this week in lectures, signings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&As

SELECTED SHORTS: THE STORIES OF JOHN UPDIKE

Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Wednesday, October 16, $28, 7:30
212-864-5400
www.symphonyspace.org

Winner of multiple Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Critics Circle Awards, National Book Awards, O. Henry Prizes, and others, literary master John Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, so it is appropriate that a group of actors and writers will be paying tribute to him by reading from his work at the latest edition of Symphony Space’s Selected Shorts series. (We know that the town in Pennsylvania is pronounced differently from the verb, but we couldn’t help ourselves.) The event will feature Tony Kushner, Sally Field, Alec Baldwin, Jane Kaczmarek, and others introducing and/or reading from the new eight-hundred-page Updike: Collected Early Stories (Library of America, September 2013, $24.49), comprising 102 stories published between 1953 and 1975, 80 of which first appeared in The New Yorker. Selected Shorts continues November 6 with Colum McCann, Gabriel Byrne, Terry Tempest, Tea Obreht, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and others presenting stories from the new collection The Book of Men.

THE RATIONALIST: ALAN ALDA AS HAWKEYE PIERCE IN MAS*H

Alan Alda will sit down for an in-depth conversation about his role in M*A*S*H at the Museum of the Moving Image

ICONIC CHARACTERS OF COMEDY: A CONVERSATION WITH ALAN ALDA MODERATED BY JEFF GREENFIELD
Museum of the Moving Image
35th Ave. at 36th St., Astoria
Tuesday, October 15, $25, 7:00
718-777-6800
www.movingimage.us
www.comedyhalloffame.com

From 1972 to 1983, Larry Gelbart’s M*A*S*H television series ran on CBS, garnering fourteen Emmys as it explored the nature of war, politics, and the military industrial complex through the daily life of the men and women of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. The show’s centerpiece was Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, played by Alan Alda, taking on the role originally played by Donald Sutherland in Robert Altman’s Oscar-nominated 1970 film. Surrounded by such characters as Hot Lips Houlihan (Loretta Swit), Max Klinger (Jamie Farr), Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Frank “Ferret Face” Burns (Larry Linville), B. J. Hunnicut (Mike Farrell), Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan), Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers), Radar O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff), and Father Mulcahy (William Christopher), expert surgeon Pierce regularly took on the establishment, fighting against absurd rules and regulations while trying to save lives — and score with as many nurses as possible. On October 15, Alda, who won five Emmys for M*A*S*H — three for acting, one for writing, and one for directing — will sit down with moderator Jeff Greenfield at the Museum of the Moving Image for “The Rationalist: Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H,” an in-depth conversation copresented with the Comedy Hall of Fame, the first installment of the new series “Iconic Characters of Comedy.”

THE L.E.S. WAS THEIRS: RAYYA ELIAS AND BRENDAN JAY SULLIVAN REMEMBER THE ’80s AND THE AUGHTS

Bedford + Bowery Newsroom
155 Grand St. off Bedford Ave., Brooklyn
Friday, October 11, free, 7:00
www.facebook.com/events

Two very different Lower East Side decades come to Brooklyn on October 11 for the special literary event “The L.E.S. Was Theirs: Rayya Elias and Brendan Jay Sullivan Remember the ’80s and the Aughts.” In Harley Loco: A Memoir of Hard Living, Hair, and Post-Punk, from the Middle East to the Lower East Side (Viking, April 2013, $27.95), writer, musician, and hair stylist Rayya Elias bravely shares her dramatic story of sex, drugs, and rock and roll in the 1980s, a time she readily admits she was extremely fortunate to have survived. In Rivington Was Ours: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives (It Books, August 2013, $16.99), writer, producer, and deejay Brendan Jay Sullivan details the year he spent with go-go dancer Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, soon to become much better known as Lady Gaga. Elias and Sullivan will read from their books and discuss the changing downtown scene on Friday night at the Bedford + Bowery Newsroom on Grand St. in Brooklyn.

NEW YORK COMIC CON

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will talk X-FILES and take pictures with fans at New York Comic Con

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 West 34th St. (11th Ave. between 34th & 39th Sts.)
October 10-13, $30-$50 per day, four-day pass $85
www.newyorkcomiccon.com

New York Comic Con continues its exponential growth this year by focusing on the small screen more than ever. The eighth edition, taking place October 10-13 at the Javits Center, includes presentations on a wide range of television programs, including Game of Thrones, Haven, Falling Skies, The Following, The Walking Dead, Robot Chicken, Archer, Bob’s Burgers, Doctor Who, Teen Wolf, Futurescape with James Woods, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Person of Interest, Sleepy Hollow, The League, and others, with the shows’ stars, writers, and producers on hand for screenings, discussions, and Q&As, all free with the price of admission. There are lots of autograph sessions and photo ops as well, but some of them will cost you a pretty penny; it’s $220 to get your picture taken with Patrick Stewart and William Shatner together, or with Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, who will be talking up The X-Files on Sunday afternoon. Below are our recommendations for this year’s convention; please note that many of the guests will be signing autographs on multiple days.

Thursday, October 10
Autographing Highlights: Zoë Bell, Marissa Jade, Miss Zukie, Kathy Najimi, Joe Quinones, Greg Pack, Greg Rucka, Jamie Tyndall

Women in Comics, with Claudia McGivney, Megan Kociolek, Amy Chu, Becky Cloonan, Emily Weisenstein, Erica Schultz, and Laura Pope-Robbins, 1A15, 3:15

Welcome to the Brass Screen: Steampunk TV and Film, with Bruce Boxleitner, Matt James Daley, Thom Truelove, Trevor Crafts, and Leanna Renee Hieber, moderated by Diana Pho, 1A17, 3:45

Bill Plympton’s Cheatin’ & Kickstarter, with Adam Rackoff, James Hancock, and Bill Plympton, 1A08, 4:15

Carmine Infantino: A VisualLecture Retrospective, with Arlen Schumer, 1A08, 6:45

NYCC Thursday Night Kickoff with Comedy Mutant, featuring Brian Posehn, Janeane Garofalo, Mike Drucker, and Myq Kaplan, Main stage 1-D, 8:00

Friday, October 11
Autographing Highlights: Kristin Bauer, Andrea Cremer, Mick Foley, Joel Grey, Dean Haspiel, Darlene Love, Greg Pak, Raphael Sbarge, Stuart Moore, Veronica Taylor

Hatsune Miku Live Party 2013 in Kansai Special Film Concert at NYCC, 1A23, 11:15 am

He’s Back! Celebrate Chucky’s 25th Anniversary with the Creators & Cast, with Brad Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Don Mancini, Fiona Dourif, Harry Knowles, and Jennifer Tilly, Main Stage 1-D, 12:15

Game of Thrones with Jerome Flynn, 1A23, 12:30

B. J. Novak’s One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, with B. J. Novak and Lev Grossman, 1A22, 1:30

Will.i.am’s Wizards and Robots, with will.i.am, 1A23, 1:45

The Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Panel,” with Charlie Adlard and Robert Kirkman, Empire Stage 1-E, 2:45

[Adult Swim] Presents Robot Chicken, with Breckin Meyer, Clare Grant, Keith Crofford, Matthew Senreich, and Seth Green, Main Stage 1-D, 5:00

Oldboy, with Mark Protosevich, Michael Imperioli, and Pom Klementieff, Main Stage 1-D, 6:00

Spotlight on the Fifth Beatle: The Story of Brian Epstein, with Bruce Cohen, Dave Marsh, David Kahne, Vivek J. Tiwary, and Andrew C. Robinson, 1A01, 6:30

The Cyanide and Happiness Show! with Dave McElfatrick, Kris Wilson, and Shawn Coss, 1A10, 8:00

William Shatner and Patrick Stewart will be together again at New York Comic Con

Saturday, October 12
Autographing Highlights: Gillian Anderson, Julie Benz, Bruce Boxleitner, David Duchovny, Boomer Esiason, Hulk Hogan, Jerry “the King” Lawler, Stan Lee, Andrew McCarthy, William Shatner, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Billy West

Archer Discussion and Q&A, with Adam Reed, Aisha Tyler, Amber Nash, Chris Parnell, H. Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Judy Greer, and Lucky Yates, Main Stage 1-D, 11:00 am

Fifty Years of Doctor Who, with Barnaby Edwards, Deborah Stanish, Graeme Burk, JK Woodward, Ken Deep, Robert Smith (TBC), and Andre Tessier, 1A23, 11:15

Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski, with J. Michael Straczynski, 1A14, 12:15

IFC’s Back to Back Comedy Event: Comedy Bang! Bang! and The Birthday Boys, with members of the Birthday Boys, Reggie Watts, and Scott Aukerman, 1A06, 2:30

Beauty and the Beast Screening and Fan Q&A, with Jay Ryan, Kristin Kreuk, and Matt Mitovich, Main Stage 1-D, 3:45

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Jeph Loeb, Main Stage 1-D, 5:00

Showrunners, with Des Doyle, Greg Plageman, Ronald D. Moore, Ryan Patrick McGuffey, and Terence Winter, moderated by Tara DiLullo Bennett, 1A23, 5:30

AMC’s The Walking Dead, with Andrew Lincoln, Chad Coleman, Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride, Norman Reedus, and Steven Yeun, moderated by Debra Birnbaum, Main Stage 1-D, 6:30

Wikia (Live) Cosplay Contest, 1A06, 8:30

Sunday, October 13
Autographing Highlights: John Barrowman, Anthony Daniels, Chip Kidd, Gareth David-Lloyd, Simon Fraser, Andrew McCarthy, William Shatner, Gary Sohmers, Patrick Stewart

Sunday Conversation with Dan DiDio, 1A06, 10:45 am

Defiance: A New Earth — with New Rules, with Grant Bowler, Jaime Murray, Julie Benz, Michael Nankin, and Stephanie Leonidas, Main Stage 1-D, 11:00

Person of Interest Special Video Presentation and Q&A, with Amy Acker, Greg Plageman, Kevin Chapman, Sarah Shahi, and Taraji P. Henson, Empire Stage 1-E, 12:15

The Following Special Video Presentation and Q&A, with Connie Nielsen, James Purefoy, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Williamson, Marcos Siega, Shawn Ashmore, and Valorie Curry, Empire Stage 1-E, 1:30

Chozen Screening and Q&A, with Bobby Moynihan, Grant Dekernion, Hannibal Buress, Method Man, and Tom Brady, Main Stage 1-D, 1:30

The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, with J. W. Rinzler and Jason Fry, 1A23, 2:45

William Shatner Q&A, 1A22, 3:45

Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny Talk X-Files, Main Stage 1-D, 4:00

NYFF51 20th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING: DAZED AND CONFUSED

NYFF51 will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of DAZED AND CONFUSED on Thursday

DAZED AND CONFUSED (Richard Linklater, 1993)
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Alice Tully Hall
1941 Broadway at 65th St.
Thursday, October 10, $25, 9:00
212-875-5050
www.filmlinc.com

“You guys know anything about a party?” It should be one crazy party on October 10, when the fifty-first New York Film Festival celebrates the twentieth anniversary of one of the greatest high school movies of them all, Richard Linklater’s 1993 indie classic, Dazed and Confused. Alice Tully Hall will turn into 1976 Austin, Texas, as Linklater and various cast members will be on hand for the screening and a Q&A. Like Cynthia (Marissa Ribisi) says, “If we are all gonna die anyway, shouldn’t we be enjoying ourselves now? You know, I’d like to quit thinking of the present, like, right now, as some minor insignificant preamble to something else.” Of course, Randall “Pink” Floyd (Jason London) intones, “All I’m saying is that if I ever start referring to these as the best years of my life, remind me to kill myself.” There’ll be no need to do that as you watch Linklater’s splendid look at high school, which deals with hazing, burgeoning sexuality, sports, drug use, friendship, cliques, and a kick-ass party to end one chapter and begin another, for everyone except the older Wooderson (a career-making performance by Matthew McConaughey), who famously proclaims, “That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.” The cast also includes Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich, Cole Hauser, Joey Lauren Adams, Rory Cochrane, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, and Austin native Wiley Wiggins as Mitch, with an epic soundtrack featuring all the right songs by Foghat, Alice Cooper, Nazareth, Rick Derringer, Sweet, War, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kiss, and Peter Frampton. So for a “good ol’ worthwhile visceral experience,” head on out to Lincoln Center and relive all those glorious moments of your misspent youth.

NYFF51 LIVE: BRUCE DERN

Bruce Dern will give a free talk on October 10 at Lincoln Center about his latest film, NEBRASKA

Bruce Dern will give a free talk on October 10 at Lincoln Center about his latest film, Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA

Film Society of Lincoln Center
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater
144 West 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Thursday, October 10, free, 7:00
212-875-5600
www.filmlinc.com

Chicago-born actor Bruce Dern looks like he will finally be getting his due, gaining raves for his performance in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, which earned him the Best Actor award at Cannes this year. The gruff seventy-seven-year-old Dern has appeared in some ninety movies, from Westerns and black comedies to psychedelic head trips and science fiction, from sports and horror flicks to gangster pictures and literary adaptations; among his myriad films are The Great Gatsby, The Trip, Silent Running, The Cowboys, The King of Marvin Gardens, That Championship Season, Bloody Mama, and Smile. The former husband of Diane Ladd and the father of Laura Dern, Dern received his lone Oscar nomination for 1979’s Coming Home. In Nebraska, Dern plays an old man going on a road trip with his son (Will Forte), believing that there is a pot of gold waiting for him at the end of the rainbow. Dern will participate in a free talk with Brian Brooks about the film on October 10 at 7:00 at Lincoln Center as part of NYFF51 Live, a series of public discussions that is a sidebar to the fifty-first New York Film Festival. Nebraska will have its final NYFF screening on October 12 at noon at Alice Tully Hall. NYFF51 Live, which previously had free talks with Isabelle Huppert, Steve McQueen, Claire Denis, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and agnès b., continues on October 10 at 7:45 with a short filmmakers panel and concludes on October 11 at 7:00 with producer and studio executive David V. Picker.

CHAGALL FAMILY DAY

The Jewish Museum
1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.
Sunday, October 6, adults $15, children eighteen and under free, 12:00 – 4:00
212-423-3200
www.thejewishmuseum.org

The paintings of Russian-born modernist Marc Chagall are imbued with a childlike sense of wonder in their use of color and their depiction of animals and people often in the midst of flying. So it is appropriate that the Jewish Museum’s next family day celebrates the career of the master artist, who was born in Belarus and spent much of his life in France before passing away in 1985 at the age of ninety-seven. Held in conjunction with the new exhibit “Chagall: Love, War, and Exile,” which examines Chagall’s oeuvre from the 1930s until 1948, Chagall Family Day includes live performances by the Pop Ups, art workshops in which kids can make puppet characters, participate in a dream mural, and step into life-size creatures created by the Puppeteers’ Cooperative, tell personal stories through drawing and watercolor techniques, take tours of the exhibit and make sketches of three of Chagall’s paintings, and go on a gallery hunt. Chagall Family Day is recommended for children ages three and up and is free with general admission — which is always free for children eighteen and younger.