NYCitizine

Bill Withers: The Movie!

You know his songs -- "Just The Two of Us", "Lean On Me", "Ain't No Sunshine"... Now, see the film! It's premiering in New York on January 26th as part of Brooklyn's Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival!

Check out this information from B-Side Entertainment:

Bill Withers Coming to NYC for Exclusive Live Q&A's at Special STILL BILL Screening Events

Next week, don't miss soul legend Bill Withers at special live STILL BILL screening events in New York City.

In addition to live appearances at STILL BILL's opening nights at New York's IFC Center, Bill Withers will be at the Park Slope Pavilion Theater in Brooklyn as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival special screening event on January 26th. Buy tickets now.

STILL BILL was filmed in part at Celebrate Brooklyn! during Hal Wilner's Bill Withers Project on August 9, 2008, and is an intimate portrait of soul legend Bill Withers, best known for his classics "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean On Me," "Lovely Day," "Grandma's Hands," and "Just the Two of Us." Immediately following the film will be a post-screening discussion with Bill Withers and filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack, moderated by Jack Walsh, Director of Performing Arts, Executive Producer, Celebrate Brooklyn!. Visit StillBillTheMovie.com for more.

See *Saint John of Las Vegas* for Free! Sign Up for Free Passes to the Film Screening!

I found this deal on one of my favorite sites, NYCDailyDeals.com: free passes to see the new film "St. John of Las Vegas", starring Steve Buschemi and Sarah Silverman!

To get them, you need to register an account here at CampusCircle.com, then you can RSVP for the film on the website by clicking here.

Enjoy! I've been crazy busy lately and won't get a chance to go, so let me know how the film is!

It's Video Day: The Jewish Film Festival and YouTube Wars!

Tonight (and, in one case, through the 28th), New York City honors the medium that moves us: film!

This afternoon at both the Jewish Musuem on the Upper West Side and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, is the kick-off of the 19th annual Jewish Film Festival. Featuring over two dozen films by filmmakers (including some Oscar-winners) from across the globe, the festival exhibits films exploring stories within a variety of themes and topics, including African-American history, Jewish history, World War Two, Russia, homosexuality, Israel, the Middle East, Poland, Romania and religion. Also included are a myriad of interesting and thought-provoking documentaries. This year's festival also features the New York premiere of a claymation film by Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot.

Tickets to the festival are $11 for the general public, but there are discounts for seniors, students and kids, and Film Society members.

If you're into film that are a little less high-brow and a little more slapstick, this is event happening at the Littlefield performance and art space in Brooklyn tonight going to be right up your alley: Littlefield's Redonkulous You Tube Wars Part 1. Because I truly can't describe it better than they can, here's the description of the event, straight from the organizer's mouth (so to speak):

Warfare for the modern age. It's simple folks, get a team of friends together or compete by yourself (teams count as one contestant). Contestants will go to war in a bracket style tournament consisting of single elimination rounds (think “March Madness” playoff bracket basketball). For each round, the 2 competitors will face-off by playing their 2 favorite youtube vids to wow the crowd. Win the crowd and move on to the next round. Video clips will be limited to 1 min so choose your starting point wisely! Remember, bring a playlist arsenal of outrageous videos cocked and ready for battle, you never know what your opponent will have streaming at you! Come early, be redonkulous and stay late. Prizes! Drink specials! Good times!

The party starts at 8pm, and is for those 21 and over, so that means drinks will be available. And guess what -- it's free! So bring your competitive spirit, and good luck!

(Image courtesy of LittlefieldNYC.com. Video from YouTube.com)

Joan Rivers! Live! In Person! Doing Stand-Up! And She's As Politically Incorrect As Ever...

If you only know Joan Rivers as a former contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice", from that Geico ad, or simply as an example of plastic surgery gone too far, this may be one of your last chances to get another impression of the (in)famous comedienne.

 

(Image from Wikipedia, courtesy of Underbelly Limited (Flickr))

The notoriously un-P.C., loudmouth version of your grandmother will be performing her stand-up routine tonight at the Laurie Beechman theater at the West Bank Cafe in Midtown. You can likely expect potty-mouth jokes about sex, race, religion, politics, etc. -- you know, all of those things you're not supposed to mention in polite company. Yes, she'll make you cringe, but you'll love watching her while she does it. And just try to stop the corners of your mouth from creeping into a smile.

The show starts at 8pm and will cost you $30 to get in, but it's for a good cause -- all the proceeds will go to the charity God's Love We Deliver, which delivers meals and nutritional counseling (and just overall feel-good support) to men, women, children and families dealing with a life-altering illness. So, really, having a good time will also help you knock off your New Year's Resolution to give to charity, all in one night! Talk about killing two birds with one stone...

Just a heads up -- there's also a $15 minimum, but you were probably going to order drinks or a snack anyway, right? Right.

Can't make it tonight? You're lucky -- there's one more show coming up on January 20th, but that's the last break you get, you hear me? So go!

Put Your Useless Trivia Knowledge to Work and WIN Something, for Pete's Sake...

Some people are smart. Other people are intelligent. And still other people are somewhere between, cursed with a brain that stores useless facts that are almost never called for. Tonight comes one of those rare occasions when those people get their chance to put their gift -- or curse, depending on the person -- to work and potentially be awarded for their "quirk".

Le Poisson Rouge in the Village is hosting a big live trivia show called "The Big Quiz Thing". This ain't your local bar's trivia night -- they've got multimedia questions, a dazzling stage show, and some serious prizes, including $200 in cash for the winner! Actually, they give prizes to everyone in the top five -- including $50 for the runner up -- concession prizes for those who don't place in the upper echelon of smarties, and even prizes for the folks who come up with funny answers when they can't think of the correct one. I'll bet your neighborhood bar's prize can't top that.

Cover is $10, but that's a pretty good deal considering you're almost guaranteed to win SOMETHING. Doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 7:30. It's first-come, first-served, so bring your smartest buddies and get there early!

Wanna go on a test run to see if your trivia knowledge can compete? Try out some of their questions below:

What is the brand-name for a special crossbred variety of brine shrimp, available at toy stores nationwide?

What's the only NBA team named for an extinct animal?

Put the following actresses in order according to the number of Woody Allen movies they starred in, from the most to the fewest: Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, Louise Lasser?

Name the TV show: a chef, a florist, a typist.

You can find the answers in the "Test Your Wit" section of The Big Quiz Thing website by clicking here.

(Photo courtesy of Le Poisson Rouge)

I Thought the Sex Tape Came AFTER You're Married...

Okay, I know this has nothing to do with New York City, but, well, it's just a great story.

The UK's The Sun newspaper has published a story about British couple who decided that the best way to finance their dream wedding in Mexico is to sell a porn tape featuring themselves!

"B" for creativity (um, "Zack and Miri Make A Porno", anyone?), "F" for effort. Honestly, I don't know what's sadder -- the fact that they couldn't think of a better way to make money or that people have bought the tape. (Because -- and I'm sorry, but -- they're not what I'd call "eye candy"... It's true! Check out the link above to see their pictures!)

Up, Up and Away...

Everyone has their Thanksgiving traditions. Mine is watching "Mary Poppins" on Thanksgiving Day while all the cooking and football-watching is happening elsewhere, then pigging out on Turkey Day goodness until I want to roll away from the table and sleep for the rest of the weekend.

New York City has its own Thanksgiving traditions, too. Obviously, the most well-known is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, but second to that is the Thanksgiving Day Balloon Blow-Up! I'm not sure if it was as big a deal when I first moved to the city 10 years ago, but it's been happening for decades -- since 1927, to be exact -- and it's certainly a big deal now. Hundreds -- maybe thousands -- of people line at least two blocks of Upper West Side streets (near the Museum of Natural History) to see some of their favorite balloons get blown up. (Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Dora The Explorer, Kermit the Frog, etc...)

Photo by Egojab (Flickr)

The balloons slowly begin to take shape until they lift off the ground, then are weighted down with sandbags to prevent them from starting their own personal parade through the city skyline. Then, in the wee hours of Turkey Day mornin', they begin to assemble into order to be ready for the kickoff of the big parade.

If you want to see the set-up for yourself, it all starts Wednesday afternoon! Officially, the start time is 3pm, but nothing really starts happening until about 4 or 5 (the cynic in me expects that's because they want to make the headlines of the 5 o'clock news).

Here are the details:

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Blow-Up

Date: Wednesday, November 25

Time: 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Where: 77th and 81st Streets (between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue)

Happy Thanksgiving!

CG

Target Free Thursdays at Lincoln Center!

If you've lived in the city for more than 3 years and have hung out near 62nd Street, you probably remember the shady-looking alley-like space beneath the apartment building between Broadway and Columbus. You know -- the filthy, garbage-ridden space where the homeless curled up against the walls...

Well, that's all changed. Target and Lincoln Center teamed up to clean up the unsightly and somewhat dangerous area, and have created the David Rubenstein Atrium, a space devoted to the public and the arts.

The Atrium opened its doors Thursday, with some extraordinary fanfare. After a brief speech by Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy and some remarks by Broadway performer Bernadette Peters, the hall was filled with the music of The Asphalt Orchestra, an urban band with a bold and unique sound.

The music matched the atmosphere of the space. Every inch of the Atrium is remarkable -- from the living wall garden to the mural made of felt to the vertical fountain. Large bulbous holes in the ceiling let in natural light, illuminating the stage that will feature local artists and musicians every Thursday.

The Atrium itself, however, will be open every day, all year round. Stop by some afternoon for a break from the office; you'll even be able to pick up a 'Wichcraft sandwich while you take in the sights and sounds. It's definitely a refreshing new look for the space, and a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

CG