Pencil This in: Porn History and Literature, Hip Hop Artbook and Show at Barre Celebrates John Hughes

Tonight is one of those nights that I wish I could magically teleport from one event to another. There are just too many terrific events going on around town. (Maybe people are just cramming stuff in before the Thanksgiving holiday?) Anyway, there’s a number of literary and quasi-lit events going on tonight LA, including two programs that examine the history of the porn industry; one that examines history of hip hop and another lecture by author Eric Schlosser. Also on tap: John Hughes for the holidays and Dean Bottrell Makes Love. Read on for all the dirty details.

DIRTY LIT PARTY
Tonight from 7-9 pm, the Last Bookstore hosts a release party for Mike Edison's take on American sex, pop culture, and politics: Dirty! Dirty! Dirty! Of Playboys, Pigs, and Penthouse Paupers-An American Tale of Sex and Wonder. As part of the festivities, Edison performs his signature show of “literary mayhem, rock 'n' roll, dirty blues, psychedelic comedy, and crazy outer space sounds.” Free with RSVP.

PORN LECTURE*
Tonight at 7 pm, USC’s School of Cinematic Arts hosts Sam Benjamin, author of the just-released American Gangbang: A Love Story. He’ll be presenting a SFW multimedia lecture on Brief History of Porn, discussing the genre as an art form, its history and its current state. He’s one to know, having been an adult film performer and director for a few years after graduating from an Ivy League school. Free.

THEATER
Tonight Rogue Machine inside Theatre/Theater presents David Dean Bottrell Makes Love: A One-Man Show. Writer-actor Bottrell ("Harry's Law," "Boston Legal") will overshare with the audience an “oddball collection of hilarious, sad, bizarre and (and yes) COMPLETELY TRUE STORIES” about what we all have done for love. The show runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays through Dec. 15 at 8 pm. Tickets: $19.99.

PERFORMANCE
Tonight at 9 pm, Show At Barre opens up the holiday season with For The Record: John Hughes (Holiday Road), showcasing will showcase signature songs and moments from John Hughes’ classics such as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science and Hughes’ holiday favorites Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. The show runs Wednesdays-Sundays through Dec. 30. Oh, and if you wear an 80s holiday sweater and you’re over 21, you get a complimentary “Griswold” cocktail.Tickets: $35 + fees.

TALK
Fast Food Nation author, investigative journalist and activist Eric Schlosser gives a talk on food justice, worker justice and immigrant justice tonight at 6 pm at Occidental College's Thorne Hall. The lecture will touch on the issues of poverty and social justice in LA through the “prism of how food, workplace, and immigrant issues intersect in the food system, including the fast-food industry.” Free. For more information or to RSPV.on the event and to RSVP.

HIP HOP LIT
Tonight at 6 pm, Justin Bua celebrates the release of his new art book The Legends of Hip Hop with a signing event at Amoeba. With a forward by Chuck D, the book focuses on the pioneers who’ve shaped the world of hip hop.

FILM
The Andaz Salon Series (at the Andaz Hotel) continues in WeHo tonight with the LA premiere of Conrad Jackson’s film Falling Overnight. The story focuses on a 22-year-old guy on the day before he has a risky surgery to remove a brain tumor. He meets a girl on what could be the last night of his life and they go on an “intimate and exhilarating” journey through the city. The program is free with RSVP. (Capacity is limited and RSVP does not guarantee entry so get there early.) Stay after the film for a Q&A with the filmmaker and cast.

*Pencil pick of the day

Want more events? Follow me on Twitter (@christineziemba). Or follow Lauren Lloyd—who takes care of Pencil on Wednesdays (@LadyyyLloyd).