Athletes and Celebrities

This Twitter photo of LeBron James biking to American Airlines Arena before facing off against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls last night has gone viral on sports news sites all over America.

In addition to nerve-wracking weather, one sure sign of spring is the re-emergence of the bicycle as pop culture totem. If you're on many catalogue mailing lists, you've probably seen them -- gleaming utility bikes and cruisers at the ready as toned and tanned models relax at the outdoor cafe or by the pool. And they're not just props -- furniture and housewares retailer CB2 has its own city bike, developed with a Florida-based manufacturer ($499; details at Treehugger).

This morning, the hosts of the Today Show played this segment for their 5.4 million viewers. It's this year's edition of Transportation Alternatives' annual Great Commuter Race, where cyclist, transit rider, and motorist vie to see who gets to work first. TA's Wiley Norvell emailed us to explain how the race made the transition to national TV:

This is too fun not to post. John Leguizamo, who's been biking in New York since before the actual Summer of Sam, takes a CNN crew on a ride through Midtown and shares some pointers on NYC cycling. (Sorry about the BASF commercial you'll have to sit through before it gets started.) Leguizamo's big pitch to potential cyclists comes about two-thirds of the way through. While I think he might be overemphasizing the danger and thrills, it's hard to argue after you see the police nearly door him.

Village Voice entertainment columnist Michael Musto has been riding a bike in New York City for more than 25 years, long before it was fashionable or we had bike lanes and cycletracks.

Count Keith Olbermann among the otherwise well-informed New Yorkers who don't have a clue when it comes to what's happening with the MTA.

Here's a makeshift screen grab from Game 2 of the World Series, describing how Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee made his way to Yankee Stadium for Game 1 last Wednesday.

According to Movieline (via New York Mag), Jay Leno's new prime time show, set to debut on NBC in September, hasn't exactly been generating a lot of buzz. But since nothing says funny like a grisly hit-and-run, this promo, co-starring Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live," should turn things around.