Celebrity Autobiography at The Triad Theatre

What happens when you combine comedians’ funniness and other celebrities’ life stories? Why “Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words,” of course! Visit the Triad Theatre tonight to listen to and watch Rachel Dratch, Dick Cavett, Rosie Perez and more funny folks read from and riff on the autobiographies of celebrities like Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee (and his “romance tips”), Suzanne Somers, Vanna White, Mr. T and ‘N Sync. Don’t miss the New York show that TIME Magazine calls, “The funniest docu-theater stunt of the year!"

Triad Theatre
158 West 72nd St.
New York, NY 10023
(212) 362-2590
7:30pm + 9:30pm
$35 and up (+ 2 drink minimum)
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The New York Times Travel Show

According to our calendar, it’s about time to escape the melting streets of New York City and head into some hot, dry sunshine. But where to? Get all of your travel research done in one place this weekend: at the annual New York Times Travel show! Explore over 500 destinations in over 150 nations as you visit with both travel specialists and domestic and international tourism boards throughout the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Plus, you’ll find great deals on destination packages, hotels, resorts and cruises that you can book on the spot!

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 West 34th St.
New York, NY 10001
(800) 322-9332
Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-4
$15
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How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette

Grab seats for a preview of the 50th Anniversary of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying! The musical comedy starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and John Larroquette (Night Court, The Practice) and with music by Tony- and Academy- award winning Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls) chronicles the riotous rise of window washer J. Pierrepont Finch (Radcliffe) as he attempts to move up the corporate ladder, girl in one arm, pail in the other. Bonus: CNN's Anderson Copper narrates.

Al Hirschfeld Theatre
302 West 45th St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 239-6200
8pm
$52 and up
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4th Annual New York Wine Expo

Have you always wanted to tour the Italian countryside and experience the old world romance of handcrafted wine? While the 4th Annual New York Wine Expo isn’t exactly in Italy, it will transport you (via your taste buds) to Italy and beyond. The expo showcases over 700 wines from more than 170 global wineries, all for sampling and purchase. Plus, learn about everything from grapes to glassware from sommeliers and winery owners at one of the many seminars.

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
655 West 34th St.
New York, 10001
(212) 216-2000
Friday: 6-10pm
Saturday: 2-6pm
Seminar tickets $25-30
1-Day Grand Tasting $90 ($100 Saturday)
21+
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Michael Showalter and Neko Case at Union Square Barnes & Noble

Fans of funny and indie rock unite! Join journalist Katherine Lanpher today at the Union Square Barnes & Noble as she interviews comedian Michael Showalter (The State, Stella) about his new book Mr. Funny Pants. Then rock with indie singer-songwriter Neko Case of The New Pornographers as she perform tracks from her fifth studio album, Middle Cyclone.

Barnes and Noble, Union Square
33 East 17th St.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-0810
7pm
Free
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FRIGID New York Festival

Yes, it’s still February, and it is certainly still cold out... But things are about to heat up on three stages as FRIGID New York kicks off. A fringe festival that benefits independent theatre, the annual, 12-day FRIGID event boasts over 250 performances from 10 production companies at The Kraine Theater, The Red Room, and UNDER St. Marks in the Lower East Side. In true support of theatre on the fringe of the mainstream, all box office ticket sales are returned to the artists.

Various locations, times, prices
Thru 3/6
Info

Paul Taylor Dance Company at NY City Center

The Paul Taylor Dance Company settles down in New York this week for a set of performances at the NY City Center Mainstage. With NYC premieres of “Phantasmagoria” and "Three Dubious Memories", plus the long-awaited revival of “Orbs”, the Company, founded by Paul Taylor in 1954, has captivated audiences with such talents as David Parsons, Twyla Tharp and Laura Dean. Don’t miss this opening-night opportunity to see the dance troupe that has performed in over 62 countries.

NY City Center Mainstage
131 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 581-1212
7pm (thru 3/6)
$10 and up
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Hail to the Trivial Presidential Quiz Spectacular at Crash Mansion

Think you know a lot about U.S. Presidents? Test your knowledge at The Big Quiz Thing’s “Hail to the Trivial Presidential Quiz Spectacular” with quizmaster Noah Tarnow. History buffs and lapsed American History majors alike can compete for a chance to win $300 in cash prizes in this multi-media game show that, in celebration of Presidents’ Day, will try contestants’ knowledge of Commanders in Chief, from Washington to Obama.

Crash Mansion
199 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
(212) 982-7767
8pm
$10
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Get Real NY Craft Beer & Food Festival

Celebrate the best craft beer and local, artisanal food at the Get Real NY Craft Beer & Food Festival at the Flatiron's Altman Building today! Get your fill from over 80 free-flowing beers (including several rare and limited quantity ones) and unlimited samplings from more than 20 NYC restaurants and food trucks. With food options from Luke's Lobster, Saxelby Cheesmongers, Kumquat Cupcakery, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream and more, plus more than 80 beer options, you're sure to find something satisfy your appetite and thirst!

Altman Building
135 West 18th Street

New York, NY 10011

(212) 741 3400
4-8pm ($75) or 5-8pm ($60)
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6th Annual Coffee and Tea Festival

February is an especially tastey time to be in New York. We’ve brought you the scoop on everything from the Hot Chocolate Festival, to pancakes and everything in between... and in case you need a pick-me-up from your inevitable food coma: The Annual Coffee and Tea Festival is here! This weekend tea and coffee experts convene to discuss the culture, politics, and flavors of their leaves. Don’t miss the barista latte art competition, or demos from tea and coffee creatives who discuss tea-infused desserts and cocktails.

7WEST
7 W 34th St.
New York, NY 10001
11am-5pm thru 2/20
$20+
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Pacino's 70s at Film Forum

Here’s an offer you can’t refuse: one week of blockbuster Al Pacino films at the Film Forum. The week-long festival “Pacino’s 70s” kicks off with The Godfather—the quintessential American mob-drama, which chronicles the life of the Italian-American Corleone crime family—and continues the following night with The Godfather Part II. Don’t miss The Panic in Need Park, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, ...And Justice for All, and Scarecrow.

Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
New York, NY 10014
(212) 727-8110
1pm, 4:30, 8
$12.50
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Norman Mailer: The American

Get to know the acclaimed Brooklyn-writer, rebel and American Icon, Norman Mailer like never before in Joseph Mantegna’s documentary Norman Mailer: The American. With over 60 books to his name, Norman Mailer is best known for his controversial stories, but filmmaker Joseph Mantegna depicts Mailer the critic, the author, the lover and the filmmaker with footage and interviews from the people who knew him well: wives, his children, friends and enemies.

Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center
165 West 65th St.
New York, NY 10023
(212) 875-5610
6:30pm
$12
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Brandford Marsalis at the New York Philharmonic

Experience the sultry sounds of the alto sax, backed by the majestic New York Philharmonic Orchestra tonight as three-time Grammy winner Branford Marsalis performs. As a renowned composer, music educator and skilled jazz, blues, funk and classical musician, Marsalis will play Haydn’s Symphony No. 60, Glazunov’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone, Schulhoff’s Hot-Sonate for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, and R. Strauss’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme.

Bonus: Arrive at 6:30pm and head upstairs to the Helen Huntington Hull Room in Avery Fisher Hall for an insightful pre-concert talk with New York Philharmonic Artistic Administrator, John Mangum.

Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center
10 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023
(212) 875-5656
7pm, pre-concert talk ($7)
7:30, performance ($32-112)
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An Evening with Bill Cosby at the Museum of the Moving Image

From I Spy to The Cosby Show to A Different World to Jell-O, Bill Cosby seems to have always played a major role in modern American life. His comedy acts and his television roles illuminated and shaped the way many Americans view race and social class in America. To celebrate Black History Month, the Museum of the Moving Image chief curator, David Schwartz, welcomes the legendary Bill Cosby for a one-on-one interview to discuss the entertainer's life.

Museum of the Moving Image
3601 35th Ave.
Astoria, NY 11106
(718) 777-6800
7pm
$30
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The Westminster Kennel Club 135th Annual Dog Show

America’s Dog Show is bark back! Head to Madison Square Garden to see some of the finest canines around at the 135th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The two-day event is an exclusive exhibition of 2,500 champions-only dogs where experts will judge the best breeds, best toy dogs, and the top dogs in sporting, non-sporting and herding groups... and of course crown Best In Show!

Westminster Kennel Club
4 Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, NY 10001
(212) 465-6741
8am-11pm
$40+
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19th Annual Outsider Art Fair

The 19th annual Outsider Art Fair returns to Herald Square this weekend. This exhibition showcases artwork from a diverse group of artists. The “outsiders”—people who live outside conventional cultural and social norms—have created visionary, primitive or intuitive art that speaks volumes and tells many stories, according to coordinator Sandford Smith. Each year the event welcomes back galleries who pioneered outsider art, and this year is no exception. With collections from more than 20 galleries, the artwork at the 2011 Outsider Art Fair is thought-provoking and conversation-inducing.

7 W New York
7 West 34th St.
New York, NY 10001
(212) 777-5218
Saturday 11am - 8pm; Sunday 11am - 6pm
$20 per day, or $35 for a two-day pass
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Ooey Gooey Valentine's Comedy Party

Purveyors of everything free and cheap in NYC, the skint presents the “Ooey Gooey” Valentine's Comedy Party. Host and cupid for the night, funnyman Kurt Braunohler ("Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen”) will lead beaus and best friends through The Tunnel of Love.... Comedians Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, SNL, Comedy at The Knitting Factory), Claudia Cogan and Jessica Delfino, along side The Found Footage Festival will charm you with their first, best and worst Valentine's stories. Plus: raffles, audience confessions of dating disasters, and cheap and delicious Robicelli’s mini cupcakes and Oaxaca’s tacos and hot dogs.

In the afterglow, catch for a special performance by The Little Top Circus and Medicine Show and then let loose in the Front Room as Party Like It’s 1999 DJ Steve “The Whitman Sampler” Reynolds confects the sweet sounds of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

The Bell House
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
(718) 643-6510
7:30pm
$8 (includes a free raffle ticket)
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The Susan Sarandon Picture Show at BAM

Hollywood icon and social activist Susan Sarandon gets the royal treatment at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. BAM celebrates her work with a retrospective featuring 13 of her films including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Atlantic City, Thelma and Louise, Bull Durham and Dead Man Walking (for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress). Tonight, post-screening Q&A follows Light Sleeper and Romance & Cigarettes with Sarandon and directors Paul Schrader and John Tuturro. On Sunday, ticket holders can participate in a discussion with Sarandon moderated by renouned actor, author and director Bob Balaban (Waiting for Guffman, Seinfeld).

Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 636-4100
runs thru Sunday, February 13
$12
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Nixon in China at The Metropolitan Opera

Renowned American composer John Adams presents Nixon in China at The Metropolitan Opera. In three acts, the performance follows Nixon and his wife on their 1972 visit to China as the president meets with Mao Zedong and his officials and the first lady makes tours of rural China. With dialogue and music sung in English, the New York Times calls Nixon in China “musically enthralling and theatrically dazzling.”

Metropolitan Opera House
Lincoln Center
New York, NY
(212) 362-6000
8pm tonight, plus 2/12, 15, 19
$25-420
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Giveaway: Ooey Gooey Valentine's Comedy Party - 2/11 at The Bell House

Whether you're alone or in love, the skint's "Ooey Gooey" Valentine's Comedy Party will bring you a mega-heartshaped-box full of laughs!

Your cupid of comedy and host, Kurt Braunohler ("Hot Tub", Penelope: Princess of Pets) and funny folks Hannibal Buress (30 Rock, SNL, Comedy Night at The Knitting Factory), Claudia Cogan ("Turtle Tank", Last Comic Standing) and Jessica Delfino will charm you with their first, best and worst Valentine's stories and titillating tales of love (and lust!) that are sure to put Hallmark to shame. To spice things up, we'll turn the lights down low for cringe-worthy love and dating videos presented by the Found Footage Festival as well as a special performance by the Little Top Circus and Medicine Show.

Submit your tales of dating disasters, snap sexy photo booth pictures, and win treasured raffle prizes. Indulge in $1 mini cupcakes from Robicelli's (Serious Eats' 2010 People's Choice winner) and sexy $2 tacos + $3 hot dogs from Oaxaca.

Afterwards, a dance party featuring two decades of songs you love to love ('80s and '90s!) kicks off in the Front Room where Party Like It's 1999's DJ Steve "The Whitman Sampler" Reynolds will feed you a delicious assortment of musical bonbons...sweet!

*** We have a pair of tickets to give away to the show! For a chance to win, email us (subject: 'Ooey Gooey') by midnight tonight. The winner will be picked randomly and notified tomorrow. ***

Ooey Gooey Valentine's Comedy Party
The Bell House
Friday, February 11
7:30pm doors, 8:30pm show
$8 admission (includes a free raffle ticket)
Tickets

Last Chance to See Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge in La Cage aux Folles on Broadway

Bid Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge adieu as the leading pair exit stage right from the Longacre Theatre production of La Cage aux Folles. Winner of the 2010 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, La Cage aux Folles tells the story of a nightclub owner, his lover and their son who must gracefully host a dinner party for the son’s fiancé and her conservative family. The audience can even interact with the drag show and catch the family’s escapades from bistro tables that have replaced the first few rows of orchestra seating. But the show goes on! After Grammer and Hodge depart, the production welcomes noted actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) as the leading (wo)men.

The Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 239-6200
8pm
$35.50+
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Blades of Glory at the Citi Pond Winter Film Festival

Visit Citi Pond at Bryant Park tonight to see Will Ferrel (SNL, Elf) and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) team up, quite literally, in a scheme to regain their Olympic figure skating gold medals in Blades of Glory. Visitors can view this second-to-last film in the outdoor Winter Film Festival while skating the ice at Citi Pond, from seating just outside the rink, or at a VIP table at rinkside restaurant Celsius. If you’re embracing the wintertime weather, remember to bundle up (and bring a blanket... or two!) and enjoy some cocoa available at The Film Festival Snack Shop.

Citi Pond at Bryant Park
42nd St. at 6th Ave.
6:30pm
Free
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Open House at the Apollo Theater

Once a year the legendary Apollo Theater opens its doors for the public to experience the excitement of being on and back stage. Celebrating a day of comedy, music and dance, catch performances by artists from the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, MTA Music Under New York, and winners from Amateur Night at the Apollo and stay for the family instrument making workshop.

The Apollo Theater
253 West 125th St.
New York, NY
(212) 531-5300
12-4pm
Free
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Winter Jam in Prospect Park

Looking for a place to chill today? NYC Parks and Recreation have got the spot! Whether you’re going stir crazy or love the cold, snowy weather, Winter Jam NYC 2011 is the annual winter sports festival that encourages New Yorkers to get outdoors and enjoy the snow. And for the first time ever, it’s happening in Prospect Park! Featuring areas for snow play, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowboarding, and a Winter Market (snacks and warm drinks!), this year’s Winter Jam is set to be snow good.

The Nethermead at Prospect Park
Enter at Ocean Ave. & Lincoln Rd.
Brooklyn, NY 11218
11am-4pm
Free
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Bodies: The Exhibition Reopening at South Street Seaport

What happens when one Siamese twin dies before the other? When was the first breast augmentation done? Find out the answers to these questions and more at the reopening of Bodies: The Exhibition at South Street Seaport. The Bodies exhibit, featuring human specimens and the systems and parts thereof, has become a staple at Pier 17 since 2005. After closing in January for renovations, the exhibit reopens today with a $20 admission offer (thru 2/20) and hosts all new multi-media and interactive galleries as well as 130 new-to-New York specimens.

Bodies The Exhibition
South Street Seaport
11 Fulton St.
New York, NY 10038
(646) 837-0300
10am-8pm
$20 with coupon
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Pancake Month at Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant

February is shaping up to be a delicious month, with City Bakery’s Hot Chocolate Festival and now Clinton St. Baking Company’s specialty pancakes. February is Pancake Month according to Chef Neil Kleinberg and wife DeDe Lahman, who will whip up an assortment of sweet speciality flapjacks that goes far beyond the IHOP funny face. Be sure to taste favorites “Poached Pears,” “Japanese Pumpkin Pancake,” and of course, “Chocolate Chunk” pancakes topped with raspberries and raspberry-caramel sauce, served up on Valentine’s Day!

Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant
4 Clinton St.
New York, NY 10002
(646) 602-6263
Cash only.
Monday-Friday
8am-4pm, 6-11pm
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Brooke Shields: "In My Life" at Feinstein’s

Paying homage to old timey Manhattan supper and jazz clubs, Feinstein’s home to artists performing the great American songbook. In its six years, Feinstein’s musical guests have included Diahann Carroll, Peter Gallagher, and Jackie Mason to name just a few. Tonight, model/actress Brooke Shields makes her nightclub debut with “In My Life,” a collection of her stories about show biz, plus songs from pop culture and Broadway. During the performance guests can enjoy dinner and drinks served from the five-star Regency Hotel.

Feinstein’s at The Regency Hotel
540 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10021
(212) 339-4095
8:30pm (runs thru 2/12)
$71.86+
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City Bakery's Hot Chocolate Festival

It’s finally February and that can only mean one of two things: snow or chocolate. Our vote is for chocolate, and City Bakery has our fix! Starting today and for the remaining 27 frigid February days, their annual Hot Chocolate Festival is overflowing with chocolate-y goodness. Featuring one hand crafted flavor for every day this month, including “Super Bowl Hot Chocolate” and “Love Potion Hot Chocolate” as well as “Banana Peel” and “Beer,” the 19th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival sure is sweet!

City Bakery
3 West 18th St.
New York, NY 10011
(212) 366-1414
7:30am-7pm
$5/cup
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