"The Simple Life"

[Photo by Greg Schmigel. Republished with permission.]

Anthony Franzese is suing the landlords of his former East Village building for $21 million after an air-conditioner fell out of a sixth story window, bounced off an awning, and hit him in the head. It's a crazy story.

Wired magazine logged nearly 35,000 complaint calls to 311— New York's call-and-whine help line—and put them in this handy graph based on nature of complaint and time of call. They also break it down by bitchingest neighborhood

45-year-old New York bookkeeper John Westwood seeks a woman on whom to perform oral sex, no strings attached. While some turn to Craigslist, Westwood has developed his own approach: leaving explicit cards inside of women's magazines with his phone number.

Today Katy Perry bundled up on her bike like some Star Wars character, concealing every inch of skin to escape the paparazzi. (She failed, of course.) Just hours later, her barely-covered performance thrilled a Victoria's Secret show. Symbolism?

A Manhattan Mister Softee ice cream truck driver named Oner Ismail was fined $350 for picking up five drunk people and driving them to a club, making that Mister Softee truck the best gypsy cab of all time. [NYP; image]

Sorry, but Alec Baldwin was only kidding when he said he'd run for a House seat if his congressman lost to a Republican.

It took the runners hours to finish, but thanks to this MTA time-lapse video, you can watch the joggers in yesterday's NYC Marathon begin the race by crossing the Verrazano bridge in no time at all. Participation is overrated anyway.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki, whom 3-4 people in the country remember, is "looking at" a possible presidential run.

The suspect in the Manhattan diner murder, Earle Barranco, was arrested in a VIP booth at a Charlotte Bobcats game.

Nuclear power plants in Vermont and New York were shut down in unrelated incidents—but there's "no threat to public health."

[Runners enter Brooklyn at around mile 2 of today's New York Marathon. Image via AP]

And the award for the NYC neighborhood with the most dog shit goes to... Washington Heights!

Today's New York City Marathon is under way, and the winners from the men's and women's events are Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, in his first competitive marathon, and Edna Kiplagat of Kenya. Chilean miner Edison Pena is running, too! [AP]

Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer has declared all-out war on bedbugs, and he wants Mayor Mike to step up "before it gets out of control." Stringer thinks bureaucrats are "studying" too much, and that it's time for a bloodbath. [NYDN]

[Charlize Theron narrowly avoids getting hit by a backing up van in New York. Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

Chilean miner Edison Pena—here to run the NYC Marathon—has been sightseeing, mugging for cameras, and enjoying himself in New York. But the Post says "Miner Is Whiner In Apple" after Pena said a street hot dog was "so-so."

New York's annual survey of buildings with lead plumbing found that 14 percent had excessive levels of lead in the water. Will you ever be able to drink again?

[Kim Kardashian and sister, K-something, continue their home school geography lessons on the 6 train today. Image via Twitter]

Are you running the NYC Marathon this weekend? Don't tweet or update your Facebook status because a distracted runner is dangerous for everyone. What if you learn some bad news, mid-run? Also, who the hell tweets during a marathon? [NYDN]