If we may be enormous fags for just a moment, we'd like to say how embarrassingly excited we are to learn that Liza Minnelli will be singing "New York, New York" at Bloomberg's inauguration Sunday.

The strike is long done, of course. And now there's even a contract, too. The transit union's executive board approved it last night by a huge margin; the membership is expected to do likewise.

The Daily News has an exclusive interview with Angele Braunstein, mother of alleged pervy firefighter Peter Braunstein. 71-year-old Angele visited her son in Bellevue yesterday and then spoke with the News, prompting them to run "He's Still My Boy" and "He Broke His Mom's Heart" headlines. You have to feel sorry for her, really: like a good mother, she has unflinchingly loved her son in the face of crisis (while only slightly selling him out to the press when appropriate).

• As a glimpse into the creative process, the sculptures of Santiago Calatrava — the architect designing the World Trade Center Transportation Hub — goes on display at the Met. You might as well go; it's not as if you'll see his other project completed in this lifetime. [flavorpill]
• Doing the whole "find the humor in tragedy" coping routine, the good folks at the UCB theatre presesnt the 2005 "It Sucked" Awards tonight, making jokes about things like Katrina and earthquakes. It's much less offensive in front of an audience. [WUNY]
• Beatles cover band the Fab Faux (oh, how we wish we'd come up with that zinger) plays the White Album tonight at Webster Hall. Hopefully, they've aged better than Paul McCartney. [Upcoming]

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So Bloomberg's been getting crap for saying during the transit strike that union leaders were behaving "thuggishly." But perhaps no more. Reports today's Newsday:

Friday:
• If Jimmy Stewart and his stupid building make you want to wretch, then A Christmas Story is the holiday movie for you. Catch the 1983 classic, with its triple-dog-dares and its BB guns, on the big screen at the Landmark Sunshine. [flavorpill]
• Even Danny Tenaglia caves to the holidays, presenting the unfortunately-named Be Your 'Elf celebration tonight at Spirit. Insert pointy-shoes joke here. [WUNY]
Saturday:
• The Jews take back the holiday season, declaring Hanukkah just when Christmas was coming to a boil. And they'll be here for 8 nights, kids. Kick off the Festival of Lights with Jewltide III at Southpaw in Park Slope. [flavorpill]
• Jews, schmooze, and booze: The Ball 2005, simultaneously taking over Avalon, The Park, Hiro at the Maritime Hotel and Spider Club, promises to be "the nation's biggest Jewish singles event." Funny, sounds like just another night in Manhattan to us. [Upcoming]
Sunday:
• Makor hosts a chinese food-laden movie fest, featuring films by Gene and Billy Wilder. If you're looking for something a little more mindless, smuggle the eggrolls to King Kong, Cassanova, or The Producers, all now playing. [TONY]
Monday:
• Jackie Hoffman hits Joe's Pub, bringing Christmas (or its bitter alter-ego) to gays, Jews, and other assorted outcasts. Drain the holiday spirit right out of you with a slew of inappropriate jokes and a rousing "Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah" or two, because Christmas is over. Thank God. [flavorpill]

Just in time for Christmukkah (a phrase which, seeing as the first night of the Festival of Lights falls on Christmas, we can say with an ounce of legitimacy), sexual assault suspect Peter Braunstein has received a nicely-wrapped package of merry comeupance. Yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court, the former Women's Wear Daily reporter was indicted on charges of arson, kidnapping, burglary, robbery and sexual abuse, and today brings Braunstein's arraignment. Fans of Law & Order will understand what this all means.

Five things we now know:

• We've reached the date where trying to avoid Christmas is just no longer worth the effort. Surrender tonight at the Masters at Work Annual Christmas Jam Session, 10:30-5 at Deep. Tiny Tim costume optional. [flavorpill]
• Lip Service does A Tribute to Tina Turner, Holiday Style tonight at Galapagos. It's unclear whether "holiday style" means that heavy drug use and abusive relationships are downplayed or highlighted. With the audience in question, probably the latter. [Paper]
• To round out the Christmas Triumvirate, Housing Works hosts Jingle Bell ROCK! at its West Village thrift shop. This event is less offensive than most in that a) proceeds go to a good cause and b) there's free beer. Oh, Santa — you shouldn't have. [Upcoming]

Yesterday we pointed out a bizarrely stupid request from some lunatic proposing that people meet him on the corner of 42nd and 7th today at 12:30 for some good, clean sumo wrestling. We should've known that in a town where there's more fuckwits that there are cockroaches, someone would take this guy up on his offer.

Can't understand how the transit workers and the MTA could finally break through their impasse and come to a deal on a new contract? Someone on Craigslist has the answer, naturally:

It's the most beautiful NYTimes.com headline we've ever seen.

The Times has a mildly disturbing (but not really surprising) piece today revealing that since 2004, NYPD officers have participated undercover in a number of local protests, demonstrations and rallies. The covert surveillance has been revealed in a video of unofficial archive footage made available to the Times:

Never before had a Times headline made us quite so happy.

It's day three of the world's most goddamned annoying strike on earth, and everyone's beyond exhausted. Not content to let the Red Cross be the sole purveyor of goodwill, the fine folks at Craigslist (your Official Source for Fucked-Up Transit Strike Information^©) are doing their part:

That's what you get for fucking with Grand Central's traffic flow.

Given the bitter weather and the spectacularly frustrating transit strike, this week's New York provides a much needed warm fuzzy with its "123 Reasons to Love New York Right Now" cover story. After all, we all sometimes need a reminder as to why we put up with the bullshit.

• Christmas isn't so much secularized as creepified at "A John Waters Christmas," an extravangaza hosted by the director himself. The Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players and Kimya Dawson join the oddities tonight at Bowery Ballroom. [WUNY]
• The good folks at Air Guitar USA, which apparently exists, bring you a competition tonight at M1-5 at Tribeca. Unfortunately, it's not a national qualifier, but New York's own Air Guitar Champion, Bj rn T roque, will be among the judges. Extra points for headbanging and pained facial expressions. [Upcoming]
• In response to the whole strike thing, a number of bars around the city are extending happy hours. If you have to walk, walk drunk. [flavorpill]

On Craigslist, the transit strike has done wonders to showcase the tolerant, progressive side of both TWU supporters...