Please, what should we see? Naturally, we’ve got suggestions, while you stake your independence from work. (And if you do have to work tomorrow, our sympathies.) Keith loves him some new Michael Mann: Public Enemies is “a dream of a long-gone past in which the inevitable always looms.” Go to a screening and Keith will probably be there, seeing the movie yet again. I, meanwhile, recommend The Beaches of Agnès, a playful, vibrant autobiographical documentary by France’s revered Agnès Varda. Who’s she? Check out her back catalogue and Keith’s interview. The movie plays at Film Forum. But what if I’m just feeling patriotic, dammit? You can’t do much better than the stirring 1946 WWII drama The Best Years of Our Lives, at MoMA on Sunday afternoon.

Do this on your perfect Friday.

Have you got a Friday free from work? Then you can squeeze even more into your perfect July 4 weekend.

Spend a day in Brooklyn catching Blabac Photo: The Art of Skateboarding Photography and playing a few rounds at The Putting Lot mini-golf course. Finish up with a free dog at Beats and BBQ in Williamsburg.

If you’re sticking to Manhattan, maybe it’s time to join the queue for tickets at 1pm for Twelfth Night. Three words should get you there on time: Anne. Hathaway. Drag. You could also score tickets to Sonic Youth, or admire how cute Johnny Depp looks with a gun in Public Enemies.

Over at UCB, a gaggle of ex-presidents will be Waiting for Obama (we know we were for eight long years) and doing some improv. Over at Fire Island, people will be shedding their clothes, and probably doing improv too.

Get all of the details here.

Here We Go Magic.

Music
Here We Go Magic + Bachelorette
The first South Street Seaport show of the year features Luke Temple’s Here We Go Magic record and project, rife with trendy, TV on the Radio-style white noise.

Books
Muumuu House Reading
A group of rawly earnest and artful young authors appears at P.P.O.W. gallery.

Dance
Rotten Metal Achievers
Holly Faurot and Sarah H. Paulson present a five-hour performance exploring the constant state of growth and decay.

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See more than 125 free things to do in NYC

You think global warming is a farce, couldn’t give a hoot about what happens to the polar bears and tear into carbon emission–happy red meat twice a day. But what if we told you jumping on the eco-bandwagon paid off—to the tune of a ten-day all-expenses-paid trip to Thailand? Yeah, we’ll wait here for you while you go grab an “I’m not a plastic bag” tote.

But seriously, those who bleed green (and who are of legal drinking age) might want to consider applying to the Malibu Beach Internship: Ten lucky conservationists-in-training will win a ten-day internship with the Reef Check Foundation, where they will be flown to an exotic locale—Thailand, the Maldives, the Philippines—to help monitor the area’s coral reef health.

If selected, all you have to do is chart your progress through blog posts and social media, like you already do about what cereal you ate for breakfast. To be considered, head over to Malibu’s website to fill out an application before August 31 and explain, in 500 words, why you should be chosen. Sincerity counts, so if you use Al Gore’s face as a dartboard, don’t even bother trying—your consolation prize is the opportunity to buy a limited-edition Reef Check–inspired bottle of Malibu ($12.99) with which to drawn your selfish sorrows. How’s that for karma?

A gamer performs in Thank You, but Our Princess Is in Another Castle: Four Live-Action Machinima Theater Pieces.

Video games may be the most important cultural innovation of our era. Once you’ve stopped sniggering at that platitude, why not check out “Game Play: A Celebration of Video Game Theater” at Brick Theater, three theater pieces of, or incorporating the style of, video games.

The series kicks off tonight at 7:30pm with Thank You, but Our Princess Is in Another Castle: Four Live-Action Machinima Theater Pieces, classical theater texts by the likes of Niobe and the Japanese poet Ono no Komachi and performed by online video game characters, manipulated by gamers on stage. Skeptical? Computer-generated visuals were able to make Brad Pitt look like he could act in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Enough said.

Also coming up this weekend is the interactive play Suspicious Package: Rx. Six audience members at a time roam Williamsburg, playing characters’ roles with a Zune player to guide them.

Finally, starting Friday, July 10, at 8pm, is Adventure Quest, a play in the style of early PC gaming. Get a flavor of the ’80s-tinged aesthetic in our summer preview.

Check the Brick Theater’s website for the complete listings of showtimes, and once you have finally realized this blog’s opening gambit was right, hack into the culture in NYC with our gamer’s guide to the best places to score games, play arcades and enter massive video-game events.

Bingo night can be a real drag…queen. Just ask hostess and bingo-ballski caller (and former TONY staffer) Linda Simpson. This ain’t your grandma’s bingo night at the senior center: Play Bingo-Ski with a Eastern European twist in the old-fashioned and spacious party room at Ukrainian East Village Restaurant (8–10:30pm; $5 includes bingo card, extra cards $2 each). If you’re lucky enough to BINGO-SKI (we assume that’s what you shout when you win), your prize will be handed off to you by Bingo Boyski Matthew Camp, Black Russian Shaquanda Coca Mulatta or musik maestro Erin Markey. Plus, there’s a full bar, and you can gorge on pierogi and other ethnic eats while you play. BINGO-SKI! (We just really like saying it.)

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Here’s your art lineup for the next few days:

On Friday from 5 to 10pm, SculptureCenter continues its University of Trash  programming with a concert by Lucky Dragons, Zola Jesus and Wet Hair in the courtyard. For details on where to buy tickets, click here.

Also on Friday evening at SculptureCenter, L.A.-based artist Jim Skuldt presents a blog release party for HEY, YOU DROPPED SOMETHING, a cataloguing, itemization, and mapping of each piece of trash dropped by his four neighbors at his apartment building in East Los Angeles. We’ve seen his place out on the West Side; trust us, this will be good.

Don’t forget the outdoor dance-party extravaganza Warm Up on Saturday afternoon, in case you didn’t get enough Long Island City for the weekend.—T.J. Carlin

Join her in her 2 BR, 3 BA 1,800-square-foot duplex in West Harlem on September 1. Monthly rent: $1,750 (though Heidee is currently attempting to negotiate a lower price with her landlord.)

About Heidee: “I am a 34-year-old emergency room nurse who works 12-hour shifts three or four nights a week, and I work every other weekend. When I get home from work, I like to read,  watch a little TV or just crash. Working in the ER can be pretty grueling. I have an active social life when my schedule allows; and on my long weekends off, I like to get away, especially during the summer.”

About you: “I’m responsible, neat, considerate, and respectful of others’ space and privacy. I expect the same from my roommate.”

About the space: “It’s in a beautiful brownstone building and has exposed brick  and really high ceilings throughout. The first floor has a big living room with a working fireplace, a full bathroom, an enormous kitchen with an open layout, new kitchen appliances (dishwasher/microwave) and a separate dining area with two french doors opening to a balcony. The second floor has the bedrooms, each on opposite sides of the loft-style layout. The room to be rented has its own full bathroom, a working fireplace and a skylight. (Actually, both bedrooms have their own bathrooms and skylights.) There is access to the rooftop and another balcony on the second floor. The apartment has a washer and dryer in the unit.”

About the area: “The apartment is next to St. Nicholas Park in a very quiet and safe neighborhood. I’ve been living here for one and a half years and come home at different hours of the night and have always felt safe. There is street parking and is very easy to find a spot daily. It’s close to the B, C, 1, 2, and 3. The A and D express trains can be taken one stop away. There is a Starbucks, a few Duane Reades, a Pathmark and two New York Sports Clubs within a few blocks from the apartment. The river bike path is easily accessible, and the Riverbank State Park is nearby, which has a soccer field, tennis courts, basketball courts, Olympic-size pool and more.”

Interested? View pics and get Heidee’s e-mail after the jump.

Need to fill a room? Looking for an apartment? E-mail us at home@timeoutny.com and you could be featured next Thursday!
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Art
Roman Ondák
The Slovakian artist presents a participatory project at MoMA that harks back to school days and home remedies. The height of each visitor to the museum is measured on the wall; the tally marks add a giant nostalgic drawing constructed of time and identity.

Drink up
Bags on draught
Sew yourself a new carrier at this boozy tote-bag construction workshop. All the materials are free, and we are counting bottles of house-made summer ale as an essential material for this project.

Music
The Feelies
The beloved Jersey band sets up shop at its old Hoboken stomping ground for a three-night run. Yes, it is worth going to Jersey for snob.

Comedy
Andy Borowitz
Why include this comedian and satirist on this list? The name of his new book, which he’ll be signing tonight, speaks for itself: Who Moved My Soap?: The CEO’s Guide to Surviving in Prison: Bernie Madoff Edition.

Clubs
Wurst Boat Party
The revived label celebrates its return with a boat full of meaty beats from Brennan Green and My Cousin Roy.

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Festival
38th Annual International African Arts Festival
Hundreds of performers, artists and vendors gather for this weekend-long festival celebrating African art and culture.

Clubs
Seaport Soul Series
Head to Pier 16 for soulful sets (natch) from Soulgasm NYC’s Brian Coxx and his Soulgasm Hawaii counterpart, FLX.

Music
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech with Toshi Reagon
Catch Toshi Reagon’s trademark ability to merge diverse textures, mixing gospel and blues with Hendrixesque wails and catchy pop riffs, at noon.

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See more than 125 free things to do in NYC

You’ve probably heard by now that HX—the gay little magazine that could—has been sold. “HX Magazine issue 931 dated July 10th, which will be released on July 3rd, will be the last one produced by HX Media and its staff,” read a press release sent out by founder Matthew Bank yesterday.

We reached Bank this afternoon, who stressed that the terms of the deal—who the buyers are and what they paid—are confidential. He also said he has no clue what they plan to do with the publication, so no hint as to whether we’ll ever get to enjoy “Ask Bambi Sue,” “Homo Dish” or that naughty adult section ever again. Bank confirmed that the entire staff had been let go, save for a receptionist to work the phones, and added that the new owners have been holding talks with some of those axed employees to consider whether or not to hire them for their mysterious new mag.

“I’m sort of sad, relieved and happy at the same time,” Bank said of the sale. “It was time for that chapter of my life to close.” He said he had no idea what he’d do next though, adding, “I have absolutely no plans.” Stay tuned for developments.

Is that? Could it be? Is that the sun? No! Don’t look at it or it might go away again. Just play it cool and maybe it’ll hang around long enough for you to check out NYC’s best beaches. There are some great ones out there, and it’s still possible to find some peace and quiet. Or, if this is more your sorta thing, the founder of Coney Island USA, Dick Zigun, reminds us “we’ve got half-naked New Yorkers here!”

We’ve also compiled the ten best beach reads this “summer,” to enjoy while working on your sunta… dang! The sun’s gone again.

It’s no secret that there has been some animosity from native New Yorkers toward the onslaught of twentysomething immigration to NYC. But don’t expect the “Indigenous” exhibit at Williamsburg’s City Reliquary Museum to be an antigentrification show. “There is a lot of tension between native New Yorkers and new New Yorkers,” says Ming Lin, an organizer of the “Indigenous” collection, as well as a contributing artist and longtime resident. Rather, the exhibition seeks to celebrate both past and present landmarks of New York. “We want to give an alternative perspective on what New York is like, commemorating  places that are gone and those that are still here.”

All the contributing artists are New York natives, most of whom are also childhood friends. Inspired by the artifacts at the City Reliquary, they paid homage to their childhood (honoring places like Magic Shoes, a shoe store on Bleecker) and current hangout spots (Podunk on East 4th Street, a chill tea parlor in a busy neighborhood). Expect to find mixed media, from photographs to poetry, including an ode to empty parking lots. Tonight from 7 to 10pm, hang out at the opening reception, which features a special performance by Lucky Chops Brass Band in the Reliquary’s roomy backyard.

Click through for another last-minute plan.

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It’s easy enough to watch Wes Anderson’s widescreen, candy-colored family drama on DVD, but you should make an exception for tonight’s screening (6:15pm) at BAM. Reason: Filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin, director of the much-praised A Christmas Tale, will be on hand to discuss the movie with film critic Kent Jones. These are two highly intelligent cinephiles, so the conversation should be a stimulating one. And Tenenbaums ain’t half bad either. As extra incentive, you can stick around until 9:30pm, when Desplechin will introduce François Truffaut’s classic The Mississippi Mermaid.

42nd Street Photo
Whether you’re planning an exotic vacation to the Caribbean or just bumming around the city, a spiffy new camera could come in handy. This family-owned electronics emporium is offering up to 40 percent off its arsenal of equipment. Canon ten-megapixel cameras are trimmed from $250 to $200, Canon underwater digital cameras are nicked from $350 to $315, and Sony hard-drive camcorders are clipped from $1,400 to $967. 378 Fifth Ave between 35th and 36th Sts (212-594-6565). Subway: B, D, F, V, N, Q, R, W to 34th St–Herald Sq. Mon–Thu 9am–8pm; Fri 9am–5pm; Sat, Sun 10am–7pm. Thu 2–July 17.

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French Sole
French Sole, originator of the ballerina flat, first opened its tiny shoe shop in 1989 on the Upper East Side. For 20 years, they’ve continued to stock more than 5,000 pairs of shoes, library-style, with sales staff climbing up and down ladders to retrieve footwear. The store is now unloading its stock of samples (more than 300 different models!), many of which were too expensive to produce in mass. You can now snag these one-of-a-kind handmade gems at drastically reduced prices. Paint-splashed suede ballet flats are halved to $105, woven leather sandals are $109 (as opposed to $200), and linen espadrilles are clipped from $170 to $59. 976 Lexington Ave at 71st St (212-472-9200). Subway: 6 to 68th St–Hunter College. Mon–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 11am–7pm, Sun noon–6pm. Thu 2–July 13.

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TONIGHT: Pitchmen (10pm on Discovery)

It’s not every country in which salesmen are celebrities, but when Billy Mays passed away last week, his life was being mentioned alongside Michael Jackson’s and Farrah Fawcett’s. Today, an all-day marathon of his Discovery channel show about pitching products (scheduled before his death) culminates in the show’s first-season finale; the whole run is sprinkled with tributes and unseen footage of Mays. Even if you weren’t a fan of the Kaboom cleaner he hawked, Mays’s career was still impressive—the man sold the very act of selling. Now that’s America!

Video shot and edited by Liz Kreutz.

We’ve given you pictures from Sunday’s Pride March (so many pictures), now we give you moving pictures of the parade and a chance to hear from and see someone who was at the Stonewall riots: Sister Rosetta Stone of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Bless her!

Want to spend July 4th with someone special cooing over the fireworks? Need somewhere a bit more romantic than the street to impress them? Then enter our competition to win a one-night stay in the Westin New York at Times Square for an awesome view of the explosions on the Hudson River from your window.

Only one lucky couple will win, but for everybody else we have a fireworks guide and the best things to do on Independence Day.

Jay Reatard

Music
Jay Reatard
The Memphis garage-pop wild man hits Stuyvesant Town Oval for a free show.

Drink up
Karaoke night at Angels & Kings
Chet Cannon of The Real World: Brooklyn hosts this karaoke night, but there’s $5 whiskey and dirt-cheap PBR, so having the confidence to drench a C-lister in beer won’t hurt your wallet.

Comedy
Homo Comicus
The LGBT comedy night goes homo neurotic as Eddie Sarfaty celebrates the release of his book, Mental: Funny in the Head.

Film
The Clone Returns Home
A film that resembles Solaris with clones, in a good way, gets an early screening at the New York Asian Film Festival.

Books
Heavy Rotation
Joshua Ferris, Stacey D’Erasmo and other authors discuss records that changed their lives at lunchtime.

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