WEDNESDAY 11/26 WEDNESDAY 11/26 Around Town Big Apple ...

Around Town

Big Apple Circus: Carnivale Big Top meets Cirque du Soleil in this multi-cultural, multi-dimensional, world-class performance feat. masquerade balls, puppets, confetti & floats; Damrosch Park Bandshell, W. 62nd St. (betw. B'way & Amsterdam Ave.), 212-875-5108; 6:30, $18-$72 [repeats Thurs. at 6:30, Sat. & Sun. at 12:30 & 4:30, Tues. at 2, through 1/11].

Canstruction Last chance to see the impressive giant structures built by 35 design teams, entirely out of canned food, putting your college wall o' beer cans to shame?when it's all over, the food goes to the Food Bank for New York City; New York Design Center, 200 Lexington Ave. (32nd St.), 212-689-0300; 9-5, 1 can of food.

Thanksgiving Meal Invitational Champion eaters Sonya Thomas & Cookie Jarvis make us all feel less guilty about out holiday indulgence by consuming pounds of turkey/duck/chicken/stuffing hybrid "turducken" & fixings in under 12 minutes; Mickey Mantle's, 42 Central Park S. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-688-7777; 10:30, free.

Film/Video

Duck, You Sucker Newly restored 35mm-print of Sergio Leone's 1972 Mexican revolution adventure, sometimes called A Fistful of Dynamite, feat. 20 additional minutes of stars James Coburn & Rod Steiger; Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (betw. Varick St. & 6th Ave.), 212-727-8110; 2, 5:30 & 8:30, $10 [repeats Thurs.].

Featuring...Russia Engages the Cinema Celebrate the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, Russia's founding w/Russian film screenings. Today, 16mm-screening of director Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 classic, Alexander Nevsky?Russian w/English subtitles; Donnell Library Center, 20 W. 53rd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-621-0618; 2:30, free.

Hallelujah the Hills Re:Voir/USA pres. new 35mm-print screening to celebrate the 40th anniversary re-release of directors Ed Emshwiller & Adolfas Mekas' 1963 comedy, about two jilted suitors recollecting the same woman on a Vermont camping trip; Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. (Ave. A), 212-254-3300; 6, $9.

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" Series screens the best from the man in black in four programs. Today, see Johnny serenade prisoners in Johnny Cash In San Quentin (1969) & hop a boxcar in 1974 railroading doc., Ridin' the Rails; Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-621-6600; 2, $10, $8 st./s.c. [repeats Thurs. at 2 & 6, Fri.-Sun.].

Party of Five More crack should be smoked when considering attending screenings?kill the afternoon w/the "award winning" Thanksgiving episode, where Neve Campbell's raw sex appeal gets overshadowed by family tragedy & triumph; Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-621-6600; 12:30, free w/adm.

The Big Lebowski or El Lebowski Grande, if you're not into the whole brevity thing?Coen Brothers' 1998 tale of humble man who winds up getting misquoted by pothead college kids for all eternity; Landmark Sunshine Cinema, 143 E. Houston St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-330-8182; 12 a.m., $10 [repeats Thurs.-Sat.].

Volcanoes of the Deep Sea Ed Harris narrates director Stephen Low's IMAX doc., exploring erupting hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean & the animals that mannage to survive 12,000-feet down; LeFrak Theater, American Museum of Natural History, 77th St. (betw. Columbus Ave. & Central Park W.), 212-769-5200; 10:30, 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30, $19, $14 st./s.c., $11 child. [repeats Thurs.-Tues., through 7/1].

Lectures

Gothic Grandeur Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton discusses the "unrivaled richness & refinement of gothic architecture, sculpture, painting & decorative arts"; Metropolitan Museum of Art Grace Rainey Rogers Aud., 5th Ave. (82nd St.), 212-570-3949; 11, $20.

THURSDAY 11/27

Around Town

Dinner On a Yacht Take in the famous skyline, while enjoying a holiday banquet that would make your grandmother blush; World Yacht Marina, Pier 81, W. 41st St. (12th Ave.), 212-630-8100; 6, $69.95.

Thanksgiving Day Cruise Avoid your relatives by eating your turkey on a two-hour boat ride?incl. full-course meal w/all the traditional fixings; Chelsea Piers, Pier 62, 23rd St. (12th Ave.), 866-211-3809; 2 & 7, $55-$65.

Film/Video

Mulholland Drive David Lynch series screens the director's 2001 L.A. mystery, about aspiring & amnesia-stricken actresses' (Naomi Watts & Laura Harring) foray into lesbianism?see it just for the unmulletted Billy Ray Cyrus cameo; Cinema Classics, 332 E. 11th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-677-1027; 8, $6.

Workshops

Stretch & Strength Weight Training Medical exercise specialist Fitz Sam teaches eight simple exercises for seniors to "increase mobility & balance, halt bone loss & prevent fractures"; DOROT Headquarters, 171 W. 85th St. (Amsterdam Ave.), 212-769-2850; 2, $5 sugg. don.

FRIDAY 11/28

Around Town

Buy Nothing Day Rebel against holiday consumerism on the biggest shopping day of the year! Rev. Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping leads in-store performances & general mischief; meet at Plaza Hotel, 768 5th Ave. (Central Park S.), 917-825-3562; 1, free.

5th National Comic Book, Art, Toy & Sci-Fi Expo An orgy of all things geeky that would blow Comic Book Guy's mind feat. Darth Maul, young Boba Fett, Tron's Cindy Morgan & endless comics & collectibles; Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th St. (betw. 6th & 7th Ave.), 201-865-3288; 1-8, $15 [repeats Sat. 10-7 & Sun. 10-6].

Valley of Tears Hart Perry's 2003 documentary charts two decades of the plight of Texan farmers, starting w/a pistol drawn 1979 strike; Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. (Ave. A), 212-254-3300; $9 [repeats Sat. at 8, Sun. at 7, Mon. at 6:30, through 12/4].

Film/Video

Hukkle Hungary's official Oscar-entry, a murder-mystery of stunning cinematography, technical power & almost no dialogue, starts today; Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St. (betw. 5th Ave. & University Pl.), 212-924-3363; call for times, $9, $7 st., $5.50 s.c.

Kino 2003: 25 Years of German Films at MOMA Peter Sehr's Das Serbische Madchen (The Serbian Girl, 1991) (2 p.m.) & Helma Sanders-Brahams' Deutschland, Bleiche Mutter (Germany, Pale Mother, 1980) (8)?German w/English subtitles; MOMA's Gramercy Theater, 127 E. 23rd St. (betw. Lexington & Park Aves.), 212-777-4900; $12.

Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" Trilogy New 35mm prints feat. Clint Eastwood as hero-for-hire in spagetti Westerns, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) & The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966); Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (betw. Varick St. & 6th Ave.), 212-727-8110, www.filmforum.com; see website for times, $10 [repeats Sat.-Tues.].

SATURDAY 11/29

Around Town

GreenFlea Market Feel good about digging through the impressive array of antiques, crafts & vintage clothes at weekly flea market?all proceeds benefit P.S. 41; Greenwich Ave. (betw. W. 10th & 11th Sts.), 212-721-0900; 10-6, free [repeats Sat.].

"Once-a-Month Country" Craving that good-ol' country music? Dance the night away to the two-step, west coast swing & cha-cha w/complimentary partner & line dance lessons; Jack Rose, 771 8th Ave. (47th St.), 212-592-3909; 6:30, $13.

Subha Ratri Benefit Concert & dinner feat. traditional Nepali dance & music; Sol Goldman YMCA, 344 E. 14th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), RSVP 212-252-2012; 7, $40.

Walk off the Turkey The Shorewalkers invite your bloated body on a calorie burning, 11-mile post-feast jaunt up the Hudson?bring water & lunch; meet at South Ferry Terminal, Whitehall St. (South St.), 212-330-7686; 9, $3.

Which Chestnuts Are Roasting? American Chestnut Foundation's Margaret Collins leads a discussion on the endangered tree & its tasty nuts, while doling out tasty samples & recipes; Wave Hill, 675 W. 252nd St. (Independence Ave.), Bronx, 718-549-3200; 2.

Film/Video

African Diaspora Film Festival Eclectic mix of over 60 foreign, independent, urban & classic films that depict the global Black experience; Anthology Film Archives, 32 2nd Ave. (2nd St.), tkts 212-505-5181, 212-864-1760, www.NYADFF.org; call for times & info [through 12/10].

Francis Ford Coppola Retrospective continues today w/the director's 1983 coming of age tales, The Outsiders (2 p.m.) & Rumble Fish (4)?both billed as Matt Dillon flicks because Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Dennis Hopper, Diane Lane, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Nicolas Cage & Lawrence Fishburne haven't done much since?plus 1974 mob classic, The Godfather II (6:30); American Museum of the Moving Image, 35 Ave. (36 St.), Astoria, 718-784-0077; free w/adm. [repeats Sun.].

Workshops

Mozambican Drumming Rolando Alexandre teaches traditional rhythms on djembe; Tribal Soundz, 340 E. 6th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-673-5992; 3, $15.

SUNDAY 11/30

Around Town

Champagne Sunday Brunch Screw coffee! MoÎt & Chandon offers unlimited champagne w/fancy three-course meals, so that you can end the weekend just as drunk as you started it; Regent Wall Street Hotel, 55 Wall St. (betw. William & Hanover Sts.), 212-845-8600; 12-3, $39 [through 12/21].

The Magic Garden: Stories of Crazy Dreams Come True Storyteller Ron Sopyla shares tales from around the world w/admiring adults & squirmy children, ages 6 & older; Provincetown Playhouse, 133 MacDougal St. (W. 3rd St.), 212-998-5867; 3, $5, child. free.

Poetry & Rock Rain Forest Benefit Luckily Sting will not be in attendance, but a whole lot of poets will?plus, live music from Abstract Expression, Voodoolulu, Locksley; CB's 313 Gallery, 313 Bowery (Bleecker St.), 212-677-0455; 6 p.m.-12 a.m., $5 don.

Film/Video

Lost Highway Bill Pullman shows serious range in the 1997 hit that makes the people who hate David Lynch, hate David Lynch?don't smoke beforehand!; Cinema Classics, 332 E. 11th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-677-1027; 7, $6 [repeats Mon. & Tues. at 8].

Degrassi Sundays Four Degrassi Junior High episodes screened weekly in chronological order?plus, free raffles of show memorabilia, half-price drinks & all the Canadian teen drama you could ever want; Enid's, 560 Manhattan Ave. (Driggs Ave.), Williamsburg, 718-349-3859; 6.

Film Slam A Poet's Pilgrimmage by Summer Hill Seven?plus a bonus short. Maybe, the GI Joe episode where Dusty turns Cobra spy? Then again, probably not!; Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. (Ave. A), 212-254-3300; 5, free.

"Pink Mafia: Movement and the Bent Minor" "Young queer & transgender video artists scratch the generational itch & rally or alternative representations in the impending era of the gay-mainstream."; Ocularis at Galapagos, 70 N. 6th St. (betw. Wythe & Kent Aves.), Williamsburg, 718-388-8713; 7, $6.

Lectures

The Right to Die: An Inalienable Right Revisited Dr. Charles H. Debrovner shares his opinions on the concept of "death w/dignity"; NY Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St. (Central Park W.), 212-874-5210; 11:30.

Workshops

Put Your Best Foot Forward w/Your Own Personal Brand Professional coach/trainer Janine A. Schindler shows you how "get clarity" & "meet the authentic you," in order to better "market yourself & improve relationships"; Joyous Life Center, 119 W. 23rd St. #700 (betw. 6th & 7th Aves.), res. req. 212-352-9910; 4:30, $30.

MONDAY 12/1

Around Town

Children of Eden The York Theater Co. pres. concert version of this Stephen Schwartz & John Caird production to benefit the National Aids Fund; Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr. (betw. 120th & 121st Sts.), 212-935-5820; 7, $100-$5,000.

Korean Food Festival Korean chefs Yim Gi Ho & Choi Yun Ja showcase the best of their native cuisine, offering a daily lunchtime buffet of more than 100 dishes; United Nations, 46th St. (1st Ave.), res. req. 212-963-7625; 11:30-2:30, $22.50 [repeats daily, through 12/12].

"Live And Let Live" Performers from around the globe, incl. Baaba Maal, Harlem Lee & Nitin Sawhney, offer their talents to combat stigma & discrimination, in recognition of World AIDS Day; Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave. (112th St.), 212-662-2133; 7:30.

Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show Annual exhibition & sale returns w/100 years of high fashion for modern trend-setters at great prices, incl. jewelry, gowns, dresses, furs, handbags, bed linens & even, ski wear?totally worth the admission!; Puck Bldg., 293 Lafayette St. (Houston St.), 518-434-4312, www.manhattanvintage.com; 12-8, $20 [repeats Tues. 12-7].

Out of Darkness Into Light Five days of events promoting awareness of the AIDS epidemic & the realities of people living w/the virus, incl. HIV testing, open forums & workshops; LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-620-7310; call for times [repeats through 12/5].

Film/Video

"History as Nightmare: The 1960s" Today, Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) feat. James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson & Bob Dylan?anti-Nixon allegory or rocking hippie-western? You decide!; BAM Rose Cinema, 30 Lafayette Ave. (Ashland Pl.), Ft. Greene, 718-636-4100; 4:30, 6:50 & 9:10, $10, $7 st., $6 s.c.

Monday Night Shorts Erni Vales & Victoria Clark host series retrospective of shorts from independent filmmakers; Freight Restaurant, Chelsea Market, 410 W. 16th St. (betw. 9th & 10th Aves.), 212-242-6555; 7:30, free.

Yossi & Jagger Closeted gay lovers struggle to make their relationship work in the rigid Israeli army?2002, Hebrew w/English subtitles; Makor, 35 W. 67th St. (betw. Columbus Ave. & Central Park W.), 212-601-1000; 7:30 & 9, $9 [repeats Tues.].

Lectures

"Paris Sweets" Award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan "shares her passion" for the "tempting pastries" of Paris & the chef's who create them?followed by pastry tasting, mmmm; Florence Gould Hall, French Institute, 55 E. 59th St. (betw. Madison & Park Aves.), 212-355-6160; 7, $12.

Readings

Fanny: A Fiction From Publishers Weekly: "[Edmund] White's most recent novel, the saturnine A Married Man, showed little of the feline, Nabokovian elegance of his early work?most famously, A Boy's Own Story. White triumphantly returns to form with this historical teaser, a novel wrapped inside a 'memoir' of Fanny Wright by Mrs. Frances Trollope"; Three Lives & Co., 154 W. 10th St. (Waverly Pl.), 212-741-2069; 7, free.

Journal of the Dead "In the summer of 1999, two young men hit the road, Kerouac-style, seeking adventure and self-discovery. Best friends Raffi Kodikian and David Coughlin never imagined just how traumatic their cross-country journey would prove. Ill equipped and inexperienced, they soon found themselves in trouble lost in the canyons of Carlsbad Caverns with no food, no water and no way out. Four days later, rescuers found only Kodikian; Coughlin had been killed by his friend, allegedly as an act of mercy"; Half King, 505 W. 23rd St. (10th Ave.), 212-462-4300; 7.

Our Lady Of 121st Street "It"-playwright Stephen-Adly Guirgis reads; Drama Book Shop, Inc., 250 W. 40th St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-944-0595; 5.

The Stories of Richard Bausch Author reads; Astor Place Barnes & Noble, 4 Astor Pl. (betw. B'way & Lafayette St.), 212-420-1322; 7:30, free.

Years of Minutes Andy Rooney (almost as incomparable as his replacement Charles Grodin) appears; Barnes & Noble, 2289 B'way (82nd St.), 212-362-8835; 7:30, free.

Workshops

Setting Yourself Free: Breaking the Cycles of Emotional Abuse Author SaraKay Smullens shows you how to "identify patterns of abuse & learn how to overcome their effects"; 92nd St. Y, 1395 Lexington Ave. (92nd St.), 212-415-5500; www.92y.org; 7:30, $35.

TUESDAY 12/2

Around Town

Military Mailbag Start giving early! Donate unwrapped presents to Toys for Tots, then make festive cards for the forces over-seas?decorating materials provided; Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Pier 86 W. 46th St. (12th Ave.), 212-245-0072; 10-5, $14, $10 vets./reservists/st./s.c., $7 child. 6-11, $2 child. 2-5, active duty/child. 0-2 free [repeats Tues., through 12/14].

Tree Lighting Ceremony Weatherman Sam Champion hosts annual ceremony feat. soprano Deborah Voigt & a tight-rope walker tottering between Avery Fisher Hall & the New York State Theater; Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center, Columbus Ave. (betw. 62nd & 65th Sts.), 212-875-5766; 5, free.

Tuesday Night Trivia Be proud that you're a geek?you could help your team win $10-$25 bar tabs by answering some pretty wacky & obscure questions; Baggot Inn, 82 W. 3rd St. (betw. Sullivan & Thompson Sts.), 212-477-0622; 7:30, 2 drink min.

Wildlife Trust Benefit Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, made a bridge over troubled water between them to perform tonight w/celebrity guests, in support of wildlife?also feat. gourmet reception & post-concert shindig; Theater at Madison Square Garden, 32nd St. (7th Ave.), 212-201-3000; 6, $750.

Winter Garden Lighting Ceremony "Scrooge" Jim Dale joins the Metro Mass Choir & 100,000 festive lights to put all but the jaded in holiday spirits; World Financial Center Winter Garden, West St. (betw. Vesey & Liberty Sts.), 212-945-0505; 6:30, free.

Film/Video

Boris Barnet Retrospective Series begins w/the legendary Soviet filmmaker's silent b&w comedy about class tensions, The House on Trubnaya Square (1928), feat. live piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin?bring your cleaning lady; BAM Rose Cinema, 30 Lafayette Ave. (Ashland Pl.), Ft. Greene, 718-636-4100; 7:30, $10, $7 st., $6 s.c.

International Sephardic Film Festival Week-long alternative to Dreamworks' overtly Ashkenazic breed of filmmaking; Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St. (5th Ave.), 212-294-8301; call for times, $9.

Japanese Story The Sam Goldwyn dudes picking titles, aren't even trying anymore?Sue Brooks' 2003 cross-cultural journey finds a geologist & Japanese businessman stranded together in the Australian desert; Asia Society, 725 Park Ave. (70th St.), 212-517-ASIA; 6:30, $10, $5 st.

"Petits Bijoux: Overlooked & Under-seen French Gems" Ciné-club's series screens overlooked works by major filmmakers. Today, Michel Deville's Dossier 51 (1963), a sinister paranoid thriller about the ugly side of political operative recruitment?French w/English subtitles; Florence Gould Hall, French Institute, 55 E. 59th St. (betw. Madison & Park Aves.), 212-355-6160; 12:30, 3:30, 6:30 & 9, $8, $6 st.

"Shorts Nite" Digital video festival pres. shorts incl. The Human Beeing, On Edge & Long Time No See; VideoTheatre, NYC, 85 E. 4th St. (betw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.), 212-868-4444; 7:30, $5, $3 st.

To Live is Better than to Die Chen Weijun's Cinemax-bound, 2002 doc. about a poor Chinese family, among hundreds of thousands, that have been devastated by HIV-spreading, illegal blood merchants; Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-621-6600; 4, call for prices.

Lectures

A Conversation Between the Artist & the Curator Joan Snyder & Jewish Museum curator Norman Kleeblatt discuss "creativity, identity & new forms of expression in contemporary art "; Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, 1 W. 4th St. (betw. B'way & Mercer Sts.), 212-674-5300; 6.

"Dead Reckoning" Dr. Michael Baden discusses his new book & his experience working on the most "famous forensic cases of our time"; Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 5th Ave. (34th St.), 212-817-8215; www.gc.cuny.edu; 7, $15.

Exiled in Paris? The Controversy Around Richard Wright Author Hazel Rowley explores the "myth & reality" of Wright's "extraordinary journey from a sharecropper's shack in Mississippi to becoming an internationally renowned writer"; Barnard College, B'way (117th St.), 212-854-7583; 7.

Taoist Qiqong for Health & Vitality Master teacher Sat Chuen Hon introduces a system of "six gentle yet invigorating exercises" to help improve "overall health & increase energy"; Sufi Books, 227 W. B'way (betw. Franklin & White Sts.), 212-334-5212; www.sufibooks.com; 7, $10.

The Good, the Bad & the Very Bad, A Year in the Life of an Art Critic Village Voice critic, Jerry Saltz, discusses those contemporary works which he has "deigned relevant for reasons other than greatness"; Guggenheim Museum Peter B. Lewis Theater, 1071 5th Ave. (89th St.), RSVP 212-423-3587; 6:30, $10, $7 st./s.c.

Andrea Zittel Contemporary artist speaks about her career & her personal approach to art & creativity; Tishman Aud., New School, 66 W. 12th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-980-3942; 6:30, $5.

Readings

From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey From Publishers Weekly: "Khoo Thwe, born in 1967, debuts with a remarkable portrait of his childhood in Phekhon, 'the only Catholic town in Burma,' among the Padaung people, a subtribe of the Karenni 'known for what outsiders call our "giraffe women" because of their necks being elongated by rings.'"; Barnes & Noble, 396 6th Ave. (betw. Waverly Pl. & W. 8th St.), 212-674-8780; 7:30, free.

Women Playwrights: The Best of 2002 Contributors read; Drama Book Shop, Inc., 250 W. 40th St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-944-0595; 5.

Workshops

Balance Again Learn how to walk a straight line & reduce "chronic stress & tension"; Feldenkrais Associates, 41 Union Sq. W. (betw E. 17th & 16th Sts.), 646-638-1369; 6:30-9:30, $50.

Your New Business: Do's & Don't's for a Healthy Start Practical guidance for "making the right choices" & avoiding the "pitfalls to new business success"; Science Industry Business Library, 188 Madison Ave. (34th St.), 212-592-7000; 5:30.