Although the proposed redesign to Governors Island won’t be finished until at least 2013, the island’s administrators are coming up with plenty of reasons to pay a visit today. Starting May 31st, the island, which has expansive parks, a full-circle bike path, former military bases and a spectacular view of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, will be open on more days and for longer hours than ever before. And the calendar of concerts and events is......

Photos: AP/David Guttenfelder The New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s historic concert in North Korea concluded hours ago, marking the first performance by an American orchestra in the impoverished, totalitarian nation. The event also marked a first for much of the press, who are routinely denied access to North Korea and, once inside, usually find their movements tightly controlled. The Times has a stunning slideshow of photos snapped en route from the airport to the center of......

Part of the NBC 2.0 philosophy has been to put cheap programming on air as a measure to cut corners and save money. Even before the writers' strike this has meant a string of programs that are “unscripted,” such as cheesy game shows and of course the requisite fakeality nonsense. So taking quarterlife, a Web 2.0 based online show/online community from the creators of thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Once and Again, and sticking it......

Law & Order is back for its eighteenth season and it is back in its traditional home of Wednesday at 10 p.m., although this week we get two hours starting at 9 p.m. and thanks to a stockpile of scripts written ahead of the writers strike, we can expect oodles of new episodes into the spring. Also thanks to the WGA strike, it will be the best thing on television for the for the foreseeable......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a burn victim on East 3rd St. and Beverly Rd. in Brooklyn, a shooting on Francis Lewis Blvd. in Queens, and a burn victim on 103rd St. and Park Ave. in Manhattan. Reps for the New York Philharmonic are investigating a planned appearance of the symphony in North Korea. Those excited by news of a George Clooney sighting in Brooklyn Heights yesterday can just go ahead and get giddy......

Not only is this a hooky idea, it's a classy hooky idea. As a way to celebrate its 166th opening day, the New York Philharmonic is opening its morning dress rehearsal up to the public for free. Here are the details: 9:45AM: FREE Dress Rehearsal. Conducted by Lorin Maazel, with cello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma; free tickets (along with discount coupons for future Philharmonic performances) will be distributed beginning at 8:00AM as the New York Philharmonic......

A look at some noteworthy television this week: The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards (Sunday, 8:00 p.m., WNYW 5) All you have to know is that Ryan Seacrest hosts this years awards. Your decision to view is based on your personal Seacrest tolerance and your need to watch the Yankees vs. Red Sox over on ESPN. Plus you can find out the results on line, so you don’t really have to watch. Mystery! - The Inspector......

Customizing your wedding is standard these days, and wedding planning businesses aren't the only ones who are benefiting. There's been a boom in people applying online to be ordained to officiate friends' and families' weddings. But there's an unexpected catch: Sometimes those Universal Life Church ordinations aren't legal in the county or state where the wedding is being performed! The NY Times has an article about the issues with ordained-online ministers. One couple, a lawyer......

There's a nice story this weekend about a woman who spent 31 years as a cellist with the New York Philharmonic. She will leave the country's oldest orchestra after a September 14th performance, but one could hardly say she is retiring. Nancy Donaruma split her time the last few years between the Philharmonic and classes at an upstate college so she could become a full-time paramedic. She will be working near her home in Poughkeepsie,......

THEATER: System of Units, a performance group from Siberia, begin their site-specific collaboration with the local “interventionist performance group” TRYST outside today starting at 12:00pm, when the temperature will transcend 90°. So if you think it’s stinking hot, just wait ‘til you see how the Siberians hold up in this six-hour performance. Called Security Zone, the two groups will create "a mock construction site that plays with perceptions of labor and public space, expectations of......

Arturo Toscanini's (pictured with Puccini), "maestro di maestri of music", was not only known for his photographic memory and mastery of music - he was also an avid collector of art. The 50th anniversary of his death is approaching, and with it - his private collection of art is on display in an exhibit called "Maestro's Secret Music". Yesterday, around 60 works were previewed from this collection at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. On the......

A look at some noteworthy (and mainly regifted) programs this week: Yule Log (WPIX 11, Monday, 9:00 a.m.) The classic Yule log returns another year on WPIX. This being the 40th Anniversary of the log, channel 11 offers up a one hour special on history at noon, right after this year's showing. If you don't want to wait, they even offer a portable Yule Log for your iPod and The Yule Log.com fan site has......

READING: The New School's wonderful public lectures and reading series are back in swing as the school year revs up, and tonight, the ethereal Mary Gaitskill will discuss her book Veronica (a National Book Award finalist) with moderator Jeffrey Renard Allen. - Krissa Corbett Cavouras 6:30pm // The New School [66 W 12th St, room 510] // $5 THEATER: The Soho Think Tank is legendary for nurturing some of the freshest new work in town.......

Here at Ask Gothamist HQ, we've received tons of questions about fun summer activities, like the recent question about the New York Philharmonic Outdoor Concert Series. Gothamist readers seem to want summer activities that are fun (of course), free or low-cost, and easily accesible without a car. So, Ask Gothamist is glad to present the definitive guide to Summer of Fun 04 (SOF04). Beaches: New York has beaches aplenty, many that are easily reached by......

When is the Philharmonic holding their annual park concerts? Shouldn't that be happening soon? Shauna, Long Island City One of the great things about "summering" in the city are the many free cultural events scheduled throughout New York. So mark your calendars for July 13 - 19. That's when the New York Philharmonic will present Concerts in the Park for what the website tells us is the 40th summer. The concerts kick off on......

I am so glad finally to have someone to ask about this! A couple of years ago, when the new 2/3 trains started running, I noticed a peculiar phenomenon: when their brakes release, the trio of squeaks that sounds forms the opening notes of "Somewhere" from "West Side Story" (you'll hear it if you sing "There's a place..."). I'm certain that I'm not imagining this, because when I was standing on a subway platform on......

The Grammys are over and the winners now get to calling themselves "Grammy-winning." Remember, so is Christopher Cross (sorry, Christopher Cross, you're just too tempting a punchline). So is a deserving Lauryn Hill, but where are you these days Lauryn? We need you. Norah Jones was the big winner of the night, winning the most prestigious categories, Record, Song, and Album of the Year. Bruce Springsteen represented, winning three, and the Dixie Chicks, Eminem,......