Christine N. Ziemba

It's hot out there. Stay indoors with these events. / Photo of (melted) lime shave ice by jtstrathdee via LAist's flickr pool. FILM The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continues its series “Hollywood’s Greatest Year: The Best Picture Nominees of 1939.” On the big screen is the John Steinbeck classic Of Mice and Men with Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie and Burgess Meredith as George. The tickets are $5 and there’s a...

Here are our to-do picks for a post-Fourth Monday in LA: DIY DRUMMING* Tonight the On Ensemble, a contemporary taiko quartet, brings D.I.Y. Drumming to the Ford Amphitheater at 7 pm. Bring your drums, percussion instruments or even paint buckets to play along as the Ensemble coaxes Japanese taiko rhythms out of everyday household items. The J.A.M. session is free, so reserve your spot by calling the Ford Box Office: 323.461.3673. Don’t forget to bring a picnic for dinner.

You can buy a guitar off Olvera Street before heading over to Machine Project's Singalong and Porchestra. / Photo by daisylind via LAist's flickr pool. Like to sing? An aspiring musician? Maybe a hack at both? Then Machine Project in Downtown LA has an alternative 4th option for you: “The Porch of July: Folk Americana Groupsing with an Open Porchestra” at 6 pm. It’s an acoustic celebration and singalong of American folk music led...

Blue door by kpe II via LAist's flickr pool. FILM* NewFilmmakers LA screens “Youth Knows No Pain + 5 Short Films” tonight at 6:30 pm at Sunset Gower Studios. At 7 pm, there’s a screening of Mitch McCabe’s documentary Youth Knows No Pain, followed at 8:45 pm by the short films: Old Dogs (Dir. Jonathan Fahn) Propel (Dir. Jay Gammill) The Dying Western (Dir. Michael Kortlander) A Kolor to Kill for (Dir. Tim Hall)....

Celebrities read other celeb's autobiographies tonight @ Largo. / Photo of the Little Room by Never Cool in School MUSIC TALK The Grammy Museum welcomes veteran singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw for “The Drop” -- a program where musicians talk about their recently or upcoming releases. Crenshaw will discuss and perform selections from his newest album Jaggedland. He’ll be in conversation with Museum Executive Director Robert Santelli about the songwriting, collaboration, and production behind his first...

If you're headed to the Natural History Museum this week, be sure to check out a special art exhibit by the kids from the Blueberry Atelier preschool in Santa Monica. The exhibit, “A Sense of Wonder, A Sense of Place: Viewing Nature Through the Images and Words of Our Children” showcases the writing, photography, drawings and paintings by the school’s budding environmentalists. The exhibit stemmed from the fact that children in LA (like elsewhere...

The Hollywood dodgeball league starts tonight. / Photo by polaroid-girl via LAist's flickr pool. MUSIC TALK* The Grammy Museum’s new live series “The Drop” interviews artists with new albums. Tonight at 8 pm the museum welcomes Nanci Griffith to discuss her new album, The Loving Kind, the day before its release. She’ll be in coversation with museum Executive Director Robert Santelli about the songwriting, newsworthy inspirations and studio approach to the album. After the...

Kung Fu and Kill Bill actor David Carradine was found dead in Thailand today, naked and hanging from a rope in his luxury hotel. Police are still investigating the case. But whatever the cause of death may be, we lost a great icon of film and TV. We'll bring you more updates as they become available. (AP Photo/Ric Francis)...

Pods photo by Alan Heitz via LAist's flickr pool. THEATRE Tonight’s the opening night for Cole Porter’s Red, Hot and Blue! at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. This Depression era screwball comedy deals with a National Lottery offering a first prize to anyone who finds a long-lost love with a rare identification mark. Included are the Cole Porter classics "It's De-Lovely," "Down in the Depths (On the 90th Floor)," "Ridin' High" and "Red,...

Kinda quiet on the event front on the Memorial Day, so here are a few ideas for those of you who aren't 'cuing it up at home today. FILM BBQ The 5 Minutes Game & Cinefamily Memorial Day BBQ happens at 6 pm tonight at the SIlent Movie Theatre. “What we're gonna do is choose fifteen movies you've likely never seen before (with most, if not all the films unavailable on DVD), line 'em up, and only show you the first five minutes of each, not counting their opening credits. After all that, you, the audience, gets to vote on which film out of the fifteen we all then watch in its entirety.” Bring something to cook on the Cinefamily Grill. Tickets are $10, and the 'cue starts at 6 pm.

Beer Fest @ Echoplex today. If Budweiser and MGD are your two favorite beers in the world, then you might as well stop reading this post now. But if you like beer that's dark as black coffee or can appreciate the nuances between an ale and a lager, then keep reading. The Los Angeles Craft and Artisanal Beer Appreciation League is holding the first Craft Beer Fest LA today from 2-9 pm. The League’s...

Photo by Ralph Halfin THIS IS NOT SPINAL TAP: LAist loves Anvil! The Story of Anvil! about an '80s rock band that didn't quite make it as far as its peers Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. Now while the film's been playing since April 10 at West LA's Landmark Theater, tonight two screenings (7:50pm; 9:55pm) will be followed by a special Q & A with director Sacha Gervasi, joined by band members Steve "Lips"...