Photo by ~db~ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr SALSA & MERENGUE DANCING Dance Downtown kicks up its heels tonight for the first installment of the summer-long Friday night series. Free admission to anyone who feels like trying a little salsa out on the Music Center Plaza. Beginner lessons are at 6:30, and a live DJ provides the tunes from 7:15-10. 6:30-10 p.m. // Music Center Plaza // 135 North Grand Avenue,......

TALK Matt Welch, editor of Reason magazine and author of McCain: The Myth of a Maverick will be providing his take on the Republican Presidential nominee at the Deconstructing McCain chat. Sure to be a thought provoking and stirring presentation and of growing importance given the fast approaching election. 7:30 pm // Los Angeles Central Library, Mark Taper Auditorium // 630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles // Free READING Michael Ondaatje, author of The......

MUSIC* Do we actually need an intro for a Metallica show? A bit pricey, but sure to bring the house down and for a good cause. 7 pm // The Wiltern // 3790 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles // $203.50. MUSEUM The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago has put together an exhibition of artwork documenting the African presence in Mexico, now on display at the California African American Museum. The exhibition spans centuries of......

Art Walk It's sort of like a mini Downtown Art Walk, but it's not Thursday. Tonight is the preview night of Art Seen 3's auction gala on May 17th that will benefit the AIDS Research Alliance. Unlike this weekend's event, tonight is free and is a block party on Main St. between 3rd and 4th Streets. Some 200 pieces will be showcased along with bands playing on the street. You can also get free HIV......

Photo by hiddedevries via Flickr COMEDY It's the last week of the Los Angeles Comedy Festival in Hollywood. There are two shows tonight (one at 8:00 p.m., another at 9:30 p.m.) that include 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, Dry Hump and The Comedy Jesus Show. 8:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m. // McCadden Theatre // 1157 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles // $12/show CHEAP EATS Whether you're over the hill on the East or Westside, or even......

This is hot tofu. Cold Tofu brings their brand of Asian-American improv to the New LATC tonight. THEATRE Hot & Ready are two one-woman plays about dating and looking for love. And a few other things. Vanessa Williams’s “Feet on the Ceiling” are stories of a sexual revelations . Juliette Jeffers’s “Looking for a Chocolate Match.com” chronicles Internet dating. 8 pm // Elephant Space Theater // 6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles // $20.......

Vision gets re-interpreted at the Zimmer Children's Museum. / Photo by Paul Keleher via flickr. ART* ”The Art of Vision” features artists like David Hockney and Paul Frank who created works of art that play on a theme. In this case, “vision” includes objects like glasses, binoculars, telescopes and cameras. Proceeds from the exhibit go to youTHink – a museum division that brings art programs to schools and community centers. 6pm // Zimmer Children’s......

See this primordial ooze, the rest of the Tar Pits and the Page Museum for free today. / Photo by Gamma Infinity via LAist's flickr pool. TALK* McSweeney’s has published the debut novel Bowl of Cherries by Millard Kaufman. What’s different here is that Mr. Kaufman is a 90-year-old ex-Marine who created Mr. Magoo way back when. It’s described as “A bizarre and funny pseudo-take on Great Expectations, Kaufman's book has enough twists and......

Yes, it's Cinco de Mayo, and nearly every bar we can think of is having some sort of fiesta. But here are a few other options for tonight if tequila slammers don't quite fit into your schedule: FILM Today marks the New Beverly Cinema's 30th year in business – and this month’s calendar is a show-for-show replication of the New Beverly’s 1978 debut calendar. The double bill tonight are Sci-Fi classics Soylent Green with......

COMEDY Los Angeles is a funny place. No joke. To celebrate the laughter and mirth of LA LA land, tonight’s the kickoff of the Los Angeles Comedy Festival – with nearly three weeks of improv, sketch and standup comedy. Tonight there’s an 8 pm show with Scott Nery and a 9:30 show with the Queers of Comedy. 8 and 9:30 pm // McCadden Place Theatre // 1157 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles // $12. FILMS......

CLASSICAL This event reminds us of those old-time dance marathons, but this time it’s USC’s Thornton School students testing their endurance by playing seven hours of nonstop chamber music a night. Tonight’s the last night of the Chamber Music Marathon. 5 pm to midnight // Alfred Newman Recital Hall // USC University Park Campus // Free. MUSIC DOCUMENTARY* There’s a double feature at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater of documentaries. The U.S. vs. John......

FILM GOOD Magazine and Paramount Vantage Films are hosting an advanced screening of Son of Rambow. It’s a British comedy about a boy living in seclusion among a religious sect that doesn’t allow movies or TV. But when the kid sees his first movie – a pirated copy of Rambo: First Blood, his imagination is blown wide open. Seating is first come, first-served and you must RSVP by 5:30 pm today. 7:30 pm //......

Believe it or not, there's more going on in LA than basketball these days. / Photo by consiglieri80 via LAist's flickr pool. PERFORMANCE Largo, one of our favorite little clubs in the city, is closing on Fairfax. But don’t cry just yet because it will reopen in a bigger space on La Cienega in a few months. But the last shows on Fairfax, like tonight’s Greg Proops Chat show, are sure to be memorable......

ART This exhibit sounds like it belongs in the Museum of Jurassic Technology, but it's at the Gold Bug in Pasadena instead: Artist Lisa Wood constructs fictionalized case studies based on Chevalier Jackson’s (1865-1958) medical work, where he recovered objects from his patients' gullets and windpipes. Jackson’s found objects are on display at The Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, but Wood assembled “an array of Nineteenth century "potential" obstructions along with original era tintype photographs......

The American Institute of Architects-LA hosts a panel discussion tonight called "Rethinking the City." / Photo by Peggy Archer via LAist's flickr pool. TALK The American Institute of Architects-Los Angeles chapter is hosting a panel discussion “Rethinking the City.” It’s a conversation about how enlightened policy and design can revitalize economies and create a truly sustainable community. Panelists include: Cecilia Estolano, CEO of the Community Redevelopment Agency/Los Angeles; Helmi Hisserich, LA deputy mayor for......

Cowboys invade suburbia this weekend at the City of Santa Clarita's annual Cowboy Festival. / Photo by puck90 via LAist's flickr pool. PERFORMANCE The Pacific Resident Theatre remembers the life and works of author William Saroyan (Human Comedy, The Time of Your Life) through music, readings, and guest speakers in honor of Saroyan’s Centennial (1908-2008). This is a one-night only show. 8 pm // Pacific Resident Theatre // 703 Venice Blvd., Venice // $12.......

Happy Earth Day, everyone! If you're looking for something tree huggy to do around town today, then read this post. Otherwise, keep reading below for other things to do tonight that aren't quite as green. FILM Black Orpheus (1959) was the 1960 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film. It's an ancient love story set to a bossa-nova soundtrack by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luis Bonfá. "The film re-imagines the Greek myth of......

Childhood obesity is rampant, and junk food contributes to a lot of it. Though these fries look oh...so...good. / Photo by Steve Beger Photography (Beger.com Productions) via flickr. CLASSICAL The LA Phil’s free “Neighborhood Concert” series brings music to local schools, churches and other local venues. Tonight, classical music fills St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Ticket requests are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The one-hour concert performance is presented without an intermission. Parking......

Afternoon tea is a perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon. / Photo by motograf via flickr. Is your bff in town this weekend? Looking for fun, girlie things to do? Then this edition of “Pencil This In” is for you. (Don't worry guys, you can do these things, too. Except probably item #3.) TEA Sometimes you just find yourself in the mood for the smoky flavor of lapsang souchong tea, scones with cream......

The Bent Festival kicks off tonight with a concert. / Photo by PPDigital via flickr. FOOD TALK Los Angeles Times food critic and historian Charles Perry discusses all things food with other chefs and critics during the museum’s “Los Angeles and California: A Fusion of Tastes” series. Tonight’s subject is “Los Angeles Landmarks.” Sample dishes will be prepared by the Autry’s chef Carolyn Baer. 7 pm // Autry National Museum // 4700 Western Heritage......

CABARET Lucent Dossier brings its vaudeville/cabaret show to the Edison tonight. Who do they have in their talent roster? Little elves, fire dancers, belly dancers, trapeze artists, contortionists, jugglers, burlesque dancers, performance art and the bearded lady. So, really, you never know what to expect tonight. 9 pm // Edison // 108 West 2nd St. 101, Los Angeles // $15. TALK * Iranian authors Azar Nafisi (Reading Lolita in Tehran) and Marjane Satrapi Persepolis......

Where's your meat come from? An event tonight looks at the food we eat. / Photo by ~db~ via LAist's flickr pool. TRIVIAL MATTERS “Booze Clues” is a bimonthly pub quiz that tests trivial knowledge of current events and pop culture. Bring your own team of six players or come as a free agent and form join another team at the bar. Prizes are awarded for the highest score, most entertaining wrong answers and......

The Moth presents its StorySLAM finals tonight at King King. / Emperor moth photo by guano via flickr. CLASSICAL MUSIC Composer Helmut Lachenmann makes a rare visit to Los Angeles for this portrait concert that explores three of his works, including the West Coast premiere of the truly spectacular Mouvement for fifteen players. 8 pm // Zipper Concert Hall @ Colburn School // 200 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles // $25 general admission, $10......

There's lots of stuff to do in LA on the cheap tonight. / Photo by Sundogg via LAist's flickr pool. This column is dedicated to all the broke folks out there because April is the cruelist month. If you own a house, property taxes are due about the same time as taxes (if you're one of the lucky ones who owe Uncle Sam a little somethin' somethin'). So this Friday edition of "Pencil This......

All kinds of art happens today and through the weekend / Photo by LaurenP! via LAist's flickr pool. TALK Zócalo’s lecture series continues tonight with Sen. Chuck Hagel and “America: Our Next Chapter.” The Republican from Nebraska will talk about the nation’s most pressing issues and his theories on how to get the country back on track. 7:30 pm // ArcLight Sherman Oaks // 15301 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks // Free, but reservations recommended.......

TEEVEE If you’re a fan the David Boreanaz-Emily Deschanel sexual tension on FOX’s Bones, then you’re in luck. The two co-stars as well as other cast members and crew are appearing at the Paley Center tonight to talk about the show. 7 pm // Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills // 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills // $25. TALK* Listen to Stephen Hawking (in real life!) as he talks about the black......

A couple events tonight focus on the city of LA. / Photo by Tyler S. Andrews via LAist's featured photo pool. TEEVEE It’s as if the Paley Fest never ended. The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills hosts the cast and crew of the Disney Family’s Kyle XY tonight. Scheduled to appear are: Eric Tuchman, executive producer; David Himeltarb, executive producer; Julie Plec, supervising producer; Matt Dallas, "Kyle"; April Matson, "Lori Trager"; Chris......

Dinosaurs and the Watson Twins at the Natural History Museum tonight. / Photo by Stephanie Asher via LAist's flickr pool. ART+MUSIC So you don’t feel like dealing with rush hour tonight on the Westside? Then pull over and head to Fridays Off the 405 at the Getty Center. See some art, listen to music (King Britt, Power Douglas) have a drink and look over the edge to make fun of all the poor saps......

Janet Klein and her Parlour Boys and ukuleles are playing in Hollywood tonight. / Photo by [cipher] via flickr. ART Glen Wexler’s art exhibit “Fantastic Voyage” opens at the ArcLight Hollywood tonight. He specializes in surrealistic photographic narratives and visitors can expect to see 33 large-scale prints on all three levels of the complex. The exhibit runs until May 2. 7pm (opening reception) // ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood // 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood //......

Andras Schiff performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall tonight. / Photo by Lush.i.ous via flickr. TALK Sci-Arc’s Spring Lecture Series presents “I’ll See It When I Know It” with Greg Lynn. Lynn has been named one of the 10 most influential living architects by Forbes Magazine. 7 pm // W.M. Keck Lecture Hall @ Sci-Arc // 960 East 3rd St., Los Angeles // Free. FILM* Tonight’s the last night of the Aero Theatre’s “2007’s......