Christine N. Ziemba

Status Update is a new play by LA-based Dorothy Fortenberry that workshops this weekend at the Odyssey Theatre. The premise sounds perfect for these plugged-in times. The heroine ditches a small birthday party that her boyfriend’s thrown for her because she has 534 other friends to see on Facebook. She falls headfirst into the Internet. Literally.

Just before I and detach from the computer for the day, and my family and I head to the Smoke House in Burbank to get our turkey day grub on, I'd like to offer this nondenominational, secular prayer (i.e., list) of thanks for the year I've just had. It's been marked by a milestone birthday for me and experiences—usually with food—that I'll not forget any time soon. So I'd like to give thanks for:

Michael McKean stars in the world premiere of Randy Newman's Harps and Angels at the Mark Taper Forum. | Photo: Craig Schwartz MUSICAL* A new musical Harps and Angels, conceived by Jack Viertel, features music by and lyrics by Randy Newman. We don’t know much about the plot, but that it’s an “honest and humorous commentary on what it is like to be born, grow up, fall in love, and live and die in...

Get yer geek on at the Hollywood Xpo this weekend. | Photo by Plankton 4:20 via LAist's flickr pool. STAR SIGHTINGS There’s a Stars vs. Planets program tonight at 7:30 pm at the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve in Calabasas. A volunteer astronomer shows participants the visual differences between planets and stars. There will be a moderate ½-mile hike. The two-hour program is free, but parking is $3. Meet at the Victory...

Robot Chicken art: Art Directed by Trisha Gum and photographed by Chris Covel. An art show takes place tomorrow night at the Ultrastar Studio and Gallery in LA that features the works of nearly 30 behind-the-scenes artists of Robot Chicken, the wickedly funny stop-motion Adult Swim series. Hosted by Robot Chicken co-producer Eric Byler, the show's unsung heroes--puppeteers, storyboard artists, animators, model makers and others--will get their moment in the spotlight. "Stop-motion animation requires...

Photo by Gabe Shedd via LAist's flickr pool. It's a little slow on the event front this week, but here are three things to do in LA tonight: MUSIC* The Grammy Museum welcomes soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples at 8 pm. Staples will discuss her career and her latest album You Are Not Alone. After the interview, Staples will answer questions from the audience and perform a few songs. Doors at 7:30. Tickets: $20....

Comics and the Munchie Machine Not counting Apple product releases, lately nothing makes Angelenos geek out more than comic books and food trucks. Tomorrow, the Comics Con Carne event at Golden Apple on Melrose combines the two for an ultra-cool geek fest. Comic book creators, including up-and-coming indie artists Scott Koblish, Nico Colaleo and Carly Mizzou, will be sketching and talking about their art, while dazzling the crowd with their knowledge of obscure comic...

Bad sex stories at Fred Segal. LA has a great literary scene despite what our right-coast friends may say. Some events are lower-brow, some high-brow, but most are quite entertaining. Following on the heels of the LA Times Festival of Books last week, there are two bookish events of note this weekend: There's a launch party tomorrow at Fred Segal on Melrose for the book Worst Laid Plans. A collection of 41 stories of...

Photo: sfxeric via LAist's flickr pool. The Ahimsa Collective presents the No Budget Film Festival tonight at The Improv Space in Westwood tonight from 7:30-10 pm. The collective has asked filmmakers to produce short films for no money--meaning no sets, no lights, no props, no costumes, no tripods. Just cameras and ideas. In between the films, the filmmakers will talk about their experiences of shooting on the fly. The judges and audience favorite will...

This is the weekend that LA's bibliophiles have been waiting for: The LA Times Festival of Books takes over UCLA's campus tomorrow and Sunday. Superstars of the literary world will be on hand to sign, speak and participate in panel discussions. Over the past few week's, we've previewed some of the nominees, from fiction to books for the graphically inclined. It's free, though parking is $10 at UCLA, so carpool or take public transportation....

Light Book is an origami sculpture by Mark Schlien. The Wonder Cabinet--an intellectual circus for the Mental Floss set--takes over Occidental College's Thorne Hall, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 pm tomorrow. As part of the college's first Spring Arts Festival, there are a number of talks, sessions, music and odd ball entertainment throughout the day, curated by former New Yorker art critic Lawrence Weschler, the college's Remsen Bird Artist in Residence. The Wonder Cabinet...

Paints! | Photo by ~db~ via LAist's flickr pool. So we hear there a little festival in the desert this weekend. Big deal. Coachella...smochella. There's still plenty to do here in LA this weekend. Yesterday, we told you about these festivals and outdoorsy events. Now we want to add to your weekend options with a couple of arty outings. The free Miracle Mile Art Walk starts at noon and runs until 10 pm tonight....