The Holiday season is in full swing in NYC, with holiday lights in Brooklyn, a giant snow globe in Bryan Park and Chanukah specials for ham. One citizen decided to go vigilante on annoying car alarms, a murder suspect used a fake Asian accent on the stand and a video of a man being beaten up by teenage girls on a subway shocked the city. And we interviewed soon-to-be-leaving-Gawker editor Choire Sicha, who said,......

The "10,000 men: A Call to Action" campaign will get started in earnest on Saturday when they put the first 200 men on the streets. It'll be a field exercise for squad leaders, and apparently they'll also be doing a door-to-door campaign to alert neighbors of the effort. Then they'll be patrolling in South Philadelphia next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening. John Lewis, the suspect in the murder of police officer Chuck Cassidy, was......

A tall, icy glass of our favorite internet junk, just for you. A handy list for frequenters of fast food restaurants like ourselves: The 88 Fast Food Items Most Likely To Kill You. We're pleased to say that most of these are from places we don't ever go to. But we're depressed to see McDonalds' fries and Burger King's chicken fries included. We love those! (Via Sarah) And speaking of unhealthy foods, how about some......

We here at Phillyist have been thinking long and hard about resurrecting the Frugal Fun Alert. For one, many of us used it regularly to plan our outings, especially on weeknights, and we’re basically self-serving creatures. For another, we’ve gotten lots of feedback from readers that they miss it and want it back. And, frankly, it was an awesome post containing info we should provide. But it’s a post that requires a lot of attention,......

We're a little narcissistic. We have a Google News Alert set up to tell us anytime anyone mentions Phillyist on the internets. Usually, it's just a fleeting reference (like a "fleeting expletive," we suppose) to us on someone else's blog – quite often another -Ist blog. So imagine our surprise last night while we were sitting on the sofa watching a backlogged episode of Ugly Betty on our DVR and GMail told us that......

At 12:30 this afternoon, the organization Moms Against Guns will bring its message to the masses from a stage in Love Park. Lynne Korman Honickman, local philanthropist and founder of the organization, was told she'd be "spinning her wheels" if she tried to galvanize women across the state to express their outrage over our appalling rate of gun violence, particularly that against children. This afternoon's rally is the organization's official kick-off; there is already......

Warning: Possible spoiler alert. Rendition is the kind of movie that has Conservatives in Washington screaming about Liberal Hollywood. It takes its name from the policy of extraordinary rendition, or torture by proxy, as many critics refer to it. In short, and in no uncertain terms (at least according to the film), extraordinary rendition is bad, bad, bad – but just to prevent from pissing too many Conservatives off, the film is sure to......

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King, and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out......

Remember earlier this year when Center City criminal defense lawyer Larry Charles was found naked with a partially dressed 14-year-old girl at the Criminal Justice Center? How could you forget, right? Well, his trial begins today at 9AM in Common Pleas Court. University of Pennsylvania sophomore "Anne Ryan, 19, was hospitalized Saturday afternoon in critical condition, and died early yesterday morning" of meningococcal meningitis. Penn has therefore issued a health alert for those who were......

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked......

As part of an inspection for damage, some vaults have been opened - for the first time in a very long time - at Christ Church Burial Ground at Fifth and Arch Streets, "the resting place of more than 4,000 prominent Philadelphians, including Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence." The vaults look quite a bit different than expected, and new sketches will have to be drawn. The PA budget......

We're just going to get right to the point this week. The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville is hosting its annual showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show this Saturday at 10 PM. Tickets are on sale now, so get your fishnets and your best bustier ready to do the time warp. Again. As if that were not enough to convince you that the Colonial is a national treasure, consider this: they're also hosting a screening......

If you, like Phillyist, depend on XPN's live stream to entertain you during the long work day, you're in for what might be a sign of things to come today. XPN, along with other radio stations that simulcast their broadcasts and many webcasters, is participating in the Internet Radio Day of Silence. Why would they do such a thing? Do they want to torture us? No. But the Copyright Royalty Board does. A recent......

Negotiations are over, and the Delaware River will now indeed be dredged and the channel deepened, which means the Delaware River Port Authority board can finally meet again after 17 months (Rendell had refused to call a meeting of the board until the dispute was settled). Philadelphia corrections officer Christopher Davidson has been arrested after going on a crazy rampage on an ATV in East Germantown on Tuesday evening. He drove all over a......

Lucky for you, rockers, Sea Wolf is making a stop in the Illadelph-I-A. Don’t confuse this Sea Wolf with the Jack London novel. Believe me. The call of the wild (Pun alert! Pun alert!) Sea Wolf will be pouring out of the Trocadero on Monday evening. Alex Church, the multi-instrumentalist solely responsible for Sea Wolf, is going to bang your head like a gong and satiate your need for some silver sun (the Pickup variety).......

A steaming hot pile of our favorite things from around the internets. Extra, extra! Google cares a lot less about the First Amendment than we thought. Think those squirrels you see frolicking in the park are adorable and harmless? Not in Denver, where apparently, they're carrying the plague. On this day ten years ago? Computer Deep Blue Something (how 1997 can you get?!) beats its human opponent in tournament-level chess. In what's surely an attempt......

We're sorry. The 'Nobody puts Baby in a corner' crack was just too obvious, even for us. Want to feel old? Dirty Dancing, the movie every girl watched at every sleepover in elementary school, the movie every older brother still has memorized against his will, is TWENTY YEARS OLD this week. TWENTY. We remember being fifteen and finally figuring out (spoiler alert!) that Penny was pregnant. We think we must have thought she had food......

By now we're sure you've all heard about the terrible mass murder at Virginia Tech. Here's the Inquirer's article on the subject, and here's DCist's. The consensus on our recent storm? It could have been worse! The flooding wasn't as bad as feared. A Mount Airy firefighter who happens to also be a rapper said he wanted to "turn pigs into bacon bits" in one of his songs. The Fraternal Order of Police asked him......

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment. Sunday was April Fool's Day, and although we were nice enough not to pull any fast ones on you, there were plenty of gags to go around on the internet. Some of our favorites: Google's free toilet broadband, Freddy Prinze Jr. as the Riddler, ThinkGeek's new products (via; one of them may become a reality!), and finally, Pimps at Sea, which......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. A brilliant fan submission to the Grindhouse trailer contest: Hobo with a Shotgun. (As you might expect, it's rather bloody, and there's some profanity.) And while we're talking Grindhouse trailers, it looks like one of the ones in the movie is going to become its own direct-to-DVD film: Machete. It will be made by Robert Rodriguez and star......

This suburban Phillyist was felled by the twin terrors of a flooded basement and strep throat (no, really. We're loving March so far) Friday night, and couldn't venture into the city to catch Local Boy Making Good Matt Duke's show at the World Café Live. Fortunately for us, Sister of Phillyist is both a Drexel student and a total Matt Duke fangirl, so she agreed to cover the show for us. What follows is her......

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, Phillyist co-editor Star C. Foster, passed away early in the week. Her wit, intelligence, and good nature shone through the site, making Phillyist an immensely fun read. She was loved by many and will be missed by all. Phillyist paid tribute to her this week with a heartfelt letter to her and an obituary. And now, the awkward......

The Philadelphia School District has cut the 175 administrative positions they said they were going to, in order to help fix their budget. All told, this meant 81 layoffs. Obviously, most folks weren't happy about it. Did the Feds steal money from the family of a late Center City jeweler? That's what the family is claiming. An amber alert abduction case was quickly and happily resolved yesterday, thanks to swift police action and a......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Admit it: you've got a weapon or valuable that's just crying to be hidden inside a hollowed out book. Well, what are you waiting for? Make one! (Via) The Regal Cinemas theater chain are going to start providing remote alert devices to select customers who will be able to use them to alert the staff of problems at......

Update: A few more sites have been added, and a few other fixes have been made. The -ists this week had politics on the brain. And what goes better with politics than partying? That's two great tastes in one. Oh, and Kevin Federline...can't forget about Kevin Federline. That's three great tastes in one. -Bostonist discussed two big state issues-- what sort of math constitutes a marriage and what kind of alcohol can be sold......

Somehow, the world of -ists managed to make it through the week despite news that Jen & Vince broke up. -Chicagoist had fall on their mind as they made squash and fudge, read "House of Leaves" and ">tried to figure out what's next for the Cubs. Not fall related, but still of utmost concern, the whole skinny black pants thing. -Torontoist fought off an evil scourge of raccoons and went to go see who......

The shapeless dough of the internet, formed into tasty pellets and baked to perfection, just for you. Wendy's Training video rap! So awful and mind-destroying, we had to pass it on to you. (Via) Wil Wheaton is reviewing old episodes of ST:TNG on TV Squad now?! That's so awesome. And don't worry, he pulls no punches. He's particularly brutal when speaking about one Ensign Wesley Crusher... (Via) The trailer for Flags of Our Fathers (Eastwood's......

Today's the day the art commission is meant to decide whether or not Rocky's effigy can hang out near the Art Museum steps. If yes, it'll be installed on Friday, if no, then, well, the media will be able to drag this issue out all that much longer. (Seriously - Phillyist doesn't think there was this much press when "The Scream" was found.) The Daily News is taken to task by Newsbusters for their......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: ALL WEEKEND LONG: Free music all weekend at Penn's Landing, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Buckweat Zydeco and (someone alert all our local McDonald's restaurants) Ashlee Simpson, among others. More info on the Penn's Landing Corporation's website. FRIDAY: Beach Party (sans beach): This month's Sex Dwarf is all about the beach. Go in your "best retro beachwear" and dance the New Wave night away. At Fluid Nightclub (614 S.......

- The fire that burned in Fairmount Park church Eden Hall Chapel is believed to have been intentionally set. - A decomposing body was recently discovered in Old City, right on the heels of a body being found in South Philly. -This Phillyist works out in Bala Cynwyd, and has been witness to the slow-but-steady demolition of the old Adam's Mark Hotel, so we were especially disturbed to hear that a worker was trapped in......