Tonight, the Yankees will face off against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium, and many hope the Bronx Bombers can avoid the sweep (and mayflies) and claw their way back to winning this first round of playoff games. Since things are so nerve-wracking, we thought some Yankees fans - and even haters - might be find this Village Voice story funny. more ›

The Village Voice is questioning the merits of some top designers suing Forever 21 for "ripping off" their style. Over 20 designers in all are calling the store out for their fashion faux-pas, and they're led by Diane Von Furstenberg, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, who has brought the case to Washington "attempting to get federal legislation passed that would make clothes-copying clothes a criminal offence." This isn't the first time she's taken issue with the store, and now she claims they have knocked off her famous wrap dress and more than one of her prints, one of which the Voice adds "actually looks a lot like an old Marimekko design." more ›

To help you roll(erskate) into the weekend (just one more day!) here's a video that involves music, the Muppets and a Brooklyn disco orchestra called Escort. A mash-up that The Voice says would have Jim Henson doing the Hustle in his grave. more ›

What’s worth seeing on food-related TV this week? Gothamist has got the breakdown: more ›

It's hard enough when a loved one passes away, but reading a story from last week's Village Voice about abuses at a funeral home is absolutely horrifying. The story is one of mutilated, decaying, stolen bodies, as well as lost ashes. The Voice found that Riverton Funeral Home in Harlem had an ugly, ugly history. Riverton opened in 1957 near Harlem Hospital and was eventually shut down (it changed its name to Riverton Funeral Home II) in 2006. Before it closed, Riverton lost or settled several lawsuits by grieving families, but none of the plaintiffs have been paid any damages. more ›

Photograph by the food of the future of the demolished dome of the Revere Sugar Refinery (more at Forgotten NY) more ›

Things were getting a little quiet over at The Village Voice, but now they've gone and started a racket again by firing their new editor, David Blum. At first watching the decline of the paper was somewhat amusing, but now it's just getting sad. more ›

The Village Voice's Wayne Barrett has the scoop on a big case Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes is working on: How disgraced former Brooklyn Democratic party boss Clarence Norman managed to buy a State Supreme Court judgeship for $56,000. Fifty thousand in cash and then $6,000 in stamps ("$3,000 wheels of stamps on sprockets that could be purchased at a General Post Office"). Barrett writes, "When the disturbing details become fully known, Hynes's stunning prosecution may at last force the state legislature to junk the peculiar way New York State nominates the 14-year-term, $136,700-a-year judges who preside at all felony and major civil trials, as a federal court has already concluded we should." more ›

The Voice just published a bunch of letters to the editor about, who else, Nick Sylvester. They still have him on suspension, however maybe they'll listen to their own readers, who are pretty clear on what they want... more ›

Wow, you put Mayor Bloomberg, resplendent in cash money, on the cover of your alternative weekly and the next thing you know, you're sold to a bigger company! Village Voice Media, which represents the Voice and five other alt weeklies (including LA Weekly), is announcing its sale to the New Times today. New Times is the largest alt weekly publisher with eleven papers (Dallas Observer, Miami New Times, SF Weekly, Cleveland Scene), which would mean a combined circulation of 1.8 million readers. Or people who take the newspaper to put over their head during rainstorm. The NY Times writes, "The Village Voice newspaper, with its weekly circulation of 250,000, will be the flagship of the company as well as the national brand for a new alternative media Internet portal that the merged company is planning." Which means that you'll be able to follow your favorite indie band from town to town, and plan an alternative American roadtrip! more ›

It was only a matter of time before the power of Cafe Press would be harnessed to express what many people are thinking! The Village Voice reported that shortly after the NYPD announced they would be checking subway - and bus - riders' bags randomly, Tony Lu created these t-shirts online. Lu, an immigrants rights activist, is concerned that immigrants and other poor New Yorkers are most vulnerable to the NYPD's tactics, even though the police claim they will not be racially profiling. (The Voice adds, "Lu will not get a cut. The shirts' manufacture, sale, and shipment, will be handled by the online retailer. Lu encourages budget-conscious New Yorkers to make their own and wear them everywhere.") more ›

The Voice has an essay about moving today that reminds us that moving in New York City is a unique challenge. If only it was as easy for most of us as calling in some movers and going out for coffee. more ›