BET ON FRINGE

Can’t afford a last-minute summer vacay to Vegas? Stay in town and take a gamble on the New York International Fringe Festival. There’s no telling which of the more than 200 productions running for the next two weeks throughout downtown Manhattan will be any good, but that’s always part of the fun. Among this year’s batch, Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie, George and Laura Bush, Marlene Dietrich and Elizabeth Taylor all get the low-budget theater company treatment. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of B-list talent to choose from, like Logo comedian and NYC club kid Jonny McGovern in Dirty Stuff, and campy ’80s superstar Everett Quinton (of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company) in Devil Boys From Beyond.

Aug. 14-30, 2009