Metal, Punk, R&B or Hip Hop: It's All At the CMJ Music Festival

OMG! It’s CMJ in NYC!
Translation: Wow! The CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival takes over New York City this week as more than 1,200 bands perform at more than 75 venues across the city. Movies have their place as well, including the premiere of The Messenger, starring Woody Harrelson.
If you’re used to wandering barefoot across fields in some rural locale to hear the latest cutting-edge bands at a festival, you’ll be happy-–or not--to hear that the farthest you’ll have to go is a subway ride. Never heard of the CMJ festival? In the past, it has famously showcased Green Day, U2, REM and the Killers, among others, before they were mega-names. This year, ‘90s pop rock takes center stage (Why? Not sure) with Vertical Horizon and Spin Doctors’ front man Chris Barron putting in appearances. Not cutting-edge enough for you? Well, you can always check out Tribute Wars, an all-metal tribute to Michael Jackson and The Bee Gees.
The festival runs through Saturday, October 24; before then, you can hear Jersey punk band the Screaming Females at the Mercury Lounge (217 E. Houston Street on October 21, and FYI, only one female is in the band); and the CMJ Showcase at S.O.B.’s (204 Varick Street) on October 22; it features new-wave, R&B and hip-hop acts.
More information can be found at cmj.com.

If It’s Summer, It Must be the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival 2009

Summer is for movies. But it’s also for being outside. Big dilemma!
No, wait…go to New York City’s HBO Bryant Park Summer Film festival, and you can do both!
Now in its 17th year, the free (no tickets needed) Time Warner Cable-sponsored festival shows movies every Monday night approximately at sunset (usually between 8:00 and 9:00 pm) from mid-June through August 17.
The festival kicked off with “The Sting” and will end with “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” In between, viewers are treated to such classics as the cult favorite “Harold and Maude” (with Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon; July 20); “The Defiant Ones” (Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis; July 27); and “Kramer vs. Kramer” (Dustin Hoffman; Meryl Streep; August 3). For a complete schedule, call 212 512-5700, or go to http://blog.when/hbofilmfest. AOL keyword: Bryant Park Film festival.
The movies are shown on a huge (22” x 43.5”) screen in the park, located between 40th and 42nd Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The lawn opens to viewers at 5:00 pm; you can bring a blanket and picnic on the lawn, or try to grab one of the 4,000 park chairs on the sidelines.
Tom Colicchio’s ‘wichcraft sandwich spots have kiosks set up where you can purchase sandwiches and ice cream, or you can bring your own food.
Either way, it’s the perfect melding of indoor-outdoor fun.