You may know Kristen Schaal from her role as Mel the stalker on Flight of the Conchords, or from her stand-up around town, or from her contributions to The Daily Show (she's even been in episodes of Mad Men, Law & Order and How I Met Your Mother). In 2005, years after moving to New York, she earned the NY Mag title of one of the 10 Funniest Comedians You've Never Heard Of (they called... [continue]

For a good six years, the mysterious Swoon has been pasting her evocative and eye-catching cut-outs on walls around town, slowly and steadily establishing herself as one of the more intriguing street artists in the game. The work eventually won her gallery showings at prominent venues like Deitch Projects, where she returns Sunday with a solo show at the gallery's Long Island City satellite. The installation is part of a bigger, collective project called... [continue]

Garrison Spik, the winner of this year's Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest, hails from Washington State, but chose New York for a starring role in his parody. The competition, in which contestants endeavor to pen the most cringe-worthy opening sentence to a non-existent novel, is named for Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, the 19th-century English writer whose novel Paul Clifford opens with the sentence: “It was a dark and stormy night.” Spik's stinker reads thus: "Theirs was... [continue]

During the Olympics, Graffiti Research Lab founder James Powderly was detained in Beijing for, essentially, supporting the Tibetan people who have been brutally repressed by the Chinese government for decades. He told us that "as a graffiti writer all I can think to do is go sneak out at night and get busted." This week he was released early and sent back to the U.S. with others he was being held with, and he told... [continue]

Yesterday we noted that the Highbridge Park path was unveiled after undergoing a $4.2 million makeover. The High Bridge, which the has been closed for around 30 years, will undergo a $60 million renovation and will reopen as a pedestrian bridge. The bridge connects Manhattan and the Bronx and is located at 174th and Amsterdam Ave in Highbridge Park in Manhattan and at West 170th, University Avenue & Highbridge in the Bronx. Besides the access... [continue]

It's time to update everyone about Chunk, the full-figured feline who was embraced by the media this summer. While the cat was supposedly adopted, the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports his new family is in a "contract squabble" with the Camden County Animal Shelter. The shelter wants the Damiani family to sign a "special contract...[that] could require mandated public appearances by the feline. Any money generated by those appearances, or because of Chunk's fame, may go... [continue]

MOVIE: If you have at least one creepy child in your horror film, it'll definitely up the ante. The Shining has a few, and is definitely one of the scariest movies of all time. Tonight, sit in the dark amongst strangers and watch the classic Stanley Kubrick film! Spooky. 6 p.m. // Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, DUMBO // Free BIKE: What better way to get to The Shining than a nice bike ride over the... [continue]

Angie Pontani and her "world famous sisters" are arguably the brightest stars in the city's booming burlesque scene; or at least the most recognizable to mainstream audiences who don't spend much time at the Slipper Room. Pontani is currently starring in a funny/sexy revue she co-wrote with incorrigible cut-up Murray Hill, who emcees the evening. Called This is Burlesque, the two-act extravaganza tap-dances along a fine line between unrepentantly ribald humor and classy, atavistic... [continue]

On a few blocks of Keap Street in Williamsburg yesterday it was 1973. No it wasn’t a highly localized distortion of the space time continuum, but the US version of Life on Mars filming. The show, based on the brilliant BBC show of the same name, will follow NYPD Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) who wakes up in 1973 after a car accident and has to deal with 1970s policing techniques and an old style... [continue]

Young New York-based band The Virgins, who presumably picked their name with the untapped jihadist demographic in mind, play sweaty yet tightly-coiled garage rock that recalls a dirtier, pre-Interpol era. They've been generating buzz through relentless touring in the U.S. and Europe, and the single off their self-titled debut album, "Rich Girls," has been on Gossip Girl and a bunch of other shows we won't cop to watching. (Hear it on their MySpace page.)... [continue]

A small hotel chain that got some ink spilled about it last year in The NY Times, The Ace Hotel, will now bring its charm to New York. They're currently setting up shop at 29th and Broadway, and bringing a Stumptown Coffee (a favorite amongst Pacific Northwesters) with it. The grand opening will be in Winter 08/09, and it will come with a new restaurant from the people behind The Spotted Pig. The Ace tell... [continue]

Every article you'll read about Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson mentions what a tough life he's had...and he has. From addiction to homelessness, you can hear the experience of rock-bottomness in his voice. The likes of Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor and TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone were amongst those who recognized his talent, and have helped him record his material. He'll be hitting the road soon, but you can catch him at Music Hall of... [continue]

This summer the Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Trucks (there are two now) have successfully elbowed their way into New York City's booming "dessert truck" market by peddling a creamy, gourmet ice cream that makes Kool Man look like Fool Man. Made with meticulously sourced ingredients and an emphasis on sustainability (the ice cream comes in cups produced from Bagasse, a chemical-free fiber made from sugar cane; the spoons are made from cornhusks), it's a dessert... [continue]

Some classic cars from popular culture are on display at Long Island's Cradle of Aviation Museum. The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters, the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard, and K.I.T.T. from the original Knight Rider series are among the souped up vehicles to be seen. George Barris, the famous car customizer who transformed a Ford concept car into the Batmobile for the 1960s TV show (it's also on display), is hoping to create an Autoseum... [continue]

Photos by Spencer T Tucker/NYC.gov Late New York composer and Broadway writer Richard Rodgers became world-renowned, but as The NY Post notes, "never forgot his Harlem roots." Yesterday his family donated $1 million to restore the neglected bandshell at Marcus Garvey Park, and as Bloomberg reminded everyone at a press conference--Rodgers also donated the original funds (to the tune of $150,000) to build the facility in 1970. The city has also put forth $4... [continue]

Is there anything this city won't do for renaissance man David Byrne? The former Talking Head has been helping out with the DOT's search for new bike rack designs, and recently got inspired to sketch some imaginary bike racks named for New York neighborhoods and locations. Then, voila; David's dream is manifest, as he explains on his blog: "To my surprise, [the DOT] responded by saying, 'If you make these we'll put them up.' Holy... [continue]

Starting this September the History Channel will be airing their new series, Sandhogs. The eleven episodes will focus on the people and the projects that maintain New York City's infrastructure, from the past to the present. They say, "For more than 150 years, a legendary band of mostly unknown urban miners has toiled in obscurity far below the streets of New York. They are the builders of water and sewage tunnels, subway systems and bridge... [continue]

Images courtesy of the New York Historical Society. The New York Historical Society has brought a couple of paintings out to the streets. The mini installation of sorts is comprised of their portraits (replicas, of course) of Abraham Lincoln and Peter Cooper; both are currently on display at the Astor Place Triangle. They note the significance of the location, saying "the Astor Place Triangle stands directly opposite The Cooper Union: the distinguished school established... [continue]

Last month chef Michael White and his business partner Chris Cannon opened Convivio in the space formerly occupied by L'Impero, which White took over after the abrupt departure of chef Scott Conant (who has since opened Scarpetta). Where L'Impero was perceived by some as stuffy and overly formal (Times critic Frank Bruni said it evoked "the upholstered interior of a very large coffin"), Convivio aims for a more casual, though still elegant, atmosphere, with "burnt... [continue]

Richard Sandler, a New York documentarian, has sent along some photographs from his decade-spanning collection. Sandler will also be screening two of his documentaries about the city later this month. The first, Brave New York (watch online), "is a free form documentary that loosely chronicles the last 12 years of intense change in the East Village. From the reopening of a newly curfewed Tompkins Square Park to the destruction of the cherished Loisaida Community Gardens,... [continue]