Date: February 12th 2010

Hello lovelies,

Valentine's weekend kicks off in mere hours...are you ready? We could care less about the Hallmark holiday, but it was on V-Day back in 2003 that we threw the very first G&S party, and we've celebrated our B-Day on the day since, with a commitment to Valentine's Day parties that didn't suck. We think we've succeeded...but judge for yourselves at our TWO fabulous events this weekend. They are nearly sold out, but a handful of presales remains for both, and we always hold some tickets for door sales, first come, first served. Jump on your tix, and watch the website & our Twitter for updates. We're giving away a pair of tix tonight on Twitter, too: http://twitter.com/gemini_scorpio

Oh and the first adult-event mailing list goes out shortly to our FB group (mailing list proper TK soon): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=259688232814

Gemini & Scorpio
Online Dating Gurus and Offline Party Mavens
http://www.geminiandscorpio.com
FB group: http://tinyurl.com/gs-facebook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gemini_scorpio
Flickr pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gemini_scorpio

Please forward along to friends!
If this has been forwarded to you: http://www.geminiandscorpio.com/events_list.html
to subscribe for weekly events list, exclusive party invites, giveaways and offers


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OUR NEXT EVENT, 2/13
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Gemini & Scorpio
present

A Steamy Valentine's Eve at the Russian Baths

Saturday, Feb 13, 7pm-2am
Banya, 602 Coney Island Ave bet Beverley Rd & Ave C, Kensington, BK
Details & tix: http://www.geminiandscorpio.com/events.html
FB: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?&eid=270113868216

Break out your bikini or swim trunks, and join our hand-picked crowd of artsy, funky (and nearly naked) New Yorkers for the glorious return of Gemini & Scorpio's legendary Russian Baths party.

We will have the newly remodeled & sparkling clean baths to ourselves, with a few hand-picked professionals on hand for the optional platzas and massages. Enjoy: Russian, Turkish and Swedish steam rooms, jacuzzi and cold plunge pool; poolside dance floor; rooftop smoking deck; hookah lounge and chillout rooms; authentic and delicious Russian food in a private restaurant room with a view of the dance floor.

Raya Brass Band, the newest fiery Balkan band to come out of the village of Brooklyn, will get you sweating faster than the saunas with swirling, dynamic music of northern Greece, the southern Balkans and the Romany people, playing two sets,10pm and 12am. DJ Joro-Boro, former resident DJ of the infamous Mehanata (Bulgarian Bar), keeps the dance floor sizzling with his hot EthnoMesh Megalophonia mix till 2am as we dole out free pierogies for everyone. There will be an open vodka bar 9:30-10:30pm.

"Best (and Only) Russian-bathhouse Dance Party" - Village Voice "Best of 2006. "A night of steamy fun" -- TimeOutNY "Your Perfect Weekend" pick. "Epic" -- Brooklyn Based.

Only 100 tix on presale; 50 more at door. Three ticket levels: $85 (7pm entry + open vodka bar + multi-course Russian banquet) /$45 (9pm entry + open vodka bar) / $35 (11pm entry). More details on each ticket tier are on our website.

This is the kind of party you always imagine, but can never quite find in real life...and the only one where you'll come out cleaner than when you came in.


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OUR NEXT EVENT, 2/14
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Gemini & Scorpio
present

Our 8th Annual "Get Off...Line" B-Day Bash: The Vault of Golden Vapors

Valentine's Day, Sun Feb 14, 7pm-2am, 21+ (25+ recommended)
Brooklyn Urban Sanctuary loft, Prospect Heights, BK, RSVP on website for address
7pm admission with dim sum dinner: $40; 9pm: $20; 11pm: $10
Tix & details: http://www.geminiandscorpio.com/events.html
FB: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=286285551480

On Chinese Moon Year's Eve, a dreamful night in an opium den of our making: a private 2,000sq ft Brooklyn loft completely redecorated just for this night. Recline in languid repose and drift in the pleasures of intimate performance, golden-throated singers, tales told in glistening flesh, and exotic cocktails. Full event tickets include catered dim sum dinner & dessert.

Featuring live vintage Chinese jazz by Shien Lee of Shanghai Triad and Dances of Vice, Chinese ballads by talented young composer Natti Vogel, Asian-inspired burlesque by Dame Cuchifrita and GrandmaFun, and your opium den madam The Flying Fox. Late-night ethno-lounge grooves by DJ Nightshade. Love tarot readings by Marcy Currier. Decadent body painting by 2nd Skin. Custom mural by Molly Crabapple. And of course cocktails by The House Of St Eve (yes, t.h.o.s.e. drinks)...


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WEEKEND + WEEK
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BURLESQUE: Operetta Burlesque
http://flavorpill.com/newyork/events/2010/2/12/operetta-burlesque
Witness the mayhem that ensues when the unsuspecting soprano ingenue mistakes an opera audition for a burlesque tryout! Operetta Burlesque! Directed by Jean-Philippe Clarac & Olivier Deloeuil; Music Director Benedicte Jourdois. Featuring Joanna Foote, Soprano; Emily Johnson, Mezzo-Soprano and the notorious MR.Chode, Bunny Love, Mstickle, and Nasty Canasta! (Fri/Sat, The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard St., 7:30pm and 9pm, $10/standing, $20/reserved seat)

MUSIC: Kinky & Sweet Love Songs: A Jazz Age Valentine
http://www.lamama.org/index.html
A night of jazz starring Waldo's Gotham City Jazz Masters. Terry Waldo, ragtime & stride pianist, entertainer and protégé of the late Eubie Blake, wrote the definitive book on ragtime, This Is Ragtime (republished with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis, 2009), and produced a 26-part series with the same title for National Public Radio which fueled the 1970's ragtime revival. Recalling the great Harlem theater performers of the 20s, including Bessie Smith, Eubie Blake, Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, Waldo’s group will present a show of classic hot jazz, spicy novelty, and Blues songs from the 20s about love and sex. The cast includes: Ruth Brisbane, Blues and Jazz singer, who starred in One Mo’ Time, the original Black & Blue and on Broadway in shows including The Wiz and Raison; Joe Muranyi, clarinetist and veteran of numerous famous jazz bands including Louis Armstrong’s All Stars; Colleen Hawks, Broadway singer, who starred in Shrek and Smokey Joe’s Café; and Arnie Ki
nsella, drummer on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion for over 17 years. (Fri-Sun, La MaMa E.T.C. The Club, 74A East 4th Street bet 2nd and Bowery, Fri and Sat 10pm, Sun 8pm, $20)

FILM: Banned Broken Sky: BENE · BROCANI · SCHIFANO
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
This series is a triple homage to three of Italian cinema's most important independent filmmakers - Carmelo Bene, Franco Brocani, and Mario Schifano - whose long-lasting friendships and collaborations with each other were interrupted only by the early deaths of Schifano (1998) and Bene (2002). Though their artistic sensibilities were very different - Bene for instance was far better known as a playwright and theater director than as a filmmaker, while Schifano was a renowned painter - they all lived and worked in Rome in the 1960s and 70s, a period of remarkably rich artistic and cultural activity. Though all three sought to achieve a profoundly personal form of cinema, they resisted identifying with the Italian underground scene, preferring to make narrative films (albeit strikingly experimental ones) in order to effect a revolution in cinema that would reach audiences beyond the confines of the avant-garde. This series offers a rare opportunity to see a selection of their w
ork, featuring five films (several recently restored) that are rarely, if ever, screened in the U.S., and that are as interrelated as they are impossible to categorize. Curated by Andrea Monti and Alessandro De Francesco; presented with generous support from the Italian Cultural Institute New York. Special thanks to Renato Miracco & Simonetta Magnani (Italian Cultural Institute), and Laura Argento (Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale). The films being screened are Necropolis and Schifanosaurus Rex, both directed by Franco Brocani; Our Lady of the Turks/Nostra Signora Dei Turchi and Salome, both directed by Carmelo Bene and Umano Non Umano, directed by Mario Schifano. (Fri-Sun, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue, various times, $9)

HAUNTED HOUSE: Mayhem
1/2 price tix: http://www.goldstar.com
http://www.bloodmanor.com
Forget the roses and the chocolates, cuddly teddies and romantic movies, make MAYHEM the highlight of your Valen-dines day weekend. This Valentine's weekend is going to be a bloodbath. Blood Manor is a first class haunted attraction with 5,000 square feet of themed rooms, corridors and a labyrinth of frightening passageways. And don't forget our special Valentine's RIP package, which includes express entrance and a special surprise gift for yourself or your favorite valentine. (Fri/Sat, Blood Manor, 542 West 27th St. btwn 10th & 11th Aves, 7:30pm-1am, $25 adv/$30 door; RIP $40 adv/$45 door)


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FRIDAY
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OPENING: The 2009 Winter Group Show
http://www.3rdward.com/groupshowcurrent
New Works from Emerging Artists in Drawing & Painting. Featuring Grand Prize Winner Craig Dongoski, Runners-Up MaDora Frey, Ann-Marie James & Tim Mearini and Top 21 Artists: Wesley Berg, Alex Callender, Kimberly Deakins, Christian DeFilippo, Jesse Engelbrecht, Heather Gargon, June Glasson, Kelsey Henderson, Carolyn Hulbert, Lisa Iglesias, Jovan Karlo Villalba, Anna Kell, Kristian Kozul, Heidi Landau, Jayne Lawrence, Nikolay Lyutskanov, Monika Malewska, Jeremy Mangan, Nu Ryu, Anthony Schwartz, Emily St. John. Plus music from DJ Spreadin' It For You and complimentary Colt 45. (3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave., Bklyn, 7-10PM, FREE; thru 2/21)

ART/MUSIC: Dumpster of Love
http://www.freenyc.net/calendar/dumpster-of-love
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Blood-Dumpster/217472624520
The Blood Dumpster, a NYC-based art collective, celebrates another year of art, beauty and mayhem with a pre-Valentine’s bash in Brooklyn. The event will bring together the creative class in Brooklyn with great drink specials - $3 Yuengling drafts and $5 Absolut cocktails, an all-night raffle andmore creativity then may be legal in most states. The party is part art show that will feature many members from the collective’s wide range of visual magicians. Expect artwork on display from Melissa Dowell, Rebecca Memoli, Jeff Moore, Aubrey Roemer, Nate Bear, Laura Galbraith, Vincent True, Tim Kellen, Katelan Foisy and many more. Funk House DJs Jason Orrell and Tobeytech start the night off right, leading up to Rhinostrich’s 8-bit inspired melodies, then on to Epileptic Peat, a bad ass 8-string bassist armed with an artillery of pedals, the band Skullbuggery, a sea shanty styled child of the Reverend Billy choir, and Belltone Suicide, a Massachusetts noise artist. Not to mention, a
n appearance of Memo the Clown! Arrive early for free swag and to scoop up some raffle tickets, the prizes get only get better as the night goes on. (Bar 224, Franklin St, Greenpoint, BK, 9PM, FREE)

**PERFORMANCE: Sex Crimes Cabaret
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=238525438990&index=1
http://www.SexCrimesCabaret.com
This variety show navigates amazing but true sexual legislation, taboos and history in a scintillating, multi-media cabaret. L. Gabrielle Penabaz deftly binds you with a kaleidoscopic exposé using her films, dance, rock-n-roll, sex toys, and whatever comes to her fishnet-twisted mind - and you don't get a safety word. (Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St., DUMBO, BK, 10:30pm, $15)

DJ/DANCING: One Night Stand: An Evening of Dirty Dancing
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=274925948552&ref=ts
REFUGE and RoyalPink present an evening of dirty dancing with the musical stylings of Bmore club pioneer SCOTTIE B; Ghettotek originator the one the only legendary GODFATHER. Fools GOLD champion KINGDOM and Black Label Bike Clubs resident DJ Dirtyfingerz. w/special live performances by sultry siren Maggie Horn and New Orleans own Vockah Redu bring you that sissy Bounce. Complimentary vodka open bar w/entry 10 - 11, then BYOB. (House of Yes, 342 Maujer St. bet Waterbury and Morgan, 10pm, $10/before 12am, $15/after)

PARTY: Rubulad: Sweets for the Sweet - A Valentine’s Confection
Rubulad presents a Valentine's Day dance party with live music by Rock & Roll Burlesque featuring Viva Power Trio, Clams Casino w. MC Sir Loin of Becca
Lady Rizzo and The Assettes; Vic Thrill and Vockah Redu (NOLA Sissy Bounce). Plus DJs $mall ¢hange, Ursula 1000, Barney Iller, Joro-Boro and Dirty Fingers. Performing on the Cabaret Stage will be Jessica Delfino, Shanimal, Kit-Kat Burlesque (feat. Members of The Drunkard’s Wife), Dr. Dolomite - Stevhen Iancu, DJ/Soundman Greything and more. Plus Yogi Avatar’s Piercing Eye Photo Booth w/ Little Miss Angie & Freddie Cannon, “Dreams and Aspirations” vending machine curated by Yung, Light Circus Extraordinaire of Norm Francoeur and food by Vicious Delicious. Dress code: good enough to eat. (Rubulad Home Base, 10pm, $10/costume, $15/without)


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SATURDAY
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G&S PARTY: Steamy Valentine's Eve at Russian Baths
http://www.geminiandscorpio.com/events.html
See above

BIKE: Love Lane Valentine's Ride
http://times-up.org/index.php?page=2009-02-08-love-your-lane
Real love doesn't come in a box of chocolates, a diamond ring, or a Hallmark Card. Real love is riding your bicycle through the rain, sleet, and snow. Real love is clean, sustainable transportation that's always there when you need it. Real love is dancing and riding your ass off to keep warm in the snow. Real love is good safe bike lanes. Nothing says lovin' like ridin' a bicycle in the winter! We'll be riding and dancing with our lovesick soundtrack, handing out Valentine's sweets to pedestrians, visiting Ray's on Ave. A to give some love to this beloved NYC spot that might get pushed out, and then end with the sweetest cup of hot cocoa. (Washington Sq. Park, under the Arch, 12pm, FREE)

CLASS: Think Global, Cut Local: Chinese Paper Cutting for the New Year
http://www.madmuseum.org/DO/Calendar/201002/think%20global.aspx
In the nonstop hustle of Columbus Circle, MAD offers a place of calm, hosting a paper-cutting workshop as part of its series dedicated to the international craft. Traditional Chinese techniques are on the lesson plan this afternoon and there's an open-door policy in effect: everyone is welcome, from the artistic and curious to the superstitious. Although most creations will be of the 2D breed, those more learned can unfold a decorative 3D lantern, or perhaps even a tiger, in honor of its yearlong run on calendars from here to Hong Kong. (Museum of Art and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, 2pm, $15)

PARTICIPATORY: Emergency Snow Party
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=301390446449
Come out Saturday afternoon for advanced efforts in creative snow fun. We're mobilizing all communities to join us for a live action afternoon above / underground blitz. Can you be all you can be? WHAT CAN YA BRING: your instruments (non amplified -- we need to dance); Your sleds or ghetto fabulous garbage bags; Your lights... we will have play-in-the-dark luge (dark after 5); a shovel or other castle building implement. dress colorful and warm. don't forget your courage. We'll be dancing in the snow, setting up team driven snowball fights, mass angel grouping, Capture the Hat, large scale snow castles and staring at other people who get emulsified in the snow. (Pilgrim Hill E 78th Street (Dog Run, Up top ), Central Park, 3-6pm, FREE)

PARTY: Lupercalia - Festival of Pan
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=426836855256
http://magickalrealms.com/EventsClasses.html
The true origin of Valentine's Day and in Roman mythology a ritual celebrated to avert evil spirits and purify the city, a celebration to the Roman God Lupercus, sometimes identified as the Festival of Pan or Wolf Festival God of Love, Laughter and seduction. Come and celebrate a ritual dance party with simulated mating game according to the old rites. Prizes will be given out for the winner with the most tokens. Drumming circle will accompany the ritual, bring drum and instruments to join. Please you must bring a food dish and drink for pot luck sharing with fellow pagans. Lead by Courtney Weber. (The Pagan Center of New York. 2486-Webster Ave, Bronx, 4pm-7pm, FREE)

PARTY: Tahuti Lodge Presents: Lupercalia
http://web.me.com/ronz1/boujeloud/lupercalia.html
Tahuti Lodge OTO NYC invites you to join us in the dance of Panic with Pan and his flock in a night of drink, feasting, ecstasy and abandon in celebration of the ancient festival of Lupercalia. Westermark, in his book on pagan survivals in Morocco forty years ago, recognized their patron: Bou Jeloud, the Father of Skins, to be Pan the little goat god with his pipes. An account of their dances led him to conclude they must be celebrating the Roman Lupercalia which once occurred in the first two weeks of February, but attached itself to the principal Moslem feast when the Arab invaders turned the calender back to the lunar year. Bou Jeloud wears a yokel’s big, floppy straw hat, bound round his face with a fillet of ivy. Pan, Bou Jeloud, the Father of Skins, dances through eight moonlit nights in his hill village, Joujouka, to the wailing of his hundred Master Musicians. Down in the towns, far away by the seaside, you can hear the wild whimper of his oboe-like raïtas; a faint
breath of panic borne on the wind. Please dress in your best Arabic attire, or black/brown, and be prepared to drink, feast and dance!! Bring drums and shakers if you have them and if it is your will please bring food for the feast afterwards (middle eastern fare). The Lodge entrance is between two buildings so we use the address of: 47-20 42nd Street in Sunnyside Queens. As you approach to the left is a park with benches facing the street. Tahuti Lodge is in the building across the street, facing the park benches. Please WAIT here, at the benches, before events. We will let you in 15 minutes before the event. If you arrive after that, we may have already let everyone in and you will have to catch us the next time around. (Tahuti Lodge, 47-20 42nd St, Sunnyside, Queens, 4pm, $5/sugg donation)

*MUSIC/PERFORMANCE: Lady Rizo and the Assettes
http://www.highlineballroom.com/bio.php?id=1302
It's a treat for the senses: A Siren call for you to don your feathers, lashes, jackets and shined shoes so she can sing to you sweetly. The Gorgeous Assettes will tempt you by frolicking joyously in colored lights. All of those divine scantily clad creatures will be calling you out to play. Always a new show, so come again, come for the first time, come and bring anyone you've ever wanted to impress. (Highline Ballroom, 431 W 16th St, 7pm, $25, $18 w/code SPANKME)

MUSIC: Sweethearts Showcase
http://vaudvillepark.com/
A female singer-songwriter benefit for Showpaper. Featuring music by Phoebe Kreutz, Supercute!, Rebecca Schiffman, Frances Rose and Bigger Princess. Sweet treats by Famous Original Rachel. (VAUDVILLE PARK, 26 Bushwick Avenue at Devoe Street, BK, 7pm, $7-$25 sliding scale)

FILM: Tryptophantasia
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/708935
http://www.thewildproject.com
Presented by Kaliptus, a “Tryptophan Art Utopia” project. Tryptophantasia is a psychotropic event that brings to you some of the best, cream of the crop, underground, psychedelic animations the universe has yet to offer. The screenings that will be projected in Wild Project’s theater may reveal some of the deepest secrets of the universe! Anywhere from 24-28 short films will be screened for two hours varying in style, quality, and nature... and ranging from paradigm-shifting animations to mystical videos, tripadelic motion graphics, mind-warping experiments, occult surrealism, and lots more. (Wild Project, 195 East 3rd St., 7pm-10pm, $5/adv, $7/door)

MUSIC: JUMBO GUMBO Mardi Gras Party
http://www.excaminos.com/jumbogumbomardigras1010.html
Featuring The Ex Caminos, a 9-piece soul, jazz, and funk colossus from New York City that plays original and cover material rooted in the late 60s and early 70s. The band performs with New York's best singers as well for an explosion of funky soul. Two big sets from Danny Drexler's Funky Fritters, w/the Red Beans Horn section featuring Nadav Nirenberg on trombone & Tim Veeder on tenor sax. The Fritters are the preeminent local New Orleans Mardi Gras, blues, funk, rock, jam, R&B, jazz, and gospel band who's all-star 11 members have played with a who's who on the NYC & national music scene. With many special surprise guests and an all-star jam to end the evening. Special Nola tasting menu & $6 Hurricanes. (The Shrine, 2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd., Harlem, 8pm, $10)

PARTY: Hush Hush Gang Presents Beautiful and Damned
http://hushhushgang.blogspot.com
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/98907
A Valentines event inspired by the art, music and spirit of the Roaring 20’s. Piping hot 20’s jazz brought to you by the Cangelosi Cards, Hotsy Totsy flapper numbers from the Jazz Babies, Robber Baron Cocktails and incredible performances inspired by Fritz Lang’s legendary film Metropolis. Strict Puttin’ on the Ritz dress code, 21 and over only. Password for entry is "Dottie sent me!" (Exile, 38-62 11th st, btwn 38th & 40th Aves, LIC, 9pm-2am, $20 adv/$25 door)

*PARTY: Dances of Vice: Secrets de Coquettes
http://www.dancesofvice.com
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=222010357695&ref=mf
This Valentine's Eve, find yourself dancing the night away with winking beauties clad in flirtatious vintage dishabille on a romantic 3-hour luxury cruise at Dances of Vice aboard The Jewel - featuring songs of love and lust by gorgeous Shanghai Mermaid impresario Juliette Campbell, hot jazz and swing from the 1920-40s by Baby Soda Jazz Band, saucy burlesque by Valentine vixen Gal Friday, a titillating fashion show featuring vintage pinup-inspired designs by Renee Masoomian, and vintage lingerie of the 1910s, 20s, 30s and 40s! Secrets de Coquettes will also feature an exclusive fashion show by vintage pinup-inspired latex clothing designer Renee Massoomian/BabyLove's Latex. (The Jewel, Marco Polo Cruises, E. 23rd & FDR Dr., 9pm, $26/adv, $30/door)

MUSIC: Bad Buka
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=284591618911
In the ever expanding local gypsy - punk-rock scene BAD BUKA are the new kids on the block. The 7 -piece band comes alive and energetic on stage. With the ferocious sound of the violin, trumpet and earthy groovy arrangements with a love for the music of all cultures -these tunes are furious, sexy, and crowd moving. (MEHANATA, 113 Ludlow St. at Delancey, 10-11:30PM, $$?)

BURLESQUE: The Witching Hour Burlesque
http://bk.knittingfactory.com/event-details/?tfly_event_id=4143
Burlesque Show & V-Day themed Party featuring musical performances by Tiffany Caserta, Hosted by Ileen Dover, An-albead Box, Shitonya. Raffles for yummy SHAG Goodies. Starring: Delysia La Chatte, Kaiso Jo, Ava Va Voom, Diamond Girl, Indigo Brown, Vampiria Noir. After party featuring the famous DJ duo Two Bloody Tampons (aka Mix Master Maxipad & DJ Heavy Flow). (Knitting Factory BK, 361 Metropolitan Ave, W'burg, BK, 12am, $5)


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SUNDAY
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G&S PARTY: The Vault of Golden Vapors
http://www.geminiandscorpio.com/events.html
See above

*PARTICIPATORY: Sunrise Valentine
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=267791674863
There's a valentine waiting for YOU... and NYC needs your Valentines! Join us as we watch the sunrise, natures valentine to us, & pay it forward & valentine NYC. We welcome kids of all ages, to help take in and spread valentine love across the city. Dress up in an outfit or costume that exemplifies love to you: cupid, Venus, Aphrodite, heart, etc. Bring some Valentines -- any kind is ok, as long as they have positive loving messages. What kind of Valentine would you like to receive..that's the kind to make & gift. Craft Valentines with us: Sat, 12-1:30pm, 332 Gates @ Bedford, basement entrance. (Middle of Brooklyn Bridge, 6:15am - 10:15am, FREE, all ages)

*BURLESQUE: Filthy Gorgeous Valentine Burlesque Brunch
http://www.thirstygirlproductions.com/
Treat yourself and your sweetie to burlesque and brunch this Valentine’s Day. This amazing event is hosted by The World Famous *BOB* and features the best burlesquers and crooners in the business, including Jo Boobs, Ms. Tickle, Nasty Canasta, Harvest Moon, The Maine Attraction, Melody Sweets, Tigger!, Little Miss Lixx, The Schlep Sisters, with live music by Gigi & Pop and DJ Momotaro. Special brunch & drink menus available. Reserve early for VIP booths. (Highline Ballroom, 431 W. 16th St., 12:30pm, $20/adv, $25/door, $30 VIP)

PARTICIPATORY: UnMarriage until GayMarriage, Take the Valentine's Pledge
http://www.revbilly.com
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/event.php?eid=272533379131
Join couples at The Bethesda Fountain in Central Park this Valentine's Day for a mass ritual in support of the rights of ALL people to marry whomever they wish. Send a strong message to NY, NJ and the rest of the country. Marriage is a civil right, unmarriage until gay marriage, no marriage until gay marriage. Brides and Grooms will suspend their vows in a ritual officiated by Reverend Billy. Tragic and hopeful love songs will be sung. Participants will be issued an official unmarried certificate suitable for framing. The as of yet unwed are also welcome to join the ritual as we declare a moratorium on all weddings until gay weddings are legalized and California Prop 8 is overturned. Wear your bride and groom best; wedding cookies provided. Please sign up on site. (The Bethesda Angel, inside Central Park on 72nd St, 1pm sharp, FREE)

FILM: Moviehouse - Get Your Heart On
http://www.3rdward.com/moviehouse/
Moviehouse is celebrating its three-year anniversary on Valentine's Day. So even though it's our birthday, it's you that gets the gifts. We challenged our favorite filmmakers, our intrepid staff and even a couple of diehard fans to make us 3-minute romantic movies following 3 simple rules. The result: brand new films by puppet-master Leat Klingman, dashing documentarian Daniel Ross, graceful dance film director Marta Renzi, creative playmaker Chloe Bass, the ceaselessly entertaining Carlotta Propersi and Sketch Projector Shantall Martin. They join Moviehouse staffers Austin Duggan and Chris Henderson for a celebration worthy of 3 years of the very best interactive video. (3rd Ward, 195 Morgan Ave., Bushwick, BK, Doors 7PM/Films 8PM, FREE)

VARIETY: Valiumtime's Day
http://galapagosartspace.com
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=VAL6
A no-holds-barred variety show, guaranteed to improve your mood and change your life. The show features some of NYC’s hottest music and comedy acts, including Adira Amram, John Roberts, Heloise Williams (of Heloise & The Savoir Faire), and special guest Reggie Watts. (Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St., DUMBO, BK, 8pm, $15)

*PARTY: Stolen Chair’s Atoms and Eves Party
New York's most scientastic Valentine's Day event. Costume yourself as your favorite scientist or scientific concept. Alter your senses with a taste-tripping miracle fruit experience run by the Three Little Truffle Pigs. Have your head read by an unlicensed phrenologist , Dr. Philias Amorcandoras Liebenstein IV, who'll tell you what sort of a lover you really are! Learn how to create molecular origami. Down "neurotransmitter" shots (guaranteed to get your dopamine flowing). Get your groove on on the dance floor. Door prizes include free tickets to Blue Man Group! Winners will be selected by a truly random lottery using algorithms derived from atmospheric noise. All proceeds will benefit Stolen Chair's upcoming production, Quantum Poetics: A Science Experiment for the Stage. (Space on White, 81 White St., 6:30pm-9:30pm, $20)

*PARTY: Vampire Ball
http://www.sabretooth.net/newyorkvampireball
Sabretook presents the 14th Annual Vampire Ball of New York. Mistress of Ceremonies Chi-Chi Valenti precides; music on the main floor provided by DJ Aengel & DJ Ian Fford; music downstairs by DJ Xris SMack!, DJ V-Christ and Jack Phoenix; liver performance by Kayvon Zand and Jeniviva's Mystical Hips Belly Dancing. Plus a costume contest hosted by Lady-A. (Element, 225 E. Houston St., 10pm, $15/adv, $20/door in costume, $30/door w/o costume)

PARTY: RED
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/96215
Live dinner theater like never before. February 14th is both Valentines day and the first day of the Chinese new year, the year of the tiger. A night of martyrs and miracles paired with virtue and prosperity that both share roots in the the color RED. The strongest hue in every culture, it runs through our hearts and insights our passions. A decadent feast for your eyes and stomach will unravel at your table, satisfying your appetite through every single sense. Fare and festival will be fused seamlessly with the power and stealth prowess of a tiger, as visceral and universal as the blood red in all of us and ending with a bang to usher in happiness, wealth and longevity. Live performances by members of Lady Circus, Archedream, East Coast Tribal and the Solstice Ensemble. Live music by Rhiannon, DJ Sky Tucker, Marcie Gambeau, Madelena Mak and Raymond Yeung. Massage, tarot card readings, hookah lounge and other additional features. (House of Yes, 342 Maujer St., bet Waterbury a
nd Morgan, 7pm-11pm, $50)


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MONDAY
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THEATER/PERFORMANCE: Foreplays
http://www.foreplays.biz
A seductive night of bold theater, short films, and live music. Each evening delves into eight playwrights’ theatric odes to the open-ended prompt: “FOREPLAY”…Come see what develops! Evenings also feature local musical guests and not-so-local sketch comedy videos to wail and riff on the themes of seduction. (Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St., 8pm, $15)


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TUESDAY
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PARTICIPATORY: MARDI GRAS PARADE
http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2010/01/25/the-l-magazine-presents-wavves-at-brooklyn-bowl
https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1402919.6599487413/rid:9b688db90d4308b01319a63e2ae3820b
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=316713206653&ref=mf
The L Magazine and Southern Comfort will be leading Brooklyn's only Mardi Gras Parade (featuring bicycle floats, feathers, and lots and lots of beads). The festivities will continue with a FREE Wavves and MNDR show at Brooklyn Bowl, as well as the crowning of the King and Queen of Mardi Gras and awarding of alcohol related prizes. RSVP to mardigras@thelmagazine.com This will put you on the guestlist. Dress up, dress down, or wear nothing at all! (Driggs Ave on the Southeast corner of McCarren Park, 7PM, FREE)

PARTY: Masquerade Ball Benefit
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=249907516373&index=1
A Masquerade Ball to benefit the Lower East Side Girls Club, The Batey Relief Alliance - Haiti effort, and Young Aspiration|Young Artist in New Orleans. Includes open rum and vodka bar sponsored by Teany from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Masks and costumes encouraged. Live music by Loose Marbles from New Orleans and NYC’s own Hungry March Band. DJ Johnny Dynell and special guest DJs TBA. Live painting and interactive installation by the Free Arts Society. Crowning of the Mardi Gras King and Queen at 11:30pm. (Element, 255 East Houston at Essex Street, 7pm-12am, $22/adv, $30/door)


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WEDNESDAY
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PARTICIPATORY: Chaos Cooking Part III
A continuing social experiment where up to 24 people cook 24 recipes in 1 kitchen, 4 burners, 1 oven. All recipes must be finished in a 3 hours while everyone is drinking wine, socializing and putting delectable dishes in their mouths. How it works. Email your recipe & name to receive exact address. Bring the ingredients necessary for everyone to try a little bit of your dish, extra knives & cutting boards (if you have them) and a bottle or three of wine. When you arrive pour yourself some wine, start making your dish, help someone else, pour yourself some wine, eat some of the dish that was just finished, ask for help, try not to start yourself on fire, try some more dishes, sit down and talk for a while, pour your new friend some more wine, have some dessert. We've tried this a couple of times before with great success. Some dishes ideas of what was made in the past; Portobello Mushroom Burgers, Curried Squash Soup, Chocolate Mousse with marinated Strawberries, gourmet sala
ds & Bacon wrapped scallops. RSVP with name and recipe to pagenotfoundspace@gmail.com (Page Not Found, 76 Jefferson St., bottom buzzer, 7pm, $5/sugg donation)


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THURSDAY
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Bailout The Musical
http://www.horsetrade.info/season11/BailoutXten.html
The government is bailing out theater, but if you want a slice of Uncle Sam's pie you have to "Sellout Louise!" Can a group of indie artists receive the funding? Watch this absurd comedy about how far people are willing to go to cash in on the opportunity of a lifetime. (UNDER St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, Feb 18-20, 8pm, $20)

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ONGOING
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INSTALLATION: Never Can Say Goodbye
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=226383714305
No Longer Empty (NLE) will re-open the legendary Tower Records store with a multimedia art exhibition. Spotlighting more than 20 artists that work with sound, light, and image, Never Can Say Goodbye celebrate the store’s historic role as the locus of the community -- the old way to meet people face to face and share music and information. Each week a variety of music performers will capture the fleeting opportunity to play live in the ex-Tower Records space. Performances include Broken Mirrors with John Miller, Cleopatra’s, ((audience)), the Metropolis Ensemble, the Jon Herington Band, Azita, Disco Monkeys, and others. Exhibition features artists Ryan Brennan, Joe Diebes, R. Luke DuBois, Richard Garet, Invader, Josh Jordan, Meredyth Sparks, Kaz Oshiro, Naama Tsabar, Paul Villinski, and Siebren Versteeg. (Show thru 2/14, Former Tower Record Store,4th St & Broadway, Wed-Sun 12pm-7pm, FREE)

FILM: Sita Sings the Blues
http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/6199-sita-sings-the-blues
Tragedy, comedy and musical collide in this gloriously animated film from New York’s own "One Woman Pixar" (Wired). Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three bickering shadow puppets act as comic narrators as these old and new stories are interwoven in a post-modern retelling of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, animated in a dazzling mix of traditional and collage animation styles. Sita Sings the Blues follows in the line of Triplets of Bellville and Spirited Away to exemplify animation as a "serious" art form -- which does not stop it from being laugh-out-loud funny! A panoply of monsters, gods, goddesses, warriors, sages, and winged eyeballs fill the screen with vivid color from start to finish, while the narrators’ improvisational debates over the Rama legend join the filmmaker’s own tragicomic story to layer a modern feminist commentary on the ancient tale. The resu
lt is a subtly subversive, visually stunning, highly original work that is as enjoyable for children as it is for adults. (thru 2/14, Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, Sun. 5:30pm, $11)

PERFORMANCE: The Theatre of a Two-headed Calf's: Trifles
ovationtix.com/trs/pr/702385
The 1916 one-act by Susan Glaspell set at the scene of a bizarre murder in the Midwest in 1900. Those accustomed to Two-headed Calf’s loud, explosive and physically rigorous performances are in for a surprise. With Trifles, director Brooke O’Harra and composer Brendan Connelly team up with the new music ensemble Yarn/Wire to approach Glaspell’s text as part concert, part play, and part meditation on crime, empathy, and sisterhood. [G&S NOTE: From NonsenseNYC] (thru 2/14, Ontological Theater, 131 East 10th Street, 8pm; $17, $14 student)

THEATER: Fêtes de la Nuit
http://www.Fetesnyc.com
Charles L. Mee’s enticing Fêtes de la Nuit is a deliciously naughty valentine to Paris that celebrates life, love and all things Parisian. Fêtes is directed by Kim Weild, who incorporates American Sign Language into a production that features three Deaf actors, including Alexandria Wailes, who appeared opposite Meryl Streep in The Public’s production of Mother Courage. (thru 2/27, Ohio Theater, 66 Wooster St., 8pm, $18)

THEATER: You're Welcome
http://www.bricktheater.com/yourewelcome
You're Welcome is a collection of 5 small plays about creation and failure; a unified theatrical myth that tells the story of an invented band of performers and their catastrophic attempts at connection. The plays are also about love, death, desire, tragedy, comedy, drunk driving, sexiness, beauty, loss, the battle between good and evil, a baby born wearing a hat. And theater. They're about theater. Kind of the last word on theater. This is You're Welcome - 5 plays that pretty much nail it. Featuring Hannah Bos, Michael Cyril Creighton and Paul Thureen. Written by Paul Thureen and Hannah Bos. Directed and Developed by Oliver Butler. (thru 2/27, Brick Theater, 575 Metropolitan Avenue, BK, Thurs-Sat 8pm, $18)

ART: New Moon: Interpretations of the Chinese Zodiac
http://www.myplasticheartnyc.com/
Curated by John Wong, this exhibition at My Plastic Heart brings together twenty-six artists from around the world to lend their own styles and sensibilities to the 12 zodiac animals. Included will be works encompassing a wide range of media from paintings and collages to custom figures and digital artwork. This is one of My Plastic Heart’s most anticipated events of the year. (Show thru 3/6, My Plastic Heart, 210 Forsyth St., FREE)

THEATER: Venus in Fur
http://classicstage.org/2010_venus.shtml
2-4-1- tix: http://www.nycgo.com/onthehouse
Inspired by the infamous erotic novel of the same name, Venus in Fur takes us behind the scenes of an audition, where a man and a woman blur the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex. A crackling exploration of sexual control and desire, the play is captive to David Ives's famous combination of classic rigor and contemporary wit. "90 minutes of good kinky fun! A tasty new comedy, directed with laser-sharp precision by Walter Bobbie. Nina Arianda is sensational; comic, sexy, scary at the same time. Wes Bentley's piercing eyes suggest simmering depths. Mr. Ives presents a nifty, skillfully wrought entertainment; an enjoyable game of kitten-with-a-whip and mouse." - The New York Times. [G&S note: we hear this is a great show, and the 2-4-1 offer through end of feb makes it affordable.] (thru 3/7, Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13th St, Tue-Sat 8pm, Sat/Sun 2pm, $60+)

THEATER: The Divine Sister
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/705475
The Divine Sister is an outrageous comic homage to nearly every Hollywood film involving nuns. Evoking such films as The Song of Bernadette, The Bells of St. Mary's, The Singing Nun and Agnes of God, The Divine Sister tells the story of St. Veronica's indomitable Mother Superior (author Charles Busch) who is determined to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. Along the way, she has to deal with a young postulant who is experiencing "visions," sexual hysteria among her nuns, a sensitive schoolboy in need of mentoring, a mysterious nun visiting from the Mother House in Berlin, and a former suitor intent on luring her away from her vows. This madcap trip through Hollywood religiosity evokes the wildly comic but affectionately observed theatrical style of the creator of Die, Mommie, Die! and Psycho Beach Party. (thru 3/7, Cino Theater, 55 First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets, Thurs–Sat 8pm, Sat–Sun 3pm, $25)

PERFORMANCE: Outré Island
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=294727181941&index=1
Join the citizens of Outré Island as they desperately look to join the outside world by any means necessary. This includes bending their bodies in an unusual manner. Learn about their rich heritage and majestic culture! Discover an endless supply of blue goo! Raja Azar from Jollyship the Whizbang conjures sounds from an electronic device! Directed by Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation). (thru 3/11, Ars Nova, 511 W. 54th St., Thur 8pm, $15)

ART: “Leonardo da Vinci's Workshop”
http://www.discoverytsx.com
The original Renaissance man gets some props from the Discovery Times Square Exposition museum. Opens with a re-creation of the mad-brilliant scientist's studio. Twenty of Leonardo's works have been reconstructed, including a life-size, walking 3-D model of a mechanical lion and a robot knight. It's a good thing Leonardo isn't alive today, or we'd all be living under his cyborg army's jackboot. (thru 3/14, former New York Times building, 226 W. 44th St. bet 7th and 8th Aves, 10am-10pm, $17.50-$19.50)

PUPPETS: Emperor and Queen
http://www.puppetworks.org
Puppetworks presents its winter presentations of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Snow Queen,” two classic fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. Adapted for the marionette stage by Puppetworks’ Artistic Director Nicolas Coppola, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” tells the tale of a vain emperor who buys a set of ‘invisible’ clothes, only to march down the street in his underwear. The play is accompanied by the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. “The Snow Queen” tells the story of a mysterious lady who throws ice into the heart of a boy so that he becomes cold and mean. The story is accompanied by Norwegian folk tunes and other music from Norwegian composer Edvard Greig. (thru 3/28, Puppetworks, 338 6th Ave. at 4th St., Park Slope, BK, 12:30 and 2:30, $8)

ART: Slash: Paper Under the Knife
http://collections.madmuseum.org/html/exhibitions/485.html
The exhibition takes the pulse of the international art world's renewed interest in paper as a creative medium and source of artistic inspiration, examining the remarkably diverse use of paper in a range of art forms. Slash is the third exhibition in MAD's Materials and Process series, which examines the renaissance of traditional handcraft materials and techniques in contemporary art and design. The exhibition surveys unusual paper treatments, including works that are burned, torn, cut by lasers, and shredded. A section of the exhibition will focus on artists who modify books to transform them into sculpture, while another will highlight the use of cut paper for film and video animations. (thru 4/4, Museum of Art and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, $15/Thur 6-9pm by donation)

ART: American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion
http://www.fitnyc.edu/336.asp
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) presents American Beauty: Aesthetics and Innovation in Fashion, the first exhibition to explore how the "philosophy of beauty" is allied to the craft of dressmaking. Each of the 75 looks on display was chosen to exemplify the relationship between technical ingenuity and artistic excellence. Curator Patricia Mears has focused on approximately 25 American fashion designers, ranging from the obscure, such as Jessie Franklin Turner, whose work dates from the late 1910s, to rising stars of the present day, such as the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte. Other designers featured include Adrian, Bonnie Cashin, Maria Cornejo, James Galanos, Halston, Elizabeth Hawes, Charles James, Charles Kleibacker, Claire McCardell, Norman Norell, Rick Owens, Ralph Rucci, Isabel Toledo, Pauline Trigère, Valentina, Yeohlee, and Jean Yu. (thru 4/10, Museum at FIT, Seventh Avenue at 27 Street, FREE)

ART: Tim Burton Retrospective
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/313
This major career retrospective on Tim Burton (American, b. 1958), consisting of a gallery exhibition and a film series, considers Burton's career as a director, producer, writer, and concept artist for live-action and animated films, along with his work as a fiction writer, photographer and illustrator. Following the current of his visual imagination from early childhood drawings through his mature work, the exhibition presents artwork generated during the conception and production of his films, and highlights a number of unrealized projects and never-before-seen pieces, as well as student art, his earliest non-professional films, and examples of his work as a storyteller and graphic artist for non-film projects. The opposing themes of adolescence and adulthood, and the elements of sentiment, cynicism, and humor inform his work in a variety of mediums—drawings, paintings, storyboards, digital and moving-image formats, puppets and maquettes, props, costumes, ephemera, sketchb
ooks, and cartoons. Taking inspiration from sources in pop culture, Burton has reinvented Hollywood genre filmmaking as a spiritual experience, influencing a generation of young artists working in film, video, and graphics. (Thru 4/26, MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St nr. Sixth Ave, $20 sugg/$12 students, Fri evenings 4-8PM FREE)


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