Forget reindeer and mistletoe -- the symbol of the season is www. So we combed the Net for the best of the Web.

Hilary Swank has played (famously) a girl masquerading as a boy. A policeman. A flying ace. And soon, she’ll take on the role of Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker on Broadway. But after all the costume changes, nothing suits her better than rich, voluptuously feminine clothes. Fortunately, this season is full of them.

As we head down to the wire in what may be one of the fiercest Oscar derbies in years, a scorecard to the remaining contenders (and also-rans).

Flight delays should be the least of your worries. New York has the most crowded airspace in the world, plus antiquated equipment and lax security. Now more than ever, our airports are an accident waiting to happen.

The Jerry Springer Show is the most voyeuristic, violent, obscenity-laden program on TV. But if you disapprove, that's not Jerry’s problem. “Hey,” he says. “That’s America.”

The impending war, the threat of terrorism, and the troubles on Wall Street, in the media business, and with the economy as a whole are creating a perfect storm of anxiety for New Yorkers. Is this a passing phase? Or (gulp) our new reality?

Coming up with the winners of our annual New York Awards is not as simple as, say, tallying votes. It's a matter of art, not absolutes, and it requires that the selectors use their discretion. Which is not to suggest that the process isn't foolproof. Whether for comedy (Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon) or for community service (Brad Lander) or for Lifetime Achievement (that other great communicator, Regis Philbin), our awards celebrate the dream of making it in the big city -- and changing the city in the process. And when that happens, wherever it happens, however it happens, it's absolutely unmistakable. Case closed.

Don't be afraid of a little artful hostility.