DON’T MISS!: STILL KING!
Eighty years ago on Sunday, the mighty “King Kong’’ premiered and filled nearly 10,000 seats at Radio City Music Hall and its long-gone sister movie palace in Rockefeller Center, the RKO Roxy — no mean feat in the depths of the Great Depression. To mark the anniversary, Film Forum is not only showing the film all day Sunday — but will hold a “Fay Wray Scream-Alike Contest’’ after its $7 “Film Forum Jr.’’ show at 11 a.m. It’s open to both girls and boys under 12 who want to emulate the star of one of Hollywood’s great adventure fantasies. Blond wigs optional. Houston and Varick streets. Info: filmforum.org.
— Lou Lumenick
2 of 5
LISTEN UP!: SKA TO BE GOOD
You can’t fault the Skatalites for commitment. Fifty years on from their first shows in Jamaica, the ska/reggae pioneers are about to release a new album here, “Walk With Me,” and still tour all over.
“It’s not just West Indians and Jamaicans — we have all kinds of people come to our shows, and they’re usually quite young,” explains bassist Val Douglas, who’s been a Skatalite for only eight years. “It’s very interesting to see the music of my youth being enjoyed by today’s youth.”
Having been cited as influences by modern American ska acts such as No Doubt and Fishbone, there’s no shortage of people eager to see one of the original sources. On Saturday, the Skatalites’ master class comes to Brooklyn Bowl and will no doubt include their much-adored version of the James Bond theme. “We play it almost every night because we know what our fans like,” says Douglas. $10. 8 p.m. at 61 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg; 718-963-3369, brooklynbowl.com.
— Hardeep Phull
3 of 5
CATCH HIM!: REC ROOM
You know him best as the carnivorous Ron Swanson on the sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” But actor Nick Offerman is thinking outside the tube touring with a one-man show, “American Ham,” that stops at Town Hall tomorrow.
He’ll dispense his “10 tips for a prosperous life.” But, he concedes, “The actual tips are like clumps of broccoli laced into a meal of pizza or mac ’n’ cheese. The rest of the show is more delectable and funny.”
Offerman will also perform a half-dozen original songs on guitar, which he says “seem to be going over well despite my musicianship.”
Still not sure what his live show is like? Offerman describes himself as “a more foul-mouthed and less educated Garrison Keillor.”
Shows at 7 and 10 p.m.; tickets start at $48. 123 W. 43rd St.; 212-840-2824, the-townhall-nyc.org.
— Frank Scheck
Mitchell Haaseth/NBC
4 of 5
CHECK IT OUT!: VIEW YORK CITY
Two artists want to rock your world — or, at least, the area around Madison Square Park. From today to April 5, “Topsy-Turvy” will turn the Flatiron District upside down, thanks to an old-fashioned device called camera obscura.
“It’s really low-tech,” says Sandra Gibson, who, with her partner Luis Recoder, made the commissioned piece for the park between Fifth and Madison avenues and 23rd and 26th streets. “There’s no lens: Just a wood structure with a hole through which light refracts and projects an image.” Their camera obscura — literally, a dark room — will be big enough to accommodate three people at once, giving them a fisheye-view of the Flatiron Building and more, all within sniffing distance of Shake Shack. And yes, Recoder says, “we had a few burgers there when there wasn’t a line around the block!” Free, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, madisonsquarepark.org.
— Barbara Hoffman
Freelance
5 of 5
TAKE A BITE!: GET VEGGIE WITH IT
When Nira Paliwoda co-founded the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival, she was a blissful and guilt-free meat-eater. “I’ve been converted!” jokes the self-described “flexitarian” of her dietary evolution.
At the third-annual meatless mecca tomorrow and Sunday at the Metropolitan Pavilion, carnivores are welcome and encouraged to attend. Just don’t confuse it with Meatopia! The best part: She promises no moralizing.
With strictly vegan fare, speakers from around the world, 100 vendors and even a kids section, Paliwoda says, “This event is geared towards openness and education — our main push is for healthy eating, living and curiosity about this lifestyle. It’s never in-your-face propaganda. Our speakers are there to educate, never there to judge.”
So, if you’re hungry to learn — or just hungry, head to 125 W. 18th St.; 212-463-0200, nycvegfoodfest.com. General admission $5 per day; VIP admission $30 per day; kids 10 and under, free.
— Doree Lewak
Alamy
