There’s so much going on in the City of Angels, it can be hard to keep track of it all. Thanks to the new Flavorpill, we’re inviting the entire community to make suggestions with its gorgeous city-based culture guide — an open platform where our very own editors and curators meet and mingle with artists, gadabouts, and other tipsters for a limitless variety of both ongoing and one-off recommendations. With this in mind, please enjoy our weekly list of hand-picked event suggestions here on Flavorwire, and in the meantime, be sure to check out the new Flavorpill. We’ll see you there.
Monday, May 20
FILM: The Elegiac Visions Of Phil Solomon
Tuesday, May 21
Sterling Ruby: Anti-Print Poster 1,2,3 (set of 3 Prints), 2007
ART: Happening 2013: LACE Benefit Art Auction Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions is one of the pillars of brave contemporary art and performance art on the West Coast — thanks in no small part to the generosity of the artists, curators, and collectors who have made a point of supporting it over the decades. The most high-spirited of LACE’s annual fund-raisers, Happening 2013 is far more than just another auction. The organizers invite a group of local curators to select and solicit the pieces for sale, with an eclectic array of A-list and emerging voices represented in the results; and their areas are organized more like a series of micro-exhibitions than a sales rack. Come for the party, stay for the closing-bell acquisitions frenzy – and now, thanks to Paddle8, you can also bid online. — Shana Nys Dambrot
Wednesday, May 22
MUSIC: Morrissey’s 54th Unhappy Birthday Celebration These are rough days for Moz fans, what with all his tour cancellations and talk of possible retirement from music due to certain ailments. But what would being a Morrissey fan be without a little doom and gloom every now and then? And without a little Moz drama from time to time, we wouldn’t be able to really enjoy events like this birthday celebration at the Fonda Theatre with Smiths/Morrissey tribute band Sweet and Tender Hooligans, along with Ghostwolf. — Jason Diamond
Thursday, May 23
MUSIC: Johnny Cash Tribute Night Johnny Cash is the man we all secretly want to be — the outsider and addict who found redemption without losing either his edge or his soul, singing with that unmistakably knowing voice, sharing his heart’s devotion while oozing with humble cool. For this tribute night at Los Globos, local musicians The Cash Fix Band step up to cover the Man in Black, along with DJs and special guests, all evoking the badass spirit of Mr. Cash. — Ewa Josefsson
Friday, May 24
FILM: Vertigo (1958) When it’s good, there’s nothing better than a congenial, heroic, funny leading man playing against type — and when that man is Jimmy Stewart, it’s good. A policeman with secrets and demons of his own, he’s in love with a woman he is supposed to be trailing, whose death is either real or staged, but in either case triggers something like a psychotic break in the normally avuncular good guy. Suspense, icy blondes in tailored suits, unmistakable music, and fabulous retro special effects all contribute to the Hitchcock fun-house nightmare world in which nothing is as it seems. — Shana Nys Dambrot
Saturday, May 25
Photo: Tanja M. Laden
FESTIVAL: Topanga Days We love Topanga Canyon for its historic roots, lush vegetation, and evergreen bohemian vibe. An annual Memorial Day weekend tradition, Topanga Days is nestled deep inside the heart of the quirky local enclave, and it’s as good a reason as any to take a mini-staycation from the city’s often headache-inducing stress — not to mention the traffic that usually comes with a three-day weekend. With nonstop music, a wide range of vendors, and an even bigger selection of munchies, Topanga Days is not unlike a county fair for hippies, but without the pig racing and tapestry competition — unless you count fashion-inspired people-watching as a sport. — Tanja M. Laden
FILM: The Princess Bride (1987)
Sunday, May 26
PARTY: Miss Kitty’s Military Ball w/ Prince Poppycock
Ongoing
Pat Riot’s chewing-gum portrait of Darryl Strawberry.
ART: Out of Left Field Out of Left Field is an exhibit of new work from artist Pat Riot, along with special guest artist Bill Barminski. A lifelong baseball fan, Riot realized years ago that bubblegum is a long-lasting art medium. This exhibit at Known Gallery features hundreds of baseball cards that the artist defaced (or “re-faced,” as Riot prefers to say) with chewed bubblegum, as well as large, Impressionist-style portraits of similarly re-faced Major League Baseball players such as Jackie Robinson, Darryl Strawberry, and Eddie Murray. Partial proceeds benefit the Major League Baseball Players Association’s Urban Youth Academy, while 100% of proceeds from Riot’s pre-sold piece Jackie Robinson, made from bubblegum on aluminum, goes directly to the organization. In addition, three of Riot’s bubblegum portraits are up for auction, with the winning bidder commissioning a Riot portrait of a player of his or her choice. — Karin E. Baker