And don't miss our Sandman Q&A with Gaiman, in which he discusses how he convinced DC Comics to let an unknown writer launch, and then kill, one of the most successful comics series of the past 20 years.

Earlier: ‘Sangre de Mi Sangre’ Director Christopher Zalla on Making New York Scary

MTV's sketch-comedy series Human Giant returns tonight, and Vulture's got an exclusive clip from the premiere. We were there when The Wire's Omar, Michael K. Williams, stopped by the set to shoot a sketch back in January, and the sketch will air tonight … but we've got a sneak preview here. What happens when the Illusionators get in trouble for using the N-word? Can they bring a black magician into the fold? Find out, above.

Earlier: Omar Comes to MTV: Aziz Ansari Reports on the ‘Wire’–‘Human Giant’ Crossover

Courtesy of IDW Publishing

Variety reports that Dimension Films has bought film and TV rights to horror novelist Joe Hill's comics series Locke & Key. Bob Weinstein's company plans to transform the comics into a horror-film franchise. Curious how this haunted-house story with a twist might start? Check out Vulture's excerpt of issue one of Locke & Key, from our weekly Comics Page.

Dimension locks up Joe Hill's 'Key' [Variety]

Earlier: Exclusive Comics Excerpt: Joe Hill’s ‘Locke & Key’

In this week's issue we profile Ramin Bahrani, whose Man Push Cart was one of the most exciting debuts by a New York filmmaker in years. His follow-up feature, Chop Shop, opens on February 27 at Film Forum, where he'll show up for in-person talk-backs on the first three nights of his film's run. Since it was difficult to describe the near-mayhem of his set (the dusty and rusty garages of Willets Point) and the naturalistic work by his young cast of actors (led by Alejandro Polanco, Isamar Gonzales, and Carlos Zapata), we're posting some exclusive clips of Chop Shop to give you a taste of Bahrani's next-gen neorealism. —Logan Hill

Pop Mechanic [NYM]

Ask photographer Arlene Gottfried if she thinks the New York characters she’s shot for 40 years from Coney Island to Times Square and Harlem are freaks, and she bristles. "I don’t think they’re freaks, because then I’d be a freak, too." With her little-girl Coney brogue (she and her brother, manic comic Gilbert, grew up there), old-soul eyes, and longtime avid membership in the Jerriese Johnson East Village Choir (she occasionally solos, she boasts), she’s a quiet defender of the grimily vibrant denizens of an older New York that’s disappearing daily. Now she’s their enshriner, too: Due out this week from powerHouse Books, Sometimes Overwhelming compiles images Gottfried took of the city in the seventies and eighties. An exhibit of Gottfried’s later work is also opening March 5 at the Alice Austen House Museum on Staten Island.

We interviewed Gottfried about some of her most striking images. An exclusive preview of photos from her book, and her memories of taking them, after the jump.

After a fairly disappointing auction season (unsold Van Goghs! Slipping stocks!), high-profile do-gooders Bono and Damien Hirst curate Sotheby's (AUCTION) RED, the exhibition for which goes on view today at Gagosian’s 21st Street location. Dozens of contemporary superstars (Hirst himself among them, with seven works on the block) handed over paintings, prints, and sculptures for the sale, the proceeds from which will go directly to the U.N. foundation to support Global Fund HIV/AIDS relief programs. Click below to check out Vulture's exclusive slideshow of our favorites. —Rachel Wolff

Courtesy of Anish Kapoor

Hollywood's noble War on Christmas continues with the Morgan Spurlock–produced documentary What Would Jesus Buy?, out this Friday. (And to answer the filmmakers' question, probably a Nintendo Wii.) The film, directed by Rob VanAlkemade, follows New York's own Billy "Reverend Billy" Talen and the members of his Church of Stop Shopping as they battle commercialization and overconsumption at Christmastime. In our exclusive clip, Billy and some carolers sing the wrong words to "Joy to the World" before an unsuspecting suburban family. Enjoy!

Robert Redford's Lions for Lambs is out this week and the folks at MGM were kind enough to give us this exclusive clip of the film. Lambs follows Republican senator Jasper Irving (Tom Cruise) as he runs for president, gives a TV journalist (Meryl Streep) a story about his secret plan for victory in Iraq, and, presumably, teaches us all a very important lesson. In our clip, idealistic sociology professor Stephen Malley (Redford) butts heads with a cynical, privileged West Coast University student (Andrew Garfield) over the efficacy of our American political system. Enjoy!

Related: War Cry [NYM]

Photos: Rahav Segev / Retna (Luna); Courtesy of Engine Room Records

This week sees the release of Guilt By Association, a collection of “guilty-pleasure” songs covered by artists of the purest indie lineage. The album's source material ranges from borderline non-embarrassing karaoke rockers like Blue Öyster Cult’s “Burnin’ for You” (covered by Mike Watt) to flat-out schlock balladry like Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On” (covered by Mark Mulcahy). The most intriguing tune, though, may be Luna’s sinister version of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”: We’ve never taken Quaaludes and confronted a lover of dubious fidelity at 3 a.m., but we imagine this is what the experience would feel like.

The song is also historically noteworthy, as it’s the first official Luna release since 2004’s Rendezvous — and likely the last, since the band broke up in 2005. (They recorded “Straight Up” in 2002.) We present it here for your enjoyment — and though you won’t have a chance to hear a live version, there is a Guilt By Association concert tomorrow night headlined by Petra Haden, whose mostly a cappella version of “Don’t Stop Believin’” is also quite good. To find the show, just follow your heart … to the place where streetlight people, hiding somewhere in the night, live just to find emotion. Or you can just stop by Joe's Pub at seven. —Ben Mathis-Lilley