Best Things To Do This Week In Los Angeles And SoCal: Sept. 25 - 28

Attend the Weirdo Night variety show with Dynasty Handbag with special guests including SHAMBOOM!, Pauline Lay, Amanda-Faye Jimenez, Taylor (the sax bottom) Plenn and others. This is a 21+ event.

Watch The Improvised Shakespeare Company create a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece from one audience suggestion. The early show has already sold out, so hurry and get your tickets.

The Grammy Museum presents an evening that explores the music behind the blockbuster film Barbie. The event focuses on a panel discussion about Barbie the Album with soundtrack album producers Mark Ronson, Kevin Weaver, Brandon Davis and Barbie music supervisor George Drakoulias.

Alejandra Campoverdi grew up on welfare but made her way to studying at Harvard and becoming an aide to President Barack Obama and eventually a candidate for U.S. Congress. Her memoir-meets-manifesto examines the emotional tolls of being a trailblazer and "generational inheritance, aspiration, and belonging." Campoverdi will discuss her new book with author and L.A. Times columnist Jean Guerrero.

Rooftop Cinema Club celebrates Beyoncé's birthday month and the Renaissance World Tour finale at its El Segundo location. Get there when the doors open at 7 p.m. to enjoy an opening DJ set and a silent disco. Soak up the rooftop atmosphere with a fully stocked bar, games and views. At 8 p.m., watch a young Queen Bey as she stars in Robert Townsend's 2001 film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. After the screening, watch dueling DJs spin two different Beyoncé-inspired sets. This event is 21+.

The Huntington welcomes writer, curator and The New Yorker theater critic Hilton Als for its Why It Matters series. The series features Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in discussion with guests about the enduring relevance of the arts and humanities. The talk takes place at Rothenberg Hall, but a virtual ticket option is also available.

Shaqtoberfest, a large-scale Halloween festival from NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, Authentic Brands Group and Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, returns to the Queen Mary in Long Beach for a second year. The fest includes several horror-themed attractions and interactive experiences that capture O’Neal’s outsized personality. The adventure includes haunted trails, live entertainment, carnival rides, themed bars and cocktail lounges, VIP experiences and a VIP lounge. Family-friendly hours with trick-or-treating and costumes occur during the last three Sundays in October.

Various locations in Glendale

The Glendale International Film Festival (GIFF) celebrates the cinematic arts, spotlighting local and global independent film and filmmakers. This ninth edition includes eight days of screenings, networking, special events, Q&As and screenplay awards.

The Phillips Mansion in Pomona has been transformed into a house of nightmares. The interactive horror theater experience allows guests to become players in a sinister, hour-long escapade. Explore dark halls and twisted corners, encounter the possessed doll, Manny Manners, intimate moments with host Esther Phillips, a darkly romantic garden bar, a wicked puppet bar, a Dark Arts Theater hosting a variety of mystical artists and finally, something in the attic. Guests can also participate in the VIP "Behind the Veil" experience that offers a sneak peek behind the scenes with actors and crew and even join in the action.

It's spooky season at the Natural History Museum as it adds Halloween-themed installations and hauntingly whimsical experiences to its Nature Gardens. In addition to familiar sights for long-time Boney Island fans, NHM also adds artistic performances, real fossils, live animal presentations, trick-or-treating and other activities during the run. Bring the fam to explore the garden paths as creepy crawlies, silly skeletons and other surprises abound.

Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the U.S., returns for its 11th edition to American Cinematheque venues, screening 55 features over two weeks. The slate includes five world premieres, three North American premieres, seven U.S. premieres, and 18 West Coast premieres.

Various locations
Hours vary by location

NORMS locations celebrate National Pancake Day on Sept. 26. On "Hotcake Day," enjoy a stack of two hotcakes for just 75 cents. The offer is available for enjoying dine-in, takeout, and online ordering. There's a limit of two orders per customer.

Blue Bottle Coffee opens its first studio residency in the U.S. in Los Angeles, featuring extraordinary and limited-lot coffees from around the world, including a Gesha microlot from Panama’s Finca Deborah, a Wush Wush from Colombia’s Eco Farm La Cereza, an Aljidan X1 from Yemen’s Qima Coffee; and an extremely limited California Gesha from Frinj Coffee in Goleta. The approximately 90-minute experience includes an eight-course tasting menu. The studio is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with three daily seatings: 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Reservations are required.

James Beard Award-winning duo, chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne, welcome both Turkey & the Wolf and Cure for the next edition of the Cookbook Dinner series. On Tuesday, the evening features recipes from chef Mason Hereford's first cookbook, Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin' in New Orleans — a tribute to the art of the sandwich and various twists on Southern dishes. For even more tastes from New Orleans, Neal Bodenheimer, owner of renowned New Orleans' bar Cure, offers cocktails from his book Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em next door at Dahlia, downtown L.A. proper's recently opened cocktail lounge.

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the top-selling Black-owned whiskey in history, hosts the ultimate summer sendoff as part of its Together We Ryes events series. From 6-8 p.m., the Normandie Club serves a selection of Uncle Nearest highball cocktails paired with small bites. For every cocktail sold at the event, $1 will be donated to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that aims to end suicide amongst LQBTQ youth.