As we have long known, nobody stands up for New York's cinematic dignity quite as vehemently and knowledgeably as the Post's omniscient Cindy Adams. And on the cusp of King Kong's immense premiere event--with Peter Jackson in town evidently surveying the set-up--Ms. Adams reared back today for a bejeweled-knuckled bitch slap:

The King Kong premiere nearly made a monkey out of New York. Its original $5 million request was to shut down all of Times Square, cut off the traffic, etc., etc, so its giant premiere for this giant animal could be at assorted theaters up and down the street. This for a movie about New York that was shot in New Zealand. And how's that for new chutzpah. Clearly King Kong had gone ape. Its expectations, its budget, its arrogance and maybe its anticipated reviews have all simmered down a bit, and Mr. Kong will swing into our jungle soon. With respect.

Now, now, Cindy. Nothing about King Kong has simmered down at ALL except for maybe Peter Jackson's blood pressure--have you seen how thin that guy is now? If Cindy really wants to be New York's unofficial stage mother, she should swallow her pride and take that guy a steak or something.

That being said, the premiere is indeed drawing near, and you only have a few more days to tell The Reeler which inflatable Kong you want stalking your city. And speaking of respect--you cannot complain if you do not vote, Cindy! Get to it!