Quest for the Lost Ark (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., History Channel) Tudor Parfitt looks more like Jeremy Clarkson than Harrison Ford, but he is a real life Indiana Jones. This History Channel documentary special traces his search for the Ark of the Covenant – the same thing the fictional Indy searched for in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also of note this Weekend: George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya (Saturday, 10:00 p.m., HBO) It is hard......

Last June Scientific American took a look at a human-less New York, a vision that was fairly on par with how the city was portrayed in I Am Legend. Now it's The History Channel's turn to jump on board the post-apocalyptic train, their show Life Without People will premiere this Monday (at 9pm). The scene is eerily similar to how Chernobyl looks after decades without human inhabitants. The show's site tells us: "Abandoned skyscrapers......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., HBO) A look at America's favorite insult comic and last surviving member of the “Rat Pack”, the octogenarian Don Rickles from director John Landis. Everyone from Chris Rock to Bob Newhart to Clint Eastwood to Sidney Poitier talk about the comic. 1968 (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., History Channel) 1968 was a turbulent and tragic year and Tom Brokaw not......

We hope all of you, whether you have stayed in the city or have traveled to spend the holiday with loved ones, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. While, for many people, Thanksgiving is about the bounty of food, football games, or the start of the holiday shopping season, it's also a good opportunity to appreciate your life. The History Channel has an extensive website about the history of Thanksgiving (with video). Scholastic's school-children-targeted......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Nature: Silence of the Bees (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WNET 13; Wednesday 8:00 p.m., WLIW 21) The long running PBS nature series Nature takes a look at the recent decline in the honey bee population and the possible consequences of it. Masterpiece Theatre: The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13) The story of a supermarket manager becomes Prime Minister continues with Mrs. Pritchard facing some hard......

A look at some of this week's noteworthy television: Desperate Housewives (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WABC 7) A homosexual male couple moves into Wisteria Lane and wackiness ensues. Masterpiece Theatre: The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WNET 13) In this 6 part series, Jane Horrocks plays a British supermarket manager who is dissatisfied with the political hacks who are gunning to be Prime Minister and decides to mount her own campaign. BBC 1 aired it......

Today is Columbus Day, which means that your employer is probably not giving you the day off (according to the Society for Human Resources Management) but many government offices and schools are closed. The stock market is open, some banks are closed while others are open, and alternate side of the street parking is suspended. Here's a list of closures, but this sort-of-holiday is confusing. And, of course, there is steady opposition to Columbus Day......

Why leave all the disaster scenarios to Hollywood or non-fiction TV programming (like the scary East Coast Tsunami program on the History Channel)? New York City, along with the Rockefeller Foundation and Architecture for Humanity New York has created a design competition for "Post-Disaster Provisional Housing." According to the What If NYC website, the Big Apple is considered among the top three cities in the United States vulnerable to the destructive effects of storm......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Secrets of New York: New York's Firsts: Pioneering Moments (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., WNYE 25) Kelly Choi takes a look at some New York firsts. White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Monday, 7:30 p.m. HBO) To commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the first bombing of civilian targets with nuclear weapons at Hiroshima, HBO airs this look at the two deadly attacks through archival footage and......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., HBO) A television adaptation of the 1970 book about America's 19th Century ethnic cleansing of Native Americans. We think that this deserves a miniseries instead of a 135 minute movie to bring the story justice. The Blair Decade (Sunday, 9:00, WLIW 21) A look back on the career of Tony Blair, his rise to power and the bad......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation (Sunday, 9:00 p.m., WNBC 4) A look back at SNL in the 1990s with clips and interviews with former cast members. The Mormons (Sunday 9:00 p.m., WLIW 21) If you missed it last week on WNET, here is your chance to take a watch at this two part look at the Mormons which is a collaboration of two......

A look at some noteworthy television programs this week: Nature: Dogs That Changed The World: The Rise of the Dog (Sunday, 8:00 p.m. WNET 13; Wednesday, 9:00 p.m., WLIW 21) The first of a two part look at man's best friend, the dog. Part one looks at the origins of domesticated dogs and inquires about the theory that links domestication to human's trash. A behind the scenes podcast looking into the challenges of filming dogs......

In its profile of Josh Bernstein, the New York Times description of the televised adventurer's visit to the Explorers Club in Manhattan lacks only female members swooning onto fainting couches as he relates tales of danger to his audience. Indeed, the paper reports that Bernstein's visit to the club occasioned the largest attendance by women in the organization's history. And while he is best known for trekking to far-flung locales, the former host of he......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: The 49th Annual Grammy Awards (Sunday, 8:00 p.m. WCBS 2) The reunion of The Police will most likely be the highlight of the night. As for the rest of the show. . . 2006 BAFTA Awards (Sunday, 8:00 p.m. BBC America) If you want to watch a better awards show tonight, we suggest British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. Masterpiece Theatre: Dracula (Sunday, 9:00 p.m.......

+ Architecture Research Office's climate change-influenced entry is a finalist for the History Channel's "City of the Future" design contest (right). Flooded pockets of Manhattan are called "Inundation Zones." + 250 Bowery, designed by FLAnk, has a "haunting, post-industrial vibe." The exterior's made of corten. + The battle over Washington Square Park's redesign continues. At issue: Was Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe's verbal promise to make the fountain plaza no less than......

The History Channel is creating a wild, NYC-centric float for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to its press release:Designed to mirror a child's tin wind-up toy, The History Channel float will feature a giant replica of New York City's most famous skyscraper, the Empire State Building. In addition, the float will reveal through its wind-up motion, iconic dates, celebrations and locations, tracing the history of New York City. Through the artistry of......

Were you the anonymous bidder who got the model of the Starship Enterprise at the Christie's auction? It's okay - your $576,000 secret is safe with us. The auction brought in double what Christie's had expected, with certain items going for well over than what was previously estimated. For instance, Captain Jean-Luc Picard's chair sold for $52,000 (original estimate $9,000). The entire sale brought in over $7.1 million, proving that Star Trek fans still......

Gothamist has been sucked in to the History Channel's documentaries about the gangs of New York recently. Being history buffs, we want to learn more, but how do we do that without having to watch the Scorsese film again (which omitted a lot of facts)? With the Big Onion Walking Tours! The "Official" Gangs of New York Tour A tour exploring the legends and lore of Five Points and Herbert Asbury’s 1928 classic The Gangs......

You might find the History Channel's reenactments of various moments of history scary, creepy, or trippy (the Barbarians series was off the hook), but they are definitely informative. This week, the HC is tackling the Conquest of America, with appearances by Bering, Coranado, and more, but Gothamist is most interested in an Englishman named Henry Hudson whose extensive travels in our part of the country have made sure that the estuary we know as the......

It's St. Patrick's Day, the day when New Yorkers are greeted by the sight of green bagels. Today's parade starts at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street at 11AM, and goes north to 86th Street. However, some firefighters will be protesting the decision not to allow firefighters to wear green berets during the parade by standing on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; another group protesting the parade is the Irish Lesbian and......

It's some people's favorite holiday, but for some others, it's a bane: Valentine's Day is once again. If you're in a relationship, take the opportunity to enjoy some candy and cards - just be nice to each other! NY magazine has a guide to Valentine's Day. And if you're single, enjoy some candy and give someone else a card - just be nice to people, it's just one day of the year when all......

The City is embarking on an enormous campaign to not only brand the city, but to market it as well. The City has asked companies to present their best ideas for NYC-licensed products, so the city can reap the financial windfall (think about all the NYPD and FDNY gear out there) and also control the quality of goods that have that special NYC imprimatur. In the grand tradition of the iffy Snapple deal and the......

Gothamist likey: New York City has struck up a partnership with The History Channel where the cable channel will, among other things, give NYC about $15 million in national advertising (to promote tourism), commit $3.5 million to preserving buildings and landmarks, and create $1 million in programming. What The History Channel gets in return is being the sponsor of this program and free media space at bus shelters and the like. Now, Gothamist is wary......

Gothamist wishes all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are thankful for quite a few things - funny pictures of Mayor Bloomberg, a really good sandwich, passing Law & Order on-the-street sets, secret music shows, people who let us pet their dogs. Most of all, we're happy we've made many so many friends, new and old, that we've made through the site (new contributors, readers) who teach us new things and encourage us to......

Please help me. My mom wants to have a themed Thanksgiving, and instructed everyone from my grandmother to baby cousin to dress up in Pilgrim outfits for the big dinner. Being a New Yorker, I wear a lot of black, but sure as heck don't want to wear a silly hat and put buckles on my shoes. How do I get out of this? I love my family, but this is just crazy. Miles......

It's Valentine's Day, where red, pink and hearts have infiltrated 75% of stores' windows in the city. The Post talks with some Valentine's Day objectors, but Gothamist is over complaining about how commercialized Valentine's Day is because (a) we're way too good at it and (b) our basic stance now is that any holiday that involves candy must be all right (hello, marked down Valentine's candy tomorrow!). Truly, the only thing worthy of our......

Martin Scorsese has produced and narrated a documentary about the Statue of Liberty that will air tomorrow night, January 15, on the History Channel. "Lady by the Sea," will be part of a commercial-free, three hour block of programming devoted to the Statue of Liberty, in an effort to raise the $5 million need to reopen the monument. The Statute of Liberty has been closed since September 11, 2001, due to security financing and other......