Possibly the most kitsch assembled at Christie’s in a long time (save any given Jeff Koons collection), The James Brown Collection auction, taking place today (July 17), is estimated to earn his estate (which is still plagued by disputes among his relatives and business managers) approximately $2M.

By the standards of the classical-music world, Lang Lang is a superstar. He’s appeared in just about all the major media outlets, he has the backing of a major record label, and has managed to stay in the spotlight by ruffling a few feathers with his unorthodox demeanor and sometimes overheated, bombastic interpretations of music. [...]

Thirteen/WNET president Neal Shapiro interviews Glenn D. Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, about MoMA’s growing permanent collection, their expansion and renovation, and the transformation of a former warehouse in Long Island City, Queens, into a high-tech study and storage center. Watch the interview.

The summer public art onslaught continues with the New York City Parks’ Dance Out! initiative, a series of site specific dance performances around the city. The parks’ series will travel not just to flagships like Central Park or Prospect Park, but to less obvious spaces like St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx or Staten Island’s [...]

In Basil Twist’s new collaboration with Robby Barnett and Jonathan Wolken for Pilobolus, a shadowy wedge grows into a figure’s waist; creatures that appear like frothy doodles inhabit a sea blue scrim; a face morphs into a scary biting and licking machine; nebula-like wisps dance across a starry field; blobs consume other blobs and grow. [...]

Comprising a film retrospective, a gallery installation, live concerts, and a panel discussion, Jazz Score — at MoMA until Sept. 15 — celebrates some of the best original jazz composed for the cinema from the 1950s to the present. Watch a video about the exhibit.

Last week, Jennifer Melick took her 11-year-old son to the opening night of Damn Yankees at City Center. The next morning, she read the reviews and decided that it’s a problem if, when you read a performance review, you feel you’re intruding on a private conversation between the critic and five of his jaded best [...]

This week, you voted on a trio of Reel 13 shorts that featured innovative animations, including tales from Ark City Kansas, life after graduation, and a dentist’s life. Only one could win. Which was it?

In 2004, Terrence Fisher watched his best friend die at the hands of an NYC police officer. This innocent teen’s death outraged Bed-Stuy residents, and Fisher and his friends fought back by organizing protests and filming this documentary, which headlines this week’s Reel NY. 5 other short films follow. Watch all online.

Summer has a kind of Jekyll/Hyde duality. As appealing as outdoor events might sound – concerts and plays in the park, hot dog eating contests on the boardwalk – I find myself seeking cool indoor places. Two major art shows currently on view reflect this external/internal tension, and not simply because of the obvious settings.