In the wake of last weekend's midtown crane accident, New Yorkers pause to share fond memories of Fubar, the local bar that was destroyed in the crash. NY Times

The term drunkorexia--which was recently used by the NY Times to describe the growing number of girls who take the concept of "liquid diet" a bit more literally than the rest of us--is finally catching on. Mediabistro

Down by the Hipster has intel on the soon-to-open bar Antik, located in the Bowery locale formerly occupied by Marion's Marquee. "It is the latest creation from nightlife impresarios Larry Kramer and Craig Koenig, the team behind the rustic-lounge Retreat," they report. DBTH

Anthony Minghella--who directed such films as "The English Patient" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley"--has passed away at the age of 54. Page 6

In a recent article entitled "Checking Up On Your Spring Break Reveler," the New York Times (always ahead of the curve) describes spring break thus:

Spring break can be a stressful time for parents of college students. Not surprisingly, students on spring break outings with friends dramatically increase their alcohol consumption, the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs reported this fall. Last year, the medical journal Chronobiology International published a study tracking patterns of sexually transmitted disease. Among the trends they found were prominent peaks in March and May. The authors speculated these increases could be associated with the sexual activities of young adults during spring break, which commences as early as late February and concludes as late as mid-April.

What's that you say? College students are getting wasted and being promiscuous whilst gallivanting around the tropics? Have they no shame?!

But it gets worse for these irresponsible undergraduates, according to the Times, because now their parental units might be watching in real-time as their precious Lit majors engage in assorted acts of deviousness and debauchery. That's thanks to Earthcam, a free site dedicated to 24-hour live-broadcasting of popular spring break destinations on the web.

I know what you're thinking: "So, in other words, 'Girls Gone Wild' is now available via free live feeds?" Well, not exactly. Says the Times, "The scenes they show are largely uneventful, and the images are transmitted in a choppy, time-lapse format. From time to time rain, ocean mist or nightfall dims the view." So I guess spring break isn't ruined after all--thankfully, since doing whatever it is we've all done on spring break is precisely what prevents people from becoming president 30 years down the line. Oh wait, no it's not!

Don't forget to check out our guide to partying like it's spring break without leaving the Isle of Manhattan.

(Photo borrowed from BreakNow.com)

The Rusty Knot--the new West Village bar conceived by alums of Spotted Pig, Milk and Honey and Freemans--may have opened last night. Or it may be opening this weekend. Or it may be closed. Or whatever. Daily Candy

Two days after the NY Times broke the news that Gov. Eliot Spitzer had engaged in extramarital romps with pricey New York prosties, he has officially stepped down. The torch now falls to Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson, who will make history as the state's first African-American governor. Unfortunately for Paterson, that considerable feat is likely to be outshined in November, when America elects its first black president. NY Times

Is the State Liquor Authority more drunk off its own power than a horny New York governor with a god complex and several thousand an hour to burn? In December, The Observer reported there was beef between Lola--a Cajun-soul-food spot featuring live soul, jazz and gospel music, which relocated from Chelsea to Soho last year--and local anti-bar-sprawl group SoHo Alliance. Now, Lola is ensnared in a battle that may force its closure, after the SLA granted their liquor license and then annulled it, only to have it reinstated on appeal but with a ban on live music, which was permitted under the original license and upon which Lola's livelihood depends. The Villager

So, you need a drink like whoa, but you've got no one to watch the rug rats while you're busy getting tanked. What do you do? Line 'em up--at least for patrons of DUMBO's Water Street Restaurant and Lounge, which has contracted with something called Parent Play to provide on-site babysitting during the dinner hour. (No word on whether irresponsible alcoholic adults can retain the babysitting services for myself themselves.) Brooklyn Paper

The reasons why we're thankful the WGA finally made a deal to end the writers' strike are plentiful, but it seems it could not have gone on much longer without someone attempting to assassinate Jay Leno, after Larry the Cable Guy appeared on two consecutive new episodes of "The Tonight Show" this week. And that's about 10 too many "incest in a Wal-Mart" jokes for me." L.A. Times

After last year's closure of CBGB's, many of the city's rock music venues are having trouble staying afloat.  NY Observer

A new city law will require local eateries to begin posting the calorie contents of their drinks. Why anyone would waste time with a chocolate martini when there's a perfectly good bottle of scotch on the menu is beyond me, but why said martini-drinker would want to know about the 440 liquid calories is a mystery for the ages. NY Post

Obama is kicking ass and taking names--including the name "David Wilhelm," who was Bill Clinton's campaign chair in 1992. Wilhelm told the New York Times today that he believes Obama is more electable than Hillary: "He has out-worked her, out-organized her and out-raised her," he said. New York Times Political Blog

Elsewhere, some people wondered whether Chris Matthews wasn't ever-so-slightly homosexual, after he commented that upon hearing Obama speak, "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often." We're sure you don't, Chris, but that doesn't mean you should talk about it on television. NewsBusters

And, finally, no one should have to endure a rainy day in a cubicle without seeing this first. My Damn Channel >> Cooking with Coolio

Evidently The Catholic League is none too pleased about Equinox's latest ad campaign, which depicts a series of sexy, fairytale-esque scenes shot by Ellen von Unwerth. In particular, they take issue with the hot nuns with exposed legs sketching the hot naked dude with exposed everything. The ads aren't in rotation in New York yet, but will be making their city-wide debut forthwith. In the meantime, Equinox is more than happy to exacerbate the situation by giving New Yorkers a sneak peek of what it has in store for our local magazines, billboards, and subways by displaying the new ads in the windows at three of their locations (50th Street, 19th Street and Greenwich Avenue), from now through Friday.

I belong to one of Equinox's competitors, so I can't say I know for sure what their clientele is like. But I can say that my gym is filled with fatties and old people, and if I ever once had to look at someone like the models above while "running" my 12-minute mile, I'd either kill myself or kill them. To be fair though, while these ads don't necessarily make me want to join Equinox (or ever leave my apartment again, for that matter), they do make me want to join a convent and take up sketching.

Back in the day, "wine bar" was just a fancy way of describing a glorified cafe that couldn't get a license to serve real booze. But with a dozen new wine bars springing up all over the city in the last several months, it appears the trend has officially caught on. This week, we review Solex, a new French wine bar in the East Village from Frederick Twomey, the owner of Bar Carrera and Bar Veloce (this one, that one and the brand-new third location, which he just re-opened in its original Cleveland Place home).

Read our full review review of Solex, then peruse other New and Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you wasted).

(Photo via DK Images)

Although this was brought to my attention partly because Citysearch and Evite are both owned by the same parent company, IAC, I'm not here to generate publicity for Evite. I just happen to think the following item is interesting. This week, Evite revealed that according to their data, next Saturday, Dec. 15, is tracking as the most popular party day of the whole year--including New Year's Eve, Halloween and the Super Bowl. Explanations? God only knows; personally, I don't have anything to do on December 15, at least not any more than usual. And yet, of the 900,000 parties that will use Evite this month, a whopping 100,000 of them are scheduled for Dec. 15. The stats also show that in New York alone, there are already 8,000 parties planned for a total of 275,000 invited guests, making New York the No. 1 "Super Saturday" party city in the U.S.

And, this just in: Sunday, December 16 is shaping up to be the worst hangover day of the year.