blackbook.Image17755.Masters_200

It's time to strategically plan your lunch breaks, people! Tomorrow, at precisely 1:42 p.m. Tiger Woods will try to put the past behind him with a single swing of his golf club. CBS president Sean McManus compared Tiger's return to the Obama inauguration in terms of media coverage and audiences, and while he might be overshooting a little, we get his point. The Tiger Woods scandal has engulfed the national psyche for the last four months, and tomorrow serves as a climax of sorts. After this weekend, it'll be business as usual for the world's best golfer. You could easily stream tomorrow's event from your desk, but this is a sporting event, and tradition states that they should be watched from establishments with liquor licenses. If you're in New York, and frankly who isn't, here's where you should be watching the festivities.

more
blackbook.Image13730.jay-z-co-sc

Can I get a "Happy Birthday!" to Jay-Z? The man you told you in 96 that he'd come to take this shit (and he did!) is now 40 years-old. Awh! As anybody who listened to The Black Album more than twice knows, December 4th is the day Gloria Carter gave birth to Shawn Carter, who was born weighing in at ten pounds, eight ounces. He was the last of her four children, and he learned how to ride a bike and listen to music and was special, because he became Jay-Z. Yay! What can you do to celebrate Hov's ascension into being the most successful middle-aged hip hop icon and mogul in the history of the universe?

more
blackbook.Image6845.jrock.jpg

An up-and-coming rapper to most, West coaster Jay Rock already has buzz on the streets of Watts, CA, where the baritone-voiced 24-year-old has made a name for himself through precision rhymes and self-released mix-tapes. He hails from the notorious Nickerson Garden Projects, sports Blood red, and raps about the ghetto struggle. But as you’ll see in the Pop Quiz, he’s a softie with an eye for the ladies, enjoys comic books, and just wants to please his mother. Jay Rock’s now signed to Warner Brothers, with his single "All My Life" featuring Lil Wayne & Will.i.am on heavy rotation. His album Follow Me Home drops this spring, and he opens for The Game (who also guests on the album) this Saturday at the Blender Theater in New York. Catch him now before he blows up.

more
blackbook.Image6140.pf_main_SH.j

1. Southern Hospitality (Upper East Side) - The 14 HD TVs and a large HD projection screen aren't the real excess here -- that's the $80 premium VIP package. All you can drink, all you can eat appetizers (the fried pickles are absurd), and guaranteed seating to make sure once the fat is on, it stays on. Free Jim Beam from 4 to 6 only sweetens the deal. The place to be. 2. 40/40 (Flatiron) - Like stepping into a hip-hop video, minus the fisheye. All-white, super sleek. Oh, and Kobe Bryant is holding a party for his Laker friends and all the video hos this side of the Bronx. 3. Village Pourhouse (Greenwich Village) - 50 bottles, around 24 drafts at any given moment. But with the $30 all you can drink Bud Light draft from kickoff until end of the game, we both know what you'll be drinking.

more
blackbook.Image5807.pf_main_Bar-

On Sunday, the New York Giants will play the Philadelphia Eagles for a chance to play for a chance to play in the Superbowl, and you can be damn sure every restaurant and bar in the city with a screen and a business sense will be looking to fatten you up with irresistible gameday specials. Here's a rundown of prime places in New York to watch Eli Manning and the Giants clip the Eagles' wings, or the Eagles ... peck out the Giants' ... eyes? Whatever:

more
blackbook.FeatureImage5765.pf_ho

Mackie on playing the ubiquitous rapper.

more
blackbook.Image4947.cutting-room

Scott Weiland’s Snitch is now Citrine, Tim Robbins is no longer behind the Back Room, De Niro’s Ago was critically panned, cholesterol problems await at Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality, and Arnold Schwarzenegger & co.’s Planet Hollywood is a tourist trap, all’s not lost -- here’s a list of celeb-owned spots worth looking into.

more