Features

Notes on New York’s Celebrity Infestation

A guide�map included�to locating the celebrities who’ve been migrating eastward in such large numbers that casually pretending not to notice them is becoming a full-time job.
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• NY Paparazzi's Greatest Hits

The Family Astor

Last week’s lawsuit seemed to leap out of nowhere into the headlines. But in the Astor clan, the bitter estrangement of otherwise functional parents and children is old news.

An Ordinary Murder

The story of a tragically typical �staredown� in East New York�and why trying to prevent random-confrontation homicides makes stopping gang violence look easy.

Intelligencer

Spitzer Chokes on Pot Deal

Medical-weed activists thought he’d legalize it.

Guantánamo-to-Go

Kerik’s new jail could be in Jordan.

Accused Pedophile Rabbi Still Go-Carting

Many boys nearby.

Pirro Unrecognized as Horsey-Set VIP

They’d have known Hillary.

The Police War on the Scooter Menace

Veni, vidi, Vespas.

Frenemy Mine

In a week when the U.S. was useless in stopping the fighting in Lebanon and New Yorkers sweated helplessly through a record heat wave, no one was above seeking support from improbable quarters.

What Makes Jared Run?

A Gen-Y overachiever bets he can turn a profit on a money-losing weekly newspaper. He says he�s used to being underestimated.

Flying Saucers

The connection between sweltering heat and 300-pound cast-iron discs hurtling through the summer air.

Salad Days

The rise of a lettuce-based midtown meat market.

Funny Business

What’s the deal with empty comedy clubs?

Strategist

Best Bets

An old-school bleach substitute, a silent blender, and other hot buys.

Shop News

Napapijri Opens on Mercer Street this week.

Ask a Shop Clerk

Alberto Bruchi of Scooter Bottega.

Look Book Meets the Tourists

Checking out the fashions on visitors from Malibu, Milan, and more.

The Restaurant Review

Two new �brasseries,� unoriginal but dissimilar, and not entirely unenjoyable.

In Season

Tia Pol chef Alex Raij’s Stuffed Avocado Squash.

Cold Tomato

Draining ground tomatoes through cheesecloth to make crystal-clear, intensely sweet tomato water is a rite of passage for the contemporary chef.

Open for Business

Fall is the season for restaurant openings, but these new places have a jump on the competition.

Caveat Realtor

At the high end of the market, fake buyers are a real problem.

The Culture Pages

Summer of Streep

The intimidating skill of "Mother Courage" star Meryl Streep.

Sticking Her Neck Out

Discussing the life, times, and cosmetic enhancements of Nora Ephron.

The Movie Review

Oliver Stone’s 9/11 film is tasteful, gripping, and a little beside the point.

The Almodóvar Octet

To hype Pedro Almodóvar’s new fall movie, Volver, Sony is presenting �Viva Pedro�� a retrospective of eight films, beginning August 11. Which ones should you run to see?

Beirut: The Band

How a 20-year-old blogosphere star is dealing with massive hype, brutal flops, and a suddenly awkward name.

New York Sound

From abandoned pool to Bloc Party venue.

The Approval Matrix

Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.

Columns

The Power Grid

Iraq was supposed to trigger a democratic chain reaction in the Middle East. Instead�see the missiles over Haifa�the tumbling is going backward.

Mating

What your facial hair is really saying.

The Week

What’s Old Is New

Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival unveils four premieres to mark the composer’s 250th birthday and its own 40th.

Designs for Seeing

An only�in�New York mix of four inventive shows.

Taming a Raucous Circus

Spiegeltent goes multigenerational.

Fringe-Worthy

Promising picks from the annual FringeNYC festival, which returns with over 200 companies performing new, multidisciplinary work.

Departments

Letters to the Editor