Agenda Newsletter - August 30, 2007

Tickets
That now, in 2007, these legendary eighties indie rockers have a heartbreaking and quite gorgeous new album, Rise to Your Knees, is reason enough to give thanks and praise to Saint Cobain, famously one of their biggest fans. But their comeback really was against all odds: Bassist Cris Kirkwood, brother to singer Curt, has rejoined the band after time spent in prison, battling addiction, and losing his wife to an overdose. Welcome them back at tonight’s show.
Game’s plot will actually motivate you
Bioshock This stirring, brilliant game starts, like Lost, with a plane crash. Within minutes, you’re at the bottom of the ocean, in Rapture, a city with a mythology every bit as thick as Lost’s—only with more monsters. The plot and visuals here are not only on par with the best TV sci-fi, they might even be better, since you’re not passively waiting for resolution. And did we mention you can shoot fire and ice from your genetically modified fingers? 2K Games
$59.99
Buy it » Justin Timberlake
Track jackets and T-shirts
Bring sexy clothing back with a J.T. jacket or tee. We’re giving away five of each. Oh, and stop kicking yourself for missing FutureSex/LoveShow at MSG last month; HBO is airing it Monday night. Enter now!

Untitled Document

Knitting Factory; 8 p.m.; $20;

Improv sure beats romcoms
First Date Judging from this every-so-often show, featuring Upright Citizens Brigade regulars Jason Mantzoukas and Jessica St. Clair creating super-squirmy first-date conversations, we believe long-form improv just might be the antidote to the hated romcom. The pair improvises absurd dates in all their awkward glory—one had Mantzoukas’s character admitting that he accidentally slept with his mom—and have sent at least two sensitive audiences members toward the exit. But not us! UCB Theatre
8 p.m.
$5
More info »

Discover a hot Italian novelist
The Worst Intentions The debut novel from young Italian writer Alessandro Piperno won its author lots of attention in his home country two years ago. This new translation (from Europa Editions, a godsend for those into contemporary European writing) let us in on the excitement: There’s an enormous amount of vitality in this story of a wealthy Jewish family fallen on hard times. The writing, by turns comic and tragic, feverishly relates their self-destructive acts, from profligacy to philandering. Alessandro Piperno
Europa Editions
$14.95
Buy it »

Turntablist spins screwball comedy
Kid Koala The Temptress’ hull wouldn’t easily hold the eight D.J.’s and cabaret/bingo-hall setup from Kid Koala’s past tours, and we suspect that his long-promised puppet show hasn’t yet come together. But Manhattan’s skyline and the Statue of Liberty make for their own visual thrills, and you can rest assured that the turntablist, who cobbles beats and samples into sonic screwball comedies, will have you fully captivated. Rocks Off Concert Cruise Series
The Temptress, World Yacht Marina
6 p.m.
$30
Tickets »

She can dance if she wants to
Charansalsa Your young one’s not totally clear on the difference between salsa and charanga? And neither are you? No sweat. This eleven-piece orquestra (the lineup includes some old pros on the Latin-music scene) blends the two rhythms into one highly danceable beat. She needn’t learn any steps. She can just kick off her Crocs and let her feet do their thing on the park’s ultrasoft green lawn. Battery Park City, Robert F. Wagner Park
7 p.m.
More info »

August 30, 2007

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