EVENTS WEDNESDAY 1/8 Around Town Grand Central Holiday ...

Around Town

Grand Central Holiday Train Show Explore a detailed miniature world feat. underground & elevated subways of yesteryear & today, an upstate suburban commuter village, bridges, hills & Greg Ruth's festive mural; Transit Museum Gallery, Grand Central Terminal, 42nd St. (Park Ave.), 212-878-0106; 8-8, free [repeats Thurs. & Fri. 8-8, Sat. 10-6, through 1/11].

Norma Kamali Vintage Sale feat. clothing & accessories from sample lines incl. swimwear, evening gowns & sportswear?plus a century's worth of items from Kamali's private collection, all under $100; Norma Kamali, 11 W. 56th St., 3rd fl. (betw. 5th & 6th Sts.), 212-957-9797; 10-6, free [repeats Thurs-Sat., Mon. & Tues., through 1/18].

Family

New Shanghai Circus The acclaimed 20-member troupe defies gravity & executes breathtaking feats as they stretch the limits of human ability. Exotic scenery & distinctive music help celebrate 2000 years of Chinese circus tradition; New Victory Theater, 209 W. 42nd St. (B'way), 212-239-6200; 2 & 7, $10-$30 [repeats Thurs. & Fri. at 7, Sat. at 2 & 7, Sun. at 12 & 5].

The Polar Express Experience Take an imaginary journey into the fantastic world of Chris van Allsburg's novel, complete w/antique locomotive & discover the true spirit of the holiday season; Bronx Zoo, 185th St. (Southern Blvd.), 718-367-1010; 5-9, $10, $7 s.c., $6 child [repeats nightly Thurs.-Mon.].

Prospect Park's Kate Wollman Rink has reopened for months of outdoor skating, glide over well-maintained & freshly polished ice?fun for the whole family!; Prospect Park, Ocean Ave. entrance, 718-287-6431 for rink hours & other info; $4, $2 s.c./child.

Film/Video

God is Great, I'm Not Audrey Tautou (Amelie) stars in romantic French comedy; Makor, 35 W. 67th St. (betw. Columbus Ave. & Central Park W.), 212-601-1000; 7:30 & 9:30, $9 [repeats Thurs.].

Ikiru New print of Akira Kurosawa's tale of a bureaucrat who is diagnosed with cancer (1952)?w/English subtitles; Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (Varick St.), 212-727-8110; 1, 3:50, 6:50, 9:25, $9.75 [through Thurs.].

Readings

Tough Luck Jason Starr reads from latest "urban noir thriller" at New York's real Filthy MacNasty's, Rocky Sullivan's, 129 Lexington Ave. (betw. 28th & 29th Sts.), 212-725-3871; 8.

Workshops

Truffles, Truffles, Truffles For all you chocolate lovers out there, learn the very best recipes for fabulous truffles such as bourbon-pecan & milk chocolate truffles; Institute of Culinary Education, 50 W. 23rd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-847-0700; 6-11, $85.

THURSDAY 1/9

Family

The Butterfly Conservatory Tropical Butterflies alive in the winter?a great way to forget the gloomy winter blues; American Museum of Natural History, 79th St. (Central Park W.), 212-769-5200; call for hours, $17, $12.50 st., $10 child.

Great Small Works Sixth International Toy Theater Festival feat. puppet, theater & miniature performance of Toy Theater of Terror As Usual, Episode 11: Crusade?; Here, 145 6th Ave. (Spring St.), 212-647-0202; 8, $18, $10 child. [repeats Fri. & Sat.]

Film/Video

Sinatra Amidst the Pyramids Debut screening of Sept. 27, 1979 benefit concert held in Egypt, performed outside among the Sphinx & pyramids, incl. songs "My Way" & "New York, New York"; Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-621-6800; 6, $10, $8 st./s.c., $5 child. under 13 [repeats Fri.-Sun. & Tues., through 2/2].

Lectures

Best-Selling Author Series pres. Susan Orlean, author & staff writer for The New Yorker, to discuss her life as a writer, the secrets of her success & her current non-fiction bestseller, The Orchid Thief; Marymount Manhattan College, Theresa Lang Theater, 221 E. 71st St. (betw. 2nd & 3rd Aves.), 212-517-0400; 7:30, free.

Readings

Tatyana Tolstaya, "acclaimed Russian writer, great-grandniece of Leo Tolstoy," reads from debut novel at Housing Works Used Book Cafe, 126 Crosby St. (betw. Houston & Lafayette Sts.), 212-334-3324; 7, free.

Workshops

Free Basic Judaism Class "Learn what you should have in Hebrew school"; West Side Jewish Center, 347 W. 34th St. (betw. 8th & 9th Sts.), 212-502-5291; 6:30, call for price.

FRIDAY 1/10

Around Town

"Keeping Your Reef Fish Healthy" Brooklyn Aquarium Society pres. Pat Donston, owner of Absolutely Fish, sharing tips on marine fish & propagated coral auction?free refreshments & product samples; NY Aquarium, Education Hall, W. 8th St. (Surf Ave.), Coney Island, 718-837-4455; 7:30, $5 don.

Family

The Little Moon Theater Original musical based on book by Irene Haas, about a troupe of child actors who travel from town to town granting wishes through their performances; TADA! Youth Theater, 15 W. 28th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-252-1619; call for times, $15, $7 child. [through 1/20].

Film/Video

Le Cercle Rouge New color restoration of uncut French gangster film, which was the biggest success of director Jean-Pierre Melville's career, debuts in America at Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (Varick St.), 212-727-8110; 1:20, 4, 7, 9:35, $9.75 [daily, through 1/23].

"Positif Champions: 50 Years of Cinema" Retrospective film series honors 500 issues of the French film journal Positif. Today, Nelly et. M. Arnaud by French filmmaker Claude Sautet (1924-2000); MOMA at the Gramercy Theatre, 127 E. 23rd St. (betw. Park & Lexington Aves.), 212-777-4900; 8, $12, $8.50 st./s.c. [repeats Sat. at 1, through 1/31].

Lectures

"Southwest Alaska: America's Largest State Park & the Last Great Salmon Fisheries" Photographer/activist Robert Glenn Ketchum talks about his career as an advocate for habitat protection & natural resources management during slide show; Explorers Club, 46 E. 70th St. (betw. Madison & Park Aves.), 212-628-8383; 6:30, $12, $5 st.

Readings

Pink Cornelia Reading Series (formerly the "Pink Pony West") pres. Jessica Piazza; Cornelia St. Cafe, 29 Cornelia St. (6th Ave.), 212-989-9319; 6, $6.

SATURDAY 1/11

Family

Beauty and the Beast Musical composed by Mark McGee & Brenda Bell presented by Literally Alive for children ages 3-10?hands-on interactive creative workshop held prior to each show; YWCA, Hitchcock-Rockefeller Aud., 610 Lexington Ave. (53rd St.), 212-866-5170; 1, $15 show, $5 workshop [repeats Sun.].

The Nastiest Drink in the World Vital Theatre Company pres. Mark Lowenstern's folk tale that follows King Fredipus & the silly unopposed laws of his kingdom; 432 W. 42nd St., 3rd fl. (betw. 9th & 10th Aves.), 212-592-4508; 1, $14 [repeats Sun. at 1 & 3, through 2/23].

Re-creating Radio Children 9-14 learn the many stages of radio production as they produce an old-time radio drama using scripts, sound effects & music; Museum of Television & Radio, 25 W. 52nd St. (5th Ave.), RSVP 212-621-6600; 10, $5.

Sky Rink Though the weather outside is frightful, the temperatures are just perfect at the indoor skating rink in Chelsea Piers; 23rd St. (West End Ave.), 212-336-6100; call for hours, $18.25, $14.75 child.

Film/Video

"Chabrol/Huppert" Film critic Elliott Stein introduces series highlighting works by director Claude Chabrol & actress Isabelle Huppert. Today, The Swindle (Rien ne va plus), about two con artists?in French w/English subtitles; YWCA, 610 Lexington Ave. (53rd St.), 212-735-9717; 4:30, $7 [repeats Sun.].

Donnie Darko Debut feature film by director Richard Kelly, feat. hottie Jake Gyllenhaal as troubled teen, celebrates one-year run as a midnight movie. Following tonight's screening is q&a w/Kelly; Pioneer Theater, 155 E. 3rd St. (Ave. A), 212-254-3300; 12 a.m., $8.50, $6 st./s.c.

"George A. Romero" Retrospective running for three weekends, starts today w/new 35 mm print of 1968 horror flick Night of the Living Dead (3:30 p.m.), then Romero introduces his adaptation of Offenbach opera, The Tales of Hoffmann (6:30); American Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Ave. (36th St.), Astoria, 718-784-0077; call for sched., $8.50, $5.50 st./s.c. [through 1/26].

Workshops

Confluence 3: A Multicultural Arts Extravaganza CS Arts Theater pres. Heer Ranja, dance/theater concerning the escalating crisis surrounding the Indian-Pakistan border. Plus, another multiethnic performance & an interactive workshop lead by panel of scholars & artists; Hindu Temple, 143-09 Holly Ave. (betw. Smart & Bound Sts.), Queens, 718-883-7770; 3, free.

SUNDAY 1/12

Around Town

Family Disco Dance We are family!? Let mom & dad show you how to do the Locomotion, the bump & the hustle?plus snacks for wee ones & full bar for the elders; Jack Rose, 771 8th Ave. (47th St.), 212-586-7425; 5, $12.

"Forever Fashionable Flatiron" Tour the neighborhood once called 23 skidoo to learn about its history, unique architecture & recent reincarnation as a fashion mecca; meet at Flatiron Bldg., 23rd St. (betw. 5th Ave. & B'way), 212-969-8262; 2, $10.

"Orchards" Join the Fast and Fabulous lesbian & gay cycling club on 65-mile trek westward on South Mountain Road?helmets are required & wet weather cancels a trip; meet on NY side of George Washington Bridge, call for more details, 212-567-7160; 9 a.m., free.

Family

Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture Children 6-12 explore this Chelsea museum's exhibits: "From Tent to Temple" & "From Home to Home," then create & design photo albums & use archaeological clues to create an ancient Near East figure?no strollers admitted; 515 W. 20th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-924-4500; 2-5, $5.

Kids 'N Comedy For all the little jokesters around town, prepare a three-minute routine, perform in front of an audience (parents & peers) & then have comedians Stu Morden & Karen Bergreen help you perfect your talent; Gotham Comedy Club, 34 W. 22nd St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-877-6115?pre-reg. req.; 4, $30.

Film/Video

The Twelfth Annual New York Jewish Film Festival Eleven-day exploration of the diversity of Jewish culture, feat. approximately 30 films, begins today w/two NY debuts: Atlantic Drift (5:30 p.m.) & Smouldering Cigarette (8); Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, 165 W. 65th St. (B'way), 212-875-5600 for complete sched., 212-496-3809 for tkts., $9.50, $7 st. [through 1/23].

Lectures

"AIDS is Preventable?Apathy is Lethal" Having visited AIDS projects around the world, Nana Annan (lawyer, author & wife of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan) discusses her feelings on the importance of breaking the "conspiracy of silence" on AIDS; NY Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th St. (Central Park. W.), 212-563-5904; 11:30, free.

JASA Fall Lecture Series cont. w/"Wise Women" feat. photographer Joyce Tenneson as she talks about the nearly 300 women she interviewed whom age has enhanced, not hindered; Martin Luther King, Jr., High School, 65th St. (Amsterdam Ave.), 212-273-5304; 1-2, $3.

Readings

ABC No Rio continues their "Unorganicized Reading Series" today, advertising "no time limit, no list, no features & no b.s."; ABC No Rio, 156 Rivington St. (betw. Suffolk & Clinton Sts.), 212-254-3697; 3, $2 contrib.

A Burns Supper: An Evening of Poetry, Good Company & Fine Scotch "A tribute to the traditions of 18th century Scotland and the country's acclaimed poet Robert Burns" at Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery (Bleecker St.), 212-614-0505 or 212-431-7920; 7, $100.

Workshops

Irish Tin Whistle Workshop Get rid of those post-holiday blues by learning to play a merry tune on the tin whistle w/whistle maven Bill Ochs; the Irish Arts Center, 553 W. 51st St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-757-3318, reg. req.; 2-5, free.

Motion-Power: Alexander Technique-Chi Kung A creative exploration of your body?tune into internal forces & connect w/your environment by using Chinese energetics; Joyous Life Energy Center, 119 W. 23rd. St. #700 (betw. 6th & 7th Aves.), RSVP 212-352-9910; 10-1, $50.

MONDAY 1/13

Around Town

Choral Auditions The Brooklyn Philharmonic Chorus is looking for sopranos, altos, tenors & basses to join their 48th season, performing Faure's Requiem this spring; First Presbyterian Church, 124 Henry St. (betw. Clark & Pierrepont Sts.), Brooklyn Heights, 718-907-0963; call to sched. an audition [repeats Tues.].

Film/Video

Chinatown Retro 16 mm series screens Roman Polanski's thriller from 1974 starring Jack Nicholson; Barbes, 376 9th St. (6th Ave.), Park Slope, 718-965-9177; 9, free.

"Mondo Mondays" Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton & Noel Coward star in Boom!, movie version of Tennessee Williams' play The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore; Den of Cin, Two Boots, 44 Ave. A (betw. 3rd & 4th Sts.), 212-254-0800; 8, $5.

Lectures

"Authors on Asia" David Matsumoto discusses new book, The New Japan: Debunking Seven Cultural Stereotypes, which explores anxiety & unrest that plagues modern-day Japan; Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-715-1253; 6:30, $10, $5 st.

"A Conversation with Larry Kramer" Writer & AIDS activist discusses his recent liver transplant & ethical questions involved in the procedure; Weill Cornell Medical College, Uris Aud., 1300 York Ave. (69th St.), 212-821-0650; 5, free.

Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths Bruce Feiler discusses the character prominent in Judaism, Christianity & Islam; the Half King, 505 W. 23rd St. (10th Ave.), 212-462-4300; 7, free.

Readings

The Rural Life World-weary New Yorkers flock to hear about the "sights, smells and sounds" of an upstate farm or Rocky Mountain pasture; Barnes & Noble, 2289 B'way (betw. W. 82nd & W. 83rd Sts.), 212-362-8835; 7:30, free.

"Saturn Series" Gary Stien plus open mic hosted by William Duke & Sue Polo; 213 2nd Ave. (13th St.), Bill@poetrycentral.com; 7:30, $3, 1 drink min.

TUESDAY 1/14

Around Town

Eldridge Street Project Benefit honors urban planner Joseph B. Rose w/reception, dinner & silent contemporary art auction feat. works donated by Maya Lin & Cindy Sherman & music by Woody Allen & his New Orleans Jazz Band; the Regent Wall Street, 55 Wall St. (betw. William & Hanover Sts.), 212-245-6570 x18; 6:30, $750.

Open Studios at Eyebeam Eyebeam's Artists in Residence program pres. works using "new technologies & digital tools" from Nikita Pashenkov, Marie Sester & Yury Gitman. Plus demos & discussions; 540 W. 21st St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 212-252-5193; 4-6, free.

Pure Country NYC Weekly country stomp & music night w/DJ Alan Kohn; line dance lessons courtesy of Rona Kaye at Jack Rose, 771 8th Ave. (47th St.), 212-247-7518; 6:30, $13.

Tu B'Shevat Dedication of Israel's Meir Hospital Parkinson's Dementia Out-Patient Unit to Holocaust survivors Nuta & Bella Markowicz w/presentation feat. video from Israel & kosher refreshments; Workmen's Circle Bldg. 45 E. 33rd St. (betw. Park & Madison Aves.), RSVP 212-869-9477; 2-4, free.

Tuesday Night Trivia It's probably not as much fun as Family Feud, but prizes do incl. $10-$25 bar tabs; Baggot Inn, 82 W. 3rd St. (betw. Thompson & Sullivan Sts.), 212-477-0622; 7:30, free.

Lectures

"The Age of Homespun: Objects & Stories in the Creation of an American Myth" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, author of Good Wives: Image & reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England & A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812, which won the Pulitzer Prize, discusses her latest work in American history; the Humanities & Social Science Library, 5th Ave. (42nd St.), 646-366-9556?RSVP req.; 5:30, free.

"Anarchist Organizing in the Imperialist Crisis" Panel of several different anarchist groups discuss the structures, strategies & tactics that might be most successful in overcoming the developing world empire, q&a follows; Brecht Forum, 122 W. 27th St. (betw. 6th & 7th Aves.), 212-979-8353; 7:30, contrib.

Readings

The Man I Might Become: Gay Men Write About Their Fathers Executive Editor of Out magazine Bruce Shenitz reads from new anthology at NLGJA's "Author Cafe"; the Center, 208 W. 13th St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), RSVP www.nlgjany.com; 8, $5.

Mulatto America Freelance journalist Stephen Talty, today, at Park Slope Barnes & Noble, 267 7th Ave. (6th St.), 718-832-9066; 7:30, free.

National Book Award Winner Alice McDermott (Charming Billy) reads from Child of My Heart; Barnes & Noble, 2289 B'way (betw. 82nd & 83rd Sts.), 212-362-8835; 7:30, free.

Workshops

Houseplants for Dummies If you're a serial plant killer, this is the class for you. Learn the basics of houseplant care, from plant selection & lighting requirements to fertilizing. You can even bring in your current victim for a little bit of friendly advice & critique; the Horticultural Society of New York, 128 W. 58th St. (betw. 6th & 7th Aves.), RSVP 212-310-6694; 7-9, $40.

Reiki Learn how you can benefit from the calming, centering, timeless experience of Reiki, a gentle form of energy balancing; Cancer Care, 275 7th Ave., 22nd fl. (betw. 26th & 27th Sts.), 212-712-8359, res. req.; 12:30, free.

Winter Cooking with Chef Shawna Learn to prepare gourmet, low-fat dairy/vegetarian cuisine in this hands-on class; Synagogue for the Arts, 49 White St. (betw. B'way & Church St.), RSVP 212-966-7141; 7-9, $35.