Hear sci-fi made highbrow(ish)
New York Review of Science Fiction Readings
Untitled Document
South Street Seaport Museum; Second Tuesday of every month; 6:30 p.m.; $5 suggested donation; More info
Now in its nineteenth year, this lit club has conjured its own far-fetched alternate universe, one where horror, fantasy, and sci-fi writing—lofted by the likes of Walter Mosley, Peter Straub, and Jonathan Lethem—ratchets up to a higher(brow) plane of consciousness. Tonight, African-American star Samuel Delany (pictured) kicks off the new season by commemorating the 40th anniversary of The Star-Pit, his Hugo-winning space opera turned radio broadcast about galaxy hoppers.
Summer smash comes to the small screen
Knocked Up DVD extras are great for Orson Welles movies with baffling backstories, but what about dick jokes? Knocked Up’s two-disc special edition stays juicy thanks to Judd Apatow’s foresight; from day one, he was planning elaborate spoofs. The best: “Finding Ben Stone,” a casting process “special” featuring Michael Cera and James Franco as egotists and train wrecks, and “Directing the Director,” a droll satire starring Bennett Miller as a highbrow jerk hired by the studio to rein in Apatow’s porn jokes. Unrated Two-Disc Collector’s Edition
Universal Home Entertainment
$30.98
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Meet people publishing their own books
Booklyn’s Open Salon It’s not simply because this Web newsletter feels bad for assisting, in its own humble way, with the smothering of the printed form that we’re recommending this event: The Booklyn Artists Alliance, a nonprofit that produces and distributes handmade books and teaches skills like binding, is the leading light in a boomlet of self-published books and ‘zines. The first Tuesday of every month, they host this chance to peruse their collection and meet the artists and writers behind it. Booklyn Artists Alliance
7 p.m.
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Nobel winner reads cranky, amusing memoir
James D. Watson The author of the bumptious and bloated “memoir and more” Avoid Boring People: And Other Lessons From a Life in Science writes like he discovered the structure of DNA or won the Nobel Prize or something. But Watson, now 79, entertains mightily, dissing rival academics and talking up his advances in molecular biology. And anyone can find wisdom in his life lessons like “Have friends close to those who rule,” “Avoid fighting bigger boys and dogs,” and “Never dye your hair.” 92nd Street Y
$26
8 p.m.
Tickets »
Give photographer her due
Candida Höfer Of the half-dozen German photographers who came to prominence in the nineties—notably Andreas Gursky, Thomas Struth, and Thomas Ruff—this woman got the least attention. But over the last twenty years, she has functioned at an equally high level. In these latest photos, Höfer brings her all-encompassing, all-seeing vision to a series shot in opulent Portuguese palaces, libraries, and dining halls. You get waves of lost empire, ennui, and faded glory from these otherwise fantastically antiseptic pictures. Sonnabend Gallery
Through October 13
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Teach her Spanish with a music video
Spanimals This band “for the shorter set” has a great bubble-gum–meets–indie sound, and their lyrics have fun with lessons on musical instruments, bundling up, how not to spread germs, and in the case of this video for the hilarious, Latin-swing-inspired “Spanimals,” speaking español. The band’s too busy making more zippy music videos to play out much, but you can catch a live show Saturday at the opening of Hoboken’s new kids’ store Itty Bitties. The Jimmies
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