"Sayid" (center) was pulled on stage for his eponymous ballad

Previously on Lost
Bell House
Sunday, May 24

This is "the most important night of your life, the most anticipated night of human history" recap-rock band Previously on Lost announces to the sold-out crowd at Bell House. It's around 8pm on Sunday night, an hour before the hugely anticipated final episode of Lost is scheduled to air. There's a Christmas Eve-like atmosphere resonating from the audience, all anticipation and nerves as they prepare for the end. But first, the band is here, like a gang of perfectly rehearsed hype men, to pump them up, and remind them why they chose to pay 10 bucks to hunker down in metal folding chairs for the momentous occasion.

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A work of art

Artist Justin Lowe is recreating CBGB's storied--and legendarily foul--bathroom as a full-scale installation at the Wadsworth Atheneum. If you've never heard of this particular venue, it's probably because it is located in our bad-ass neighbor to the Northeast, the punk-rock hotbed of Hartford, Connecticut. Why Connecticut, you ask? Lowe tells the Wall Street Journal that he chose the Atheneum because he felt the piece was tied to the museum's surrealist history (Dali used to hang out there).

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"It's just penises, lots of penises," is how the bartender at Williamsburg's Legion explained Chatroulette to a curious patron last night. Every Monday at the spot, there's now a weekly gathering of karaoke lovers with a taste for free drinks and naked dudes with webcams. But last night, at the event's supposed start time of 10pm, there was a lone woman sitting in the back room of the Metropolitan Avenue establishment, seemingly unaware that anything else was supposed to be happening. So by 11:30, we left. But Twitter informs us that at some point last night at least one person performed karaoke live on Chatroulette and we missed it. The evening's overall success was questionable though--as @EmmaStory suggests, "A bigger bar with more qualified nerds needs to steal the karaoke chat roulette idea." We can only hope those serenades were offered up to frequent Chatroulette lurkers: the lonely old guy, the entire high school party, the dude in a superhero mask, the indoor sunglasses douche, Justin Beiber, the Jonas brothers, and of course a vast selection of penises. Ben Folds, we hardly knew ye.

If this doesn't say it all, don't know what does

Wyclef's Yele charity has recently drawn a firestorm of criticism, but he's not the only musical figure trying to mobilize folks and funds on behalf of Haiti. There's also an impressive number of benefit concerts and music events happening in the city over the next few weeks, plus a series of ongoing efforts from the likes of Lady Gaga to Clipse to Blink-182. Our exhaustive round-up of the ways artists are attempting to involve their fans, and the general public, in the relief effort, be it downloading a new song (or a great cover of an old one), buying a custom T-shirt, or sending that ever-so-simple text message. Did we miss something? Kindly leave it in the comments.

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"[My mom's] fried chicken would literally put on tennis shoes and run the fuck into your mouth."

Semi-retired rapper Coolio just released a new cookbook, Cookin' with Coolio, a hilarious guide to becoming what he's deemed a "ghetto gourmet," or at least, "a kitchen pimp." Filled with recipes like "Tricked-out Westside Tilapia" and "Drunk-Ass Chicken," the book won't just introduce you to some delicious, budget-friendly recipes straight out of Compton, it'll change the way you think, and perhaps more importantly, talk about cooking. Coolio and his A.C.P.--that's Assistant Chef Pimp, Jarez, who's also his cousin--embrace an old-school style of home cooking, but in a brand new language of faux-gangsta lingo. You may need to reference our supplementary glossary ("Ghettalian," "Pimptry") to cook anything, but just about anyone can enjoy this culinary wisdom, courtesy of Coolio, who we also interviewed here. Not bad for a guy whose last major appearance in the headlines was a crack-cocaine arrest last spring.

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We recently published Voice's Best of NYC issue, our annual opportunity to bestow arbitrary awards like Best Way to Watch Smutty Movies and Best Erotic Bloodletting. In turn, we asked a few of our favorite New Yorkers to name their favorite local things.

Ugh, sorry. That's the flyer.

Sir Loins, Go-Karff, and A. Martini don't like any of the gay bars in the city, so they created their own night, QxRxBx (Queers, Beers, and Rears), a glam-rock night that started at the Cyn Lounge in Williamsburg. Since relocated to the Cake Shop, the party takes place one Saturday a month and just earned the distinction "Best Gay Hipster Rock Party" in the Voice. As such, we asked Sir Loins to name a few of his favorite things about NYC.

Best gay bar?

Oh shit... Are there any good ones anymore? Ok, Nowhere Bar. Coincidentally, the name sums up our opinion of this question.

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We recently published the Voice's Best of NYC issue, our annual opportunity to bestow arbitrary awards like Best Rapper Twitter Feed and Best Radio DJ. In turn, we asked a few of our favorite New Yorkers to name their favorite local things.

Dan de Lara may hail from the forgotten borough, but the music blogger and DJ knows at least one semi-secret Manhattan bar. His favorite venue, music critic, and DJ are far more well-known, but one thing he shares that's not: an actual reason to go Staten Island.

Most underappreciated thing about Staten Island?

Brother's Pizza. Most amazing grandma slice and chicken roll. It is all about their marinara sauce. I can drink it alone.

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This week is the Voice's Best of NYC issue, our annual opportunity to bestow arbitrary awards like Best Fledgling Local Rock-Star Cheat Sheet and Best Literally Underground Cabaret Show. In turn, we asked a few of our favorite New Yorkers to name their favorite local things.

Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has headlined Carnegie Hall and Radio City, but even he isn't immune to dog owners who don't pick up after their animals. He is, however, quite susceptible to short answers.

Worst public place to pass out?

Smack dab in the middle of Times Square.

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Last week, we put out the Voice's Best of NYC issue, our annual opportunity to bestow arbitrary awards like Best Buskers Dressed as Animals and Best Film Festival. In turn, we asked a few of our favorite New Yorkers to name their favorite local things.

Cary Conover

Amy Winehouse at Joe's Pub in 2007.

As director of Joe's Pub, Shanta Thake has seen her fair share of live theatre and music. So it's no wonder she picked our winners for Best Buskers Dressed as Animals, Xylopholks, as her favorite New York street performer.

Best dive bar?

Whiskey Ward. Great crowd, great jukebox. Although avoid it at all costs on the weekend.

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This week is the Voice's Best of NYC issue, our annual opportunity to bestow arbitrary awards like Best Rock Club and Best '90s Musical Hero Holding Out Scruffily in Brooklyn. In turn, we asked a few of our favorite New Yorkers to name their favorite local things.

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Jennifer Gilson and Steve Rosenthal run LES institution the Living Room and The Magic Shop Recording Studios. They have a funny story about the worst place to pass out in public.

Best dive bar?

Mars Bar on First and Second Avenue. I used to live right down the street and it usually has a good mix of artists, lost tourists, and homeless.

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