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There’s an eclectic array of events happening tonight in LA, including an evening of Steve Reich’s music; a Grindhouse Film Fest salute to cult movie director Jess Franco; a bike-in movie screening of The Big Lebowski; a Red Hen Press poetry reading with Doug Kearney, Maggie Nelson and Meghan O’Rourke; and a little variety and magic wrapped in Justin Willman’s talk show. Read on for all the details.
MUSIC*
Tonight at 7:30 pm, LACMA welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steve Reich for an evening of performances of his music presented by the Lyris Quartet, pianists Vicki Ray and Joanne Pearce Martin, and a percussion ensemble led by David Johnson. New and old works are featured on the program, including Different Trains, WTC 9/11, Sextet, Piano Counterpoint and Clapping Music. The concert is being held in conjunction with the exhibition James Turrell: A Retrospective. Tickets: $30 general admission; $25 LACMA members and seniors. If you can get there early at 6 pm and, there’s also RED: A Pop-Up Dinneroffered for $70/$65 and includes a concert ticket.
BIKE-IN
So the Millennium Hollywood development project wants to be a good neighbor and is offering a Bike-In Movie Night< tonight at 7:30 pm with a screening of The Big Lebowski. The film will be shown in the parking lot at 1749 N. Vine St. with free bike valet. Not sure if the organizers thought all this through, but they’re also encouraging attendees to bring beach and/or folding chairs, cushions, blankets and a picnic—which are kind of hard to transport by bike. But regardless—the movie is free withRSVP, food trucks will be onsite, and there’s an after-party at Bardot, too.
POETRY
Red Hen Press and the Poetry Society of America team for an evening of poetry and readings at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center in Pasadena tonight at 7 pm. Reading tonight is writer/poet Douglas Kearney, who just released his newest chapbook, SkinMag (A5/Deadly Chaps); Maggie Nelson, whose most recent book The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning, was a 2011 New York Times Notable Book of the Year; and Meghan O’Rourke, who began her career as one of the youngest editors in the history of The New Yorker. Admission: $10 / PSA members, students and seniors $5.
BOOKS
Tonight at 7 pm at Book Soup, author and motivational speaker Jen Sincero discusses and signs her latest work, You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. The book “offers its readers new opportunities for growth through 35 chapters of exercises, suggestions and hilariously inspiring stories.”
**Ever so slightly NSFW, but so much fun**
FILM
Tonight at the New Beverly, the Grindhouse Film Festival presents a tribute to Jess Franco with a double-feature of rare 35mm prints of his films Succubus (1968) and The Demons {aka The Sex Demons} (1973). The B-movie director helmed about 200 films of “wildly varying quality,” but Grindhouse assures us that these are two of his better early films. Thefilms begin at 7:30 pmand the evening includes a raffle and reel of rare exploitation trailers.
VARIETY
Tonight at 8 pm, NerdMelt presents Sleight of Mouth with Justin Willman. It’s a late-night talk show hosted by magician Willman (Food Network's Cupcake Wars, The Nerdist Channel) with music, magic and talk. Guests tonight include: Rove McManus, Nick Thune and Kevin Smith. Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door.
*Pencil this in pick of the day
Want more events? Follow me on Twitter (@christineziemba). Or follow Lauren Lloyd—who takes care of Pencil on Wednesdays (@LadyyyLloyd).
