What will you be doing when you turn 95? Not, most likely, performing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, which is what the ageless Frederic Franklin is doing this week, appearing in the small but dramatically pivotal role of Friar Laurence in American Ballet Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet.

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Mike Sacks has lived the dream of practically every comedy nerd. For his book And Here’s The Kicker—released today—Sacks had extensive conversations (between five and 15 hours) with 21 of America’s top humor writers.

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Whether you’ve solved a Rubik’s cube or simply moved the colorful squares around in a passionate frenzy, it’s hard to deny the addictive quality of the classic 3-by-3 puzzle. Next week, Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik could top his creation with the release os a new toy—his first in 30 years—called the Rubik’s 360.

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Surprise! Even the Roman Catholic Church is feeling the pinch. For the first time ever, 80-year-old Vatican Radio is airing commercials in order to stay in action.

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Nothing says summer like the return of the dreadlocked crust punks who take up residence on corners of the East Village and, increasingly, Williamsburg. Recognizable by their dogs, Crass patches and penchant for picking up cigarette butts from the street, these lovable freegan scamps are as much a part of the season as blackouts and to-go margaritas. So why is the man hassling them?

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Mere days after the sudden death of the eccentric pop legend, Grub Street reports that bars in the East Village are already planning a way to celebrate his legacy with binge drinking.

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It’s not difficult to see how quickly the Bowery is becoming gentrified. The past few years have seen new restaurants, bars, salons, apartments and oh, the giant luxury Bowery Hotel that sits almost on top of tenements. If the latter isn’t a clear enough sign of gentrification, try this on for size.

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Move over Robin… The new issue of Peter David's X-Factor might feature the first ever guy on guy kiss in a superhero comic.

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Pina Bausch, the acclaimed dancer and choreographer, is reportedly dead at 68. Bausch had recently been diagnosed with cancer, but she had continued to work and the death was "unexpected," according to the director of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, which Bausch founded in 1973. Although criticized by ballet traditionalists, Bausch's inventive dance-theater was also quite visually arresting. It received much wider attention after being featured in Almodovar's Oscar-winning film Talk to Her. Tanztheater Wuppertal was a frequent guest of BAM, and most recently Bausch's Bamboo Blues was part of BAM's Next Wave festival in 2008.

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Some 35 years after she was discovered, Lucy, everyone’s favorite Australopithecus, is making her New York City debut.

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