From left: Sammy Buck, Alan Kistler, Chelsea Doyle, Andi Teran (Photograph: Cloe Seldman/Michael Priest Photography)

You would think that prior to a mini–vampire convention, the straitlaced Paley Center would be bustling with at least a dozen adolescents wearing lacy, Stevie Nicks–gone-supergoth outfits and holding frenetic conversations about what sort of Twilight tribute tattoo they were getting to commemorate the premiere of New Moon. It was not so. We looked for them everywhere, but the only people we saw smoking outside, holding programs (not proposed skin-ink sketches), were a couple of middle-aged ladies who looked like our mom. This was typical: The appeal of vampires, and most specifically, the vampires in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, transcends age, gender and embarrassment.

It is perfectly acceptable to be old and harbor an intense lit crush on the Twilight version of the ideal, heroic male, Mr. Sexy Vampire the First, esquire (a.k.a. Edward Cullen), because we are—as this past Saturday’s Dark Shadows at Twilight: A Paley Center Vampire Weekend event proved—in the midst of an explosion in the popularity of vampires in pop culture. A panel of six journalists and editors, corralled by moderator and Entertainment Weekly editor-at-large Ken Tucker, were prepared to defend their vampires of choice and debate exactly how important each of them is. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the vampire,” Tucker intoned in his introduction. He forgot to say that if toddlers thought Twilight’s heroine, Bella Swan, was as cool as Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine, Disney would have to rush a High School Musical: Vampires in College OMG edition into production. And they’d have to like it, because Zac Efron would be wearing fake fangs. (And stop tanning so much.)

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Photographs: Marc Whalen

TONY dropped by the Overboard Figment fund-raiser and dance party this past Saturday to check out the deck-stomping deep house and Day-Glo mermaid costumes. We somehow managed to stay dry.

The Universal Records Database people were at it again last night at Crash Mansion, but this time, their esoteric record-breaking revolved around food. To the delight of the packed crowd, special guest Thu Tran of IFC’s Food Party presented a special screening of one of her shows, before the real food party started. All the feats were new, and our favorites records included:

1 The longest cupcake kebab (33.5 inches) by the gals from Cupcakes Take the Cake.
2 The fastest time to spell “I ♥ pickled herring” and then eat it (3 minutes, 33 seconds) by Adam Pollock of Fifty Bucks a Week.
3 The most pig parts tasted in one sitting (17, including ear, trotter, tail and skin) by Meatpaper’s Sasha Wizansky.

In the end, badges were distributed, and the stage showed more than a few signs of creative, well-won victories.—Linnea Covington

When we asked alternative-comedy-show producer Liam McEneaney what he might get for his birthday tonight, he wouldn’t specify gifts. But he did tell us he was getting a boner just thinking about it. That and much more awaits you at tonight’s edition of Tell Your Friends comedy show at Lolita (8pm, $5), where gratis PBR will be available for your drinking pleasure. “With free beer and some of my favorite acts, this will probably be as close to a frat party as I’ll likely ever see,” says  McEneaney. “I understand from the movie Animal House that it will be fun.”

Without further ado, we bring you McEneaney’s rundown of the evening’s performances:

(1) Flight of the Concords‘ Kristen Schaal: “Watching her is like eating a slice of a rainbow while drinking coffee brewed from magic beanstalk beans.”
(2) Comedy Central’s Todd Barry: “I will be disappointed if he doesn’t make fun of me and my show.”
(3) U.K. funny dude Glenn Wool. “Aggressive, funny, loud. I like this guy.”

Tell your friends to make Liam’s birthday a happy one. Or he might deny you a slice of cake.—Sophie Gore Browne

Photograph: Katie Sokoler

If you own an iPod; a red, blue, yellow, or green T-shirt; a ticket to the All Points West Festival tomorrow; and you happen to have an uninflated balloon lying around you’re dying to put to good use, Improv Everywhere has a mission for you. Take part in their social experiment Everywhere’s the MP3, at the All Points West Festival (Liberty State Park, in the field around the Bamboo sculpture, Saturday 4:15pm [arrive early]; free with admission). Agents (that’s you, tough guys and girls) should prepare by downloading a prerecorded track with instructions from the IE website: You’ll play this on your MP3 device of choice on the day of the mission, and the result should look something like mass spontaneous choreography. “[We] seek to cause scenes of chaos and joy in public places,” said Charlie Todd, IE’s founder.

So if you’re already heading to Liberty State Park…why not be a part of the show? It’s not that often that one can say they “opened” for the Arctic Monkeys.—Pearly Huang

Kyle and Cleo

Don your favorite speakeasy-slash-flapper costume—or go to a thrift store immediately and buy one—in preparation for tonight’s Nostalgia Nocturne at the Suffolk’s performance space (107 Suffolk St between Delancey and Rivington Sts, 917-312-8859; 7pm–midnight, $8). The event, hosted by Kyle Supley and Cleo Fishel of the Kyle and Cleo Show Experience, will feature vintage-inspired performances, including the Cocoon Dancers, ventriloquist and funny lady Carla Rhodes (with Cecil), 92-year-old vaudevillian Victor Victrola and more. Stick around after the show for drinks in the outdoor sand bar, or ask Victor Victrola to join you in a spirited Lindy hop on the dance floor.

Photograph: Justin Aubuchan

Got a pile of bits and bobs you can’t throw away but have no use for? Turn them into hobotech gear (pictured) during the hobotech  costume night at the House of Yes (8pm–midnight, $10). “Steampunk is about making a coal-powered computer,” says Hobotech DJ Jon Margulies. “Hobotech is about using an old laptop as a hammer.”

In preparation for this Saturday’s huge hobotech party, “hobotech-style engineer” Tara McManus and fellow trendsetters will assist your DIY prowess in designing and putting together a unique costume using hobo conductor hats, bindles, military jackets, suspenders—not to mention broken low-tech materials like LEDs, mesh, fiber optics, El Wire, tubing and old circuit boards.

A movement that grew out of Burning Man neotribalism, hobotech redefines the hobo in the Internet age, when it is not unusual for someone living out of their backpack to also be carrying a computer. “You can lean more toward the hobo way of life or the tech-savvy end of it, but it all boils down to utilitarianism and being transient,” says McManus. “I love seeing how people interpret it. At our last event someone came dressed as a ‘hobo-robot,’ complete with coin slot so he could dance for nickels.” Ah, the wonders of technology.—Sophie Gore Browne

The third installment of The Tank’s Puppet Playlist pays homage to the man otherwise known as Ziggy Stardust and the King of Goblins. The event is sold out, but if you make it to the door by 6:30, there’s a chance you could get your hot little hands on one of the last seats. (Grab a slice of pizza and a drink at the bar until the two performances start at 7:30 and 9:30.)

Puppeteers will re-create Bowie’s psychedelic glam-rock classics, including  “Space Oddity,”  “Time” and  “Last Dance.” Previous Puppet Playlist performances have featured variations of all puppetry styles, from Bunraku  to marionettes, using everything from tin cans to bananas.  (“The most frequent comment I hear after the show is ‘I had no idea puppets could do that,’” says organizer Josh Luxenberg.) Tonight, Ithai Benjamin’s robotic-Muppet puppets—he runs them off his laptop!—will perform to a music medley of “Life on Mars,” “Modern Love” and the eternally crowd-pleasing “Dance Magic Dance.” Also, just because, Marta Mozelle MacRostie will perform her  “Chicken Dance,” which transcends thematic limitations, as well as space. And time. And spiders from Mars.—Sophie Gore Browne

Head to Gallery 151 (350 Bowery between Great Jones and E 4th Sts, trashionstatement.com) at 6pm this evening for the grand opening of its newest exhibit: “Trashion,” an ongoing series of art exhibitions, dance performances and music concerts meant to encourage discussion about environmental issues. Tonight’s event will feature a live “Trash Fashion Face-Off,” during which two artists will create a look from recycled materials and battle for the title of “Trashion Queen.” Miz Metro (pictured) will also be performing live in a couture dress she made of recylced trash bags. Don’t miss out on making some trash-art yourself on the interactive tape wall. The wall will serve as a community mural, made up of DIY tape creations from gallery visitors. We suggest snapping a Polaroid of you doing Blue Steel.—Pearly Huang

Steve Lambert and Sam Gould are two of the pranksters behind the Yesmen’s mock issue of The New York Times, handed out to more than 100,000 people last November with news of a utopian future. Tonight both artists will share their philosophy on freedom as a full-time job—plus other past and present projects—during their free “Freedom: Do It Yourself” at the New School (Malcolm Klein Room, 66 W 12th St at Sixth Ave, fifth floor;  212-229-5353; 6:30pm, free). “Our practices both have freedom at their core,” says Lambert. “Freedom as in the American Revolution, and freedom from social controls that tell us how to live, act and feel.”—Sophie Gore Browne

Photograph: Aimee Norwich

It’s not exactly a bustling center of Brooklyn’s social scene, but from around 7pm until 10pm this past Saturday night, Sunset Park came alive in a small studio on 36th Street to celebrate the opening of the Ruby Streak Trapeze Studio (220 36th St between Second and Third Aves, No. A503; natalieagee.com). Twinkling lights glowed on the newly waxed floor as the performers (several of whom we recognized from last month’s Animalia at the Skybox at The House of Yes) took over the space—which, at first sight, doesn’t really seem big enough for anything acrobatic whatsoever. But these are pros we’re dealing with, and what the dimensions of the room may have hindered in the way of wingspan, the aerialists made up for in style.

The atmosphere was positively giddy. Jeremiah Jones, who painted a vibrant sea-themed mural in the studio’s minigallery, pointed up to the network of beams and planks on the ceiling: “I built that,” he said proudly. Sparkly red ribbons, posted strategically throughout the building, led the way upstairs. The postperformance dance party was admittedly sparse, but the jams were fun, if not completely random—Peaches, Prince, Kelly Clarkson—and kept up the energy for another two hours after the performance was over.—Alex Schechter

Photographs: Scott Dunay

When Larisa Fuchs (Miss Scorpio of party-planning duo Gemini & Scorpio) first told us about her plans for a speakeasy-themed soiree, she called her chosen locale, the Players Club, “one of the most unique places in the city.” Looks to us like the guests lived up to the venue, including French haute couture designer Jean-Paul Gautlier!

Photograph: Julie Skarratt

Just because Prohibition ended almost eight decades ago doesn’t mean you still can’t celebrate! Exercise your right to the 21st Amendment (psst–it’s the one that ended Prohibition forever) every Wednesday (6–9pm) until August 26 at the Museum of the City of New York. Tonight’s the first of the Speakeasy nights, during which drinks of the period will be served, including the Bronx (2 oz gin, 1/2 oz dry vermouth, 1/2 oz sweet vermouth and 1 oz fresh orange juice). Admission ($10) includes a free drink and access to the museum’s first-floor galleries. Let the good times pour!—Pearly Huang

Option one: Head to Goodbye Blue Monday for the Bushwick Book Club’s free monthly series devoted to music inspired by literature. Beginning at 8pm, listen to interpretations of Miranda July’s latest short-story collection, No One Belongs Here More Than You. As always, the event will showcase local songwriters. Performing tonight: Franz Nicolay, Corn Mo, Emilyn Brodsky, Susan Hwang, Brook Pridemore, Dan Costello, Liv Carrow, Dibson Hoffweiler, Laura Brenneman, Joe Crow Ryan, and Rachel Devlin. Refreshments inspired by the book will also be served, including Dreaming-of-Prince-William cake and Dark Shape Punch—we’re guessing that they taste primarily like quirk with just a dash or two of twee.

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If yoga’s downward dog has gotten a bit old and you are in the mood to try some alternative martial arts—specifically Brazilian self-defense hidden in dance—check out two open workshops at the opening night of Afro Brazil Arts’ 20th annual Capoeira Festival (Clemente Soto Vélez Arts & Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk St between Rivington and Stanton Sts; 212-677-2203, afrobrazilarts.org. 6:15 and 7:30pm, $15).

“[Join us for] a week of eye-popping acrobatics, beautiful dances, soaring songs, delicious food, and, of course, dance parties,” says Mestre Ombrinho (Michael Goldstein), the first non-Brazilian American capoeira master.

The festival runs through Sunday 19, so check the website for a schedule of classes, events and photos. We’re particularly partial to the Saturday lineup: DJ Chocolate will be spinning samba rhythms until the early hours, followed by the grand finale performance on Sunday featuring international masters from as far as Senegal, from 2 to 4pm.—Sophie Gore Browne

Photo credit: Roberto De Luna

Vive la France! We attended the Bastille Day party on Smith Street yesterday, and found plenty of pastis and pétanque, among other European delights. If you missed out on yesterday’s celebration, check out this week’s Passport NY: France for more Francophile activities, including a Bastille Day–proper festival on Tuesday, July 14.

The Atlantic Gallery (135 W 29th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves; 212-219-3183, antlanticgallery.org) is hosting a free summer panel event tonight at 6pm: “Re-inventing the Wheel” will coincide with the gallery’s transit-themed summer group art exhibit, “Sic Transit Gloria: The End of the Road,” which is on view through July 23 and includes work by 59 artists, among them Meridith McNeal’s Brooklyn Day Dress (pictured).

The evening begins with a screening of Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken’s Feitsen (”cyclists”), on special loan by the Annet Gelink Gallery in Amsterdam. The 1965 footage captures Dutch cyclists moving serenely over canals and bridges to the harmonies of Vivaldi’s “Spring.” Stick around for a discussion with the executive director of Transportation Alternatives Paul Steely White, who will lay down the law on biking rules; followed by a video presentation about street safety with Times Up! board member Steve McMaster. “Critical Mass is a worldwide movement that is not owned or created by any one group,” he says of the bike-group-cum-political-organization’s monthly rides through the city. “It’s just a citizen-led celebration of street life.”—Sophie Gore Browne

Neosoulsters Lady Bright, the 30-piece Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Old Hat and the Eskalators (pictured) will perform at Silent Barn (8pm), with all proceeds benefiting RightRides, a nonprofit started in 2004 as a direct response to attacks on women walking home alone. RightRides is currently available every Friday and Saturday night from 11:59pm to 3am; SafeWalk, RightRides’ sister program, offers individuals a free walking escort to any destination every Friday night from 11pm to 2am.

“To date, we’ve driven 2,000 riders safely home,” says cofounder and executive director Oraia Reid.

Tonight, contribute to RightRides operational costs by kicking in anywhere from $6 to $8 for the aforementioned live music bill. Plus, sample tasty vegan (and non) baked goods, and stop by RightRides’ informational tables —they can tell you everything you need to know about how to get involved as a volunteer. As they say, “getting home safely shouldn’t be a luxury.” We couldn’t agree more.—Pearly Huang

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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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.

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