Best Things To Do This Week In Los Angeles And SoCal: Sept. 18 - 21

View works by emerging and indie artists at The Other Art Fair. Check out Chance the Rapper — live. Listen to Cheech Marin talk about his life, comedy and Chicano art.

Events

Monday, Sept. 18; 6 - 7 p.m.

CalEndow Live Presents Cheech Marin: Art, Comedy, and The Chicano Movement 
Virtual
Cheech Marin joins CalEndow Live to share stories from his career as a counterculture comedian, writer/director, community advocate and famed Chicano art collector. He’ll chat with California Endowment board member Michele Siqueiros, who also serves as President of the Campaign for College Opportunity. Marin will take questions from the audience about his life, career and Chicano art. Register now to submit a question ahead of time.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Cedric the Entertainer, seen here at the 23rd annual Harold & Carole Pump Foundation Gala in Beverly Hills, discusses his first novel at Live Talks Los Angeles.

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Rodin Eckenroth

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Getty Images

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Monday, Sept. 18; 8 p.m.

Cedric the Entertainer in Conversation with Kevin Frasier
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre at New Roads School
3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica
Cedric Kyles, aka Cedric the Entertainer (The Neighborhood), talks to Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight about the actor-comedian's debut novel Flipping Boxcars at this Live Talks LA event. The crime caper honors those close-knit families and communities who had to get by and survive during the Depression and World War II. Virtual option also available.
COST: $25 - $48; MORE INFO

Tuesday, Sept. 19; 7 p.m.

Have You Got It Yet? Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd 
The Regent Theater
448 S. Main St., downtown L.A.
Watch this documentary by Storm Thorgerson and Roddy Bogawa on the enigmatic and mercurial life of Barrett, one of the founding members of the influential rock band Pink Floyd. The film features new interviews with Barrett’s friends, lovers, family and bandmates Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason. All ages.
COST: $15; MORE INFO

Tuesday, Sept. 19; 7:30 - 9 p.m.

The Crossword Show
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd., Westlake
There’s one more chance to catch The Crossword Show live in L.A. this year. Host Zach Sherwin and guest panelists Danielle Perez (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Rob Haze (Sherman's Showcase) solve an actual crossword puzzle onstage, with everything displayed on a big screen so the audience can follow along. As they decipher the various clues, Sherwin takes the show down rabbit holes of comedy, music, wordplay and trivia, all inspired by the answer words. Everything ties together at the end for a grand finale. Ages 18+.
COST: $20 - $25; MORE INFO

Wednesday, Sept. 20; 7:30 p.m.

The 88 Show with Avery Pearson 
The Main Room at The Hollywood Improv
8162 Melrose Ave., Beverly Grove
The 88 Show is a late-night variety show featuring comedy music by Avery Pearson. This week, it moves to the big leagues — aka The Main Room at the Improv. Guests include Melissa Villaseñor, Jay Pharoah, Lisa Ann Walter, Wolves of Glendale, Stevvi Alexander, Niccole Thurman, The Grey Streaks, Sandy Danto and Margaux Hamilton. Ages 21+, with a two-item minimum.
COST: $25; MORE INFO

The Moth returns this week with a new storytelling event.

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Laura Partain

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Courtesy of The Moth

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Wednesday, Sept. 20; 7:30 p.m.

The Moth: StorySlam
Venue: Jam In The Van
3384 Motor Ave., Palms
Listen to five-minute true stories (or share your own) at the open-mic storytelling competition. Hear tales of “luck” — “calamities averted, windfalls or wipeouts, miracles or miseries that can claim no cause. Flaunt your good fortune or lament your loser luck.” The venue is 18+.
COST: $17.50; MORE INFO

Thursday, Sept. 21; 7:30 p.m.

Platonic Juke
The Goldfish
5043 York Blvd., Highland Park 
Comedian and writer Rachel Joravsky hosts the comedy show Platonic Juke, which includes a diverse group of rising and established comics onto one stage. This week’s guests are Taylor Garron, Fumi Abe, Brian Bahe and others with Juke music provided by Chicago's Etan Hawk. Stay for the after-party, with music provided by DJ Life's Good.
COST: $13.60; MORE INFO

Thursday, Sept. 21; 8 p.m.

Chance The Rapper
Kia Forum
3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood
Chance the Rapper celebrates the 10-year anniversary of his Billboard-charting mixtape Acid Rap with a show this week at the Kia Forum. Vic Mensa opens the night.   
COST: Tickets start at $39.50; MORE INFO

Thursday, Sept. 21 - Sunday, Sept. 24

The Other Art Fair: Los Angeles
Barker Hangar
3021 Airport Ave., Santa Monica
The fair showcases the works of 140 emerging and independent artists across various media, priced between $100 and $10,000. The programming throughout the weekend includes immersive, interactive installations, live DJ vinyl sets, workshops, and lots of food and drink options. The opening night ticket, which starts at $50, also includes a complementary entry to the fair over the weekend.
COST: General admission starts at $20; MORE INFO

The first-ever Earth Edition festival is a multi-sensory arts, music and environmental festival taking place on the campus of CalArts in Santa Clarita.

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Courtesy of Visions2030

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Through Sunday, Sept. 24

Earth Edition Festival
CalArts
24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia
The first-ever Earth Edition festival is a multi-sensory arts, music and environmental festival that features live performances, family-friendly workshops, indigenous storytelling, eco-friendly activities that ask guests to dream and re-imagine wildly positive futures to counter the “catastrophic storytelling” surrounding the environmental crisis.
COST: $15 - $100; children 5 and younger get in free; MORE INFO

"John Waters: Pope of Trash," an exhibition devoted the filmmaker’s work is now on view at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

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Charles White, JWPictures

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Academy Museum Foundation

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Through Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024

John Waters: Pope of Trash
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to John Waters’ cinematic contributions opened on Sunday. The show explores his filmography, from his process to themes found in his work. Pop of Trash examines the “grotesque, daring, deliberately tacky, hilarious, and salacious elements that recur throughout Waters’s sixty-year filmmaking career and reveals how his movies have redefined independent cinema.” Another museum installation, Outside the Mainstream, highlights other radically independent filmmakers.
COST: $15 - $25, free for those ages 17 and younger; MORE INFO

Viewing Pick

Tuesday, Sept. 19; 7:30 p.m.

Flux Screening Series
The Hammer Museum 
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
The Flux screening series returns for its fall edition, bringing the creative community together to screen and celebrate outstanding short films and music videos from around the world. The program features the premiere of a film by AI innovator Paul Trillo and French experimental musician Jacques, Becca Rieckmann's debut short film Admissions of Desire, and Eno’s Freelancer Yoga. Also watch music videos for Mette, Laufey, Hermanos Láser, Skrillex, The Hives and others. Several filmmakers are expected in person. And a courtyard after-party follows with DJ Sonrisita.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Yangban in downtown L.A. has completely revamped its menu and space.

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Stan Lee

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Courtesy of Yangban

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Dine and Drink Deals

Here are a few dine and drink options to indulge in this week.

• Margot, the coastal Mediterranean rooftop restaurant in Culver City, holds a five-course Northern Italian-inspired dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The menu includes gnocco fritto, farinata (chickpea pancake), risotto ai frutti di mare, braised beef short rib and polenta and a spiced liqueur sponge cake. Tickets are $150/person and are available on Resy.
• From Sept. 20 to 24, Telefèric Barcelona’s executive chef Oscar Cabezas reimagines Spain’s national dish. The Brentwood restaurant offers Paella Bombs, a Spanish take on the Italian arancino—each fried rice ball with a savory shrimp bisque.
• Chef Sujan Sarkar of the new modern Indian restaurant Baar Baar Los Angeles and Salty Magazine present an exclusive dinner with chefs Roberto Alcocer, of one Michelin-starred Valle in Oceanside and Jaime Camacho Rodriguez of Celele in Cartagena, Colombia. Together, the chefs create a multi-course dinner experience on Monday, Sept. 18 that showcases the contemporary coastal cuisines of India, Baja California and the Colombian Caribbean. The dinner is $195 per person (excluding taxes, fees, and service) with an optional wine pairing available for $105. Reservations can be made through OpenTable, with seatings from 5 to 7:30 p.m. 
• The Macallan recently introduced The Macallan Colour Collection, featuring whiskies that celebrate the brand’s commitment to natural color and the influence of sherry seasoning. From Wednesday, Sept. 20 to Friday, Sept. 22 at the Rolling Greens On Mateo in downtown L.A., The Macallan hosts a tasting experience and viewing of original art pieces from David Carson. Guests 21+ can register for one-hour time slots from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. if available.
• Brooklyn Ave. Pizza Co. in Boyle Heights celebrates Latino Heritage Month (through Oct. 15) with a new L.A. Latino Flavors Collab Series. Chef and pizzaiolo Jorge Sandoval has developed three new pizzas with beverage pairings, including a new Tlayuda Pizza and special mezcal flight (in partnership with Oaxacan restaurant Madre), a small-batch Mexican salsa macha pizza developed with SOMOS’ mango and pineapple salsa macha and Sandoval’s own ‘Pork & Potatoes’ pizza expression using shaved potatoes, pork longaniza and crispy grasshoppers.
• Campari and Imbibe Magazine team up to present the 11th Negroni Week, celebrating the classic cocktail and raising funds for the grassroots charitable organization Slow Food. Participating venues include Spago, Big Bar, The Wolves, Panxa Cocina — find other bars and restaurants through the Negroni Week finder tool.
• Several new dining and drinking establishments have opened on the eighth floor of the recently new Moxy & AC Hotel Downtown LA, taking over 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. The diverse offerings include Chef Joshua Gil’s French-Teppanyaki experience at Maison Kasai; Ray Garcia offers a South American live fire grill at Qué Bárbaro; Hisae Stuck’s Lucky Mizu; and the dramatic piano bar and jazz lounge  Mr. Wanderlust. Other eateries are expected to open later this month.
• After closing for a few weeks, the Korean American eatery Yangban (pictured above) has remerged as a full-service dining experience in downtown L.A. The interior has been transformed — with booths now where the deli case used to be — with an updated food and beverage menus to match. Offerings include a bindaeteok falafel with mung beans and white kimchi, golden prawn toast and gochujang braised black cod. The restaurant reopened on Friday, and is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.