Park of the Week
06.21.06
In This Issue
1. Summer in Madison Square Park
Volume 6, Number 3
June 21 — July 5, 2006
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Ursula von Rydingsvard’s "Damski Czepek" invites visitors to Madison Square Park
Intersection of 23rd St., Broadway, and Madison Aves.
Admission: free
212-538-9310
http://www.madisonsquarepark.org
We always love walking through this renovated park. When we worked in the neighborhood (one of us actually had an office near the prow of the Flatiron Building once upon a time), we used to get sandwiches from Eisenberg’s and sit in the park during the daily dog parties; now they have cordoned off an area along Broadway and designated it James’ Dog Run, open from 6:00 in the morning to midnight, where people can bring in their dogs and let them climb on boxes and dig up rocks. There is also a colorful playground in the northeast corner, and near Madison Ave. by 24th St. stands James Madison Tree, named for our fourth president. Also check out the statue of eighteenth-century New York politician Roscoe Conkling overlooking the Shake Shack, the restored Admiral David Glasgow Farragut statue by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Stanford White, and the statue dedicated to former neighborhood resident Chester Alan Arthur, one of our least well known presidents.
Friday, June 23, 6:00
and
Saturday, June 25, 1:00 Walking tour of Madison Square Park, focusing on life and work of architect Stanford White, who, after being involved in a lurid love triangle, was killed on the roof of the old Madison Square Garden, which stood here, reservations required, 212-538-9310
twi-ny/mdr
Ursula von Rydingsvard’s "Czara z Babelkami" is at home in park
Madison Square Park
Through December 31
Admission: free
212-538-6667
http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/whatsahead.asp
Four works by German-born artist Ursula von Rydingsvard have been installed in Madison Square Park, anchored by "Damski Czepek," a large, translucent bonnet made of polyurethane resin that welcomes visitors on the Oval Lawn. Yes, you can sit on the ribbons that extend from the piece, which resembles a wax bandshell. The other three sculptures are forms made out of von Rydingsvard’s usual material, cedar. "Czara z Babelkami" is like a monumental vase, with protrusions she calls "babelkami" jutting out everywhere; we couldn’t help but think of it as a giant Chia head (and we mean that as a compliment). "Bowl with Fins" consists of twenty-seven ever-widening circles rising like a castle fortress. And in front of the Shake Shack is "Ted’s Desert Reigns," three levels of stacked wood, the biggest Lincoln Logs structure we’ve even seen (and we mean that as a compliment as well). Von Rydingsvard’s cedar sculptures, unpainted and rough, mesh wonderfully with the tree-laden park.
twi-ny/mdr
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings shake up Madison Square Park in 2005
Madison Square Park Oval Lawn
Wednesdays at 7:00 through August 9
Admission: free
212-538-6667
http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/recap.asp
Every Wednesday night during the summer, Madison Square Park presents free music, from jazz and pop to folk and bluegrass.
Wednesday, June 21 Jazz: Me’shell Ndegéocello
Wednesday, June 28 Pop/Folk: Glen Phillips
Wednesday, July 5 Bluegrass: Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
Wednesday, July 12 Bluegrass/Traditional Americana: Uncle Earl, with Abigail Washburn
Wednesday, July 19 Jazz/Soul/R&B: Ledisi
Wednesday, July 26 Jazz: Fred Hersch Trio
Wednesday, August 2 Folk: Mary Gauthier & Eliza Gilkyson
Wednesday, August 9 Folk: Richard Shindell
Madison Square Park Oval Lawn
Thursdays at 6:30
Admission: free
212-538-6667
http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/recap.asp
Madison Square Park’s newest program invites authors to come and read from their works, including Pete Hamill, Roger Kahn, Molly O’Neill, Rich Cohen, Gael Greene, Simon Doonan, and more.
Thursday, June 22 Stanford White Centennial, with Suzannah Lessard, ARCHITECT OF DESIRE: BEAUTY AND DANGER IN THE STANFORD WHITE FAMILY, introduced by Miriam Berman
Thursday, June 29 Wit: Simon Doonan NASTY: MY FAMILY AND OTHER GLAMOROUS VARMINTS, with special guest TBA
Thursday, July 6 Baseball’s Many Lives, with Lawrence Hogan, SHADES OF GLORY: THE NEGRO LEAGUES AND THE STORY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN BASEBALL, and Roger Kahn, INTO MY OWN: THE REMARKABLE PEOPLE AND EVENTS THAT SHAPED A LIFE, with special guest baseball player from the Negro Leagues
Thursday, July 13 Historical Fiction: 20th Century New York, with Paul Malmont, THE CHINATOWN DEATH CLOUD PERIL, and Kevin Baker, STRIVERS ROW
Thursday, July 20 Three Writers! Pete Hamill, DOWNTOWN, Molly O’Neill, MOSTLY TRUE: A MEMOIR OF FAMILY, FOOD, AND BASEBALL, and Gael Greene, INSATIABLE: TALES FROM A LIFE OF DELICIOUS EXCESS
Thursday, July 27 "Breakfast" in the Evening: The National Book Awards Celebrate Truman Capote’s Classic Novella, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, with Amanda Stern and Darin Strauss
Thursday, August 3 New York Life: Bittersweet, with Rich Cohen, SWEET AND LOW: A FAMILY STORY
Thursday, August 10 Dog Days of Summer, with Amy Hempel, UNLEASHED: POEMS BY WRITERS’ DOGS
Madison Square Park Oval Lawn
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 am
Through August 31
Admission: free
212-538-6667
http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/recap.asp
Held on the Oval Lawn by Ursula von Rydingsvard’s "Damski Czepek," each session is followed by an arts and crafts program
Tuesday, June 20 Ivan Ulz
Thursday, June 22 Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Tuesday, June 27 Ernie & Neal
Thursday, June 29 Liz Joyce and a Couple of Puppets
Tuesday, July 11 Astrograss
Thursday, July 13 Taino-Caribbbean Carnival
Tuesday, July 18 John Carlin and Friends
Tuesday, July 25 Jazz-A-Ma-Tazz
Tuesday, July 25 Mr. Fish & Lisa Lou
Thursday, July 27 Annie & The Natural Wonder Band
Tuesday, August 1 Dusty Wright
Thursday, August 3 LuAnn Adams
Tuesday, August 8 The Deedle Deedle Dees
Thursday, August 10 Akwesi Asante: Asante’s African Safari
Tuesday, August 15 Ernie Lee & Marci: Gotta Play
Thursday, August 17 Big Jeff & His Middle Sized Band
Tuesday, August 22 Allison DeSalvo: World of Song
Thursday, August 24 The Quiet Ones
Tuesday, August 29 Tucker’s Tale Puppet Theatre
Thursday, August 31 Chinese Theater Works
twi-ny/mdr
Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack plays no favorites
Madison Square Park
Southeast corner
Open 11:00 am — 11:00 pm
212-889-6600
http://www.madisonsquarepark.org/shake_shack.asp
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_newsroom/daily_plants/daily_plant_main.php?id=18712
http://www.siteenvirodesign.com
Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack offers parkgoers Chicago and Taxi dogs, pretty darn good burgers, fries, frozen custard, the Arnold Palmer (a mix of lemonade and iced tea), Shackapalooza sundaes, creamsicles, beer and wine, and more, a great lunch respite in the Flatiron District. The ivy-covered kiosk was designed by James Wines of SITE, incorporating the park’s greenery as well as the Flatiron Building, which looms over the southwest corner. Grab a Shack Stack, cheese fries, and a Concrete Jungle and chow down while sitting in Ursula von Rydingsvard’s "Damski Czepek." Last year, we saw Meyer himself, the man behind Union Square Cafe, Eleven Madison Park, Blue Smoke, Tabla, and Gramercy Tavern, stopping off for a bite in back of the shack. The lines are generally enormous, so bring a book while you wait to be served (although there is an express lane for certain menu items — but not, of course, dogs, burgers, concretes, or shakes). In fact, the lines are so long that, recently, controversy surfaced when it was rumored that a businessman paid one of the Shake Shack employees for his cell-phone number so the businessman could call in his order and have it waiting for him. The Union Square Hospitality Group responded by saying that not only is that kind of behavior strictly prohibited, but even Meyer’s own family has to wait in line to get their food. Regardless, going to the Shake Shack has become a rite of passage for New Yorkers.
twi-ny/mdr
Betty Woodman, "River Viewing / Studio Screen," 2004, detail
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.
The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Gallery
Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, Modern Art, first floor
Through July 30
Closed Mondays
Suggested admission: $12
212-535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={A5DA8885-8511-41B6-A27A-CCFCF65C2CA5}
Ceramic artist Betty Woodman gets her first U.S. retrospective in this fabulous exhibit of seventy of her wonderful pieces. Using the vase as her central form, Woodman incorporates Asian and European influences into her colorful, playful works, reinventing the vase as more than just a useful vessel. Among the first things you’ll come upon are Woodman’s charming pillow pitchers, as well as the sexy "Erotic Burrito." "Frivolous Vase and Shadow" features a vase on a stand, its yellow shadow plastered on the wall behind it. "Aeolian Pyramid" consists of ascending rows of Grecian-style vase fragments forming an inviting pyramid; be sure to look at the installation from behind. "The Ming Sisters" comprises a trio of vases with vases painted on them. Several "Balustrades" decorate the walls, reminiscent of Elizabeth Murray’s recent exhibit at MoMA, but in this case the pieces are broken up, as captivating for the spaces they create as for the objects themselves. Don’t miss the back wall, a vertical earthenware garden covered with eleven vases (including "Snapdragon," "Hydrangea," "Gloxinia," "Poppies," and "Wallflower") on their own pedestals. Woodman has also created five large vases that are filled with fresh flowers and inhabit the main entrance of the Met, in and around the information center. "The Art of Betty Woodman" is a delightfully engaging exhibit, transforming a common household object into sweet works of art.
Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
Kara Walker, "Burn," 1998, cut paper and adhesive
The Gioconda and Joseph King Gallery
Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, Modern Art, mezzanine level
Through July 30
212-535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/kara_walker/deluge_more.asp
Cut-paper silhouette artist and Columbia professor Kara Walker has taken over the Gioconda and Joseph King Gallery, curating a revealing exhibition about water and the role and position of blacks in art and history. Using J.M.W. Turner’s 1840 "Slave Ship: Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On" as a jumping-off point in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Walker mixes in pieces from the Met’s collection alongside her own compelling work, usually black cutouts on a white background (or on the wall of the gallery itself). Divided into three sections — Port of Call, Open Waters, and Inundation — the exhibition includes Winslow Homer’s "The Gulf Stream," in which a shirtless and shoeless black man is adrift on a small boat in the middle of a storm, surrounded by sharks, looking behind him without fear; Homer added a rescue ship in the left background after audiences thought the painting was too depressing — calling to mind media coverage of Katrina. Next to Homer’s painting is a copy of John Singleton Copley’s "Watson and the Shark," in which a black man participates in the attempted rescue of a boy being attacked by the dangerous predator. Death can be found in several works on view, including Joshua Shaw’s "The Deluge Toward Its Close," with snakes and dead bodies washed up on the shore during a terrible storm. Walker’s "story of muck" continues with her own "They Say Water Represents the Subconscious in Dreams," from her 2001 American Primitives series, in which she places three silhouetted cutouts — one upside down — in the foreground of a doomed riverboat, evoking the devastation of Katrina even though the work predates the disaster. The room also features about two dozen more of Walker’s works amid pieces by Auguste Edouart ("Magic Lantern," "South Sea Islanders"), Pieter Nolpe ("The Bursting of St. Anthony’s Dike"), and William P. Chappell (nine oils, mostly set in nineteenth-century New York, that feature blacks in everyday life, including "Baked Pears in Duane Park" and "The Boot Black") as well as John Warner Barber’s log from the slave ship Amistad. In the next room, the exhibit concludes with a wall of Walker’s pieces from her series "Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated)," in which she transposes silhouetted figures over Civil War scenes; in "Confederate Prisoners Being Conducted from Jonesborough to Atlanta," a large black head dominates the center of the piece, obfuscating what is going on behind it. "After the Deluge" is an involving treatise on race, from slavery to Katrina and beyond, set in a room that comes alive in black and white. The above Web site includes a brief online audio discussion between Walker and the Met’s Gary Tinterow.
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Cai Guo-Quiang, "Transparent Monument," 2006, detail
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.
The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden
Through October 29
Closed Monday
Recommended admission: $15
212-535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={35B54034-D40F-4FD8-86EA-0B1A0A9D0F81}
Chinese-born artist Cai Guo-Quiang, who has lived in Japan and now works here in New York, has created an engaging site-specific installation for the Met’s roof garden. "Transparent Monument" consists of four pieces that, according to Cai, "address the uneasiness and fragility of our society at present." The titular piece is a fifteen-foot-high sheet of tempered glass atop a pair of pedestals, a huge plein-air window that birds could smash into; indeed, several black "birds" lie dead on the white pedestals, the Manhattan skyline visible in the distance. "Move Along, Nothing to See Here" consists of two large gators held aloft by bamboo poles that shoot through them (offering another view of the skyline), their bodies covered by sharp objects seized at airport security checkpoints, including scissors, silverware, screwdrivers, and a multitude of knives with colorful handles. Nine intricately carved stone reliefs tell the story of recent history in "Nontransparent Monument," a narrative wall with portions dedicated to Hurricane Katrina, SARS, avian flu, the deaths of Yasir Arafat and Pope John Paul II, cloned dogs, George W. Bush, Osama bin Laden, illegal immigrants, suicide bombers, cell phones, same-sex marriage, Hong Kong Disneyland, cosmetic surgery, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United Nations World Summit, the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, crop circles, 9/11, and even his own "Transparent Monument." Take your time surveying this remarkable collection of current events. Finally, every afternoon at noon, a black-smoke shell shoots off the roof, creating "Clear Sky Black Cloud," a small black cloud that explodes over the Met, then dissipates into the air; if you are not there to see it live, outside the elevators there is a video that repeats the event.
Collection of David Bowie
"Jacket," 1996-97, Union Jack jacket designed by Alexander McQueen in collaboration with David Bowie, using distressed fabric
The Costume Institute
The Annie Laurie Aitken Galleries, first floor
Through September 4
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={8CBD9694-C547-4DB3-A0AE-1CA0F88BED16}
The Met’s English Period Room come alive with entertaining vignettes that show off the best and worst of British fashion over the last few hundred years. Set amid paintings, furniture, lighting, and other elements from the Met’s decorative arts collection, this thoroughly enjoyable exhibit is like a walk through a bizarre English wax museum, filled with dozens of mannequins wearing the haughtiest of haute couture and the most glamorous of royal rags. Each individual display represents a specific period of British history, with traditional dress standing next to modern-day transgressions of the same style. "Upstairs/Downstairs" takes place around a seventeenth-century Cassiobury Park staircase in Hertfordshire, matching Charles Frederick Worth’s "Court Gown with Train" with 2002 dress ensembles from Hussein Chalayan. "The Deathbed," in Hampton Court, includes a black "Dress Worn by Queen Victoria" and the magnificently malevolent "Dress with Spine Corset," by Alexander McQueen and Shaun Leane. The Croome Court Room pays tribute to eighteenth-century "Francomania" with Worth’s traditional white silk satin dress with black silk voided velvet alongside John Galliano’s black silk taffeta "Dress (Maria Luisa)," topped by a fabulous raven headdress by Stephen Jones and finished off with a pair of beaded black Manolo Blahniks. You can also go on a hunt, attend the hunt ball, bow to Queen Elizabeth, and wander through an English garden. Celebrities are represented as well: The long, punkish Union Jack jacket (a nod to John Bull) was designed by McQueen for David Bowie, and Johnny Rotten wore one of the Vivienne Westwood jackets that can be found in "The Gentlemen’s Club," where punk meets dandy, Malcolm McLaren meets Beau Brummel.
Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts
Peter Hujar, "Susan Sontag," gelatin silver print, 1975
The Howard Gilman Gallery, second floor
Through September 4
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={D612DB6F-11F7-45FB-B519-F033C602C328}
In this tribute to the late Susan Sontag, more than three dozen photographs are placed within the context of her writings on the medium, sometimes linking her words to specific pictures or artists she was critiquing. "Despite its class realism, it is one of the most truly abstract works in the history of photography," she writes of August Sander’s attempt to catalog the German people, the quote stenciled directly on the wall, next to Sander’s "Unemployed Sailor" and "High School Student." Sontag’s comparison of Edward Weston’s pictures of female nudes and peppers is riveting, accompanied by Weston’s "Nude" and "Pepper #30," her words as beautiful as the images. "Seen through photographs, people become icons of themselves" is linked with Napoleon Sarony’s photo of Oscar Wilde, Julia Margaret Cameron’s shot of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Andy Warhol’s "Photo-booth Self-portrait," and Peter Hujar’s glamorous snap of Sontag herself. A pair of old travel albums rests in a case with a quote from 1973’s "In Plato’s Cave," in which Sontag asserts, "Travel becomes a strategy for accumulating photographs. . . . Most tourists feel compelled to put the camera between themselves and whatever is remarkable that they encounter. Unsure of other responses, they take a picture. This gives shape to experience: stop, take a photograph, and move on." This is especially true in the age of the digital camera and such Web sites as flickr, where people invite friends to look at countless, unedited photos, as if nothing exists until it can be seen onscreen (computer, television, cell phone). "Fascist art glorifies surrender, it exalts mindlessness, it glamorizes death" appears next to Leni Riefentahl’s orderly "Calisthenics, Olympic Games, Berlin." "With our dead, there has always been a powerful interdiction against showing the naked face," Sontag, who died from leukemia in December 2004, wrote in her 2003 book REGARDING THE PAIN OF OTHERS, a telling statement following the recent front-page photos of the dead Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Among the other photographers represented in this mini-greatest-hits collection are Diane Arbus, Edward Steichen, Robert Mapplethorpe, Robert Frank, Brassai, Berenice Abbot, Eugene Atget, Harry Callahan, and Annie Liebovitz, who captured Sontag in Petra, Jordan.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd St.
Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium unless otherwise noted
http://www.metmuseum.org/events
Thursday, June 22 June Films with Commentary: A PASSAGE TO INDIA (David Lean, 1984), introduced by Christopher Noey, $12, 1:30
Saturday, June 24 THE CUP (PHORPA) (Khyentse Norbu, 2000), free with museum admission, 1:00
Saturday, June 24 HIMALAYA (HIMALAYA: L’ENFACE D’UN CHEF) (Eric Valli, 2004), free with museum admission, 3:00
Sunday, June 25 Sunday at the Met -- Raphael at the Metropolitan: The Colonna Altarpiece, free with museum admission, different lectures at 10:30, 10:45, 11:30, 1:30, 2:15, 3:00
Thursday, June 29 June Films with Commentary: BLOW-UP (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966), introduced by Harold Koda, $12, 1:30
Saturday, July 8 ULAMA, THE GAME OF LIFE AND DEATH (ULAMA, EL JUEGO DE LA VIDA Y LA MUERTE) (Roberto Rochin, 1986), free with museum admission, 1:00
Saturday, July 8 Sunday at the Met -- Treasure of Sacred Maya Kings: Recently Discovered Murals at Calakmul, Mexico, with Ramón Carrasco Vargas, free with museum admission, 2:45
Saturday, July 8 Sunday at the Met -- Treasure of Sacred Maya Kings: Mayan Life and World, with Ernesto Vargas Pacheco, free with museum admission, 4:00
Saturday, July 8 CHAC: THE RAIN GOD (Rolando Klein, 1974), free with museum admission, 5:00
twi-ny/mdr
Alexander Hamilton stands tall behind the Met
Central Park
East side at 82nd St.
Between field #4 on the Great Lawn and the back of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the 81st St. entrance, on a patch of grass known as Hamilton Beach, stands Alexander Hamilton, one of the all-time-great New Yorkers. Hamilton gazes proudly across at the Met, his right hand over his heart, his left hand clutching a document, his hat and sword resting on the base. James G. Batterson’s work honoring our seventh president, which was presented in 1880 by John C. Hamilton, might not be a masterpiece, but it’s another one of those little pieces that makes every corner of Central Park so grand.
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Egyptian Obelisk rises valiantly behind the Met
Central Park
East side at 81st St.
http://www.centralparknyc.org/virtualpark/thegreatlawn/obelisk
Hiding behind the Met, the Obelisk, known affectionately as Cleopatra’s Needle, rises in tribute to King Thutmose III, of Egypt’s eighteenth dynasty. (Because the king was a mere child when anointed, his aunt, Hatshepsut, took control; the Met’s current exhibit "Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh" is on view in the second-floor Tisch Galleries through July 9.) Originally erected in Heliopolis about 3,500 years ago, the Obelisk was given to the United States by the Khedive of Egypt in 1879. Weighing 244 tons and measuring 71 feet tall, it is held up by four sea crabs that weigh 900 pounds apiece; their claws peek out at all four corners. The four-sided Obelisk was once covered in hieroglyphics, but the weather has worn away much of the ancient writing, though some elements are still visible; plaques identify the characters, including Ra, Ramesses, the Golden Horus, and King Men-kheper-ra. The small area surrounding the Obelisk is a pleasant place to take a brief respite from the frantic park summer.
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Paul Manship’s "Group of Bears" stands guard in front of playground
Fifth Ave. at 79th St.
Open 7:30 am till dusk
http://www.centralparknyc.org/virtualpark/thegreatlawn/friedmanpg
This small playground on the south side of the Met is worth checking out to see Paul Manship’s "Group of Bears," a bronze sculpture of three bears standing guard in front of the Levy Gates, which each contains eight monkeys, two owls, one woodpecker, and one squirrel, designed by A. Walter Beretta. The playground itself features a fountain, swings, a twisting slide in a sandbox, and other climbing apparatus.
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Flushing Town Hall dates back to 1862
137-35 Northern Blvd. at Linden Pl.
Admission: free (small charge for some exhibits)
718-463-7700
http://www.flushingtownhall.org
Originally dedicated on June 7, 1862 (where it was home to a time capsule that was opened in 2001), the Romanesque Revival national landmark Flushing Town Hall has played host to Union soldiers, Frederick Douglass, P.T. Barnum, and many others through the years. Restored by Platt Byard Dovell in the mid-1990s, it now houses the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, presenting music, dance, lectures, and exhibitions in conjunction with the Smithsonian. Take your time going up the steps to the theater to check out "Legends of the Queens Jazz Trail," photos of great jazz performers who lived and/or worked in Queens, including jazzman Chuck Stewart’s shots of Thelonius Monk, Lionel Hampton, Percy Heath, Clark Terry, Milt Hinton, and others, as well as a Hinton photograph of Billie Holiday. There are also artifacts from Louis Armstrong, from a telegram to his handwritten compilation of songs on a reel-to-reel tape.
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Kang Wansheng holds court at center stage
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd. at Linden Pl
Sunday, June 24
Tickets: $26-$100
718-296-0233
http://www.qishufang.com/2006festival.htm
http://www.flushingtownhall.org
On June 4, we attended a special preview performance of the sixth annual Peking Opera Festival, presented at Flushing Town Hall. The three pieces, "The Monkey King Havoc in Imperial Stables," "Stealing the Official Seal," and "The Case of Chen Shi-Mei," performed in Chinese without English translation, included martial arts, acrobatics, dance, live music, and ornate, elaborate costumes and colorfully painted faces. Among the highlights were the Monkey King showing his remarkable skill in battling a quartet of horse soldiers, and Jiao Guangpu getting into an acrobatic, romantic dance with Yang Bajie while trying to steal her seal so he can get home. Following a brief intermission, the well-respected Kang Wansheng starred as Judge Bao in "The Case of the Chen Shi-Mei," a long, talky piece that is more difficult for non-Chinese-speaking people. On June 24, the Peking Opera returns to Town Hall, presenting "The Crossroads: Fighting in the Dark," "The Monkey King," "Chen Shi-Mei" (with Kang Wansheng), and "The Secret Letter: Song Jiang Kills Yan Poxi" and "The West Chamber Romance," both starring opera master Song Changrong. The show is worth it for the fabulous music alone, including such instruments as opera fiddle, opera erhu, bamboo flute, min erhu, small and large gongs, moon guitar, hai flute, and suona horn, The New York-based company was started by Qi Shu Fang in 1988 and has been playing all over the world ever since. Her husband, Ding Meiku, serves as vice president and artistic director and also occasionally plays the role of the Monkey King.
First Saturday of the month
Tickets: $30
718-463-7700
http://www.flushingtownhall.org/events/event.php?id=63
Saturday, July 1 Trolley tour includes Flushing Town Hall, Corona and the Louis Armstrong House and Museum, Addisleigh Park, and shopping, 1:00 — 4:00
Flushing Town Hall
137-35 Northern Blvd. at Linden Pl.
Alternate Friday nights at 8:00 in the garden
Admission: free
718-463-7700
http://www.flushingtownhall.org/events/index.php?cat_id=1018&month_id=06
Friday, July 7 Brian Clayton and the Green River Band
Friday, July 21 James Jones & Positive Energy
Friday, August 4 Marty Raneri & the Channel Surfers
Friday, August 18 Pheeroan akLaff and taiko drummers
twi-ny/mdr
Herman A. MacNeil’s statue pays tribute to fallen heroes
http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=215
Before or after taking in a show or exhibition at Flushing Town Hall, be sure to walk around the neighborhood, which is filled with interesting details and unusual places. The Northern Blvd. median is lined with the Flushing Greens, featuring war memorials (including Herman A. MacNeil’s statue of an angel commemorating those who gave their lives in WWI, a Civil War memorial obelisk, and a Spanish-American War memorial flagpole), scenic gardens, and Daniel Carter Beard Mall, dedicated to the Flushing-based reformer, editor, and illustrator known as Uncle Dan to myriad Boy Scouts. Across the street from Town Hall is the castle-like Queens North Task Force fortress and the Old Quaker Meeting House, a Registered National Historic Landmark that dates back to 1694; from 1776 to 1783, it served as a British prison, hospital, and stable. As you turn back onto Main St., look up to see the very strange gold-colored Main St. Tower.
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St. George is multicultural landmark
135-32 38th Ave. at Main St.
718-359-1171
http://saintgeorgesflushing.org
http://www.dioceselongisland.org/allparish/Q12StGeorgeFlushing.htm
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, part of the Church of England, established St. George’s in Flushing in 1702. The first building was erected in 1746; the current structure is the third on the site, a Gothic Revival church designed by Frank Wills and Henry Dudley in 1853-54 in the ecclesiological style. The chancel wing was added in 1894 and the neo-Gothic parish house, designed by Charles C. Haight, in 1907. Inside, behind the altar is a beautiful, large stained-glass window; the sanctuary also features a pipe organ. Intricately carved figures surround the wooden pulpit. The walls are lined with small sculptures of the Stations of the Cross in between stained-glass depictions of biblical scenes. And you can still find the original charter, given by King George III in 1761. The membership of St. George’s has changed dramatically since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when it was heavy on the British, German, and Dutch; today one can find an ethnic mix of African Americans, Hispanics, West Indians, and Asians, with services conducted in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Among the recognizable names in the old churchyard cemetery is Van Wyck, of the much-traveled expressway; the Episcopal church’s most famous warden and vestryman was Francis Lewis, signer of the Declaration of Independence and namesake of the busy Queens boulevard. We highly recommend stopping in near the end of mass, even if you’re not Episcopalian, to see the Chinese Bibles, the eclectic mix of people, and the fabulous jazz improvisation by organist Barry Kloda and trumpeter Gary Padmore that receives a well-deserved ovation.
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Kismet is Flushing oasis for bubble tea and manga
37-29 Main St., second floor
718-445-0748
Up the stairs you’ll find this cool bookstore, filled with manga, anime, toys, and other collectibles, all neatly set up in cases and shelves. We found some of our favorites here, including CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL, HOT GIMMICK, and FULL METAL ALCHEMIST. The books are available in either English translations or the original Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. Kismet also makes bubble tea, so you can get a cup of sago, buy a book, and read it while relaxing on one of the couches in the video/DVD section.
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St.
Thursday nights at 6:00 through August 10
Admission: free
212-831-7272
Thursday, June 22 Afro-Cuban Jazz and Salsa Mix: Larry Harlow and Latin Jazz Encounter, Teatro Heckscher
Thursday, June 29 Son and More: Alex Cuba Band
Thursday, July 6 Freestyle DJ Dance Party, featuring Coro, the Cover Girls, Reina, and TKA
Thursday, July 13 Salsa: Chino Nunez. George Delgado & Friends
Thursday, July 20 Reggaeton and Hip Hop, with Urban Box Office and Sano-In
Thursday, July 27 Merengue/Bachata/Bolero: Los Ciegos del Barrio
Thursday, August 3 Latin Funk/Urban Latin Jewish Mix: Pacha and Hip Hop Hoodios
Thursday, August 10 Rock: Los Amigos Invisibles
Huntington Arts Council
Heckscher Park
Prime Ave. & Route 25A (Main St.)
All shows at 8:30 unless otherwise noted
Admission: free
631-271-8423
http://www.huntingtonarts.org/sections/summer_arts_festival/saf_index.htm
Friday, June 23 Koko Taylor and Her Blues Machine, with Bennett Harris
Saturday, June 24 The East Village Opera Company
Sunday, June 25 Senior Pops Orchestra
Tuesday, June 27 David Gonzalez, Aesop Bops, 7:30
Wednesday, June 28 Huntington Community Band: Mozart & More!
Thursday, June 29 Huntington Men’s Chorus
Friday, June 30 The Dance Theatre Company & the Red Hot Mamas
Saturday, July 1 J.D. Allen Trio, with Shenole Latimer Quartet
Sunday, July 2 Merian Soto Dance Company: Three Branch Songs
Tuesday, July 4 Hudson Vagabond Puppets: Monkey See, Monkey Do, 7:30
Wednesday, July 5 Huntington Community Band: American Dream
Thursday, July 6 Huntington Choral Society
Friday, July 7 Plena Libre
Saturday, July 8 Golden Group Memories, Bank of America sponsor
Sunday, July 9 Plaza Theatrical Productions: THE MUSIC MAN
Tuesday, July 11 Patricia Shih, 7:30
Wednesday, July 12 Huntington Community Band: Around the World and Back in One Evening, with the L.I. Tuba Quartet, 7:15
Thursday, July 13 Long Island Roots Music, with Little Toby Walker and Millers Crossing, and comedian Joe DeVito
Friday, July 14 Antares
Saturday, July 15 Niyaz
Sunday, July 16 North Shore Pops
Tuesday, July 18 Samite of Uganda, 7:30
Wednesday, July 19 Huntington Community Band: Under the Stars, 7:15
Thursday, July 20 Isotope Stompers
Friday, July 21 Circle of Dance Repertory Company, with Centro Coregrafico di Danza
Saturday, July 22 Sean Grace Band with Dave Valentin
Sunday, July 23 Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company: Flamenco Caliente
Tuesday, July 25 Geist: A One-Man Detour to Hilarity! 7:30
Wednesday, July 26 Huntington Community Band: Encore, Encore! 7:15
Thursday, July 27 Township Theatre Group: All in the Timing
Friday, July 28 Ravi Coltrane Quartet
Saturday, July 29 Emeline Michel: An Evening of Haitian Music, with Buyu Ambroise & the Blues in Red Band
Sunday, July 30 Long Island Dance Consortium Summer Showcase, with ASEID Contemporary Dance Company, Nassau BOCES Cultural Arts Center Repertory Dance Company, Variations Dance Company, Long Island Dance Company, Nryita Saagaram Dance Academy, and Nassau Dance Centre
Tuesday, August 1 Michel Lane Trautman, 7:30
Wednesday, August 2 Nassau Pops
Thursday, August 3 The Stanton Anderson Band
Friday, August 4 Wonderous Stories: Pink Floyd’s DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
Saturday, August 5 Broadhollow Theatre: ANYTHING GOES
Sunday, August 6 Janis Brenner & Dancers: 25th Anniversary Program
Tuesday, August 8 Plaza Theatrical Productions: CHARLOTTE’S WEB, 7:30
Wednesday, August 9 Island Hills Chorus
Thursday, August 10 Klezmatics
Friday: August 11 Richard Joo: The Classical Music of Billy Joel
Saturday, August 12 The Huntington Folk Festival, with John Hammond and Red Molly
Sunday, August 13 A Film in the Park: FRESH CUT GRASS (Matt Coppolla), with an appearance by the director
Tuesday, August 15 Brady Rymer: Rock and Roll for Kids, 7:30
Wednesday, August 16 Twin Shores Chorus
Thursday, August 17 Ed Palermo Big Band: The Music of Frank Zappa
Friday, August 18 Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra: Music Under the Stars
Saturday, August 19 Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Sunday, August 20 Antigone Rising, with HyJinx
Riverside Clay Tennis Association
Tennis lawn, Hudson River at 97th St.
Through September 16
Picnics and blankets encouraged
Admission: free
212-870-3078
http://www.rcta.info/concerts.html
Saturday, June 24 Citigrass, 5:00
Saturday, July 1 Dave Glasser, 6:00
Saturday, July 8 Musica Bella Orchestra, 6:00
Saturday, July 15 The Atwaters/Ed Baker, 7:00
Saturday, July 22 Nu Guajiro, 6:00
Saturday, July 29 Efendi, 6:00
Saturday, September 2 Bob Kindred Ensemble, 6:00
Saturday, September 9 Sabor Brasil, 6:00
Saturday, September 2 Pe de Boi, 6:00
Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Front Lawn
1000 Richmond Terr.
Sundays at 5:00
Admission: free
718-815-SNUG
Sunday, June 25 The David Gluhk Klezmer Ensemble
Sunday, July 9 Cynthia Sayer Jazz Banjo
Sunday, July 16 Big Frank and the Healers
Sunday, July 23 The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre’s THE FAN TAN KING
Sunday, July 30 The Opera Collective: An Evening of Italian Opera
Sunday, August 6 The Bindlestiff Family Circus
Ft. Greene Park, Dekalb Ave. & Washington Park St.
Brower Park, Brooklyn Ave. & Prospect Pl.
Von King Park, Lafayette, Marcy & Thompkins Ave. & Green St.
St. Mary’s Park, 146th St. & St. Ann’s Ave.
Crotona Park, 173rd St. & Crotona Park East
Mahoney Park, Beechwood Ave., Crescent Ave., Cleveland St. & Jersey St.
Highbridge Park, 173rd St. & Amsterdam Ave.
Jackie Robinson Park, 145th St. & Bradhurst Ave.
Marcus Garvey Park, 124th St. & Mt. Morris Park
Queensbridge Park, 21st St. Bridge Plaza, Vernon Blvd., & East River
All shows begin at 7:00
Admission: free
http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/index1.aspx?BD=18141
For a day-by-day listing of free summer concerts all over the city, visit http://twi-ny.com/freesummermusic.html.
Thursday, July 6 Kurtis Blow, Herbert Von King Park
Tuesday, July 11 Brazilian Girls, Fort Greene Park
Tuesday, July 11 Plena Libre, St. Mary’s Park
Wednesday, July 12 Doug E Fresh / Brucie B, Brower Park
Wednesday, July 12 Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Crotona Park
Thursday, July 13 Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Herbert Von King Park
Tuesday, July 18 Rich Medina & Bobitto aka Cucumber Slice "Leaving This Planet," Fort Greene Park
Tuesday, July 18 Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue, St. Mary’s Park
Wednesday, July 19 Tabou Combo, Brower Park
Wednesday, July 19 Johnny Pacheco y Su Tumboa, Crotona Park
Thursday, July 20 The Persuasions, Herbert Von King Park
Tuesday, July 25 Little Brother / Joell Ortiz, Fort Greene Park
Tuesday, July 25 Orquesta Broadway, St. Mary’s Park
Wednesday, July 26 Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue, Brower Park
Wednesday, July 26 The Cold Crush Brothers, Crotona Park
Wednesday, August 2 The Persuasions, Mahoney Park
Tuesday, August 8 Mala Fe, Highbridge Park
Tuesday, August 8 Mighty Sparrow, Queensbridge Park
Wednesday, August 9 Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue, Jackie Robinson Park
Wednesday, August 9 Dave Santiago and Latin Affair, Mahoney Park
Thursday, August 10 Slick Rick / Kool DJ Red Alert, Marcus Garvey Park
Tuesday, August 15 Magic Juan, Highbridge Park
Tuesday, August 15 The Manhattans, Queensbridge Park
Wednesday, August 16 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Jackie Robinson Park
Wednesday, August 16 The Manhattans, Mahoney Park
Thursday, August 17 Antibalas, Marcus Garvey Park
Tuesday, August 22 Raulin, Highbridge Park
Tuesday, August 22 Frankie Vasquez y Soneros Del Barrio, Queensbridge Park
Wednesday, August 23 Kurtis Blow, Jackie Robinson Park
Thursday, August 24 Dwele, Marcus Garvey Park
Wingate Field
Winthrop St. between Brooklyn & Kingston Aves., across the street from Kings County Hospital
Monday nights at 7:30
Admission: free, chairs recommended
718-469-1912/718-222-0600
http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/mlk.html
Monday, July 10 Anthony Hamilton and Angie Stone
Monday, July 17 Stephanie Mills, the Whispers, and Melba Moore
Monday, July 24 Gospel
Monday, July 31 Roberta Flack and James Ingram
Monday, August 7 LL Cool J
Monday, August 14 Caribbean Mighty Sparrow, Third World, Maxie Priest, and Toots & the Maytals
Monday, August 21 The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, Funk Brother Jack Ashford & the Original Motown Sound, and the Contours
Brit Marling
Leonard Cohen, director Lian Lunson, and Bono behind the scenes
Film Forum
209 West Houston St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Opens Wednesday, June 21
Tickets: $10
212-727-8110
http://www.filmforum.org/films/leonard.html
http://www.leonardcohenimyourman.com
On January 30, 2005, a group of performers handpicked by producer Hal Willner paid tribute to the great Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. (A similar show took place at the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 28, 2003, as part of Celebrate Brooklyn!) Between and during songs, director Lian Lunson cuts in interviews not only with the evening’s performers but also with Bono and the Edge from U2 as well as Cohen himself. An intensely thoughtful, intelligent man with mesmerizingly deep creases on his face, Cohen is often shot in extreme close-up as he talks about his unique creative process — it might takes weeks for him to come up with an acceptable line, and maybe an entire year to finish a song — in addition to his study of Buddhism, his legend as a ladies’ man, the translation of his novel BEAUTIFUL LOSERS into Chinese, and his career in general. The performances are solid, if not necessarily inspiring: among the highlights are Nick Cave doing "I’m Your Man" and "Suzanne" (the latter with Cohen’s backup singers Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla, who contribute their own lovely rendition of "Anthem"), Rufus and Martha Wainwright offering the stunningly beautiful "Hallelujah" (Rufus also takes on "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" and Martha "The Traitor"), Beth Orton contributing "Sisters of Mercy," Teddy Thompson playing "Tonight Will Be Fine," and Kate and Anna McGarrigle dueting on "Came So Far for Beauty." Also on the roster are the Handsome Family, Linda Thompson, Jarvis Cocker, and Antony, singing Cohen’s poetic lyrics. Strangely, the film ends with Cohen himself performing "Tower of Song" with U2 at the Slipper Room, but it is obvious that Cohen is either lip-syncing or his voice was overdubbed later. If you don’t know much about Cohen and his music, this film is a good place to start, but we highly recommend picking up such seminal albums as SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, THE FUTURE, and the amazing I’M YOUR MAN.
Anjani and Cohen get together for new disc
Available now
You’ll want to sit back with a cigarette and a strong whiskey while listening to this beautiful album from Anjani Thomas, the inimitable Leonard Cohen’s longtime backup singer and constant companion. Touched by an unused Cohen lyric, Anjani went through boxes of Cohen’s writings, finding inspiration in sometimes only a single line, which she then expanded with Cohen, working on the words together, but set to her own tender arrangements. (Cohen also coproduced the record, with Anjani and Ed Sanders.) "There’s perfume burning in the air / Bits of beauty everywhere / Shrapnel flying; soldier hit the dirt / Blue Alert," Anjani sings on the title track, and indeed, there’s bits of beauty to be found everywhere on the album. On the gorgeous late-night lament "Innermost Door," she sings, "When I am alone / You’ll come back to me / It’s happened before / It’s called memory." In "The Golden Gate," haunting words set the scene: "Four o’clock and the fog comes in / We all remember the sea / For several seconds our sins are forgiven / Mine against yours, yours against mine." Greg Liesz contributes lap steel and Danny Frankel drums to the bluesy "Never Got to Love You." "The Mist" becomes a spare Irish ballad. Anjani uses a breathy, sadly erotic voice in "Crazy to Love You" as she remembers, "I had to go crazy to love you / Had to let everything fail / Had to be people I hated / Had to be no one at all." The record closes with the gorgeous "Thanks for the Dance," a waltz with John Lissauer adding clarinet and keyboards. Stay with this disc; give it a few spins and you’ll find it, as Anjani sings in the noirish "Half the Perfect World," "transparent, weightless, luminous … unwilled, unleashed, unbound."
http://www.harpercollins.com/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=006112558X
Leonard Cohen fans are in for a triple treat with BOOK OF LONGING, Cohen’s first book in thirteen years and an excellent companion to Lian Lunson’s documentary and Anjani’s album. Mixing poetry, prose, and drawings, Cohen writes about love and loss, sex and death, drugs and deities, memory and Montreal, and the power of song with an engagingly self-deprecating sense of humor. "Do not decode / these cries of mine -- / They are the road, and not the sign" he explains cryptically in "All My News." A very loose self-portrait sketch is accompanied by the words, "I believe that you are standing in the place where I am supposed to be standing." He gives a sort of mission statement in "Something from the Early Seventies," discussing art, acid, and the Chelsea Hotel. "I know you had to lie to me / I know you had to cheat / To pose all hot and high behind / The veils of sheer deceit / Our perfect porn aristocrat / So elegant and cheap / I’m old but I’m still into that / A thousand kisses deep," he writes in "Thousand Kisses Deep," which the Handsome Family performed at the Sydney tribute concert. Although most of the writings are not identified by place and year, Cohen does point out those written when he was on Mt. Baldy, where he was known as Jikan and studied with his Roshi. Perhaps this sudden Cohen media explosion is best explained in "Delay": "’I can hold in a great deal; I don’t speak / until the waters overflow their banks / and break through the dam’ / Thus I was able to delay this book well beyond the end of the 20th century.’"
WASSUP ROCKERS follows teens from South Central
Angelika Film Center
18 West Houston St. at Mercer St.
Opens Friday, June 23
Tickets: $10.75
212-995-2000
http://www.city-cinemas.com/angelika.html
http://www.larryclarkofficialwebsite.com
Photographer Larry Clark burst onto to the indie film scene in 1995 with the controversial, Golden Palm-nominated KIDS, about New York City teenagers dealing with their burgeoning sexuality and drug use in the age of AIDS. The unknown cast of mostly nonprofessional actors included Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson in their film debuts. A decade later, Clark headed out to South Central for the exhilarating WASSUP ROCKERS, the story of seven Latino punk-rock skateboarders trying to do their own thing in an age of gang violence and deep-seated racism. Playing fictionalized versions of themselves, the seven teens, led by the heartthrob Jonathan (Jonathan Velasquez, whom Clark met on a photo shoot for a magazine), take two buses so they can skate a special set of stairs at ritzy Beverly Hills High; while doing so, they first get invited to hang out at a rich white girl’s house, then are harassed by a white cop. They later find their way to the massive home, but when Jade (Laura Cellner) and Nikki’s (Jessica Steinbaum) SUV-driving white boyfriends find them there, a fight breaks out, sending the skaters on a Warriors-like adventure to get back to the ghetto — even though they are far from safe there as well. As he has demonstrated since his 1971 book, TULSA, Clark shoots the young boys and girls in a compelling yet disturbing manner, not afraid to show their sexuality, even if some of them are only fourteen. (ICP mounted a terrific retrospective of Clark’s intense work last spring.) Largely unscripted and featuring a fast and furious soundtrack (Moral Decay, the Retaliators, the Remains), WASSUP ROCKERS is based on the real-life experiences of the kids, a group of good-hearted teens who are not into guns or drugs but cannot escape the dangers inherent in South Central Los Angeles. And the film makes no bones about where it stands: Jonathan, Kico (Francisco Pedrasa), Milton (Milton Velasquez), Porky (Usvaldo Panamemo), Eddie (Eddie Velasquez), Louie (Luis Rojas Salgado), and Carlos (Carlos Ramirez) are always shown in a favorable light, while all of the black and white characters are over-the-top stereotypes, especially Janice Dickinson as an alcoholic socialite.
THE HIDDEN BLADE isn’t quite sharp enough
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between University Pl. & Fifth Ave.
Opens Friday, June 23
Tickets: $10
212-924-3363
Septuagenarian Japanese director Yoji Yamada scored an international hit a few years back with THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI, the story of a soft-spoken samurai (Hiroyuki Sanada) in the mid-nineteenth century who puts down the sword in order to take care of his family. Yamada, director of the popular TORA-SAN movies, returns to similar territory with THE HIDDEN BLADE, a far less effective melodrama starring Masatoshi Nagase as Munezo Katagiri, a caring, thoughtful samurai who has never had to reach for his sword. Life is changing fast for Katagiri; his sister, Shino (Tomoko Tabata), marries his best friend, fellow samurai Samon Shimada (Hidetaka Yoshioka); his family’s maid, Kie (pop star Takako Matsu), whom he secretly desires, gets married and moves away; and his mother passes away. Meanwhile, the age of the samurai is coming to an end as Western weapons, including rifles and cannons, are making their way into the towns and villages outside the big cities. THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI was able to get away with being too slow and too long; unfortunately, THE HIDDEN BLADE is even slower and longer, often playing more like a television soap opera than a feature film. And things don’t get much better when samurai Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa), who had left for a post in Edo, is sent back home in a prisoner’s basket to pay for treasonous crimes. THE HIDDEN BLADE has lofty aspirations, and while there’s much to admire about it, it ends up falling short of its goals.
Former CIA director R. James Woolsey investigates the electric car
Opens Wednesday, June 28
In the 1990s, General Motors started leasing the EV1, a car that ran solely on electricity. Its small but loyal following was deeply devoted to the sporty vehicle, speeding around Los Angeles while not contributing to the severe and dangerous smog problem. Among the minor celebs singing the praises of the car were Ed (ST. ELSEWHERE) Begley Jr., Peter (THIRTYSOMETHING) Horton, and Alexandra (BAYWATCH) Paul. But then something strange started happening: GM would not renew the leases, no matter how much the members of the EV1 Club begged and pleaded, and then GM began pulling the cars off the road completely, seemingly casting them into the ether. When seventy-eight electric cars were discovered in a fenced-in parking lot, the EV1 drivers picketed and protested, hoping to get their story out before GM destroyed every last vehicle. One of the activists was Chris Paine, who decided to tell the fascinating story of the death of the EV1, examining each of the possible suspects: consumers, batteries, oil companies, car companies, and the government. Paine talks to a multitude of people on all sides of the electric car murder mystery, including EV1 driver Mel Gibson, former California Air Resources Board executive director Jim Boyd and former CARB chairman Alan C. Lloyd, GM communications spokesman Dave Barthmuss, former GM board member Tom Everhart, former Carter energy adviser S. David Freeman, California state senator Alan Lowenthal, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, battery innovators Iris and Stanford Ovshinsky, former CIA director R. James Woolsey, EV1 sales specialist Chelsea Sexton, several journalists and writers, various engineering and marketing folk, and even Phyllis Diller. What Paine discovers is a conspiracy theorist’s worst nightmare, a kind of technological and environmental version of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. In a cool twist, the film is narrated by Martin Sheen, well-known liberal and onetime voice of Toyota — which pulled its electric cars off the road in 2003.
Now available on DVD (Rhino, June 2006, $19.98)
http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=971608
http://fuzzywuzzy.com/docs/news.html
http://lunaslastwaltz.blogspot.com
http://www.grange85.co.uk/galaxie/index.php
Last February, we caught one of Luna’s farewell performances, their penultimate show at the Bowery Ballroom, where they delighted the sad, rabid audience with their unique brand of trippy indie rock. After thirteen years and several seminal albums (LUNAPARK, PENTHOUSE), the New York City band was calling it quits, having never quite made it as big as they should have been. For their last tour, they brought along filmmaker Matthew Buzzell to document their personal and musical journey through Japan, England, Spain, and America, providing fans with a deeply intimate look at lead singer and guitarist Dean Wareham, lead guitarist Sean Eden, bassist Britta Phillips, and drummer Lee Wall. Buzzell was given full access to the group, following them into their hotel rooms, setting up for gigs, partying after shows, and traveling on planes, vans, and buses. Each of the four also sat down for candid interviews, talking about the different relationships in the band, especially between the very serious Wareham and the very goofy Eden. Along the way they ride the subway to Kyoto, carrying along their equipment; search for the club they’re supposed to play in the bowels of Madison, WI; lose their luggage in a Spanish airport; and rehash old tales that are not exactly the stuff of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll legend — but are both very funny and, well, downright mundane. Although there is plenty of Luna’s dreamy music — including "Sideshow by the Seashore," "Friendly Advice," "Speedbumps," "Cindy Tastes of Barbecue," "Bewitched," "Fuzzy Wuzzy," and fan favorite "23 Minutes in Brussels," as well as covers of "Rock Your Baby" and "Everybody’s Talkin’" — Buzzell focuses his camera on Luna as dysfunctional family, showing the good with the bad, the highs with the lows, the glorious with the pathetic. The DVD includes more than a dozen deleted scenes, full performances of several songs, and an extremely informative and entertaining commentary track with the director and the band members, including Wareham, girlfriend Phillips, Eden, and Buzzell all together. In conjunction with the DVD, Rhino is releasing the seventeen-track BEST OF LUNA.
In theaters now
http://www.aprairiehomecompanionmovie.com
Director Robert Altman has breathed new life into Garrison Keillor’s popular long-standing radio program, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, with an excellent screenplay by Keillor. Keillor stars as a fictional version of himself, conducting what might be his final show, as a corporate big they’ve nicknamed the Axeman (Tommy Lee Jones) has bought the Fitzgerald Theater, where the show is performed, and is going to tear it down. While Keillor refuses to make any grandiose statements about beginnings and endings, life and death, his supporting cast of offbeat characters wants to go out with a bang, including the Johnson Girls (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin), dirty cowboy duo Dusty (Woody Harrelson) and Lefty (John C. Reilly), old-timer Chuck Akers (L.Q. Jones), and real COMPANION players Jearlynn Steele and Robin and Linda Williams. As the Guys All-Star Shoe Band guide the musicians through such songs as "Whoop-I-Ti-Yi-Yo," "Beboparebop Rhubarb Pie," and "Slow Days of Summer," pathetic gumshoe Guy Noir (Kevin Kline) searches for a mysterious woman in white (Virginia Madsen), and pregnant stage manager Molly (SNL’s Maya Rudolph) tries her best to keep the show running on schedule. Altman works wonders with the ensemble cast, led by the ultratalented Streep and a surprisingly good Keillor, riffing on himself. (The commercials he reads and sings are a hoot.) The movie’s brief coda is pretty much unnecessary, but it only slightly diminishes this sweet achievement, an unsentimental look back at a more innocent time in America.
Film Forum
209 West Houston St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Through June 27
Tickets: $10
212-727-8110
http://www.filmforum.org/films/chong.html
http://www.thememoryhole.org/drugs/pipe-sites/chong-glass.htm
On February 24, 2003, at 5:30 in the morning, Tommy Chong’s house in Pacific Palisades, California, was raided by heavily armed federal agents as part of Operation Pipe Dreams, a national antidrug initiative spearheaded by Attorney General John Ashcroft that netted dozens of sellers of drug paraphernalia, making a celebrity example out of Chong. But the only illegal substances they were after — or weapons of mass destruction, as Chong put it later — were bongs. Chong’s son Paris was the head of Chong Glass, which sold glass Tubes, Hammers, Handpipes, Sherlocks, and Sidecars, legally and with a permit — until the DEA’s repeated attempts to have them ship merchandise to Pennsylvania, which is illegal, finally won out in a case that certainly has aspects of entrapment. Chong was given the option of either accepting jail time or having his son and his wife, Shelby, go down with him; he took the deal. Chong’s friend Josh Gilbert follows Chong and Shelby as they prepare for Tommy’s nine-month incarceration, during which time the stoner comedian took to the media and the road, sharing his story and becoming an activist, something that was never before part of his plan. Gilbert mixes in scenes from Cheech & Chong films and live routines; archival footage of the duo’s appearances on shows hosted by Dick Clark, Tom Snyder, Dinah Shore, and Helen Reddy; home movies going back to Tommy’s childhood; and new interviews with George Thorogood, Jay Leno, Peter Coyote, Bill Maher, Cheech Marin, and others supporting Tommy’s fight against the feds. There are also clips from press conferences held by Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Ashcroft denouncing drug use, as well as a closer look at Mary Beth Buchanan, the local U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania who helped sting Chong Glass and was rewarded with a national post. The government pulled the store’s Web site from the Internet, but you can still see its remnants at the third URL listed above, where parts of it have been lovingly preserved by the folks at the Memory Hole. In August, a companion book, THE I CHONG (Simon Spotlight, $23.95), will be released, in which Chong goes into detail about his time spent behind bars. We’ve gotten an early look at the slim memoir, and it is a good, breezy read that furthers the unintended martyrdom of Tommy Chong.
In theaters now
http://www.thefastandthefurious3.com
Lucas Black is a classically troubled teen with a lead foot and a thick skull in TOKYO DRIFT, the third FAST AND FURIOUS flick, following Rob Cohen’s decent 2001 original and John Singleton’s 2003 disappointment, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS. Black (AMERICAN GOTHIC, SLING BLADE) plays Sean, a tough yet sensitive high school kid who keeps trying to bust out of his trailer-trash upbringing by racing cars – but instead winds up getting chased out of town, along with his distracted mom (Lynda Boyd), by the law. Having worn out his welcome in the States, he is shipped off to his father (a very good Brian Goodman), a military man living a quiet life in Tokyo. Despite his father’s warnings, Sean is almost immediately behind the wheel of a fabulously cool car, involved in a crazy race with DK (Brian Tee), the well-connected nephew of a Yakuza boss (the great JJ Sonny Chiba). Dragging through vertical parking lots, dangerous mountains, and crowded city streets, the drivers use a technique called drifting to make their tight turns. Unfortunately, as Sean aligns himself with DK’s right-hand man, Han (Sung Kang), and starts spending too much time with DK’s mysterious girl, Neela (Nathalie Kelley), the story drifts in and out of ridiculousness, changing gears way too fast and much too furiously; every right move is followed by something deeply absurd, but there’s still some stupid fun to be had. Bow Wow comes along for the ride as the comic relief, the opportunistic Twinkie (who drives a very silly Hulk car). The thrusting soundtrack includes songs by Teriyaki Boyz, DJ Shadow feat. Mos Def, Evil Nine, Dragon Ash, Brian Tyler feat. Slash, Julez Santana, Far East Movement, Shonen Knife, and the 5.6.7.8’s. Add half a star if you liked the tepid INITIAL D (Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, 2005).
In theaters now
AMC Lincoln Square
1998 Broadway at 68th St.
Tickets: $10.75
212-336-5020
Quad Cinema
34 West 13th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Tickets: $9.50
The first half of the slapstick Spanish comedy ONLY HUMAN (SERES QUERIDOS) is a riot, as Leni (Marian Aguilera), an independent young woman, brings home her brand-new fiancé, Rafi (an excellent Guillermo Toledo), to meet her crazy Jewish family. At first, Leni’s mother, Gloria (Norma Aleandro, looking more and more like Olympia Dukakis), welcomes Rafi with open arms, as does Leni’s nympho sister, Tania (María Botto), who still lives at home with her six-year-old daughter, Paula (Alba Molinero), their doddering old grandfather, the blind war veteran Dudu (Max Berliner), and the suddenly ultra-Orthodox David (Fernando Ramallo). But when Leni finally reveals that Rafi is a Palestinian Muslim — not an Israeli Jew, as they had assumed — things change quickly, only made worse by Rafi accidentally dropping a huge container of frozen soup out the kitchen window, possibly killing a man below. Fast and furious high jinks mix with religious and ethnic prejudices in a madcap romp that unfortunately runs out of gas slightly past the midway point, with gags that repeat themselves or just go too far. Written and directed by husband-and-wife team Teresa De Pelegrí and Dominic Harari, ONLY HUMAN ends up being only human, although it had the potential to be so much more. Still, it’s worth a look if you’re in the mood for flat-out, no-holds-barred farce.
In theaters now
Loews Cineplex Lincoln Square
1998 Broadway at 68th St.
Tickets: $10.75
212-336-5020
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
Tickets: $10.75
212-330-8182
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm
The self-described onetime "next president of the United States of America" has been fighting to save the earth for nearly forty years. Since not winning the presidency in 2000, Gore has been on the road, giving an illustrated lecture to more than one thousand groups, including schools all over the country, about the hot-button topic of global warming. Using colorful charts and graphs, stunning video of disappearing landscapes, and gorgeous shots of the earth, the surprisingly engaging and entertaining Gore elegantly discusses the melting of the glaciers, the heating of the oceans, the onset of devastating hurricanes and tornadoes, science fact versus science fiction, and the current administration’s refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. We also get an intimate look at Al Gore the person, seeing him at work on his iBook, sitting by his son’s side after a terrible accident, and talking about his father’s tobacco farm and his sister’s death from lung cancer. Gore and his traveling slide show have been compared to Paul Revere’s ride, warning the world of impending danger; we’re sure others will paint him as Chicken Little, screaming crazily that the sky is falling. Well, in this case, both sides are right, because the sky is indeed falling, as evidenced by the continuing destruction of the polar ice cap. MoveOn has called for supporters to flood theaters this opening weekend; it will be interesting to see the box office numbers, because some people think Gore might be planning a run for the Oval Office in 2008.
Landmark Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston St. between First & Second Aves.
In theaters now
Tickets: $10.75
212-330-8182
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm
Just named Best International Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, THE WAR TAPES is a brilliant look at combat as never seen before — from the perspective of real soldiers. With the New Hampshire National Guard being deployed to Fort Dix, NJ, on its way to Iraq, director Deborah Scranton got permission to recruit "citizen soldiers" to become "citizen journalists," giving digital cameras to volunteers who agreed to film their experience in Iraq. As members of Charlie Company, 3rd of the 172nd (Mountain) Regiment, they were responsible for providing safety to the trucks of defense contractor Kellog, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton. The film follows the exploits of Sergeant Stephen Pink, who joined the military so he could afford to continue college; Specialist Mike Moriarty, whose life was changed so much by 9/11 that he was "motivated by the common cause of defending our great country and the freedoms that we as Americans live by"; and Sergeant Zack Brazzi, a Muslim who was born in Lebanon and loves being a soldier, "regardless of the political context or my personal feelings on the matter." Each one leaves a woman behind who discusses on camera her feelings about war and responsibility — Bazzi’s mother, Sana; Moriarty’s wife, Randi; and Pink’s girlfriend, Lindsay. Based at LSA Anaconda in the Sunni Triangle, Charlie Company faces danger every day, from car bombs, snipers, roadside bombs, and other weapons of destruction. The video they shoot — Scranton, producer Robert May (THE FOG OF WAR), and producer / editor Steve James (HOOP DREAMS) culled through more than eight hundred hours of raw footage to come up with the ninety-seven-minute final product — is often breathtaking, ranging from playful wartime camaraderie to violent death, with reactions that are not rehearsed or staged. This is the real thing, and it is devastating. Additional footage, e-mail correspondence between the filmmakers and soldiers, and a blog is available at the above Web site.
Radio City Music Hall
1260 Sixth Ave. between 50th & 51st Sts.
Thursday, June 22, 8:00
Tickets: $49.50-$100.50
1-888-260-6221
http://www.mark-knopfler.co.uk
"You and me we were meant to be," sings Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris on "This Is Us," and after listening to their new disc, ALL THE ROADRUNNING, over and over again, we have to agree. While not exactly a pairing we were dreaming about, Knopfler and Harris do a splendid job on this jaunty, jangling country affair, with barn burners such as "Red Staggerwing" and "Belle Starr" and such beautiful ballads as "Beachcombing" and "Rolling On." Knopfler’s sleepy singing and gorgeous guitar blend masterfully with Harris’s lush, inviting voice, whether on the romantic "Love and Happiness" and "Beyond My Wildest Dreams," the story song "Donkey Town," or the Irish-lilting title track. On the album’s final song, "If This Is Goodbye," they sing together, "Who knows how long we’ve got." We hope they’ve got a lot of time, because this is a match made in heaven. "This is us on our honeymoon . . . and our baby boy / with our pride and joy," they sing. You can check out their honeymoon on June 22 at Radio City (where they’ll be performing together and in solo sets), or simply pick up their baby boy at a record store near you.
Madison Square Garden, June 22
PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, June 24-25
Tickets: $91.75
http://www.brucespringsteen.net
http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1027699
http://www.pncbankartscenter.com/schedule.html
Bruce Springsteen’s brief swing across America with the seventeen-piece Seeger Sessions Band comes to a close this weekend with a trio of shows in New York City and New Jersey. Although the band played to sold-out houses on its European jaunt, many of the U.S. dates were far from full, which is a shame, because these have been some rousing, glorious shows. Sticking primarily to songs from his latest disc, WE SHALL OVERCOME, Springsteen has reinvented and transformed such traditional fare as "John Henry," "Jesse James," "Jacob’s Ladder," and "O Mary Don’t You Weep" into stirring performance pieces, playing it loose and long. There are also a number of political and antiwar songs, including "Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)," the Irish ballad "Mrs. McGrath" ("All foreign wars I do proclaim / Live on blood and a mother’s pain"), and the showstopping "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" which features some brand-new verses Springsteen wrote especially for Bush 43. Bruce has also been mixing in some reworked versions of his own tunes, a few every night, including "You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)," "Ramrod," "Cadillac Ranch," "Adam Raised a Cain," "Atlantic City," "Long Time Coming," "Johnny 99," and twi-ny fave "Open All Night." He’s also slipped in "Long Black Veil" a coupla times, so that’s what we’ll be looking out for on June 22 and June 25. Good seats were just made available for the Garden show last Saturday, so keep your eyes on TicketMaster, especially the day of the show, when Bruce often releases the very best seats to prevent them from being scarfed up by scalpers.
Beacon Theater
2124 Broadway at 74th St.
Friday, June 23, 8:00
Tickets: $53.50 - $128.50
An all-star group of musicians will be converging on the Beacon on June 23 to raise money for Arthur Lee’s medical expenses. Lee, the leader of the seminal group Love (if you don’t have FOREVER CHANGES, go online right now and buy it), was diagnosed in February with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Among those coming out to support him are Robert Plant, Ian Hunter & the Rant Band, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Nils Lofgren, Johnny Echols, Yo La Tengo, Garland Jeffreys, and Flashy Python & the Body Snatchers (featuring Alec Ounsworth from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). A couple of charter twi-ny subscribers will be participating as well, so we have it on pretty good authority that this is going to be one helluva great night for a very good cause.
Available in stores June 27
http://www.americanrootspublishing.org
A few issues back, we raved about Kris Kristofferson’s excellent new disc, THIS OLD ROAD, and caught his splendid show at the Society for Ethical Culture. Now his remarkable songwriting skills are celebrated in this brand-new tribute compilation. The album opens with Kristofferson talking about some his friends in that memorable, husky voice of his, leading into a gorgeous version of "The Pilgrim: Chapter 33" by Emmylou Harris & Friends. When Harris sings, "The going up was worth the coming down," you’ll get a tingle down your spine. Todd Snider does a solid job with "Maybe You Heard," with Lloyd Green adding sweet steel guitar. Rosanne Cash’s take on "Lovin’ Him Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)" is downright revelatory. Marshall Chapman gets swampy with "Jesus Was a Capricorn." Despite Shooter Jennings’s fine "The Silver Tongued Devil & I," it still bothers us that it should be "The Silver Tongued Devil & Me." Rising country superstar Gretchen Wilson nails "Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down." Even Russell Crowe’s odd phrasings can’t ruin the amazing "Darby’s Castle," performed with his band the Ordinary Fear of God. Some of the songs do fall flat: Marta Gomez’s take on "The Circle" is too straightforward, the keyboards just don’t work on Lloyd Cole & Jill Sobule’s "For the Good Times," "Sandinista" is still too knee-jerk in the hands of Patty Griffin & Charanga Cakewalk, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis don’t add anything to "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and soulster Brian McKnight should never have been allowed near "Me and Bobby McGee." Fittingly, the record closes with Willie Nelson’s sweet "The Legend," followed by the Silver Tongued Devil himself warbling, "Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends," a demo from around 1970. The disc’s booklet includes photos from throughout Kristofferson’s career as well as a long, terrific bio of Kristofferson written by Peter Cooper.
Ellen Jong, "Morning Glory," Warwick, NY, 2000
Available now
http://www.powerhousebooks.com/peeparty.html
This marvelous horizontal hardcover features photos and text by Ellen Jong, who one day in Tribeca in 1998 had to take a leak so bad that she used an office desk she found tossed out onto the street. She was so moved by the mysterious puddle she made that she went on a mission, photographing herself going to the bathroom all over the city as well as in Mexico, the Philippines, China, Hawaii, and other public places in the United States. "I can crouch over to see a landscape between my legs, vivid and untainted," she writes. "The experience is a combination of secrecy, physicality, grace, and the prospect of unexpectedly getting caught." While some of the images, at least on the surface, are not clearly related to relieving — the first photo, "Getaway," looks like colored raindrops falling to the asphalt — many of them feature Jong squatting, doing her business on city stoops, in a Tribeca telephone booth, on a Hawaiian beach at sunset, on a West Side Highway fire escape, in a 7-Eleven parking lot, on top of a truck, by a Soho water tower, on a Shanghai rooftop, and even in bathrooms. One of the funniest pictures, "The World Is Your Loo," shows Jong squeezing a leak in a toilet bowl amid garbage outside the Angelika Film Center. PEES ON EARTH has met with some fascinating controversy, including this May 31 outburst by Rush Limbaugh in his Limbaugh Letter: "Most people relieve themselves in private. But if you’re a card-carrying member of the lefty arts-and-croissants crowd, you snap photos." Also, Chinese customs did not allow the material into the country for printing, delaying the publication by a few weeks. (It was printed in Hong Kong instead.) We happen to find Jong’s highly unusual liquid landscapes to be exciting, liberating, and very, very funny. Anecdotes and interesting facts accompany a thumbnail of each of the eighty-one photos in the back, including title, place, and year, as well as recipes for the Tinkletini, the Peesicle, and the Peelini. The book also has a conversation between Jong and appropriately named performance artist Annie Sprinkle.
All contents copyright 2006 by Mark Rifkin and twi-ny. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. Please note that events, dates, and prices are subject to change.
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Sotheby’s, tenth floor galleries
1334 York Ave. at 72nd St.
Admission: free
212-606-7000
http://search.sothebys.com/jsps/live/event/EventDetail.jsp?event_id=27903
Wednesday, June 21
through
Friday, June 30 Sotheby’s will be auctioning off more than ten thousand manuscripts and books in a single lot, consigned by the King estate, and expected to go for $15-$20 million, including historic speeches, drafts, letters, invitations, canceled checks, airplane coupons, early theological writings, index cards, eulogies, telegrams, and a sermon box; the collection is open to the public (10:00 am — 5:00 pm except 1:00 — 5:00 June 25 and 10:00 — 1:00 June 29) through June 30, when the auction will be held
Anthology Film Archives (AFA)
32 Second Ave. at Second St.
ImaginAsian Theater (IAT)
239 East 59th St. at Second Ave.
Tickets: $9.50 in advance, $9 at the theater
Through July 1
212-868-4444
http://www.subwaycinema.com/frames/nyaff06films.htm
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
Below are only some highlights from this exciting film festival; visit our June 7-21 issue for a full listing of all the films.
Wednesday, June 21 GANGSTER (Bade Haji Azmi, 2005), AFA, 6:00
Thursday, June 22 THE MAGICIANS (Song Il-gon, 2005), AFA, 6:30
Friday, June 23 OH! MY ZOMBIE MERMAID (Naoki Kudo, 2005), AFA 6:30
Friday, June 23 CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL (Yudai Yamaguchi, 2005), AFA, 8:30
Saturday, June 24 BLOOD RAIN (Kim Dae-sung, 2005), AFA, 6:00
Saturday, June 24 FUNKY FOREST: THE FIRST CONTACT (Katsuhito Ishii, 2005), AFA, 8:30
Sunday, June 25 A STRANGER OF MINE (Kenji Uchida, 2005), IAT, 8:00
Sunday, June 25 THE GREAT YOKAI WAR (Takashi Miike, 2005), AFA, 8:30
Monday, June 26 FEATHER IN THE WIND (Song Il-gon, 2004), IAT, 8:30
Tuesday, June 27 A BITTERSWEET LIFE (Kim Jee-woon, 2005), IAT, 6:00
Wednesday, June 28 DUELIST (Lee Myung-se, 2005), IAT, 6:00
Wednesday, June 28 IT'S ONLY TALK (Ryuichi Hiroki, 2005), IAT, 8:30
Thursday, June 29 PACCHIGI! (WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY) (Kazuyuki Izutsu, 2004), IAT, 6:00
Thursday, June 29 UMIZARU 2: TEST OF TRUST (Eiichiro Hasumi, 2006), introduced by director Hasumi and stars Hideaki Ito and Ryuta Sato, IAT, 8:30
Friday, June 30 SHIVA (Ram Gopal Varma, 2006), IAT, 8:00
Saturday, July 1 ALWAYS -- SUNSET ON THIRD STREET (Takashi Yamazaki, 2005), IAT, 5:45
Saturday, July 1 LINDA, LINDA, LINDA (Nobuhiro Yamashita, 2005), IAT, 8:30
Delacorte Theater
Central Park, midpark at 80th St.
Free tickets given out day of show at 1:00 at the Delacorte and Joe’s Pub
212-539-8750
http://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/specialevents
Wednesday, June 21
through
Sunday, July 9 MACBETH, directed by Moisés Kaufman and starring Liev Schreiber and Jennifer Ehle.
Barnes & Noble
33 East 17th St. at Union Square (US)
1972 Broadway at West 66th St., Lincoln Triangle (LT)
4 Astor Pl. at Broadway (AP)
Admission: free
http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/events.do
Wednesday, June 21 Jen Chapin, LINGER, US, 7:00
Thursday, June 22 Monica Ali, ALENTEJO BLUES, AP, 7:00
Monday, June 26 Helen Thomas, WATCHDOGS OF DEMOCRACY: THE WANING WASHINGTON PRESS CORPS AND HOW IT HAS FAILED THE PUBLIC, LT, 7:00
Two Boots Pioneer Theater
155 East Third St. at Ave. A
Tickets: $9
212-254-3300
http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer
Thursday, June 22 Pucker Up: Kosher (And Not So Kosher) On-Screen Kisses: DER KISH (THE KISS) (Paul Fischer, 2004), THE FIRST NIGHT (Chen Galon-Klein, 2005), A KISS IS A KISS IS A KISS (Uri Bar-On, 2003), HONEY & BUNNY (Eva Midgley, 2005), THE PERSONALS (Keiko Ibi, 1998), and HOW TO KISS (Bill Plympton, 1989, 7:00
World Financial Center Plaza
225 Vesey St.
Admission: free
212-945-2600
http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/calendar
Thursday, June 22
through
Sunday, June 25 Public art installation by Stephan Koplowitz reveals the results of its four-week camera oscura investigation, 12 noon — 2:00
Central Park
Enter at 103rd St. & Central Park West
Thursdays through Sundays at 7:00 pm through June 25
Admission: free, but voluntary donations accepted after show
212-252-4531
http://www.newyorkclassical.org
Thursday, June 22
through
Sunday, June 25 Shakespeare’s ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
Thursday, June 29
through
Sunday, July 2 Shakespeare’s ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
BAMcinématek
BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
June 7-29
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=83
Saturday, June 22 THE LADY WITHOUT CAMELIAS (LA SIGNORA SENZA CAMELIE) (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1953), 4:30, 6:50, 9:15
Monday, June 24 L'ECLISSE (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1962), 2:00, 4:30, 7, 9:30
Tuesday, June 25 RED DESERT (DESERTO ROSSO) (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1964), 2:00, 4:30, 7, 9:30
Wednesday, June 26 THE MYSTERY OF OBERWALD (IL MISTERO DI OBERWALD) (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1980), 4:30, 7:00, 9:30
Thursday, June 27 IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN (IDENTIFICAZIONE DI UNA DONNA) (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1982), 6:00, 9:00
Friday, June 28 MAKING A FILM FOR ME IS LIFE (FARE UN FILM PER ME È VIVERE) (Enrica Antonioni, 1995), 4:30
Friday, June 28 BEYOND THE CLOUDS (AL DI LÀ DELLE NUVOLE) (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1995), 6:50, 9:15
Saturday, June 29 ANTONIONI: THE VISION THAT CHANGED THE CINEMA (ANTONIONI, LO SGUARDO CHE CAMBIO' IL CINEMA) (Carlo di Carlo, 2001), 4:30
Saturday, June 29 THE PASSENGER (PROFESSIONE: REPORTER) (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975), 6:50, 9:15
Makor
Steinhardt Building
35 West 67th St. between Amsterdam & Columbus Aves.
212-601-1000
Thursday, June 22 WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE (Robert Greenwald, 2005), followed by discussion with author Charles Fishman, $15, 7:00
Saturday, June 24 AWAKE ZION (Monica Haim, 2004), $9, 7:30
Originally her senior thesis in cultural journalism, Monica Haim’s AWAKE ZION digs down deep to uncover the ever-growing connections between reggae and Judaism. From the nice Jewish boys and girls who flock to reggae festivals to the red, yellow, and green Stars of David worn by Rastafarians, from the former-jam-band-follower-turned Hasidic-reggae-superstar Matisyahu to the title of Desmond Dekker’s hit "Israelites" and the annual playing of Bob Marley’s "Exodus" at our brother-in-law’s seder, there is something going on — a sometimes mystifying, sometimes understandable, always fascinating attraction between the two cultures. Haim’s documentary grew from her observation that the reggae she loved so much was permeated by images that resonated with her Hebrew school past, eventually growing into a journey from Israel to Kingston to Crown Heights and beyond. AWAKE ZION mixes interviews with documentary footage, including wince-worthy intercultural stumbles and moments of mysterious, transcendent unity. When Haim takes a reggae patriarch to a Jewish synagogue in Kingston, he notes that he has never been inside such a place in all his years; yet he is stunned to see the Star of David inside and later admits to wondering why they had his symbol there -- and yearned to take it home with him. An Ethiopian Jew in Los Angeles reports that when he left Ethiopia, he was astonished to discover that there were white Jews in the world. Through dedicated research with grizzled elderly Rastas and eminent Jewish scholars, Haim finds at least part of the key connection in the biblical visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon. The queen allegedly returned to Africa pregnant with Solomon’s son, the founder of the line that led to Haile Selaisse, the emperor of Ethopia and the Lion of Judah revered by Rastas the world over. Dedicated to Gavin Cato and Yankel Rosenbaum, victims of violence in the Jewish and Jamaican Crown Heights communities, AWAKE ZION seeks to find community and unity where it might be least expected.
Tuesday, June 27 MOSAÏC (Deborah Phillips), followed by a Q&A with Phillips, $15, 7:30
Wednesday, June 28 CAN MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANYMORE? (Frank Popper, 2006), followed by a Q&A with Popper, $15, 7:30
Thursday, June 29 MR. RIGHT: THE SEARCH FOR SANITY AND A SOULMATE IN NEW YORK CITY (Dree Andrea, 2005), followed by discussion with Andrea, Laurie Graff, and Leigh Jackson, $15, 7:00
Saturday, July 1 NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD (Jonathan Demme, 2006), $9, 9:00
Thursday, July 6 A SCANNER DARKLY (Richard Linklater, 2006), followed by conversation with Linklater and David Sterritt, $25, 7:30
Drama Book Shop Arthur Seelen Theatre
250 West 40th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Admission: free
212-944-0595
Thursday, June 22 Jared Brown, MOSS HART: A PRINCE OF THE THEATER, with Kitty Carlisle Hart and Anne Kaufman Schneider, reading, Q&A, signing, 7:00
Monday, June 26 Jon Krampner, FEMALE BRANDO: THE LEGEND OF KIM STANLEY, panel discussion with Elizabeth Wilson and Shirley Knight, 7:00
The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.
Thursday nights through September 9
Admission: pay what you wish from 5:00 to 9:00
212-423-3200
Thursday, June 22 Primetime Analysis: THE GOLDBERGS: MOLLY’S DREAM (1955), DR. KATZ: PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST: POTBELLIED PIGS (1995), and THE SOPRANOS: DENIAL, ACCEPTANCE, ANGER (1999), with live music from Great Circle
Thursday, June 29 Sitcom Sampler: GET SMART: THE MAN FROM Y.E.N.T.A. (1967), THE FLYING NUN: THE RECONVERSION OF SISTER SHAPIRO (1968), THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY: IN 25 WORDS OR LESS (1971), and SANFORD AND SON: YOU DON’T LOOK IT! (1977), with live music from Dan Handel
Sinatra Park
Frank Sinatra Dr. between Fourth & Fifth Sts.
Thursday nights at 7:00 through August 31
Admission: free
201-420-2207
http://www.hobokeni.com/musicatsinatrapark.asp
Thursday, June 22 The Gordys
Thursday, June 29 Red Molly
Borders
Shops at Columbus Circle
Admission: free
http://www.bordersstores.com/events/events.jsp
Friday, June 23 KEANE, UNDER THE IRON SEA, signing and performance, 1:00
66 North Sixth St. between Kent & Wythe Aves.
718-599-5103
Friday, June 23 Blue Cheer, $15, 9:00
Fashion Institute of Technology
27th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
212-769-5635
http://www.origami-usa.org/convention/agora.cgi
Friday, June 23
through
Monday, June 26 Exhibition areas, classes, lectures, demonstrations, workshops, raffles, the Gold Mine, and Distance, Accuracy to a Target, and Time Aloft airplane contests, convention open to members only, but sales and exhibition areas will be open to the general public on Saturday or Sunday from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and 2:30 to 4:30
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Tickets: $10
718-784-4520
http://www.ammi.org/site/screenings/index.html
Friday, June 23
through
Sunday, July 2 THE FORSAKEN LAND (Vimukthi Jayasundara, 2005)
Saturday, June 24
and
Sunday, June 25 Stanley Kubrick: LOLITA (Stanley Kubrick, 1962), 2:00
Saturday, June 24
and
Sunday, June 25 Stanley Kubrick: DR. STRANGELOVE, OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BAND (Stanley Kubrick, 1963), 5:00
Saturday, July 1
and
Sunday, July 2 Stanley Kubrick: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick, 1971), 1:30
Saturday, July 1
and
Sunday, July 2 Stanley Kubrick: BARRY LYNDON (Stanley Kubrick, 1975), 4:00
125 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn
718-230-0236
Friday, June 23 Duncan Sheik, with Holly Brook, $15, 8:00
Thursday, June 29 Brooklyn to the Bayou, benefit for Tipitinas Artist Relief Fund, with the Pimps of Joytime, Reid Paley Trio, Ursa Minot, Willie Nile, Leroy Justice, Arlan Fieles & His Lone Orchestra, and burlesque by Molly Crabapple, $20, 7:00
Friday, June 30 A Battle on the Decks, between DJ Spooky and Don Letts, with live performances by the Eternals, Shawn Hewitt, and Nouveriche, $10, 8:00
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
2 East 92nd St. at Fifth Ave.
Friday nights through September 8 from 6:00 to 9:00
Free with museum admission of $12
212-849-8380
http://ndm.si.edu/summer_sessions
Friday, June 23 DJ: Deadbeat
Friday, June 30 DJ: Derek Plaslaiko
The Tobacco Warehouse
Near base of Brooklyn Bridge and upland of Empire-Fulton Ferry Park
Admission: free but must preregister for tickets
http://www.brooklynbodega.com/liveevents3.htm
http://www.bbpc.net/index.cfm?objectId=EE4A09FF-3048-7098-AF68206736A9D609
Saturday, June 24 Second annual all-day event, with Big Daddy Kane, Lupe Fiasco, Rhymefest, Sleepy Brown, the Procussions, Maya Azucena, the Strange Fruit Project, Panacea, and more
Boomerang Theatre Company
Through July 23
Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00
Admission: free
212-501-4069
http://boomerangtheatre.org/seasons/2006.html
Saturday, June 24
and
Sunday, June 25 KING LEAR, Riverside Park, 108th St. & Riverside Dr.
Various venues
Through June 25
Admission: free unless otherwise noted
212-807-7433
http://www.mothersmarchnyc.org
Saturday, June 24 Rapture on the River, with Brenda Black and DJ Twisted Dee, Pier 54, Thirteenth St. at the Hudson River, $25, 5:00 — 10:30 pm
Sunday, June 25 PrideFest, street festival featuring StageFest performances by Anthony Rodriguez & the Santa Luz Dancer, Heather Leigh West, HeistClick, Jade Starling, Jeannie Sol, Pepperming Gummybear, Shay’s Divine Dance, Valeze, and others, as well as food, arts & crafts, KidSpace, ArtSpace, and more, Greenwich & Washington Sts. between Christopher & Spring Sts., 11:00 am — 10:00 pm
Sunday, June 25 The March, with grand marshals Florent Morellet and Christine Quinn, Fifth Ave. & 52nd St. to Christopher & Greenwich Sts., 12 noon, moment of silence at 2:00
Sunday, June 25 Dance on the Pier: Twentieth Annivesary, with Susan Morabito and DJ DeMarko, Pier 54, Thirteenth St. at the Hudson River, $55 until June 24, $75 day of show at Universal Gear only (237 West 20th St.), no tickets sold at the Pier, 4:00 — 11:00 pm
Penn Plaza Pavilion
401 Seventh Ave. a 33rd St.
Tickets: $10
201-861-1414
Saturday, June 24
and
Sunday, June 25 Featuring such guests as Matthew (General Grievous) Wood, Robert (Napoleon Solo) Vaughn, wrestler and author Rowdy Roddy Piper, Captain Lou Albano, boxer Christy Martin, Playboy Playmate Cathy St. George, Allan Rosenberg, Steve (Jason) Dash, Tony (Michael Myers) Moran, Frank Brunner, Damion Scott, Kathy (Cissy) Garver, and, on Saturday only, Steven Seagal, as well as panel discussions, demonstrations, and other special events, 10:00 am — 7:00 pm
All events approximately 11:00 am - 6:00 pm unless otherwise noted
Admission: free
http://nycstreetfairs.com/sched.html
http://www.clearviewfestival.com
Saturday June 24 Times Square Expo: Seventh Ave. between 47th & 57th Sts.
Saturday, June 24 Second Ave. Festival: Second Ave. between 34th & 23rd Sts.
Saturday, June 24 Bronx Week Third Ave. Festival: Third Ave. between 153rd & 149th Sts.
Sunday, June 25 Heritage of Pride -- Pridefest 2006: Washington St. between Christopher & Spring Sts.
Sunday June 25 Gramercy Park Fair: Third Ave. between 14th & 23rd Sts.
Saturday July 1 Times Square Block Party: 46th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Saturday, July 1 Bleecker Street Festival: Bleecker St. between Lafayette St. & La Guardia Pl.
Saturday, July 1 Sixth Ave. Festival: Sixth Ave. between 23rd & 14th Sts.
Sunday, July 2 Bleecker St. Festival: Bleecker St. between La Guardia Pl. & Sixth Ave.
Tuesday July 4 The Great July 4th Festival: Water Street between Fulton & Broad Sts.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
A.T. White Memorial Amphitheater
1000 Washington Ave.
Admission: $5 adults, children under sixteen free
718-623-7200
http://www.bbg.org/vis2/eventcalendar.html
Sunday, June 25 Tribute to shakuhachi master Jin Nyodo, with Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin and members of Kisuian Shakuhachi Dojo, 11:00 am
Staten Island Museum
75 Stuyvesant Pl.
Free with recommended museum admission of $2
718-727-1135
http://www.statenislandmuseum.org/cardbaseball.html
Saturday, June 25 Owners of the Staten Island Yankees discuss owning a minor league team in Staten Island, in conjunction with "The Artist and the Baseball Card" exhibition, 2:00
Town Hall
123 West 43rd St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Admission: free
212-707-8787
http://www.freeforallattownhall.org/062506.html
Saturday, June 25 Suzanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano, and Sharon Isbin, guitar: Works by Granados, Tarrega, Garcia Lorca, Albeniz, Brouwer, De Falla, and Rodgrigo, 5:00
Barbès
376 Ninth St. at Sixth Ave.
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Monday nights at 7:00
Admission: free
718-965-9177
http://www.barbesbrooklyn.com/tcc.html
http://www.brooklynindependent.com
Monday, June 26 DANDELION MAN (Peter Bolte, 2006)
Central Park Great Lawn
Enter park at West 81st St. or East 79th St.
Admission: free
212-484-1222
http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=644
Monday, June 26 Fifth annual event, featuring works from shows produced and/or directed by Harold Prince, with Michael Cerveris, John Cullum, Christine Ebersole, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, Brian d’Arcy James, Jane Krakowski, Rebecca Luker, Bebe Neuwirth, "Jersey Boys," and more, 8:00
Charles A. Dana Discovery Center
Inside Central Park at 110th St. & Lenox Ave.
Admission: free
http://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/specialevents
Tuesday, June 27 Concert by Central Park Brass: Music by Joplin, Gershwin, Kadleck, and more, 6:00
The LVHRD Foundation
Venue announced to ticket holders only
Tickets: $22 (members $11)
302-729-1483
https://lvhrd.com/private/user_events.php
Tuesday, June 27 Special multimedia performance by artist Paul Pope and musician Mark DeNardo, 7:00
Union Square Park
Park Ave. to Broadway between 14th & 17th Sts.
Wednesdays at 12:30 and 6:00 unless otherwise noted
June 28 - August 16
Admission: free
212-460-1208
http://www.unionsquarenyc.org/events/index.html
Wednesday, June 28 Crescent and Frost, 12:30; Take a Break — Practice Om Yoga in the Park, 3:00; Special Children’s Presentation, 5:00; Greenwich Village Orchestra, 6:00
Wednesday, July 5 Gina Gibney Dance, 12:30; Harambee Dance Co., 6:00
On the Terrace at Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave. at 38th St.
June 28 — August 23
Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 9:30
Tickets: $7
Food and drink available from Restaurant Aquavit
http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/programs.html#3
Wednesday, June 28 Eivind Opsvik & Overseas, Norway
Wednesday, July 5 Raoul Björkenheim, Finland
Webster Hall
125 East 11th St. between Second & Third Aves.
Tickets: $20
212-353-1600
http://www.thefieryfurnaces.com
Thursday, June 29 The Fiery Furnaces headline behind their new album, BITTER TEA, with Man Man and Standing Nudes, doors at 6:00
Hudson River Park, Pier 54
West 14th St. & Hudson River
Admission: free
http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/Calendar/rumble.htm
Thursday, June 29 Amateur boxing: New York vs. Boston, 7:00
Commodore Barry Park
Navy St. between Park & Flushing Aves., Brooklyn
Admission: free
718-638-6700
http://www.internationalafricanartsfestival.com
Friday, June 30
through
Tuesday, July 4 Thirty-fifth annual International African Arts Festival, featuring an African Marketplace, kids events, live street theater, a Children’s Village, music and dance, a talent show, spoken word performances, and special dedications, 10:00 am — 9:00 pm
BAMcinématek
BAM Rose Cinemas
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
June 30 — July 4
Tickets: $10
718-636-4100
http://bam.org/events/bamcinematek.aspx
Friday, June 30 NEGROES WITH GUNS (Sandra Dickson & Churchill Roberts, 2004), BOBBY SEALE (1969), and MAY DAY PANTHER (1969), 2:00
Friday, June 30 PARIS IS BURNING (Jennie Livingston, 1990) and THE MEMO (Daheli Hall),4:30
Friday, June 30 AFRO-PUNK (James Spooner, 2003) and excerpts from Spooner’s work-in-progress, WHITE LIES BLACK SHEEP, followed by Q&A with Spooner, 6:50
Friday, June 30 DANCEHALL QUEEN (Don Letts & Rick Elgood, 1997), introduced by Letts, 9:30
Saturday, July 1 PRESSURE (Horace Ové, 1975) and WITH JONZI D IN AEROPLANE MAN (Alison Murray), 2:00
Saturday, July 1 AFRO-PUNK (James Spooner, 2003) and excerpts from Spooner’s work-in-progress, WHITE LIES BLACK SHEEP, followed by Q&A with Spooner, 4:30
Saturday, July 1 PUNK: ATTITUDE (Don Letts, 2005), followed by Q&A with Letts, 6:50
Saturday, July 1 PARIS IS BURNING (Jennie Livingston, 1990) and THE MEMO (Daheli Hall), 9:30
Sunday, July 2 NO! (Aishah Shahidah Simmons, 2006), followed by Q&A with Simmons, 2:00
Sunday, July 2 PORTRAIT OF JASON (Shirley Clarke, 1967), 4:30
Sunday, July 2 DANCEHALL QUEEN (Don Letts & Rick Elgood, 1997), 6:50
Sunday, July 2 BLACK PANTHERS (Agnès Varda, 1967) and FINALLY GOT THE NEWS (1970), 9:30
Monday, July 3 IN MOTION: AMIRI BARAKA (St. Clair Bourne, 1983) and NEW ORLEANS BRASS (1989), followed by a Q&A with Bourne, 2:00
Monday, July 3 BLUE COLLAR (Paul Schrader, 1978), 4:30
Monday, July 3 THE COOL WORLD (Shirley Clarke, 1964), introduced by star Rony Clanton, 6:50
Monday, July 3 ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE (Lew Lew Lee, 1996), 9:30
Tuesday, July 4 AFRO-PUNK (James Spooner, 2003) and excerpts from Spooner’s work-in-progress, WHITE LIES BLACK SHEEP, followed by Q&A with Spooner, 2:00
Tuesday, July 4 NEGROES WITH GUNS (Sandra Dickson & Churchill Roberts, 2004), BOBBY SEALE (1969), and MAY DAY PANTHER (1969), 4:30
Tuesday, July 4 PRESSURE (Horace Ové 1975) and WITH JONZI D IN AEROPLANE MAN (Alison Murray), 6:50
Tuesday, July 4 SUN RA: BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (Don Letts) and GIL SCOTT HERON: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED (Don Letts), 9:30
Humanities and Social Sciences Library
Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Gallery, first floor
Fifth Ave. at 42nd St.
Through August 2
Closed Sundays and Mondays
Admission: free
212-869-8089
http://nypl.org/research/chss/events/current.html
Friday, June 30
through
Saturday, August 5 NYPL’s fair copy of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s hand is on display Tuesday & Wednesday from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm, Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center / MoMA
22-25 Jackson Ave. at 46th Ave.
Long Island City
Saturdays from 2:00 — 9:00 pm through September 2
Admission: $10, includes admission to art galleries, free from 12 noon to 2:00
718-784-2084
http://www.ps1.org/ps1_site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=74
Saturday, July 1 Body & SOUL: Ten-Year Reunion with Danny Krivit, François K., and Joe Claussell
Sorrento Cheese Summer in Little Italy Festival
In front of Sal Anthony’s SPQR
133 Mulberry St. between Hester & Grand Sts.
Admission: free
212-302-0551
http://www.littleitalynyconline.com/calendar.php
Saturday, July 1 Fourth annual competition between waiters from local restaurants, won last year by Il Cortile’s Fabrizio Rinaldi, who ate three and a half pounds in eight minutes, 2:00
Brooklyn Museum of Art
200 Eastern Parkway
Admission: free after 5:00 pm
718-638-5000
http://brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php
Saturday, July 1 Film: STYLE WARS (Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver, 1983), Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, third floor, 5:00
Saturday, July 1 Performance: Beatboxer Entertainment presents hip-hop show, Steinberg Sculpture Garden, first floor, 6:00 — 8:00
Saturday, July 1 Film: WILD STYLE (Charlie Ahearn, 1982), Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, third floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the grand lobby at 5:30), 6:30
Saturday, July 1 Hands-On Art: create your own nickname and tag, Education Division, first floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the grand lobby at 5:30), 6:30-8:30
Saturday, July 1 Artist Talk: Crash, entrance to "Graffiti" exhibit, fifth floor, 7:00
Saturday, July 1 Modern Voices: Ellis Gallagher, aka © Ellis G., entrance to "Graffiti" exhibit, fifth floor, 8:00
Saturday, July 1 Film: DAVE CHAPELLE’S BLOCK PARTY Michel Gondry, 2005), Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, third floor (free tickets available at the visitor center in the grand lobby at 8:00), 9:00
Saturday, July 1 Dance Party: the Black Underground Show, parking lot, 9:00 — 11:00
Symphony Space
Leonard Nimoy Thalia
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Triple feature: $10
212-864-5400
http://www.symphonyspace.org/genres/eventPage.php?genreId=4&eventId=1345
Saturday, July 1 SCARFACE (Brian DePalma, 1983), 2:00, GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese, 1990), 5:00, and CASINO (Martin Scorsese, 1995), 7:45
Opening ceremonies at Mott & Bayard Sts., 12 noon
Parade starts at Grand and Mott Sts. at 1:00
Parade ends at Canal St. around 2:30
Admission: free
http://www.explorechinatown.com/GUI/Content.aspx?Page=Event&Type=537
Sunday, July 2 Parade, festival, and block party, with main stage on Mott St. between Bayard & Canal Sts., featuring live music, dance, and martial arts, in addition to music and dance on Market St. between East Broadway & Division St., 11:30 am — 5:00 pm
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Pier 86, 12th Ave. & 46th St.
Admission: $16.50 adults, $11.50 children six to seventeen, $4.50 children two to five
877-957-SHIP
http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/intrepidmuseum/events/item.php?id=115
Sunday, July 2 Featuring tattoos, live music, apple-pie-eating contest, lectures on the history of the American flag, and other patriotic events
Castle Clinton, Battery Park
Admission: free
212-252-4531
http://www.newyorkclassical.org
Sunday, July 2
and
Monday, July 3 Previews of New York Classical Theatre’s "moving" production of Friedrich Schiller’s MARY STUART, with scenes held throughout the park, in advance of July 5-12 "run," 7:00
Southpoint Park, Roosevelt Island
Tickets: $18, with guaranteed seats
No large backpacks, big coolers, chairs, or alcohol
212-832-4540
http://www.rioc.com/fireworks.htm
Tuesday, July 4 View the Macy’s fireworks, with live Dixieland music by Wooster Street Trolley, roving jugglers and stilt walkers, face painting, Brother Jimmy’s BBQ Food Court, and more, gates open at 5:00 pm
Approximate starting time: 9:20 pm
Televised live on NBC-TV
Broadcast live on WINS 1010
Admission: free
212-494-4495
http://www.macys.com/campaign/fireworks/index.jsp
Tuesday, July 4 This year’s thirtieth-anniversary festivities, featuring more than 120,000 bursts from 30,000 shells, designed by Sousa Fireworks, will be set to the music of Rob Fisher and the New York Pops, with Darlene Love, Adam Pascal, and the Broadway Inspirational Voices, dedicated to the memory of Skitch Henderson. The FDR will be closed from 14th to 42nd St. for prime viewing and between Houston and 63rd Sts. from 7:00 pm until cleanup for Macy’s annual extravaganza. There will be pedestrian-only access to the FDR Drive at 23rd, 38th, and 42nd Sts. Other good viewing areas include Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and portions of the Queens East River front, as well as Liberty State Park, as there will be West Side fireworks this year between Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, in addition to those at the South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge. Also, NYFD fire boats will shoot red, clear, and blue water 300 feet over the East River at around 7:30.