Time Warner Cable customers will have to find an alternative home for Rangers hockey and Knicks basketball as the Madison Square Garden (MSG) network will be cut off for subscribers at 12:01 a.m. EST, according to MSG Media.

The cable system provider, which provides cable services to the Capital Region and the tri-state area, has yet to reach an agreement with MSG Media. After 12:01 a.m., only customers of Verizon Fios and AT&T will be able to view MSG until a deal is made.

“No agreement is expected to be reached for Time Warner Cable to continue to carry MSG Network and MSG+. Therefore, as of midnight tonight, MSG Network and MSG+ will be dropped from the Time Warner Cable channel lineup,” said MSG Media in a statement released at 8 p.m. Saturday night.

Reportedly, MSG Media wanted an increase for the fee collected from Time Warner Cable from its subscribers, in which negotiations have stalled in recent weeks.

MSG, which is part of the larger Cablevision-influenced network of companies, owns the Rangers and the Knicks directly.

This has not been the year of Verizon.

The telecom giant just announced it will no longer go through with its plan to charge customers a $2 “convenience” charge for one-time payments for its telecommunications services, a charge that met heavy resistance from consumer advocacy groups and after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it would review in-depth the company’s plans.

This is only the latest of a year of incidents surrounding the Basking Ridge, N.J.-based company, including a major labor dispute with the IBEW and CWA in August.

Verizon’s reversal of the fees is similar to streaming company Netflix’s previous plans to split its services into two separate brands, a plan that came undone not long after.

“I am here to work for you. I want this to be my last press conference.”

Those words, uttered by Albany Police Chief Steven Krokoff Friday afternoon during a heated news conference stemming from controversy surrounding the shooting of 19 year old Nahcream Moore by police officers Thursday on South Pearl Street.

Krokoff, who was surrounded by Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares and Albany Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin, repeatedly was interrupted during the 3 p.m. conference. Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings was not at the conference.

Questions surround whether or not Moore himself was armed during the incident that took place at approximately 10:20 p.m. on Thursday night. Moore, who had been allegedly wanted for skipping parole, was shot after a tussle with police.

Rumors have circulated about how Moore was shot. “I think they shot him in the face,” according to one female eyewitness after the press conference.

Krokoff has insisted that the police department will work with the district attorney’s office for a full investigation of the incident.

Occupy Albany’s two-month encampment may be over, but the spirit continues to live on as supporters and former occupiers will come together on January 7 at 3 p.m. to “respond with one voice to the city’s unjust actions,” according to the event’s description.

The Academy Park encampment had been dismantled by the City of Albany on December 22nd in the afternoon, unlike New York City’s midnight raid of the Occupy Wall Street site at Zuccotti Park in November.

The rally will begin at 3 p.m.

Actor-comedian Russell Brand and singer Katy Perry are calling it quits, just over a year after their October 2010 wedding in India, according to divorce papers filed by Brand and obtained by celebrity news website TMZ.

“Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends,” said Brand in a statement.

Brand had been recently been seen by moviegoers in 2010′s “Get Him to the Greek.” Perry’s career has skyrocketed since the release of “I Kissed A Girl” in 2008.

The divorce was filed in Los Angeles.

What a year it has been. On top of our print edition getting back off the ground in May, we’ve seen some major headlines that have rocked the region – in more ways than one.

In January, Democrat Andrew M. Cuomo took office as the 56th governor of the Empire State, coming in with high approval ratings and a plan for a “new New York.” Cuomo would follow two previous Democratic governors – David Paterson and Eliot Spitzer.

February brought the culmination of the Arab Spring and the end of the 30 year reign of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarek. The call for democracy in Tahrir Square brought subsequent democratic movements across the Middle East in Libya and Syria.

Albany in March found itself with some chickens laying eggs… and kegs being tied in. The St. Patrick’s Day melee that saw cars being turned over made national news with Fox News’s Glenn Beck lambasting UAlbany students on national television. Later, UAlbany President George Philip would cancel the university’s rite of spring, Fountain Day, which made it okay for a 40+ year old comedian who consumed glue on YouTube to chain himself to the fountain.

April brought changes to the Obama administration, with Leon Panetta being named as Secretary of Defense and General David Petreaus named as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

May saw the death of Grease star Jeff Conaway at 60 and the manhunt for Roy Sanders in Troy, charged with the killing of six year old Jahvion Perez.

June was the high point for Andrew Cuomo, as the Senate passed marriage equality 33-29, with four Republicans voting in favor. This led to many to believe New Jersey was next.

In the middle of the summer (July), Washington was deadlocked with the debt ceiling and First Niagara made a grab for Upstate HSBC branches.

August saw not only an earthquake hit the region, and the rest of the Eastern Seaboard, but one of the most devastating storms in a generation to hit – Hurricane Irene.

The beginning of fall saw the emergence of Occupy Wall Street in New York City on September 17, which saw a satellite movement in Albany with Occupy Albany starting after.

October saw the release of the iPhone 4S, which garnered less than hospitable reception. This would be followed by the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at the age of 56. New York Students Rising made it big, getting $42,500 in grant money from the New York Foundation.

November saw Jerry Sandusky arrested due to sex crimes at Penn State. Albany elected a new county executive in that of Dan McCoy.

And with December, Troy got a big bite of corruption with the arrest of its city council president and others for ballot forgery. What a year.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is the first story of Stieg Larson’s “Millennium” thriller trilogy. “Millennium” magazine editor and publisher Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) loses a libel suit filed by billionaire industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström (Ulf Friberg). Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a 23 year old woman working for Milton Security as an investigator, investigated Blomkvist for Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), retired CEO of the Vanger Corporation. With extreme high tech skills, she gets the job done anyway necessary. Vanger wants Mikael to investigate the murder of his great niece, Harriet (Moa Garpendal), 40 years earlier. Vanger suspects it was a member of the family. When Mikael needs an assistant investigator Vanger recommends Lisbeth. After an awkward meeting they begin working together searching for clues to Harriet’s disappearance.

Director David Fincher’s watered down milder version for American audiences still warrants a hard “R” rating for violence, language, nudity, and explicit sexual scenes including rape. Stopping just short of a “NC-17” rating, Dragon 2011 fails to capture much of the darkness of the superior and more explicit 2009 Swedish version. The Swedish version includes Blomkvist going to jail and a Lisbeth hardened by what life has handed her. By comparison, Fincher’s Lisbeth comes across more insane than tough as nails. Neither version is for kids. Make sure to get a sitter. If you can’t afford to get a sitter you can’t afford to see this film yet. This is NOT a film for the under 17 crowd. Even those over 17 may be troubled by the story and its many situations.

If taken as an extreme thriller story, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)” will probably satisfy most viewers as a mystery story that reaches a conclusion. Fans of the books and devotees of the original movies are likely to be disappointed.

Of note to fans of the original, Noomi Rapace, who played Lisbeth Salander in all three of the Swedish films can currently be seen playing the gypsy “Sim” in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows”.

Rated: R – for Graphic Nudity, Brutal Violent Content, Torture, Language, Rape and Strong Sexuality (2 hours 38 min)

The IMF – Impossible missions force? Improbable? Improvisational? Yes! All of the above. After the last installment we find a new crew arranging a prison break for our inevitable hero – Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). The next mission should he decide to accept it – break into the Kremlin and steal information about “Cobalt”. Unfortunately, Cobalt (Michael Nyst) is a step ahead of them and has arranged to blow up the Kremlin while making it look like Hunt’s team is responsible. As a result the President is forced to initiate “Ghost Protocol”, total disavowment of the IMF and its agents. A final meeting with the secretary in which Hunt is to be charged with the Kremlin bombing results in a new assignment with a pre-assembled team and “forgotten” resources.

The new crew is comprised of Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) in charge of technical gadgets and wizardry, sultry and seductive Agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton), and William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) assistant to the secretary and failed field agent blasted back into the field.

Their mission: Stop Cobolt from receiving a list of nuclear trigger codes from assassin Sabine Moreau (Léa Seydoux) so that he can’t start nuclear annihilation. Along the way Carter has to seduce a billionaire to get a satellite code. No easy task in a game of hide and seek through a palatial home. Benji becomes responsible for catching Brandt when he jumps to reach the core of a computer. “Should work…”. And Ethan has to go outside the box until he reaches the end of his rope.

“Murphy” seems to be in charge as just about everything that can go wrong does and at the worst possible moment. High tech equipment fails. People arrive before expected. Disguises falter resulting in real face to face meetings.  Desert sandstorms blow in. What did happen to that stupid glove? Even “The Message” fails to self destruct. Good thing Ethan hit it.

Tom Cruise delivers his usual thrilling action. Simon Pegg (of Paul, Hot Fuzz, Sean of the Dead), however, provides his usual level of comedy preventing the commission of a serious movie. This is the funniest mission ever.

A must see for “Impossible” fans and all others, “Ghost Protocol” has something for everybody – humor, action, explosions, and one of the craziest car crashes that has to be seen to be believed. Thankfully the airbags worked.

Christmas has now passed and we’re on that annual stretch before calling in Baby New Year to ring in 2012. With that being said, there’s still time for a great time with friends before getting drunk on champagne and finding yourself in a cab with twelve others.

One of the more uniquely put-together and always stunning establishments in Albany is the Midtown Tap and Tea Room (289 New Scotland Avenue, Albany), right in the mid New Scotland Avenue commercial corridor between Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Hospital. Instead of simply being a “tap room,” this establishment prides itself for being a “coffee house” by day and a place to grab appetizers and smaller portioned plates in the evening.

Midtown Tap and Tea has the typical array of drinks on tap – including my beloved Sam Adams – in addition to a strong slate of various wines, which makes for all the more festive of an occasion. Be it you’re out to dinner with that special someone, reminiscing of years gone by with old friends, or having that post-work drink, Midtown Tap and Tea is your place.

The best part of Midtown Tap and Tea are both of the patio sections – in the front and back – in warm weather months. The front has an approximate capacity of probably ten to twelve, with the back patio overlooking Ontario Street with the back-of-restaurant bar accessible. My sole criticism of Midtown comes down to the second bar, which seems way too big for the reception room setup.

I’ve been to a number of fundraisers and events in the backroom, and although having a large bar works in many cases – this bar creates a rubberneck situation. I find myself having to squeeze between elected officials and donors uncomfortably if I want to get from one side to the other, but it’s a here-and-there situation.

Overall, a very California-style exudes from this New Scotland Avenue watering hole. If you don’t mind driving up New Scotland Avenue and away from the core of bars on Pearl and Lark, make the visit to Midtown Tap and Tea. It’s worth it.

Midtown Tap and Tea Room
Rating: Four out of Five Pints
289 New Scotland Avenue, Albany (phone: 518-435-0202) 435-0202
Facebook: Midtown Tap and Tea Room