Guest Contributor

LACMA will present Tim Burton this Sunday, a major retrospective that explores the full range of his work as an artist, director, photographer, and writer respectively. Perhaps best known for his dark, creative vision in the films The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, the Burbank native’s exhibit features over 700 drawings, paintings, photographs, moving-image works, storyboards, puppets, costumes, movie props, and more.

This week's pets are from Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. spcaLA is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California since 1877. Donations run programs and services including Cruelty Investigation, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education and a variety of shelter services. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support. Each SPCA and Humane Society is a completely unrelated organization.

Trust me when I tell you this: you know someone who does it. That shiny object sticking out of your best friend’s bag? Knitting needles. That weird stick you found in your sister’s (or brother’s) drawer? Crochet hook. The funny spool of pink thread you saw tucked up into the bookshelf? Classic sign of a DIY seamstress or tailor. Fabric and yarn based crafting is everywhere, and the reasons for its popularity may be different than what you expect. So why do we do it?

LACMA will host their major annual event, Muse ArtWalk, this Saturday, featuring free general admission to LACMA and more than 20 participating museums/galleries along Miracle Mile. From 11 am to 8 pm, guests can check out live painting, performance art, dance, film, and interactive activities for all ages throughout LACMA’s campus.

Adam Goldberg is best known as an actor in the war epic Saving Private Ryan--or, going back a bit farther, for his role as a bumbling yet endearing nerd in Dazed and Confused. Goldberg is a self-proclaimed man of all trades, including a purveyor of fine meats, and most recently embarked on the musical venture The Goldberg Sisters. The band appears tonight at the Bootleg Theater as part of a musical lineup that dares you to “put your money where you mouth is.”

This past weekend the documentary Searching for Elliott Smith continued its travels through the festival circuit with a stop at the Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival. In the film, first-time director Gil Reyes takes the pilgrimage through Smith’s life.

If Lulu or Layla catch your eye, the centers are having a Mother's Day special with reduced adoption rates! Until May 8th, Dogs are available for adoption for $50.50; Cats for $83.50. Adoption fees include vaccinations, spaying/neutering, microchipping, and the first year license fee for dogs.

This week, the LAist pets are from the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter, an animal service agency that is devoted to providing medical, social, behavioral and financial care for animals at risk and determined to eliminate animal homelessness in the Burbank community.

At times, the LA River can look more like a dump than a storied waterway, due largely to the litter that amasses in it. Fortunately, an effort is underway to help beautify and revitalize the river. Tomorrow from 9am to noon, Friends of the Los Angeles River, along with support from Mayor Villaraigosa, will host the annual River Clean-Up day, and the public is welcome to sign up and participate.

As gas prices keep rising and pollution levels are at their worst (congrats again to greater Los Angeles for having the lousiest air quality in the U.S. according to the American Lung Association) it’s time to get out of your car and get back on a bike. What better way to spend a Saturday then by the beach and on a cruiser in the name of something good--beer and bikes good.

Is there room on the road for another food truck? With everything from pancakes to pupusas, what’s left to vend? K9s Only, a doggie resort that provides daycare, grooming and training for their customers has the answer. But the treats they’re giving away are exclusively for your furry friends.

Every Saturday, LAist will feature an adoptable cat and dog from a different local shelter or accredited 501c3 rescue organization. Take a look at these furry bundles and consider giving them a home, or forward their faces to your friends who may be interested. This weekend, meet Staples the cat and Doogie the dog(gie).