THEATER: Should we be trying to protect our children from the man in red? That’s the premise of Jeff Goode’s much-performed The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, in which Santa’s vices are exposed by those on the receiving end of his lash. A scandal erupts when Vixen accuses Santa of sexual harassment; in the subsequent media frenzy, the other members of the sleigh team demand to share their perspectives, and a sordid tale of corruption comes to light. - John Del Signore more ›

THEATER: This week marks your last chance to see TRUTH {the heart is a million little pieces above all things}, a one-man show by Mike Daisey that NYMetro declares “a delirious, brainy, hilarious, infuriating experience from which one emerges perversely hopeful.” The play follows the fictional and non-fictional stories of James Frey's self-destruction, the sordid and shocking tale of J.T. LeRoy, and Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese poet whose great works were written by warring multiple personalities inside his head. These stories are reflected against an autobiographical accounting of Daisey's own history of lying and telling the truth. - John Del Signore more ›

Jon Bulette, Organizer, NYC Beard and Moustache Championships more ›

December is a special time for comedians. Not only are they trying to scrape together enough money from the commercials and VH1 shows they booked this year to buy presents for their family, but it’s also Aspen audition time. The U.S. Comedy Arts Festival held in Aspen is a Mecca for comedians. Auditioning and being chosen for the USCAF and mingling with the comedy elite (past performers have included…basically everyone famous) is a career maker for many who attend. This weekend, check out the shows that just might end up catapulting these New York comics toward sitcom deals, Hollywood scripts or at the very least, a Sierra Mist ad. All shows are free. more ›

So we know that David Cross and Co. have bought the bar "Eleven" on Orchard Street, it was only inevitable that younger, more energetic comedian Jimmy Fallon has beat him to the punch by already opening the doors to his very own performance space: Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction [as reported on the Apiary]. Okay maybe he's not more energetic, we don't know, we're basing this on the fact that Fallon danced a lot at the Scissor Sisters show last week. Cross, on the other hand, usually stands disaffectedly in the crowd at shows, blending nicely with the rest of the jaded music fans in this city. more ›

),  Jelvis, (the world's greatest Jewish Elvis impersonator), Todd Levin (standup comic), Jessica Coen (editor at Gawker.com), and Najla Said (of Arab-American theater collective Nibras).  The ringmistress of ceremonies will be Rachel Feinstein. more ›

Todd Levin/Bob Powers more ›

The Morning News the fabulous Great Pupkin event in Fort Greene. The Great Pupkin is an opportunity for dog owners to dress up their dogs in various Halloween finery (just as Halloween is an opportunity for girls to slut it up ), though writer Todd Levin notes, "There is something tragicomic about a dog in a sombrero...The psychological implications of a dog in costume might be horrible if they weren�t so completely adorable." And the most adorable photographs by Geoff Badner accompany Levin's essay. Gothamist can't help it - we love dogs, er, dog owners who dress up their dogs, as ghosts or Pooh. more ›