Yahoo Tv Listings Grid

Grab Free Music

audiogalaxy.com

Someday, we’re told, we’ll all pay subscription fees to hear the tunes we like. But until the record industry bigwigs get their ducks in a row, it’s still easier to snag free songs at Audiogalaxy, where a simple search box lets you gather a song list that would make any DJ proud. To download the songs, you’ll need the site’s “Satellite” software, which can be downloaded for free.

Get TV Listings

tvguide.com/listings

How many TV channels do you have—50? 100? More? Using print listings to find your way around the average Wednesday night can be a tiring exercise in squinting at small type. A well-designed Net-based listing such as TV Guide Online starts off by asking for your ZIP code and cable system so it can line up your channels in the right order. From there you can tighten the program grid, asking it to list only broadcast, basic cable, or premium channels, and take advantage of the color coding to guide your eyes to the programs you care about the most. Click on the program name to find out more about each specific episode.

Check Movie Reviews

www.mrqe.com

Okay, there are lots of places to get expert opinions on films, but CheckTheGrid [checkthegrid.com], Rotten Tomatoes [rottentomatoes.com], and even Metacritic.com don’t quite match the beautiful simplicity of the Movie Review Query Engine. With 230,000 reviews of more than 26,000 films, the site puts you in the know so you’ll never have to watch a clunker again. Whether you’re headed to the theater or the video store, just type in the film title and get a dozen reviews, from the obscure to the Ebertian.

Find Any Cultural Event in Town

culturefinder.com

Getting movie show times is easy, but finding classical concerts or theater productions around town is a bit trickier. Ah, but you have CultureFinder working for you, which means anything from string quartets to string cheese performance art is within reach. Search by city, event name, or arts organization, or sign up for a newsletter to keep tabs on current shows.

Send Invitations

evite.com

Hold it! Don’t lick that stamp. Paper invitations are old news. Go digital and send “evites” instead. They not only save you the paper headache, they let your guests RSVP with ease. If you’re not sure when to hold an event, you can poll guests and pick a time by consensus. For potluck suppers, set up a list of dishes and let guests choose what to bring.

Search Restaurant Reviews

zagat.com

When you’re planning to eat out, use Zagat Survey to find the best eatery nearby or put out feelers for great service, a super view, a prix fixe menu, or nice decor. Download the lists to a PDA if you prefer (for a fee). Restaurant reviews can be found elsewhere online, but this is the most consistently reliable source, and the easiest way to search for the sweet spots in most major American cities.

Get a Recipe for Anything

epicurious.com

Epicurious calls itself “the world’s greatest recipe collection,” and we’d be hard-pressed to argue. Search for Asparagus Risotto, Chocolate-Espresso Lava Cake, or any of 13,000 other delectable dishes. The reliable recipes come from such sources as Bon Appétit and Gourmet magazines and are accompanied by 1,001 tips on cooking for eager chef wannabes.

Make a Restaurant Reservation

opentable.com

There’s one thing worse than going out to dinner and waiting two hours for a table: going out to dinner and never getting a table at all. Save yourself a headache and book online. For discounted meals at whatever time’s available, reserve at DinnerBroker [dinnerbroker.com], but for the harder-to-get hot spots during prime hours, OpenTable is the way to go.

Answer Any Movie Question

imdb.com

How many Oscars has Tom Hanks won? Two. Who directed Midnight Cowboy? John Schlesinger. Settle film bets or just choose a good flick to watch at The Internet Movie Database, the movie hub to end all movie hubs. You’ll find more info than you can possibly retain about actors and directors, their films, and the awards they have—or haven’t—won. Hundreds of thousands of films are listed.

Classic Usefuls:

Use Citysearch [citysearch.com] to discover a city’s best bets. Check restaurant reviews, theater and film listings, and detailed information on local museums and events in cities across the U.S. For even more insight, and some offbeat ideas, try Digitalcity.com, too.

Copyright © 2002 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Yahoo! Internet Life.