This long weekend in LA means food, parties, gallery openings and music. So basically the same things we like to do every weekend, but in greater quantities. Enjoy, LA.
THURSDAYWhat: Heroes and Villains LaunchWhy: Independent artisan press Zero+ Publishing presents Heroes and Villains a gorgeous collection of up close and personal photographs of artistic luminaries including Dave Kinsey, Natalia Fabia and Shepard Fairey, as captured by photographers Tatiana Wills and Roman Cho. The photographers and many of the artists will be in attendance at this book launch, so don’t be shy about asking them to sign your copy.When: September 1, 7pm, freeWhere: Launch LA, 125 East Sixth Street, at South Los Angeles Street, (323-899-1363or launchla.org)
FRIDAYWhat: The TasteWhy: This massive four day “unusual epicurean extravaganza” food fest begins on Friday evening with two events: “Burgers and Beer” in Beverly Hills and “The Art of Mixing” in Hollywood. Grab tickets for one, or both, and kick off your long weekend in high gastronomic style.When: September 2, Burgers and Beer 7pm, The Art of Mixing 9pm, $125Where: Locations vary, see website for details, (events.latimes.com/taste)
What: Totally 80sWhy: Relive the era of Reaganomics and Molly Ringwald with a totally 80s lineup that includes Berlin, The Human League, The Fixx and the ever-quirky and always delightful B-52s.When: September 2, 7:30pm $20-$95Where: The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 North Highland Avenue (323-850-2000 or hollywoodbowl.com)
SATURDAYWhat: Crosstown Progressive LA History Trivia QuizWhy: Think you know the City of Angels? Head to the Hammer and prove your local prowess during this LA-centric trivia contest, which will be facilitated by Jeopardy! champ Jerome Vered, the third highest winning contestant in the show’s history. Crosstown’s second round goes down at 7pm at Boyle Heights second hand book store Libros Schmibros, and scores from the two bouts will be added up to determine the winning LA expert.When: September 3, 4pm, freeWhere: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, at Westwood Boulevard, (310-443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu)
What: Murals Under the StarsWhy: Mexican and Latin American art expert Gregorio Luke will lecture on works by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros during the lovely high-culture Saturday evening art event Murals Under the Stars. Says Luke: “I will be lecturing on a little island surrounded by swans and you will be sitting on a grassy hill where you can lay blankets and have a picnic.” Sounds like a scene as pretty as a picture.When: September 3, 8:30pm, freeWhere: East LA Civic Center, 4801 East Third Street, at Mednik Avenue, (562-305-0133 or gregorioluke.com)
SUNDAYWhat: AFI’s Great American Movie QuizWhy: We go back to the Bowl on Sunday for the world premier of the American Film Institute’s Great American Movie Quiz. Hosted by Jeopardy’s Alex Trebek, this event will test the audience’s movie knowledge with questions about the greatest American films of every genre and decade. Questions will be answered live the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and classic films clips will be project on the screen. I’ll take “sounds like fun,” for $500, Alex.When: September 4, 7:30pm, $16-$168Where: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 North Highland Avenue, (323-850-2000 or hollywoodbowl.com)
What: Flagstop Art FestivalWhy: South Bay artist collective Flagstop presents art in non-traditional venues, and will thus take over a Torrance Lexus dealership for a two day gallery installation of more than 500 works of art. The shows’ curators include City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department curator Scott Canty and former LACMA curator Howard Fox.When: September 2-4, 12pm – 6pm, freeWhere: South Bay Lexus, 24777 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance, (flagstopart.com)