Ah, summer, when the news is sprinkled with a healthy portion of marine life sightings. This one could turn out to be the summer of dolphins! Yesterday we noted that following the sighting of 150-200 confused dolphins in Long Island Sound on Saturday, a pod of dolphins was spotted off the south end of City Island. Reportedly the group had started off as one (they were also sighted last Wednesday in Northport), and has now split in two: the City Island crew (team Bronx) and the the Long Island Sound crew (team Bayville). more ›

I first saw Mike Daisey at The People's Improv Theater at a live recording of The Sound of Young America. I didn't know what he was going to talk about, but, in retrospect, it seems like he could talk about anything and it would still be interesting, funny, intelligent, and insightful. His latest monologue Invincible Summer will run at the The Public Theater January 18th through the 28th. more ›

A look at some noteworthy programs this week: more ›

"Radio Sweetheart, Boy Detective, It's The Sound of Young America . Maximum Fun! Maximum Fun!" The Sound of Young America (TSOYA) was recently named "Pick of the Podcasts" by Time Magazine and Salon.com's Audiofile said, " "If you've never heard of TSOYA, then TSOYA is the greatest radio show you've never heard of." Of course, I've heard of it; I'm a subscriber. That's why when I found out its host Jesse Thorn was coming to New York with his sketch group Prank the Dean, I knew I had to interview him. And interview him I did! more ›

EVENT: Even if the Freegans have a photo of a pale vegan going through the dumpster for food on the front page of their website, this is actually a really amazing group of people that we could all learn a lot from. Tonight, for example, they will teach you how to build bikes using abandoned parts found around the city. Tools and know-how supplied. more ›

Where do the iconic neon signs of yesteryears Times Square go after they've served their purpose? Used to be they went back to their manufacturer apparently. But nowadays, since we live in a time when neon lighting "is now being considered an art form, like hand painting or stained glass," they can go to the highest bidder. more ›

It’s that time of the year again – that special time you brave New York’s notoriously humid and sticky summer to battle for one more blanket inch on a crowded park lawn. This year’s free outdoor movie festivals – RiverFlicks, Riverside Park Movies Under the Stars, Brooklyn Music & Movies Series, and HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival–offer a wide range of musicals and old favorites, from The Sound of Music to The Big Lebowski (see below for June/July schedule). Also be sure to check out the Rooftop Films series, showcasing short, low-budget and underground films every Friday at Automotive High School in Williamsburg and every Saturday at Old American Can Factory in Brooklyn at 9:00 PM; $8. more ›

When Gothamist caught wind of the new Metallica "rockumentary" it took us about 4 seconds to sink into the nostalgia of early high school and dust off our patched up acid washed jean jacket. Posters of this foursome stuck to our walls for at least a year before being replaced with more age appropriate things. Metallica as a band remained, but personal musical tastes on our side expanded, and faster than you could say "Napster" they were no longer a part of our daily musical diet. They cut their hair, we grew out our perm and moved away from the metal genre. Still, Metallica only comes second to NIN when a need for downtrodden lyrics and pissed off chords (or motivation for the gym) comes up. more ›

Natalia Paruz, The SawLady more ›

Gothamist agrees with many (but not Moulin Rouge - meh), but would have to consider many others, like Almost Famous, A Star is Born, Amadeus, Hard Day's Night, A Mighty Wind, The School of Rock, plus the genre of movie musicals (Annie, The Muppet Movie, Kiss Me Kate, The Sound of Music) if we came up with our own list. And then there are the movies and filmmakers that aren't about music but their soundtracks change that: Anything by Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, Cameron Crowe, John Hughes, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, and Quentin Tarantino, plus Trainspotting, Brown Sugar, Dazed and Confused, Ocean's Eleven (the remake)...what are we missing? more ›

The Sound Factory, which had been closed because of drug-related charges previously, had been allowed to reopen due to new, tougher stances. A judge said a drug sniffing dog had to be at the entrance; Police Commissioner Kelly said the dog was sleeping whenever the police would make one of its many undercover buys there.
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