It’s been a quotable year at the 92nd Street Y. Our guest lecturers left some yummy soundbites stuck in our minds. Here’s a few:

“Bonobos are the sexiest apes.”
—Frans de Waal, October 10, 2005

“The day we turn to journalists for military strategy, this country’s going to hell.”
—Thomas P.M. Barnett, October 23, 2005

“The question is not ‘how’s the war in Iraq going?’ The war ended May 2003. The question now is ‘how’s the peace in Iraq going?’”
—Thomas P.M. Barnett again, October 23, 2005

“Fortunately, monetary theory works at 14,000 feet above sea level.”
—Jeffrey Sachs on his work controlling hyperinflation in Bolivia, October 27, 2005

“Turkey: Why be second-class Europeans, when we can be the leader of the Arab world?”
—Ralph Buultjens, November 6, 2005

“My West Wing equivalent would be the bleary-eyed insomniac surrounded by coffee cups.”
—Gene Sperling, November 17, 2005

“We won the argument but lost all influence over the government.”
—David Hare, December 5, 2005

“Generally, if the statistics are bad ones, they’re pretty much closer to the truth.”
—Elizabeth Economy, referring to China’s government reports, December 4, 2005

“I lose my temper more quickly. I have to—I’m getting old.”
—Harold Bloom, December 12, 2005

2006 promises a whole new slew of quotables with guests such as string theorists Brian Greene and Michio Kaku, ambassadors L. Paul Bremer and Richard Holbrooke, film moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein, authors Pete Hamill and Tom Wolfe, comedians Carl Reiner and Dick Cavett, poet Seamus Heaney, professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and many, many others. See you next year.

Art critic and historian Jed Perl is a regular fixture over at The New Republic and The New York Review of Books. His 2000 book Eyewitness: Reports from an Art World in Crisis lamented art in “the age of the dealmakers” and the recently released New Art City—a history of New York’s mid-century art scene—is turning out to be one of the most popular art-related texts of the year.

We recently had the opportunity to have a short chat with Jed about New Art City, Eyewitness and his upcoming 92nd Street Y appearance. After the jump, Perl on the current New York art scene, his favorite museums and why we’re still in “the age of the dealmakers.”

Happy New Year! Here’s what we have on the agenda to kick off 2006:

· Yet Another Award Winner: Berlin International Film Festival winner Fateless screens on Tuesday, January 3 at Makor. The story of a Hungarian teenager’s survival of Nazi concentration camps will be followed by a post-screening discussion with author and professor Thane Rosenbaum.

· Saving the Cute, Cuddly Things: The ASPCA is aiming to make New York a “no-kill” city by 2008. Learn how they will do that with ASPCA President Edwin Sayres and Jane Hoffman, president of the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, on Thursday, January 5.

· New Year’s Jazz: Join some of New York’s best jazz pianists including Dick Hyman, Derek Smith and Bill Charlap for Dick & Derek’s Piano Party on Saturday, January 7. Learn more.

· Dance, Mexican-style: The Calpulli Mexican Dance company presents Mexican indigenous dance and music on January 8 with Images of Dance from Mexico.

· From HBO to 92nd Street: Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Susie Essman will be stopping by on Sunday, January 8 to talk comedy and Hollywood with The View’s Joy Behar. Want a sneak preview?

In less than two weeks, humorist of the moment Andy Borowitz will be stopping by Makor along with stand-up comedian Eugene Mirman and CBS’ Lisa Leingang to discuss a topic close to our hearts: the future of comedy. It’s part of our New York States of Mind series hosted by author Peter Hyman (The Reluctant Metrosexual)

For a sneak preview, there’s a transcript of Borowitz’s MSNBC interview available online, and it’s full of one-liners.

[A Laughing Matter: A Comedic State of the Union: 01/11/06]

What do you get when you combine computer nerds and tango fans? The Tango Wiki. It’s one of the more intriguing ideas we’ve seen out there for sites dance-related: a collaborative effort to document Argentine tango songs, events and dance moves.

And we’re having one of our tango parties next week with Madonna’s tango dance coaches, Danel and Maria. Stop by.

[Argentine Tango Party: 01/07/06]

Even though we’re more than halfway through Hanukkah, we thought we’d tip you off that the 92nd Street Y’s website offers an introductory guide to Hanukkah basics that includes background on the holiday, history, candle-lighting times, the story behind dreidels and menorahs and much more.

And if you were ever curious about what the word sufganiot means, here’s your chance.

Hint: Homer Simpson would love them.

Non-profit Kids with Cameras is the organization behind the Academy Award-winning documentary Born into Brothels. The documentary, a look into the lives of prostitutes’ children in Calcutta, screened at Makor and eventually aired on HBO. HBO’s website offers an interview with filmmaker Ross Kaufman.

KwC’s latest project is The Kids of Jerusalem. Twenty-six Jewish and Palestinian children were given cameras and sent out to photograph Jerusalem’s Old City in groups. Some of the pictures can be seen on their website. They’re worth a look.

In January, the program’s head, Jason Eskenazi, will be stopping by the Y to talk about working with kids in a political hotspot. Eskenazi, who previously worked as a freelance photographer with the Times and elsewhere before hooking up with KwC, also did an amazing photo essay on the Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan for Eurasianet.

[Beyond the Wall: Palestinians and Israelis Through a Child’s Lens: 01/09/06]

Here’s one more contender for your NYE plans (and we think it’s a darn good one): New Year’s Eve at Makor:

• Balagan Boogaloo: DJ Shotnez and DJ Handler (right) will be spinning Brazillian baile funk, bhangra and afrobeat. Live dancers, projectors, the whole shebang.
• Live music from Frank London (Klezmatics) and Aaron Alexander’s Midrash Mish Mosh; klezmer meets Gypsy, Balkan and Middle Eastern music
• A screening of the James Cagney classic White Heat with an introduction by film legend Peter Bogdanovich
• The “Slamukah” poetry slam
• Raffle for a trip for two to Fiji
• Two-hour open beer-and-wine bar from 10pm-12am and champagne toast at midnight

Upcoming 92nd Street Y guest Chris Kennedy Lawford grew up in one of America’s most famous families. The son of Pat Kennedy and Peter Lawford, his childhood was a different one: The first woman he ever saw naked was Jackie O. Marilyn Monroe taught him how to do the twist. His father’s best friends were Frank Sinatra and JFK.

Newsweek published an excerpt from Lawford’s new book. Interesting reading.

[Chris Kennedy Lawford on the Kennedy Legacy: 01/12/06]

Newly added to our Reel Pieces series is a night with character-actor supreme Philip Seymour Hoffman and his latest film, Capote. We’ve already mentioned the Y connection: Capote’s In Cold Blood debuted for the first time at the 92nd Street Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall in a surprise reading by the author way back in 1964.

We’ll be screening Capote, of course, and following the movie Hoffman will stick around for a conversation with moderator Annette Insdorf. Hoffman is one of the hardest working actors out there and has taken on some unique roles over the years—it’ll be a treat.

[Reel Pieces: Philip Seymour Hoffman: 01/11/06]

New Yorker regular and beloved food writer Calvin Trillin is one of the go-to authorities on Manhattan’s food scene. At last year’s New Yorker festival, he took visitors on a dining tour of Lower Manhattan that included some spots even we had not heard of before.

What are the highlights of food below 14th Street according to Mr. Trillin? Bleecker Street restaurant Home, pizza at Sullivan Street Bakery, East Broadway’s “Chinese Greens Cart,” cheese shop DiPalo’s, and Chinatown’s New Chao Chow, Fried Dumplings and 88 Palace.

In less than two weeks, Calvin will be at the Y to discuss Restaurants From the Inside Out with TV chef Rocco DiSpirito and eGullet.com founder Steven Shaw.

[Restaurants From the Inside Out: 01/12/06]

Reuters and Time both recently posted their best photos of 2005 [via Kottke]. Some stunning work.

And we’ve got a full slate of photography classes beginning the end of January if you get inspired.

In his years with the New York Giants, Tiki Barber has managed to turn himself into a media brand. Apart from his football career, Barber is also a regular commentator on FNC’s Fox and Friends, the host of a weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show and the author of several childrens’ books.

Over in the Daily News, Bob Raissman wrote an interesting article on Barber’s media presence and how he built up his brand.

On Tuesday, January 10, Barber will be stopping by the Y to discuss his football career and life on and off the field with NY1’s Budd Mishkin.

[Tiki Barber of the New York Giants: 01/10/06]

On the arts tip: Classical guitar legend Pepe Romero will be co-curating the annual Guitar Marathon in January along with David Spelman. The theme this time around is ”450 Years of the Spanish Guitar” and performers include Renaissance lute expert Paul O’Dette, California classical guitarist Gyan Riley and Martha Masters. We’ll also be premiering new works by Dominic Frasca and Riley and a New York premiere from Celedonio Romero.

Virtuoso Eliot Fisk will be performing during the evening session, too, as this Guitar Technique Tutor blog notes. Guitar lovers rejoice.

Upcoming Y guest Douglas Rushkoff (yes, the Open Source Judaism guy) is also a prolific blogger. We recently checked out a preview he posted in his blog for his new Vertigo/DC comic book exploring the Bible. It looks fascinating.

In January, Rushkoff will be discussing whether Jews are becoming more closeminded in a panel discussion here with other notable figures including the New Yorker’s Jeffrey Goldberg.

[The Closing of the Jewish Mind? 01/10/06]