personal life (another recent example - Tommy beating his brother to a pulp over said estranged wife in front of his children). And while some critics say the show is merciless towards women, it's actually merciless towards everyone. more ›

] Attractive young actresses who look great in a suit, beware: If you're cast as the new assistant district attorney to work with Jack McCoy, your character might come to some sort of strange end. Last year - yes, just January 2005 - Elisabeth Rohm(bot) left the show and uttered those classic words, "Is it because I'm a lesbian?" and Annie Parisse filled her shoes as ADA Alexandra Borgia. But that's nothing compared to dying from aspirating through your duct taped mouth in a car trunk with blood all over your face, to be found by your boss and other police officers. A poster on the Television Without Pity forum (though not the "Earthy European Sexuality: ADA Alexandra 'Bertha' Borgia" forum) asked if she was forced to leave the show because she was heterosexual. Good question - insurance policies at the DA's office must be crazy. We can't wait to find out who is cast next, so we can write fanfic about how they'll be written off! more ›

If you were any where in the Garment district yesterday evening, you may have noticed a huge line of non-New Yorker types outside of the bar, Stitch. And if you are any type of Amazing Race fan, you already know those people were lined up for TARCON 9 (The Amazing Race CONvention). Sponsored by Television Without Pity, the event gives TAR fans a place to reminisce over past seasons, bet on that night's finale, drink at an open bar, and meet some of the race participants along with host, Phil Keoghan... for a small fee, of course. more ›

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Santino in stilettos? Nerdy Diana getting down? Marla...acting desperately lost? Gothamist loves Project Runway so so much! This week's challenge was to design a party dress for a socialite - and impress her at a party. Since the show's been on hiatus for two weeks, we were thinking that it might be some really, random low-on-the-totem pole socialite, like some toilet seat manufacturer's niece. But the socialite was Nicky Hilton, aka the pretty Hilton (among many, many other things, Paris's lazy eye is scareeee), so the designers were all really excited. Highlights of the show: The designers competing in a walk-off at Marquee (this might be the gayest thing ever, and it was brilliant); Nick acknowleding that Santino is big competition; Emmett not saying much at all; a pregnant Heidi Klum looking more radiant than Nicky will ever be; and Tim Gunn, well, being Tim Gunn. Even Andrae redeemed himself with an actually lovely dress. more ›

Adam Sternbergh, Co-Founder of Fametracker more ›

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The forums at Television Without Pity are all a-twitter (""). And the new ADA, Annie Parisse, playing Alexandra Borgia, has her bio up on the L&O site - Gothamist has already started thinking about her exit strategies.
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Read the America's Next Top Model forum at Television Without Pity. And watch the finale again tomorrow night, on the UPN, and refer to our drinking game. more ›

Gothamist will refrain from commenting about who was fired from last night's penultimate Apprentice 2 episode, lest we anger some of our friends and readers who had things to do last night, unlike us who watched with horror as events unfolded. We will instead point out that it's hilarious that this year, Donald Trump won't entrust running events at one of his companies/resorts/casinos as the final task. Instead, GE (owner of NBC Universal) subsidiary Genworth, a rebranded financial company who wants to "raise its profile," must endure the less-than-competent machinations of the Apprentice wannabes for Genworth events. And we like to say the shrill screeching from last night's boardroom is still trilling in our ears. Thanks, Jen and Sandy. more ›

Related: A chat with Mayor Bloomberg was the prize for the winning team last night. Granted, Gothamist would love 15 minutes with the Mayor, but next to the prize of playing tennis with John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova, that seems...boring. It wasn't even a meal with the Mayor - just a quick talk at Gracie Mansion. The Mayor told a joke and none of the Apprentice wannabes got it - the man has no skills at comic delivery. more ›

It goes without saying, this will be our favorite shirt. Half of Gothamist is lamenting that there is no dobkin! dobkin! shirt, but them's the breaks. Perhaps there is a dobkin! dobkin! sound effect in the Bizarro World. [Via reader Sarah who is automatically our new best friend for alerting us to this.] more ›

Now, all Gothamist wants to know is how much ABC is paying Trista and Ryan to stay together, like in marriage counseling. And didn't their minister sort of look like Disney President Bob Iger? more ›

Gothamist wasn't sure what was more distressing about an episode of the Osbournes that was rerun yesterday: Seeing Jack Osbourne fall for the cute blonde houseguest of Courtney Love or seeing Courtney Love. Probably Courtney Love, who walked around in her underwear and changed in front of the camera and just acts like the crazy person she must be. L.A. Department of Children's Services - get Frances Bean out! And lest you think that Courtney's houseguest was Kato-like or some poor girl whose job it would be to pleasure Courtney or revive Courtney after some night on the town, the object of Jack's affections is Brieann O'Connor, half-sister of Kurt Cobain. more ›

but has been used in a few movies, including Meet Joe Black and Finding Forrester. Television Without Pity tells me that it was also used in an eToys commercial, reminding me that I am a sap. more ›