The Thursday night Twilight Dance Series continues tonight in Santa Monica. / Photo by LAist flickr pool contributor Jonathan Alcorn (aka Sundogg). FILM TALK: Director Wayne Wang will discuss his films Princess of Nebraska (2007) and Chinese Box (1997) in between a double-feature screening of the two, beginning at 7:30 pm at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Princess is a new film where Wang examines the young generation of China, following “24 hours......

MUSIC Heralded pianinst Otmaro Ruiz and his band headline at the valley's jazz hotspot The Baked Potato. Ruiz' music is a unique blend of classical rhythms ranging from Chopin to Piazzolla with some Latin American flavor in between for good measure. 9:30 pm // The Baked Potato // 3787 Cahuenga Blvd West., Studio City // $15 FILM The Grove presents two classic Pixar films this month to close out its Movies in The Park......

There's a Druid film fest in Echo Park tonight. / Photo by Lush.i.ous via LAist's flickr pool. FILM : The Zócolo Public Square Lecture Series is holding a special screening of the upcoming film Elegy, starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley. Based on The Dying Animal by Philip Roth, the movie is a “meditation on the power of beauty to bind, to reveal and to transform.” A college professor becomes enamored with and destabilized......

This has nothing to do with today's Pencil column, we just really like the photo. / Photo by ~db~ via LAist's flickr pool. FILM: The AFI at the ArcLight series in Sherman Oaks continues tonight with Alien (director's cut) on the big screen. See Sigourney Weaver kick ass in the 1980 Ridley Scott-directed film all over again. COMEDY*: At the Upright Citizens Brigade in Hollywood, Doug Benson brings along a few friends and their......

Join Bugsy Siegel and a host of other dead celebs for a Ramones tribute tonight at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. / Photo by Fire Monkey Fish via LAist's flickr pool. PARTY WITH A PURPOSE*: Obey and Z-Trip are throwing a Barack Obama fundraiser at the Echoplex tonight. DJ Diabetic (Shepard Fairey), Troublemaker and other special guests will also be in attendance. The first 100 arrivals at the 18+ party will receive Fairey’s Obama “Hope”......

Skateboarding (and a whole lot more) is allowed today Downtown because the X Games are in town. / Photo by ~db~ via LAist's flickr pool. Can you believe it's already July 31? Well, here's a few interesting items tonight to celebrate the end of the month: GAMES: X Games 14 kicks off today and ends on Sunday. Performance venues are Staples Center, the Event Deck at LA Live and Home Depot Center. On the......

FILM George Lucas' classic film American Graffiti screens tonight in Glendale. The film immortalizes the cruising lifestyle of young Americans and helped launch the careers of Hollywood heavyweights such as Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford and Ron Howard. 7:30 pm // Alex Theater // 216 North Brand Blvd., Glendale // $10 DRINK One of the great things about living in L.A. is the ability to host outdoor events almost year round. Twilight at the Club......

FILM + TV*: And now it's time for a very special Blossom...The Silent Movie Theatre hosts TV Tuesday, an homage to made-for-TV movies, special episodes and weird commercials. “We promise a magical night where every short attention span-style flip of the channel lands you on a different amazing piece of lost television you won't be able to take your eyes off of. We've got at least two great '70s TV movies, and a whole......

There’s a number of good films being screened around town tonight. FILM: See the musical that made Wicked possible: the 1939 musical The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow are off to see the Wizard in Emerald City on the big screen at the ArcLight Sherman Oaks tonight at 7:30. Tickets: $9-$11.50. FESTIVAL*: Billing itself as the "last independent film festival," the Dances with Films fest started on last......

There's a launch party for a new skate exhibit tonight in Silver Lake. / Photo by C-Monster via LAist's flickr pool. KAYAKING + LA River: Supporters are welcome to watch a group of fearless kayakers navigate the LA River – from the Valley to Long Beach. At 3 pm today, there’s a kick-off ceremony/"launch" at the LA River Headwaters on the overpass @ Owensmouth in Canoga Park. The kayakers will demonstrate to developers and......

Wargames celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Kick it old school at screenings all over LA tonight. / Photo by blakespot via flickr. There are so many events going on tonight, it must be Thursday – the unofficial start of the weekend. JAZZ:The 1st & Central Summer Concert Series continues tonight Downtown with a preview of the weekend’s Central Avenue Jazz Festival. The evening includes Dave Iwataki, LA Jazz Collective, Gary Fukushima Ensemble and......

EAT Have you ever wondered what a lamb burger would taste like? How about a kobe beef burger? Wonder no more. Larchmont Grill presents Gourmet Burger Night where one can all of those, plus a salmon burger. Not into meat or fish? No problem, they also offer a house-made veggie gourmet burger. 5:30 - 10 pm // Larchmont Grill // 5657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles // Prices Vary THEATER Shakespeare Festival/LA brings Shakespeare's greatest......

Listen to world music while hanging with real animals tonight -- at the zoo. / Photo by the Eye of Brad via LAist's flickr pool. ZOO MUSIC*: How cool is this event? Tonight, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association is hosting an evening of world music at the LA Zoo and Botanical Gardens. From 6-9 pm, guests will be able to see the animals at night (until 8 pm) and listen to the music......

FILM: AFI at the ArcLight brings everyone’s favorite Reese’s Pieces-eating alien back to the big screen tonight. Find out if Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extraterrestrial still holds up after 25 years -- and how cute Drew Barrymore as a kid actor. BURLESQUE* Black Bird Burlesque brings an evening of illustion, comedy, burlesque and live music to Safari Sam’s tonight at 8 pm. The show’s free for the month of July (but you need reservations). While......

It's a summer Friday night in Los Angeles and there are tons of events -- with and without beer. / Photo by kpe II via LAist's flickr pool. FILM: The American Cinematheque’s Old Pasadena Film Festival continues tonight with three free screenings tonight. At 7 pm is an Emerging Filmmakers program with shorts and films by students and faculty from the Armory Center for the Arts, Art Center College of Design and Pasadena City......

LEARNING*: Mindshare at the LA Brewery hosts the following speakers tonight: John Smart, futurist and founder of Acceleration Studies Foundation; Chuck Esterbrook, developer and creator of Cobra Language; Tali Krakowsky, director of experience design of Imaginary Forces; and Scott Pagano, creative director of Equilibrium Entertainment; Sissy St. John, wellness yogini, and Sena Koleva, UC Irvine grad student. Their topics include artificial intelligence, immortality and even the chemistry of love. This mind-sharing evening begins at......

MUSIC One of the pioneers of Rock en Español music, Aleks Syntek, hits the House of Blues. Helping to establish the music genre in the 80s, Aleks has had numerous hits in his long and illustrious career. 7:30 pm // House of Blues // 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood // $29 MORE MUSIC The Hollywood Bowl presents Swing Night!, featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Manhattan Transfer, Sophie Milman and Hollywood Hornets. A great......

TALK*: Tim Sinclair from the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Va., will discuss Washington’s story around a traditional campfire at Temescal Gateway Park at 7:30 pm. Born as a slave, Booker T. Washington became one of America's most prominent African American educators and orators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. FILM: Baghead screens at 8 pm at the ArcLight Hollywood tonight. Now we wonder if anyone in LA can relate to......

Happy Bastille Day! Celebrate with our favorite French food: pomme frites. / Photo by jslander via LAist's flickr pool. FILM*: There’s a great double feature starting at 7:30 pm tonight at the Egyptian Theatre honoring actress Celeste Holm. Up first is The Tender Trap (1955) with Debbie Reynolds stars as a romantic interest of a womanizing socialite, played by Frank Sinatra. Holm plays a rival for Frank’s attention. Following is a newly restored print......

FILM*: The Old Pasadena Film Festival kicks off today—but this is a festival with a twist. For the next three weeks, the American Cinematheque will be screening films in basements, walls, courtyards, shops and theatres throughout downtown Pasadena. Best of all, all screenings are FREE. Tonight’s film choices are Breakfast at Tiffany’s at One Colorado Courtyard @ 8:30 pm and War of the Worlds on top of the school house parking structure @ 33 E.......

Ukulele fans will take over First and Central tonight. The Bilgewater Brothers played at last year's uke showcase. / Photo by Christine N. Ziemba. UKULELE:*: The second annual Southern California Ukulele Showcase comes back to the Japanese American National Museum’s First and Central summer concert series. The event is a fun one—and best of all it’s free. This time the evening will feature “up-and-comers,” including Paula Fuga, Brittni Paiva, Abe Lagrimas, Moana, The Monnlighters......

Photo by dopey via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr EAT Pastry Chef Mariah Swan offers a selection of gourmet doughnuts every Wednesday night at Grace Restaurant. Selections vary on a weekly basis and include interesting combinations such as caramalized banana filled and cinnamon sugar glazed doughnuts. Various ice cream selections and warm spiced milk are also available to accompany your selection. 6 pm // Grace Restaurant // 7360 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles......

F.W. Murnau's Sunrise screens at the Silent Movie Theatre tonight. / Photo by Shawnté's via LAist's flickr pool. TALK: Los Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum moderates a Zócalo Public Square Lecture tonight on “Baby, I’m Bored: When Did Motherhood Become a Career and Is It a Professional Disaster” with authors Leslie Bennetts and Meg Wolitzer. Bennett’s book The Feminine Mistake suggests that even women who stop working even temporarily sacrifice much more than financial......

Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Here's a sampling of events about town that'll give you a diversion from the tradition of warm beer and hot dogs. FILM ETC*: Starting righ at 1 pm, Cinefamily @ the Silent Movie Theatre hosts its 4th of July BBQ Blowout, with music and short film screenings. The evening’s feature is the 1976 Italian film, Jabberwalk (aka This is America). Prepared to be grossed out by America's sexual practices. There......

Fireworks, the Bowl, Dodgers baseball and Randy Newman. What else says July 4th in LA? / Photo of Hollywood Bowl by Pinky P via LAist's flickr pool. Hang on kids, only a few more hours ’til quitting time. FILM: The Aero Theatre’s Summer Laughs series starts tonight with a French double feature. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (Les Vacances De Monsieur Hulot) from 1953. focuses on a man’s vacation where he seeks a little R&R. It’s......

ART Military photographers take center stage in the Eye of the Storm: War through the Lens of American Combat Photographers exhibition at the Reform Gallery. Featuring pictures from nine of the most decorated American military photographers, the exhibition focuses on the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Proceeds from photograph sales benefit The Wounded Warrior Project. Through July 5th. 1 - 5 pm // Reform Gallery // 816 N La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles......

Stay Puft Marshmallow Dodgeball league tests out waters on the Westside tonight. / Photo by John-Morgan via flickr. DIGITAL : Digital LA’s holding its “Digital Drinks” networking event tonight at the Parlor in Santa Monica. Stop by if you’re an Internet professional: online advertising, marketing, entertainment, e-commerce – does blogging count? – for the event from 6-10 pm. If you need more enticement, how about $3 drafts, $4 well drinks, $1.50 sliders and appetizers......

Sam Fuller's White Dog plays at the Silent Movie Theatre tonight. / Photo by ~db~ via LAist's flickr pool. Who knew there was so much good stuff happening on a Monday night? FILM: The Academy continues its “Great to be Nominated” series tonight with the 2001 Best Picture nominee The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The film will screen at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. There will......

Polish your dancin' shoes because your feets will be busy tonight. / Photo by Tom Andrews via LAist's flickr pool. PROM NIGHT*: The Zero One Gallery hosts “Prom Night 1980” tonight from 8 pm-midnight. This is the first in a series of monthly events where DJ David Daskal spins “records” from a given year. Tonight—you guessed it—is 1980: Blondie, Devo and Christopher Cross (“…when you get caught between the moon and New York City….”).......

The "In the Flesh" reading series takes place tonight. / Photo by GarySe7en via LAist's flickr pool. TALK ”In the Flesh: L.A.,” the monthly reading series meant to titillate your, umm, flesh, is held the last Thursday of each month at Freddy and Eddy, beginning at 8 p.m.. The evening’s hosted and curated by writer/editor Carly Milne (Sexography, Hooking Up, Naked Ambition). Readings tonight come from: Jenny Block (“Open”), Regina Lynn (“Sexier Sex”), Maggie......