The Best Things To Do In LA And SoCal This Week: Sept. 27 - 30

With the COVID-19 Delta variant still out there, it's best to check ahead of time to make sure events are still happening as scheduled.

Check out the cars from James Bond films. Watch spooky cinema at Beyond Fest and Shriekfest. Visit the Motion Picture Academy’s new museum. Attend KPCC’s virtual event with Kat Chow about her memoir, Seeing Ghosts. Listen to Mozart under the stars.

The 1964 Aston Martin DB5, featured in 'GoldenEye' (1995), is on view at The Petersen Museum.

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Ted Seven

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Through Saturday, Oct. 30

Bond in Motion
The Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The museum celebrates the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise through a showcase of iconic vehicles used in the movies. The exhibition includes 30 cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, helicopters and aircraft models. They include the 1977 Lotus Esprit S1 submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), the 1985 Aston Martin V8 from The Living Daylights (1987), the 1999 BMW Z8 from The World Is Not Enough (1999) and the 2019 Aston Martin DB10 from Spectre (2015).
COST: $11 - $16; MORE INFO

Monday, Sept. 27; 6 p.m.

Ever Present: Moor Mother
Getty Center, Garden Terrace
1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood
The Getty’s Ever Present series asks artists to stage works amid the permanent collections, architecture and gardens of the museum. This week, Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa) presents an evening of music, language and imagery in celebration of the release of her album, Black Encyclopedia of the Air. The night also features free-jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements, Yatta Zoker and a film by Black Quantum Futurism.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Monday, Sept. 27; 7 p.m.

10 Questions: If not now, when?
Virtual Event
Every Monday evening for 10 weeks, UCLA Arts’ public lecture-academic course series poses a different fundamental question to various UCLA faculty members. This week, Lauren Lee McCarthy, artist and associate professor of design media arts; Dr. Adriana Galván, behavioral neuroscientist and professor of psychology; and Isaac Bryan, member of the California State Assembly and former director of public policy at the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, take on the question, “Who are We?” Victoria Marks, professor of world arts and cultures/dance, moderates the discussion.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Gustavo Dudamel conducts the LA Phil in an all-Mozart program.

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Courtesy of the LA Phil

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Tuesday, Sept. 28; 8 p.m.

Mozart Under the Stars with Dudamel
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood
Gustavo Dudamel conducts the L.A. Phil in a night of Mozart’s works. Guests include Martin Chalifour on violin and Teng Li on viola. Proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the concert will be required for everyone who attends.
COST: $20 - $122; MORE INFO

Tuesday, Sept. 28; 8 p.m.

Beck
The Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood Hills
The L.A. musician plays tunes from his long career (“Loser” was released in 1994!) at a one-night performance under the stars.
COST: Varies; MORE INFO

KPCC and Scripps presents the online event, 'Seeing Ghosts: Kat Chow and Josie Huang in Conversation.'

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KPCC/LAist

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Tuesday, Sept. 28; 6 p.m.

Seeing Ghosts: Kat Chow and Josie Huang in Conversation
Virtual Event
Journalist Kat Chow, a founding member of NPR’s Code Switch, has explored race, gender and generational differences in her work. Her interests in those topics took a deeply personal turn with the unexpected death of her mother. Propelled by grief, Chow set out to explore three generations of her Chinese American family and their emigration from Hong Kong to Cuba and, eventually, America. The resulting memoir, Seeing Ghosts, is a provocative and transformational meditation on loss. Chow will be interviewed by KPCC/LAist’s Asian American Communities Correspondent, Josie Huang. This KPCC program is presented in partnership with Scripps Presents.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO 

Tuesday, Sept. 28; 7:30 p.m.

A Conversation With Danny Elfman
Grammy Museum
800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown L.A.
Grammy and Emmy-winning composer Danny Elfman discusses his new solo album, Big Mess. Most of the album was created spontaneously during quarantine in 2020, beginning as an experiment and ending with 18 tracks that combine aggressive rock and orchestral strings.COST: $35; MORE INFO

Wednesday, Sept. 29 - Monday, Oct. 11

Beyond Fest 2021
Various Locations
L.A.’s largest genre film festival returns with a programming slate of 39 features, including eight world premieres. While some events have already sold out, there are a number of screenings still available (including free film screenings at the Los Feliz 3, courtesy of Shudder). The festival opens with a screening and Q&A of Julia Ducournau’s Titane and closes with Scott Cooper’s Antlers.
COST: FREE - $20 per screening; MORE INFO

Wednesday, Sept. 29; 6:30 p.m.

Will a New Generation of Leaders Shake Up L.A.’s Culture?
Helms Design Center
8745 Washington Blvd., Culver City  
Zócalo’s latest panel discussion examines L.A.’s future and features journalist and moderator Frances Anderton with panelists Cameron Shaw (California African American Museum executive director), Shelby Williams-González (Inner-City Arts president and CEO) and Jia Yi Gu (MAK Center for Art and Architecture director). The event will also be livestreamed.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Wednesday, Sept. 29

National Silent Movie Day
Cahuenga Blvd. and Cosmos St., Hollywood
Hollywood Heritage dedicates the alley at Cahuenga Blvd. and Cosmos St. to three stars from Hollywood’s silent era — Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. On Sept. 29, the public is invited to view an installation in the Dash Building’s windows (6363 Hollywood Blvd.) and to use a QR code to download a short tour of filming locations around the alley. Additionally, Hollywood Heritage streams its original documentary, The Kid 100 Years Later, between Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.
COST: FREE, $20 for online film screening online; MORE INFO

Imageboard from 'My Neighbor Totoro' (1988) by Hayao Miyazaki on view at the Academy Museum.

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Courtesy of Studio Ghibli

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Thursday, Sept. 30

Academy Museum Opening 
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
Years in the making, the museum finally opens to the public on Thursday. Timed admission reservations must be made online in advance and will provide access to the exhibitions Stories of Cinema; Hayao Miyazaki; The Path to Cinema: Highlights from the Richard Balzer Collection; Backdrop: An Invisible Art ;and The Pixar Toy Story 3D Zoetrope. The Oscars Experience requires an additional ticket. In its first three months, the museum is offering 115 screenings, discussions and programs, beginning on opening day with two screenings of The Wizard of Oz (1939) featuring live musical accompaniment by the American Youth Symphony conducted by David Newman.
COST: $15 - $25 for general museum admission; MORE INFO

Thursday, Sept. 30; 8 p.m.

Lovett or Leave It
Cinelounge Outdoors
1625 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood
Join podcast host and comedian Jon Lovett for an evening of comedy outdoors. This week’s guests are B.J. Novak and Ashley Ray. Mask and vax documentation or a negative COVID-19 test are required. Bar and concessions open at 7 p.m.
COST: $25 - $50; MORE INFO

Thursday, Sept. 30 - Sunday, Oct. 3

The Shriekfest Film Festival
Raleigh Studios
5300 Melrose Ave., Larchmont
Now in its 21st year, the horror/sci-fi/fantasy festival screens seven features and more than 65 international short films, opening with Andy Palmer’s Witness Infection. The opening night party ($10) takes place at Boardners/Bar Sinister in Hollywood.
COST: $25 - $120; MORE INFO 

John Leguizamo, actor, writer, producer, is one of the speakers at Amazon Studios' VOICES/VOCES: An Entertainment Celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month.

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Courtesy of Amazon Studios

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Thursday, Sept. 30; 9 a.m. PT

Amazon Studios’ VOICES/VOCES
Virtual Event
The one-day event is a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, highlighting the many contributions to entertainment from the Latino community. The event features group panels, discussions and appearances by John Leguizamo, Gloria Calderón-Kellett, Laz Alonso, Congressman Joaquin Castro and Gina Brillon. The event will be available to stream on Amazon Live and Amazon Studios' DEI Twitch.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Weekends through Sunday, Oct. 31

Haunted Mini-Golf
Speedzone Los Angeles
17871 Castleton St., City of Industry
Play a round on one of the haunted mini-golf courses, race go-karts or play video games on Friday and Saturday nights. Food and a full bar will be available for purchase.
COST: $18.99 – $64.99; MORE INFO

Through Sunday, Oct. 31

Six Flags Fright Fest
Magic Mountain
26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia
The perennial scaretastic adventure includes six haunted mazes, eight scare zones and live shows on select nights. New for 2021: the haunted ceremony of Terror Rising — Dark Developments, fire juggling in Grave Games, a mentalist for Dark Minds, and cyberpunk zombies in The Deadzone.
COST: One day tickets start at $65; MORE INFO

Streaming Pick

The Problem With Jon Stewart
The former Daily Show host returns to TV, focusing on a single issue for each episode. Stewart will steer the conversation with guests toward finding a way forward — with jokes, of course. The show premieres on Thursday on Apple TV+, with new hour-long episodes debuting every other week. A companion podcast drops the same day.

The restaurant, bar and coffee lounge, Stone Street LA is now open seven days a week.

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Sydney Brown

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Dine and Drink Deals

Here's the 411 on restaurant happenings in SoCal:

• The restaurant, bar and coffee lounge Stone Street L.A.  is now open seven days days a week, serving up a touch of NYC on Melrose. It offers New York staples such as bagels and lox, bacon, egg and cheese on a roll, challah French toast and roasted chicken.
• On Tuesday, Sept. 28, The Oinkster in Eagle Rock celebrates its 15 years in business with an https://www.instagram.com/p/CUS0nQWPyMr/. It includes a Big Max, Mcfury, and Tots for $15. No substitutions. Show up early, and you'll get a special baked treat (while supplies last).
• A new Chef Tony restaurant has taken over the former Din Tai Fung flagship in Arcadia. Chef Tony He offers more than 60 dim sum items divided into steamed, baked or fried options, from spicy shrimp wontons to a dessert black bao. (h/t Eater LA)
• Mariscos El Bigoton opened two new locations in recent weeks so that residents of Florence-Firestone (2121 Nadeau St.) and Bell Gardens (6211 Eastern Ave.) can dig into to their seafood, including tacos, tostadas and sometimes ramen. 
• Milagro Tequila celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with West L.A.’s Thunderbird Bar by offering a sweet potato puffy taco and a Milagro Margarita deal through Nov. 15. All proceeds from the special will be donated to No Us Without You, a nonprofit that provides food security for undocumented immigrants in the L.A. area.
• Crowns & Hops Brewing Co., the first Black-owned craft beer brand in Inglewood, recently released Inglewood Juice, a West Coast IPA with tropical notes that pays homage to the city.
• Chef Mario Carbone hosts a wine and cheese tasting at Erewhon Pacific Palisades on Thursday, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. He prepares his spicy rigatoni and pairs it with wines and cheeses chosen by Erewhon staff.
• ShrimpFest21 takes place on Wednesday, 4 - 7 p.m. at San Pedro Fish Market & Restaurant with a live mariachi band, trays of crustaceans and seafood, and giveaways. The family-owned eatery is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.
• Dunkin’ celebrates National Coffee Day on Wednesday and DD Perks members get a free medium hot or iced coffee with purchase in California Dunkin’ stores.
• Que Padre in Palisades Village now offers tequila flights inspired by Mexico’s various regions. Offerings include a mezcal flight ($55), a blended flight ($60), a VIP platinum flight ($150) and a flying low ($32). 

• Tabula Rasa, the Thai Town bar that serves natural wine, craft beer, sake, food and snacks, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. Enjoy the party at a daily happy hour, 4 - 6 p.m. ($7 wine/$5 beer). 

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