What's Happening in New York on December 25th, 2006

Cabaret with or without Chinese Food Buffet

4pm — Monday December 25

WHERE:Pioneer Theatre, 155 E. 3rd St, between Ave A and Ave B
COST:$10 for movie, $20 for movie with buffet
SUMMARY:”Bob Fosse, Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey and Michael York lead this great story about decadent 1930’s Berlin. Life inside and outside the Kit Kat Klub is brilliantly told through the clever blend of story and musical numbers, as the outside world of Nazi politics grows into a brutal force, slowly affecting everyone.”

3pm and 8pm — Monday December 25

WHERE:Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th St
COST:$40
SUMMARY:”Celebrate the holiday season with EM/NY’s traditional holiday presentations in the festooned Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Recorded on the Ex cathedra label, this concert will feature perennial highlights including Hildegard von Bingen’s De innocentibus (a poignant plaint to the Holy Innocents); the hauntingly beautiful Beata viscera by Notre Dame’s Master Perotin, Angelus ad virginem; a Latin hymn of the Annunciation referenced by Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales; lively 13th-century Italian laude and Spanish cantigas – all accompanied by a trove of medieval instruments.”

1pm, 4:30pm, 8pm (for Play It Again Sam)
2:45pm, 6:15pm, 9:45pm (for Purple Rose of Cairo) — Monday December 25

WHERE:Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, between 6th Ave and Varick (7th Ave)
COST:$10.50 (2 for 1 Double Feature)
SUMMARY:Play It Again Sam: “Woody’s dumped film fanatic Allan Felix retests the dating waters, encouraged by best friends Tony Roberts and Diane Keaton — but what if it’s Keaton he really loves? Luckily, Woody can conjure up the spirit of Humphrey Bogart for advice.”

Purple Rose of Cairo: ““I met a wonderful new man. He’s fictional, but you can’t have everything.” During the Depression, miserably married waitress Mia Farrow finds relief only at the movies, where pith-helmeted adventurer Jeff Daniels pops off the screen into her life. But what happens to the movie after he leaves? Add hubby Danny Aiello’s jealousy, arrival of the real-life star of the picture (Daniels again), and arguably Allen’s most poignant conclusion. “

1pm — Monday December 25

WHERE:Makor, Steinhardt Building, 35 West 67th St, between CPW and Columbus Ave
COST:$35
SUMMARY:”Chinese food and a movie on Christmas Day is an old Jewish custom. One problem–you can’t bring Chinese food to the movie theater. Well, now you can! Makor reinvents this ritual with an afternoon of films from writer Charlie Kaufman and comedian Will Ferrell. Enjoy films on two giant screens along with all the Chinese food you can eat throughout the day.

Charlie Kaufman on Screen 1:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - 1:30pm
Being John Malkovich - 3:30pm

Will Ferrell on Screen 2:
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - 1:30pm
Old School - 3:30pm”

10am and 1pm — Monday December 25

WHERE:Meet at southeast corner of Delancey and Essex Streets, in front of the Olympic Diner
COST:$15
SUMMARY:”Stroll through more than 350 years of Jewish history on the Lower East Side. Our tour combines historic and religious sites, politics and people of what was once the largest Jewish community in the world. Stops include: the founding site of the B’nai B’rith, the Jewish Daily Forward building, the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue, and sites associated with Abraham Cahan, Lillian Wald, and Jacob Riis. Though a partnership with the 1654 Society, our tour may include a visit inside the historic colonial cemetery of Congregation Shearith Israel ($3 per person donation required).”

11am, 1:50pm, 7:45pm — Monday December 25

WHERE:IFC Center, 323 6th Ave at W 3rd St
COST:$10.75
SUMMARY:”Capra’s paean to small-town values and the ordinary guy who does the right thing is a classic story of redemption and second chances.”