Guide to what’s happening in New York this week
Food
Salsa Slam
Sunday, 4-7 p.m., The Bell House, 149 Seventh St., Gowanus, $15 / $10 advance
Down at the Bell House, Nachos NY is throwing another Salsa Slam, with 20 different salsas vying for the title of “Best Salsa,” and the chance to disprove that old Pace ad once and for all. Better yet, for the first two hours, Brooklyn Brewery is pouring pints for only $4.
Culture
Rashaad Newsome: ‘Herald’
Through Dec. 3, Marlborough Chelsea, 545 W. 25th St., free
Artist Rashaad Newsome became interested in heraldry while visiting the castles of Europe. He has been fascinated ever since with the dialogue between that tradition and that of hip-hop culture. Both integrate status symbols, bling and a lexicon of rank and hierarchy.
DOC NYC 2011
Through Nov. 10, IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave., $16-$60
Showcasing more than 100 documentary-tinged events, including panel discussions and screenings of short and feature-length works, the festival features a conversation with Jonathan Demme, Barbara Kopple’s profile of journalist Ellen Ratner (“A Force of Nature”), and a tribute to cinema verite pioneer Richard Leacock.
Prints Gone Wild 2011
Friday and Saturday, Secret Project Robot, 389 Melrose St., Bushwick, free
America’s top graphic artists come together for the sixth Prints Gone Wild fair. With everything priced at $50 or less, this is some of the most affordable artwork you’re likely to come by. And it’s being held at the new Secret Project Robot location in Bushwick.
Books
Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp: ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’
Friday, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main St., DUMBO, Free
Marcel, the fun-loving one-eyed shell who hang-glides on a Dorito for adventure, garnered more than 12 million viewers on YouTube. Now, he returns in picture book form. Celebrate with creators Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp, who read from and sign copies of the book.
Music
Hess Is More
Friday, 8:30 p.m., Glasslands Gallery, 289 Kent Ave., Williamsburg, $10
Electronic composer Mikkel Hess mixes pop, jazz and electronica. Hess Is More found international success with the 2007 single, “Would Would You Like to Disco,” (and indeed DJ’d Flavorpill’s One Step Beyond party at the American Museum of Natural History that year).
The Features
Monday, 7 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St., $10
Remember when Kings of Leon were new, exciting, and good? The Features still are. The Nashville quartet churns out unabashedly countrified rock tunes laden with boot-stomping hooks — and just enough folk and psych elements in there to keep things interesting. They’re on the road supporting their latest, “Wilderness,” and are best enjoyed with a good whiskey.
Dance
New York Theatre Ballet: Dance on a Shoestring
Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., NYTB’s Dance Gallery, 30 E. 31st St., $15
NYTB’s second showcase of the season offers a sneak peek at two new ballets. Both Yukiko Kashiki’s “Solo 4 Two” and Antonia Franceschi’s (she was “Fame”’s snotty Hilary and a New York City Ballet stalwart) “Kinderszenen” were created under the auspices of the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in upstate New York.
Film
‘The Making of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’
Friday, 7 and 9 p.m., Soho House, 2935 Ninth Ave., free with RSVP
This documentary explores the making of Noel Gallagher’s acclaimed first solo album post-Oasis, providing a look behind the scenes at how one of the most renowned songwriters in music history approached making a record of his own for the very first time.
‘Lawrence of Arabia’
Saturday and Sunday, 6 p.m., Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, free with museum admission
More than nearly any other film that carelessly self-applies the word “epic,” David Lean’s masterpiece of bravery and madness demands to be seen in the cinema. The film is a celebration of awe-inspiring sights captured in the crisp beauty of 70mm.
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