Intelligencer

Piano Man + Uptown Girl = Alexa Ray Joel!

Piano Girl debuts at the Cutting Room, in front of proud parents.

The Specter of Hillary Haunts Wannabe Gifford Miller

Could being too close to Hillary hurt a New York Democrat?

Starstruck Ex-Con Money Manager Rockin’ in the Free World

Former money manager to the stars Dana Giacchetto is staging a comeback - as a rockstar.

Starstruck Ex-Con Money Manager Rockin’ in the Free World

Former money manager to the stars Dana Giacchetto is staging a comeback - as a rockstar.

NYU Film School Networking Crisis

Cinematographers unite!

Bank Branch Crushes Restaurant

UWS Nick & Toni’s to be replaced by ATMs?

Secret Santa

A week of macabre and just weird holiday happenings in New York City.

The Bear Necessities

In the cold, dark forests of New Jersey, Dean Goldberg faced his fear�the fear of no bears.

Identity Crisis

New state regulations will make it a felony for many therapists to call themselves therapists. Anyone up for getting on the couch with an �emotional educator�?

Greener Than Thou

O tannenbaum, o tannenbaum, thy faithful leaves organic.

Strategist

Best Bets

Colorful caviar, a football for the sports-impaired, and more.

Shop News

Store openings this week.

Ask a Shop Clerk

Vivian Verlaan of Kate's Paperie.

Sales & Bargains
This week's hottest sales & bargains.

Look Book

A self-described �living sculpture� with leopard-spotted hair.

Foray

A triumphal afternoon in Soho with Dolce & Gabbana.

New Year's

A ten-point plan for a ragin’ all-nighter.

In Season

How to prepare the traditional Christmas Eve eel.

Ask Gael

I wouldn’t mind a dose of vintage hotel classic.

Restaurant Openings & Buzz

Week of Dec. 19, 2005: Del Posto, Dani, Spiga, and Agnanti Meze.

Bring Out the Bubbly

Toast the New Year at one of these swank new champagne bars.

Hangover Helpers

Forget the hair of the dog: Ease the pain on January 1 with a big bowl of soup.

Real Estate

Estate Even stately old buildings feel the pressure to pay for sleek, buyer-luring lobbies.

The Culture Pages

The Defector

Budding London auteur Woody Allen didn’t abandon New York�New York abandoned him.

Movie Review

Three big-budget tales with artistic aspirations: a slow King Kong, Steven Spielberg’s successfully cerebral Munich, and a Terrence Malick epic that swings between beauty and tedium.

Overheard

What the audience really thought about 'The Chronicles of Narnia.'

The Newcomer: Q'orianka Kilcher

Q&A with the actress.

Beware the Undulating Curve of Shifting Expectations!

Well, it's official: If you haven't yet seen 'Brokeback Mountain,' there's no way you can see it now without being at least a little disappointed.

Theater Review

The historical tragedy of Ireland, condensed into one Eugene O’Neill play.

High-Kicker: Chita Rivera

Q&A with the dancer.

Book Review

A history of literary journalism’s golden age takes an unnecessarily pessimistic view of the future.

Foreign Correspondent: Said Hyder Akbar

Q&A with the author.

TV Review

Why are televised sports commentators so upset about everything?

Watch This Instead

For those of you overmedicated on reruns of Jimmy Stewart, Charlie Brown, and yet another version of 'A Christmas Carol,' here's some alternate holiday viewing.

Repeat After Me

Catchphrases are the new punch lines.

Art Review

Robert Rauschenberg packed a lot of ideas into his strange collages.

Jazz Review

Great new live recordings of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and other jazz greats are just the tip of the bootleg iceberg.

Classical Review

Tobias Picker proves how hard it is to make a novel into an opera the week.

The Approval Matrix

Our deliberately oversimplified guide to 2005.

Columns

The Imperial City

When Hillary lurches rightward, she loses voters on all sides.

The City Politic

Can Tom Suozzi run for governor without seeming like a puppet of Spitzer’s Wall Street enemies?

Departments

Letters to the Editor