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Tis the season for helping your friends and doing your all to provide a helping hand to strangers that are in need. So sweet. So today we ask you, our faithful readers, to lend a hand to an Aussie Bloke who is making his first trip to New York City for New Years Eve. I've been reading your site trying to get a feel for a good place for NYE this year in NYC to go with my mates from Aus. I was thinking about Pink Elephant but have gone a bit off it after all the turmoil. The other option was Home. I've never been to New York before (I'm am so pumped its not funny) but I get the impression that the events at these places will be a bit of a w@nk with lots of tourists like me. What I'm really after is some electro-house in a cool club with hot chicas, selective clientele and not so cheesy! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. For someone who has never been here, it seems they already have a pretty good handle on what not to do. So what do you say campers? Anyone have some down and dirty tips for our friend from Down Under? More...

Photo Credit It's been a long time in the making, but the Standard NYC is just about ready to welcome you. We say just about because the hotel is making select rooms available to "friends and family" at an introductory rate starting on December 10th, and the place is still a busy construction site. We are opening a handful of rooms in the midst of an otherwise busy construction site, at rates starting at $195. The price includes complimentary Continental breakfast, complimentary Wi-Fi and local calls, 24 hour concierge service and use of our lobby. More...

A Little Birdy went digging through designer Dodd Mitchell's website and found news of a Double Seven expansion plans, saying "Was looking on designer Dodd Mitchells website and saw references to multiple Double Seven's under construction, as well as actual venue shots of either Scottsdale or LA (link is misleading.) Any idea what's goin on with this brand? I thought they were building out at old Rhone space but haven't heard anything.." Owner David Rabin is building out the space now, but we haven't heard a recent update. Rest assured, we will do out best to get to the bottom of it. More...

That didn't take long. Shawn Kolodny is settling into his new job at Kiss and Fly, and the party begins tonight at the stroke of midnight. More...

You broke? You like books? Get yourself to this here party for free beer, free food, and other cheap stuff. Broke ass fool. More...

Currently on display at the MuTate Exhibition in London are robot pole dancers, one of the strangest, least productive uses of robot technology ever invented. Memo to Lonnie Hanover, please tell your employees at Rick's Cabaret that their jobs are safe - at least from robots. [Via BBC] More...

From the desk of the Daddy, a little surprise from the depths of Little Branch, Sasha Petraske's below ground cocktail den in the heart of the West Village. According to UD, the Branch has forever been running a secret private bar while packed-in patrons struggle to find a comfy space to sip their $15 cocktails. To get access, "duck past the curtain and up the stairs (back to ground level) for a secret floor that's managed to stay under the radar for the more than three years LB has been open." Oops. The room is perfect for small groups looking to keep it chill and don't mind dropping $400 an hour for their own private bartender. Seems worth it to us. Happy branching. More...

Here's where to partake in Hanukkah-themed holiday fun. More...

From over-the-top stage productions to a drag queen in concert, these shows have holiday spirit. More...

A new inn on the block [NYM] LQ runs dry [GoaG] Macao goes exclusive [Eater] At least the europeans are still partying [Cityfile] More...

After the double dip of staff departures, a former Pink Elephant insider who recently abandoned the club after being involved over the past 4 years to tell us what's up. To sum it up - shit show. According to the Pink Birdy, Place is a mess. Struggling to survive really. Everyone who made the venue a success over the last 4 years has left from promoters to staff to partners. Nosediving right into 2009 This mass exodus shouldn't stop you from giving your favorite promoters at least $225 to buy a New Years ticket - it may be the final fiesta at the Pink. More...

Is it over for Pink Elephant? After Shawn Kolodny announced his departure late last night, DBTH has just received word that Pink's Director of Events Timonthy Fried has also left the company, saying: I wanted to take the time to let everyone know that I will no longer continue working with Pink Elephant or any affiliated properties as the Director of Events. That's two key players in one day, leading us to believe that it's curtain for Pink Elephant. The club, which just celebrated it's fourth anniversary, appears to be on death's doorstep. Will 27th ever be the same? Of course. But it's still sad. More...

Photo courtesy of Eater Last night, DBTH ventured way uptown to check out Fish Tail, David Burke's new sustainable fish focused restaurant on East 62nd. The reason? The invite promised free food and drinks, and in this economy, that sounded like a pretty good deal. The place was jammed to the gills (get it?) on our arrival and stayed that way throughout, with Upper East Siders literally jumping out of their seats at the first sight of a waiter with any morsel of food on their tray. At one point, we saw a woman in a fur coat (one of many) grabbing garbage from a bus boy, confusing a napkin for a scallop. Stay classy, y'all. Just when we were ready to give up and head back downtown to normalville, we managed to snag a space at the raw bar and were treated to a cornicopia of oysters and sashimi that made the whole night worthwhile. Thankfully. We departed soon after and walked into a crowd of about 30 uptowners who were standing in the cold, hoping to be let in. David Burke certainly draws a crowd. More...

In a major nightclub shakeup, Shawn Kolodny has ankled his post as Marketing Director at Pink Elephant and taken a position with the Kiss and Fly operation. Kolodny sent a message to his contacts via Facebook, saying I wanted to let you know that I will be leaving Pink Elephant. It is with great sadness that I have to leave Pink Elephant, a company I founded and built into a international nightlife brand over the past 4 years. Therefore, it is with great excitement that I am joining the Kiss and Fly, Bagatelle, and RDV family. I look forward to seeing you at my new home. Please let me know if you want to come to the club, restaurant or the lounge. I can help you with any of your needs, whether it is for a table reservation, a special event, or our new private dining. My new email address is Shawn@kissandflyclub.com and my phone number has stayed the same, 917 208 2072. I look forward to sharing all three venues with you! Does this spell additional trouble for Pink Elephant, a club which had its sights set on international expansion but not appears to be facing upheaval on the home front, first with a bankruptcy filing and now losing a key team member. This hire seems to also cement Kiss and Fly's position in the scene, where is has quietly enjoyed an outstanding run in an area that most considered way past its prime. It's going to be a wild 2009. More...

Death and Company has released its fall cocktail menu [PDF], and is featuring a full section of Flips. If you have $13 burning a hole in your pocket and a desire to drink a frothy, egg based cocktail, head on over to East 6th Street. [GS] More...

It's Britney's bday, and to celebrate that and the release of her new album, she will be throwing down at Tenjune. How fab! How 2006! More...

From DBTH West Coast comes Ecco, a new and totally green nightclub in the heart of Hollywood. Owned by Danny B, David Stratton, Sean Muniz and Matthew Portnoff, Ecco ain't just buying wind credits. Instead, the club's power will be supplied by the LA Department of Water & Power’s Green Power resources. How green! And a Little Birdy tells us that this place is going to be big, saying they are having "huge opening night party this Wednesday and it sounds like the real deal (although based on the pics, the design isnt as baller). The whole launch of the show apparently will be documented in a Discovery Channel show hosted by Adrian Grenier. Greenhouse did it first, but Ecco gets to be closer to the celebs, aka all the press you could possibly want." It seems that the celebs will flock to anything green, it just may be Ecco, and not Greenhouse. More...

For those who dabble in the white world, it may be time to think twice about what is really in your $50 baggie. Officials in Alberta have discovered that Canadian coke heads have been exposed to tainted blow, and seven people have been diagnosed with "agranulocytosis, a condition that makes the immune system incapable of fighting off infections." This is something a flu shot will not prevent people. Apparently, "officials have linked the cases to cocaine laced with levamisole, a chemical compound developed to treat intestinal worms in humans and animals." And now people are snorting it for fun. What a wonderful world. [CBC] More...

Courtesy of NY Post Two State Liquor Authority commissioners who voted to approve Ciprianis liquor licenses, despite their being convicted of tax evasion, were recently given State owned vehicles for unlimited use. Usually, only the SLA chairman get use of a car, and this perk was granted just weeks after the SLA let the Cipriani family stay in business. This disovery is another sign of some serious back rubbing to make sure the Cirpriani family kept their valuable venues in operation. [NY Post] Ever have doobie in your funk? What about smoke in your drink? Smoked ingredients are becoming a staple in bartenders recipe books, finding their way into cocktails as spirits, mixers, syrups or garnishes. Our favorite of the moment is a Smoky Rob Roy, which is a great comedown after a hearty meal. [NY Times] For those still nursing a holiday hangover, head over to Times Square at 11:30 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Bloody Mary. What a happy day! [DBTH staff] More...

After learning that Giants star Plaxico Burress had shot himself late Friday night at a New York nightclub, DBTH has learned that Plaxico spent the night at Prana (79 Madison Avenue), attending what was billed as "the NY Giants Post-Thanksgiving Party". A Little Birdy filed this report, "i imagine it was prana since the giants had their party there but i left at 4am and didnt hear no gunshots so...really i cant confirm. i remembered seeing him...wearing red..with some girl all over him in the vip section. maybe it was an after-hour?" Maybe indeed. We will continue to update the story throughout the day. Stay tuned. More...

Sorry to interrupt our own Thanksgiving holiday. We have breaking news that Giants star Plaxico Burress has apparently shot himself in the leg during a trip to an unnamed New York City nightclub. Plax, who was ruled out of Sunday's game, is reportedly in stable condition with non life-threatening injuries. Good for him, but seriously, who shoots themselves? Idiot. [FoxSports.com] Any details should be sent to the tip line immediately. More...

Ah, Tuesday night in a recession. What to do? Reasoning that sex and booze always sells, we paid a much-overdue visit to Elizabeth, Nolita's modern, neutered version of a "gentleman's club." It took us a while to get our bearings. Apparently Elizabeth channels British influence, but the American menu and copies of America's favorite magazine (Playboy) stocking the bathroom display cases (next to "employees must wash hands," not a juxtaposition we looked kindly on) seem to suggest alliances on this side of the pond. The vibe tended toward romantic rather than smutty. The music mixed everything ever considered alternative or hip ever, from The Cure to Modest Mouse to MGMT. A UN party raged in the back room...isn't there a holiday party freeze everywhere? Even our waiters seemed slightly green and dazed themselves. Once we had comfortably lounged on buttery-soft leather banquettes, though, the expert mixology and surprising lack of pretention won us over. We nursed cocktails with an ever-morphing group of friends for hours, and the staff went out of their way to accomodate us in a very non-Nolita fashion. The namesake cocktail, complete with rose syrup, hit a friend's sweet craving. "My Darling," combining bourbon, vodka, clementine, and ginger, sastisfied another's intemperate urges. "Midnight Tea" stole the show, though. A unique combination of berries, tea, and liquor, it made us we feel truly anglo. Cheerio! Our return shant be far off. More...

This epic charity event is presented by Blackbook and Goodnight Mr. Lewis (which is part of BB). It is hosted by Lydia Hearst. It is also hosted by Scott Buchheit, Cayte Grieve and Kristian Laliberte. And if all of those people don't handle their responsibilities, you can be damn sure that Matt Levine (who brought you to this event) will handle his business. This is going to be the best 12th Avenue bowling party ever. More...

Recession makes VF Oscar party more exclusive [Radar] Good news for winos [Gothamist] Where to find the creme de la creme on Thanksgiving eve [GoaG] Fashion and old fashioned dueling in the burgh [Racked] More...

The air may be thinner this far uptown, but it's worth being lightheaded when we're talking about another round of the Belvedere Uptown Meets Downtown party series. This weeks installment had jewelry line House of Waris co-presenting and the fiesta took over the Royal Terrace Suite and the newly renovated Plaza. Royal, indeed. If we had a nickel for every party we went to with bathtubs full of Belvie on ice... The small crowd included Damon Dash and some socialite girl named Olivia. More...