COMEDY: This weekend marks the 9th Annual Del Close Marathon. Del Close, if you don't know by now, "was the driving force behind improvisational comedy in Chicago for over 30 years influencing Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, John Belushi, Chris Farley and the Upright Citizens Brigade to name a few." The annual weekend began after Del's passing in 1999. more ›

PARTY: It's hot out, so what better way to cool down than with a pool party? Impetuous Theater Company is having a fundraiser tonight on the roof of the Holiday Inn Midtown. Scenes from the upcoming aquatic theater festival will be performed, there will be free beer and wine from 7 to 9pm, and there will be a pool in which to fully submerge yourself (who needs a/c?). more ›

, has a lot of explicit, "real" sex in it, but the real turn on for the filmmaker is obviously New York. As the camera swoops around the gorgeously constructed mini-Manhattan and Brooklyn models, you can't help but feel your heart soar with love for our crazy, dysfunctional, and beautiful city. more ›

Okay, so it's been 2007 for the last four days but since everyone's doing it from the critics circles to the awards nominating pools, it seemed worth it to weigh in on last year's movies. However, constructing end of the year top ten lists can be both painful and thrilling. Looking at a long list of the year's movie releases reminds you how many films passed you by in the theaters and playing favorites amongst the pool is never easy. It's much more fun to look at a top 10 and what various moviemakers from around the world have churned out in the last 12 months as glass half full. In the midst of the dreck of horrible new releases are some very bright spots, and here are 10 of our personal highlights. more ›

The Journal-Times of Racine, Wisconsin has a great video feature on the Wagner Company which makes Festivus Poles. Wagner typically produces railings, which is probably why making a Festivus pole is so easy. They are 100% aluminum and come in a 6 foot floor model as well as a 2 foot 8 inch table top model. And check out how you can take care of the surface:

Surface Finish: In keeping with the precepts of Festivus, the Festivus Pole is to be "unadorned and lusterless". As such our Festivus Poles are provided unfinished -- as extruded -- and you might see die lines and occasional scratches in the surface. Unfinished aluminum will develop a layer of oxidization that may come off as black on your hands while handling. If you wish to avoid this issue, you may coat your Festivus Pole with any commercially available car wax product but you could be crossing the line by being too concerned with outward appearances.

New York mid-December always smells vaguely of pine and peppermint, despite our recent springtime temperatures. Bring that cozy holiday feeling with you into the cineplex for a couple of new feel-good holiday movies. more ›

Two quite controversial and buzzed about movies hit New York theaters this weekend. So far the critical opinion of raving lunatic Mel Gibson's new foreign language feature, . Now we finally get to see the film they thought was going to be such a public relations nightmare. Leo plays a South African diamond smuggler who teams up with a Sierra Leone farmer (the always excellent Djimon Hounsou) to outwit a syndicate of businessmen. From the trailers it looks pretty heartpounding, and not just because the lovely Jennifer Connelly is also in it. more ›

- First date advice and what happens when non-Jews use JDate more ›

After hearing so much about it, Gothamist finally decided to head up to the Bronx to check out the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show. Inside the conservatories, there are replicas of various NYC buildings and landmarks, "made entirely from plant parts like berries, mushrooms, pinecones, and twigs," with model trains running through around, through and over them. And Gothamist can say that the replicas are pretty incredible. Adults and children filled the conservatory, oohing and aahing over the truly magical displays. We were dazzled by the detail that goes into constructing these models. Leaves for roofs! Twigs for arches! Of course, the conservatories aren't exact replicas of the five boroughs, so there are a understandable few geographic shortcuts: The Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge span overhead, as the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and Grand Central are clustered together. However, the Guggenheim is just a few inches away from the Metropolitan Museum, amongst flowers and evergreen, which translates pretty well. Another way Gothamist had a good time was guessing certain structures before we examined their nameplates. more ›