The storm was short, but that lightning was intense. A couple readers managed to photograph it. more ›

Thank goodness for the Gothamist tipsters. Until we read Contribute we weren't sure if last night's really loud clap of thunder that woke us up was real or part of a nightmare. There's no mention of thunder in the Weather Service's hourly report and we were getting worried that the thunder of our dreams could be so loud. Was anyone else woken up by the thunder? The storms cells form the line of blue-green blobs above. more ›

The summer storm that rolled into town a couple hours ago was brief but powerful: There are a number of incidents about downed trees all over Manhattan (see the Gothamist Newsmap), such as "Trees down at West Side Hwy & 70th St," a "downed tree on a taxi" on E 86th St, and "Tree down on a car" at Riverside Dr & 101st St (a tipster writes, "Man was stuck under car for 20 minutes after an entire tree fell on him while he was driving in Riverside Park on 101 st)—some even have requests for "additional chain saws"—we hope no one was hurt. more ›

When our weather guru Joe Schumacher proclaimed that this week's weather would be unsettled—"The primarily west-to-east flow of the summer jet stream will let surface fronts flop around like an oversized Montauk Monster in its death throes"—he was not kidding! Who wasn't woken up by the insanely loud thunder and lightning around 2:30 a.m.? The National Weather Service issued an urban flood advisory: "At 822 am EDT Doppler radar and local observations indicate very heavy rain occurring from a line of thunderstorms. The storms will move through New York City during the next 30 minutes... and Nassau County during the next hour." And AccuWeather says, "This will be the first of several waves of showers and thunderstorms expected to overspread the region through the end of the week" and "While the storms will most likely not be capable of producing tornadoes, they will feature damaging winds and some hail." Well, at least the dog poo gets washed away, right? more ›

Lightning lit up the skies and thunder roared as storms rolled into the region. Winds gusted through, blowing construction debris into the streets and knocking scaffolding and trees down. more ›

Whoa, way too much weather happening today. First, an equation: warm, moist air + cold ground = dense fog this morning. Second, possible record high today. The record is 58, reached most recently in 1991. Since it is already 57 the record is probably in the bag. Third, rain rain rain. more ›

Were you rudely awakened by a clap of thunder early this morning? We heard one at 2:49 a.m. and again around six and seven. Gothamist is going to be a grumpy worker bee today! Yes, we were treated to a rare January thunderstorm last night. Showers and possibly another thundershower or two will continue until the early afternoon. more ›

TIP: Starting tomorrow Opera-For_all begins the first of three nights of performances. For cheap! The New York City Opera is selling tickets to every seat in the house for just $25. Over the course of "opera season" 50 or more seats in the front orchestra will be priced at just $25 as well. As for this week, here's the sched: more ›

What started off as an excellent concert lineup just got better and better as the date approached. The additions of Spoon's Britt Daniel and Kevin Drew were a bonus treat. Music, reading and charity aside, perhaps the biggest wow moment was show headliner Jim James' new closely cropped haircut. The My Morning Jacket front man sheared his trademark Muppet locks since the last time we've seen him about. Not that it affected the music in any way, which nearly stole the show from some other very capable performers. Check out more thoughts and pics at BV and Stereogum, and check out our interview with 826NYC's Sarah Vowell. (pic via Muzicspy's flickr) more ›

EVENT: The American Opera Project has taken on...baseball? Tonight they present Baseball Through The Eye of the Artist. You'll catch some scenes from Daniel Sonenberg's opera-under-development The Summer King. And stick around for Bang The Drum Slowly, "the acclaimed 1973 baseball film that marked the beginning of Robert DeNiro's illustrious film career." more ›

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During the Wednesday-night rush hour, a steam pipe at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue exploded, sending steam, mud, and pieces of the street hundreds of feet into the air. One person died and at least 20 people were injured. more ›

The State Assembly voted in favor of allowing same-sex marriages in New York. Newsday said it was the first time a gay marriage bill was "debated publicly in one of the houses of the State Legislature Tuesday." However, the bill is not expected to make it pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said, "We're not doing gay marriage by [tomorrow's adjournment], that's for sure." more ›

(directed by Billy Ray) more ›

THEATER: A revival of Patrick Hamilton’s thriller Gaslight has just begun at Irish Rep; some may remember the award-winning 1944 film version starring Ingrid Bergman and Angela Lansbury. The chilling study in domestic domination to the max concerns a diabolical husband who, not satisfied in exploiting his wife’s savings to buy their house, plots her murder. But while he’s out the police inspector comes in to warn the poor bride that her husband is suspected of another “black-hearted murder” committed fifteen years ago... in the very same house! - John Del Signore more ›

She's asking her also-famous Governor for a pardon, and will likely get a shortened sentence, but Paris Hilton has some fans rallying for her freedom, too (though we suspect some of these websites are mainly to push merchandise). Seems like many don't want to see the heiress pay her dues...here in New York, however, Paris is a little light on a fanbase. Yesterday two "Free Paris" rallies took place and AMNY reports they had a "combined turnout of roughly eight participants, a throng of journalists, and a Paris double." Though it seems the few that did show up just wanted to witness a "freak show." more ›

April showers lasted one day into May with an entertaining thunder and lightning display last night. A big high pressure system over northern Ontario is slowly making its influence felt over New York. A bit of moisture and clouds are still with us, so far keeping the afternoon cooler than expected. Once that moisture is pushed away temperatures are expected to jump to around 70. more ›

THEATER: Lear deBessonet culled material from sources as varied as Henrik Ibsen, Joan of Arc and Times contributor/author Russell Shorto (The Island at the Center of the World), scientific journals, and post-it notes from the desks of corporate secretaries to create the new play transFigures. She was also inspired by the Jerusalem Syndrome, the well-documented psychosis that causes ordinary tourists to channel Biblical figures, create togas out of hotel bed-sheets, and parade through the Holy City as Moses, Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and other religious icons. - John Del Signore more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a missing child report at Fulton and Warwick Sts. in Brooklyn, a shooting on 143rd St. in the Bronx, and an overturned auto at Kent and Flushing Aves. in Brooklyn.
• Some high-profile bloggers are calling for an online code of conduct. Not us! Did you see that graphic of Sponge Bob and KY?
• "Dashing Diva" nail salons are inflicting NYC-homegrown retail standardization on the rest of the country for a change.
• The jealous butcher who stabbed his wife to death in the street is sentenced to 23 years to life.
• Tim Montgomery, the one-time WR holder in the 100m, plead guilty in a $5 million NYC bank fraud case. His plea means he won't have to testify against his former coach and may avoid jail time.
• New York State moves to steal New Hampshire's electoral thunder by joining "Super Duper Thursday." Because NH already has too much power vis a vis New York and the U.S.'s electoral politics needed more Duper in its Super.
• Illegal loft squatters are political pawns in Albany. Someone's bound to be rooked.
• Sharpe James, the former Mayor of Newark and current NJ state senator, isn't running for re-election because he wants to win a seniors national tennis championship and forget all about that federal investigation.
• Shartpon calls Imus "diabolical" in the latter's media auto da fe, a spectacle wherein one redeems onesself via public torture or self-immolation.
• No one's verifiably sighted one yet, but a porcupine-eating ferocious hunter with sharp teeth and amazing speed is proliferating in NJ; and Kevin Smith's probably already optioned its story.

I was a journalist when I started performing comedy and pitched a profile of Jon Stewart to a people-focused magazine. It was Jon’s first year on The Daily Show, just before their Millennium special, and the night after Bob Dole first appeared as a guest. And the magazine wanted me to ask questions like “When are you getting married and how does it feel to make a lot of money?” Instead, I asked how he made people laugh not realizing it’s practically unanswerable but realizing the questions they wanted me to ask were ridiculous. Jon paused for about two minutes and said “It’s sad you’ve asked me a question I should know the answer to but don’t.” So we spent the time exploring that, and I wrote a piece entitled “ Jon Stewart: What makes people laugh,” which was killed, it never ran, and that’s the last piece I wrote for that magazine. Inside Joke came from that afternoon, and I’ve been lucky to take the stage with amazing people, all of whom happen to be comedians in one way or another. That interview with Jon is on the Inside Joke Web site too. more ›

This isn't the first track, listen: Love Song No. 7.mp3 more ›

2007 is just around the corner, and we've got a little tip sheet on where to be when the clock strikes midnight. more ›

The official Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes wedding photograph has been released. First thoughts: more ›

A whole bunch of bands just came together to pay tribute to Bob Dylan. Here's some video from that tribute show, of Phil Lesh and Warren Haynes singing "Thunder on the Mountain". Also on hand were Patti Smith, Ryan Adams, Philip Glass, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cat Power, and many more. more ›

Tom Coughlin may not want to hear about it, but this is a classic “trap” game. With the big, bad Bears coming to Giants Stadium next Sunday night, all the ingredients are in place for New York to look past this weeks tilt with the 2-5 Texans. Luckily for the Giants, they should be able to do that and get away with it. more ›

It’s a little early to put the “must win” label on a game, but it is appropriate here. If the Giants are going to be a playoff team, they cannot afford to lose this game and head to Seattle at 0-2. more ›