Hello and happy weekend, y’all! Bentzen Ball (THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY // I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVE WORKED AT BYT FOR A DECADE) kicks off in DC tonight w/ a show from Los Espookys, so if you haven’t already thought about skippin’ town to head down for that, YA PROBABLY SHOULD. Also, the Neverending Pasta Bowl is BACK at Olive Garden, and if you’re not just postin’ up at one of their many locations, what are you even doing with your life?! (Haha jk, I know you’re all 2 KEWL 4 OG! But seriously, if you wanna go, DM me or something.)
If you would like to step into my shoes for a moment, it is 5:48am, but I have been awake since closer to 4:28am. (I have an alarm set for 4:28am, the reasoning for which remains unclear.) I am listening to Newtown Radio (AG Cook’s “Drop FM ft. Hannah Diamond” just played), and I am heavily considering eating a bowl of cold chili mac (VEGETARIAN, DUH) for breakfast, although wasabi peas are still in the running. Also, I am wearing a T-shirt with Princess Diana on it.
Do you feel like you know me better now? Does it even matter? (PROBABLY NOT!) But I do love a slice o’ life Best Weekend Bets intro, don’t you? (DON’T ANSWER THAT!)
Alright, I’ll stop BOTHERING you and just launch straight into your options the next 96 hours (which is why I ASSUME you’re here) ft. Halloween parties, screenings of A Girl Walks Home At Night (our GIF theme because I flippin’ love that movie and would 110% bone Arash AND/OR The Girl NOT THAT ANYONE EVEN ASKED), dog parades ‘n more!
BUT FIRST…some D0P3 C0NT3NT you might’ve missed on BYT this week if you were too busy wondering what people will storm next now that Area 51 and the impeachment hearings have already been done:
- I had a chat to the very funny Rosebud Baker about comedy and dogs!
- And I had a chat to the also very funny Chanel Ali about how someone paid her $500 to put Harry Potter on her nails!
- Jose Lopez-Sanchez spoke with Jaboukie Young-White about gentrification, and how pineapple is indeed acceptable on pizza!
- Paul Holes told us about Kavik, the best Alaskan Malamute that ever lived! (He also showed us a picture of him with feathered hair, a mustache and short-shorts, so…really a worthwhile post all around!)
- Kaylee interviewed the CEO of the cosplay equivalent of Rent the Runway!
- You can root for the Nats in the World Series even if you aren’t a Nats fan!
- Here’s a listening party from Northern Irish pop cellist (IT’S A THING) Alana Henderson!
- And here’s a chat I had w/ Kendrick Lamar collaborator Anna Wise about her new record, parenthood, self-care and checking your goddamn white privilege!
Thursday October 24
- First, CLEARLY go watch a $7 screening of Jennifer’s Body at Syndicated!
- In terms of tunes, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it for ya – there are a LOT of sold out gigs tonight, including ones from Hinds, DIIV and Cigarettes After Sex. But FORTUNATELY there’s a consolation prize in the fact that you can still snag $40 tickets to see Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins at Kings Theatre!
- (You can ALSO swing by Brooklyn Bowl for a Freddie Mercury/Queen dance party! Tickets are $15.
- For comedy, head to Union Hall for 1. Outcast ft. Fareeha Khan, Marcia Belsky and more ($10) and/or 2. WALT ft. Tracy Soren, Sam Taggart and more ($10)!
- Speaking of double header vibes, over at Caveat we’ve got a new round of Why Your Train Is F*cked ($15-$20) AND a new round of RISK! ft. Anita Flores, Molly Cameron and more ($15)!
- For the bookish among you, you can catch Rebecca Fishbein talking Good Things Happen to People You Hate (TOO TRUE) w/ Lauren Evans at Books Are Magic tonight for free!
- Just starving and wanna eat some COASTAL SOUTHEASTERN FOOD?! Get to Archestratus for Dinner at the Saltwater Table with Chef Whitney Otawka! Many courses, $50.
- (Or maybe you’re more into nerd frequencies, in which case head to Midtown Comics to apparently get a graphic novel signed by George RR Martin and Raya Golden this afternoon!)
Friday October 25
- Starting with the latest thing on the menu, my top vote is an $7 11:59pm screening of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night at Syndicated!
- You should ALSO hit up 3 Dollar Bill for ADVENTURE[s] and a place both wonderful and strange’s Black Lodge/White Noise: An immersive David Lynch + David Bowie Halloween! Tickets are $15-$20 each.
- (Unless you just wanna dance 2 Drake, in which case get to Brooklyn Bowl for Drake Nite! Tickets are $10-$15.)
- Meanwhile, Warehouse of Horrors Halloween Music & Arts Festival kicks off today at Knockdown Center and runs through tomorrow! Tickets start at $75.
- If you’re lookin’ for LOLs, head to Union Hall for Big Debates, Lil Issues ft. Karen Chee, Ariel Dumas, Jes Tom and more! Tickets are $10-$12 each.
- More into queer vibes? Get to C’mon Everybody for a new round of Select All! No cover!
- (Plus stick around for R & She All 90s Halloween Special after that! $5-$8, reduced entry if you come dressed as a 90s pop star!)
- Speaking of parties, Wet Haunt American Summer Halloween Party is being presented by The Skint at Littlefield tonight! Tickets are $7 each.
- Or for something a little less fast-paced, head to Books Are Magic to hang out w/ our FAVORITE HUMAN, aka Tamar Adler, as she speaks w/ Kristin Kimball about Good Husbandry, which is all about farming! Free and open to the public.
Saturday October 26
- Let’s start things just as late (aka 11:59pm) as we did yesterday! Yes, there is another $7 screening of A Girl Walks Home At Night happening at Syndicated and YES, I THINK YOU SHOULD GO!
- Rewinding a bit, we’ve also got brunch screenings of Beetlejuice today and tomorrow at Nitehawk Prospect Park, and Ghostbusters today and tomorrow at Nitehawk Williamsburg!
- (Beetlejuice is ALSO screening at 11am today and tomorrow at the Film Forum!)
- AND clearly get your face to Fort Greene Park for the flippin’ GREAT PUPKIN DOG COSTUME CONTEST!
- Later, Nasty Women Unite Fest kicks off today and runs through tomorrow! Details can be scoped here.
- Or if you’re more in the mood to LOL, get to Union Hall for Sydnee Washington: My Favorite Open Book of Beautiful Garbage! Tickets are $10-$15 each.
- (Plus stick around for Friends Who Folk after that ft. Rachel Wenitsky, Ned Riseley, Larry Owens, Jes Tom and more! Tickets are $8-$10.)
- More into t-t-t-t-tunes? Yoke Lore and Future Generations are set to play Music Hall of Williamsburg for $18-$20!
- We’ve also got Joseph Arthur taking over Rough Trade for $18-$20…
- …and you can catch one and/or two of DIIV’s $25 sets at The Dance!
- PLUS get to the Knitting Factory for I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor: RAICES Dance Party Benefit ft. DJ sets from Oberhofer, Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow, Kip Berman of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and MORE! Tickets are $15 each.
- But if queer dance parties are more your speed, then head to Littlefield for a new round of Be Cute! Tickets are $10 each.
- Past your bedtime? And/or Broke AF? Just head to C’mon Everybody for Yes Homo x Scream, Queen! Halloween Party! Kicks off at 4pm and is FREE!
Sunday October 27
- Kicking things off in tunes land, Gaelynn Lea has a $10 gig at Mercury Lounge // DO NOT MISS!
- We’ve also got a new round of Disco Tehran happening at Baby’s All Right! Tickets are $18 a pop.
- Or for CR8 D1GG3R V1B3S, you should swing by The Windjammer for Independent Record Label Market! FREE ENTRY!
- In the realm of comedy, we’ve got TWO good shows happening at Union Hall – the first is Diwali Party ft. Arti Gollapudi, Aparna Nancherla, Hari Kondabolu, Fareeha Kahn and Pooja Reddy ($10-$12), and the second is B’Ohh! A Sopranos Halloween ft. Mary Houlihan, Nick Naney, Tommy McNamara, Bardia Salimi, Wes Haney and more ($10)!
- Or make it ultra-queer at Strand Books, where a new round of Queerotica is happening tonight! Lineup includes Jess Solomon, Lucas Connolly, Jaye McBride and more, and tickets are just $5 each.
- But maybe you just wanna lord your lesbian knowledge over everyone, in which case head to Caveat for Lez Hang Out: L Word Trivia! Tickets are $20 each, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Ali Forney Center.
- For movie feels of the Hitchcock variety, get to Metrograph for screenings of The Birds and Psycho!
- OR…or…if NONE of that is your jam, just go take a Sex Ed for Witches class at Catland! Tickets are $15.