Events for Aug. 23-29

Get with THE PROGRAM

"Elephant Room" is a thrill. (Scott Suchman/Arena Stage)

THURSDAY, AUG. 23

BOOKS

Danica McKellar @ Barnes & Noble (Glendale)
Remember Winnie "The Wonder Years"? Well, actress Danica McKellar went on to graduate summa cum laude from UCLA with a degree in mathematics and has authored several bestselling books that encourage girls to pursue studies in science and math. Her fourth non-fiction book, Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape, hit stores earlier this month, and she'll be discussing and signing copies tonight at 7 p.m.

THEATER

"Elephant Room" @ Kirk Douglas Theatre (Culver City)
A show like you've never experienced, the production melds magic and comedy with oddball charm and the unique performances styles of Dennis Diamond, Louie Magic and Daryl Hannah. Be prepared to laugh and be blown away by some incredible magical illusions.

FRIDAY, AUG. 24

FILM

In Theaters This Week
Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell and Bradley Cooper in Hit & Run; Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) directs Marion Cotillard and Jean Dujardin in Little White Lies; Joseph Gordon-Levitt turns action leading man in Premium Rush. Also in theaters: The Apparition; Red Hook Summer; Robot & Frank

Pixar Shorts Collection: Vol. 1 @ LACMA (Mid-City West)
If you're a lover of Pixar films and haven't seen the collection of 13 shorts from the animation powerhouse that spans 1986-2006, then this special showing at LACMA's outdoor Dorothy Collins Brown Amphitheater is for you. It's free and also includes a screening of short animated films from the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival (coming to the museum in October).

Pebaluna

MUSIC

Pebaluna @ Hotel Café (Hollywood)
Vocalist Lauren Coleman certainly has a set of pipes, as evidenced on songs like "No I Can't" from the band's upcoming album, Carny Life (available Sept. 18). Coleman – along with RX Bandits' Matt Embree on guitar, Jessica Lankford on drums and Jonathan Grillo on bass – creates moving reveries that promise to captivate in person.

Shawn Lee @ The Satellite (Silver Lake)
The London-based groovemaster/experimentalist embarks on the "Somebody Like You" tour in support of his latest release, Synthesizers in Space. Lee's sometime collaborator, Los Angeles' AM, will also be on hand for a thoroughly sonically stimulating night.

SATURDAY, AUG. 25

FILM

Totally '80s Double Feature @ Exposition Park (South Los Angeles)
Two of my favorite movies from the decade, Weird Science and The Breakfast Club, are being shown on Street Food Cinema's giant blow-up screen. !Pushbuttons!, an '80s cover band are set to perform, and food can be purchased from the likes of Crepe N Around, Da Burger Boss and Ludo Truck.

MUSIC

Echo Park Rising (Echo Park)
Not going to lie, this is the one event I've been looking forward to all week – mainly because I can walk there and see some of the best bands in the country, comprised of talented musicians who are actually my neighbors, perform. I really can't wait to see Lavender Diamond, Youngblood Hawke, Fool's Gold, Wake Up Lucid and NO.

SUNDAY, AUG. 26

FOOD

L.A. Fried Chicken Fest @ The Coop (Beverly Hills)
Haru Kishi and "Top Chef"'s Marcel Vigneron's pop-up hosts the day celebrating one of my beloved foods, fried chicken. The dish and sides will be prepared by seven other top Los Angeles chefs – Josef Centeno, David LeFevre, Mary Sue Milliken, Matt Molina, Bryant Ng, Jazz Singsanong and Ricardo Zarate. Admission also includes craft beers and cocktail punch.

Air Traffic Controller

MONDAY, AUG. 27

MUSIC

Air Traffic Controller @ Hotel Café (Hollywood)
Singer-songwriter Dave Munro was actually an air traffic controller when he was in the Navy, and now he's the frontman of the Boston sextet who released a sophomore effort, NORDO, earlier this summer. With their clever lyrics and country-pop melodies, the band is sure to put on an entertaining live show.

THEATER

"The Black Version" @ Groundlings Theatre (Hollywood)
The audience yells out the title of a popular film and the cast of all-black comedy actors, including Jordan Black, Daniele Gaither and Phil LaMarr, has to improves the black version of it.