FILM
Killer Klowns from Outer Space – 4 PM, July 11: Join Gardena Cinema for The 3rd Annual Killer Klowns Punk Rock Fest on July 11 from 2-10:30 PM.
2:00 PM: John Massari opens the event with an incredibly rare screening of Mike Jittlov’s zany 1988 film The Wizard of Speed and Time followed by a Q&A at 3:30 PM. John’s score for The Wizard… is wonderfully unique & beloved by fans. You won’t want to miss this!
4:00 PM: Cosplay all of your favorite Killer Klowns for a chance to WIN the Grand Prize giveaway: a 3-Day, 2-Night Stay in LAS VEGAS! Runner-up prizes will also be awarded to 2nd and 3rd Place participants.
5:00 PM: LIVE musical performances from pop-metal band S8nt Elektric, Sik Sik Sicks and the Radioactive Chicken Heads with Leonard Graves Phillips singing the Killer Clowns From Outer Space theme song!
8:30 PM: Killer Clowns From Outer Space with Special Introduction by Klowns film composer John Massari celebrating its 38th Anniversary.
An exclusive 11″x17″ full-color Event Flyer available for purchase ONLY at the event (with proof of entry). Numbered and signed by John Massari! Gardena Cinema,14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena.
The Furious – 7 PM, July 7: Martial arts fans rejoice – there’s a new masterpiece to add to your favorites list and it’s hitting our microcinema with a vengeance! Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.
Maddie’s Secret – 4:45 PM, 7:30 PM, 10:15 PM, July 10: Maddie’s Secret (read my review!) is comedian, writer, and actor John Early’s critically acclaimed directorial debut starring himself as Maddie, a plucky dishwasher who leaps to viral superstardom at a trendy food content creation company. While her life seems picturesque — complete with an adoring husband (Eric Rahill), ride-or-die best friend (Kate Berlant) and a cupboard full of woman-owned ethically-sourced chili crisp to boot — mounting professional pressures threaten to reawaken a hidden secret from her troubled past. A pitch-perfect blend of satire, melodrama, daring tonal shifts and intimate performances, the film marks a bold new voice in contemporary cinema. Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles.
Princess Mononoke in 35mm – July 6,8,9: Hayao Miyazaki’s international breakthrough is an epic cinematic marvel. Infected by a deadly curse after killing a god, young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. He stumbles upon a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a girl raised by wolves and who will stop at nothing to prevent humans from destroying her home, and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there. Princess Mononoke resists an easy dichotomy of good versus evil and was the first Miyazaki film that incorporated computer-generated imagery alongside traditional hand-drawn animation. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles.
How Does the Silver Screen Shape the Golden State? Featuring Friday – 7 pm, July 10: This screening of Friday (1995) and conversation is co-presented by the Academy Museum and Zócalo Public Square, with special guests: Darnell Hunt, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UCLA, and Anikah McLaren, Head of Film, Higher Ground. Moderated by Oscar Garza, Director, Specialized Journalism in Arts & Culture Program, USC. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles.
Clue – 11 AM, July 11: This darkly comedic adaptation of the popular Parker Brothers board game takes a page from the spate of Agatha Christie book-to-screen projects of the 1970s. Convening a murderer’s row of ’80s comedic actors, this cult-favorite whodunit may have been considered middling upon its release but soon found its adoring audience on home video and through revival screenings. This DCP from Paramount features all three endings shown sequentially, as they were presented during television broadcasts of the film and as featured on home video releases.
COMMUNITY
In Conversation: Mara Brock Akil and Elaine Welteroth – 7 PM, July 9: Join Reparations Club at CAAM to celebrate the release of The Revelation of Dionne Daphne, the first novel by Mara Brock Akil, creator of Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane, Love Is, and Forever. Set in 1990s New York City, the story tracks a beauty editor whose seemingly ideal world is upended by shocking news from an ex-partner, compelling her to face long-hidden childhood trauma. Join Akil for a discussion of this debut book exploring the depths of love, transformative secrets, and the journey toward self-discovery, moderated by Elaine Welteroth. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, Los Angeles.
Central Library’s Centennial 10 AM – 4:30 PM, July 11: Celebrate Central Library’s 100th birthday with a full day of special events and festivities! Join us as we celebrate the Los Angeles Central Library’s 100th birthday with a day of free programs, performances, exhibits, hands-on activities, and special guests. Explore every corner of this iconic landmark, discover the record-breaking exhibition Luceros y Penumbras: The World’s Largest Pop-Up Book, enjoy family-friendly crafts, meet community partners, and experience surprises throughout the day. Central Library, 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles.
Smorgasburg Ice Cream Alley 10 AM – 4 PM, Sundays through September 6: Sundays July 5 through September 6, join Smorgasburg as they celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Ice Cream Alley—the summertime showcase of the best independent ice cream makers in Los Angeles.
For a decade, Ice Cream Alley has been a launchpad for some of LA’s most exciting frozen dessert concepts. Vendors like Wanderlust, Kinrose Creamery, Happy Ice, Sad Girl Creamery, Moom Maam, and Bernie’s all started as Ice Cream Alley pop-ups before earning spots as resident Smorgasburg vendors. The Row DTLA, 7777 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles.
Skate Hunnies Party on Wheels at the Academy Museum – through September 3: The Academy Museum is rolling with Skate Hunnies to host a party on wheels, taking you around the Wilshire-Fairfax neighborhood. We’ll finish with a music-filled night of dance-skating on the Academy Museum Walt Disney Family Piazza. Bring your own skates for this free, guaranteed fun event. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles.
Gay Ass Trivia at Precinct – 7 PM, Thursdays: Queen Sheeba hosts this weekly trivia night with prizes including bar tabs, shots, and bar apparel. Maximum team sizes of six people. No cover! Precinct, 357 S Broadway, Los Angeles.
May the Balls be with You: Drag Queen Bingo 7 PM, Tuesdays and Wednesdays: Legendary Bingo is LA’s most popular Drag Queen Bingo & charity event! Come play at Hamburger Mary’s every Tuesday and Wednesday! Hamburger Mary’s, 8288 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.
COMEDY
Sloppy Seconds: The Stage Show – 7 PM, July 7: Meatball and Big Dipper get Sloppy with their fat gay comedy! Big Dipper and Meatball are busting out of the podcast studio and onto the UCB stage for their brand new live show experience! Sloppy Seconds: The Stage Show is a blend of podcast, improv, crowd work, and fat gay comedy with special guests! Join us for a night of that classic Sloppy Seconds drag/gay/sexy/gross/irreverent kind of stuff. With special guests Nicole Byer & Mano Agapion. Upright Citizens Brigade, 5919 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles.
My Secret Crush Book – 8 PM, July 7: My Secret Crush Book is an improv show based on Kelsi Roberts’ real childhood crush diary entries! It’s all my hilariously cringe-worthy confessions about my crushes brought to life on stage. The Groundlings, 7307 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles.
Rollin’ With My Homies 7 PM, July 8: Everyone’s doing improv in wheelchairs but they’re all fine so don’t worry. Your host (legitimate wheelchair user) and guests (not) weave scenes out of pop culture’s ideas about disability and interviews with special guests. Will the show increase visibility for disability? Hopefully. Will it inspire other disabled people? Gosh, that would be cool, too. The main goal is to put on a great show. Don’t put too much on us. We’re just comedians. Hosted by Nolan Purvis with cast: Carl Tart, Genetra Tull, Craig Cackowski, Rebecca Drysdale, Claudio Saavedra. Also featuring: Nicole Cyrille. Upright Citizens Brigade, 5919 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles.
Ultimate Improv Show – 7:30 PM, July 10: Dan Black presents THE ULTIMATE IMPROV SHOW! An all-star cast of improvisers perform the best, funniest and ultimate-est improv show of all time! (Ultimate-est is a word!) Each show will feature a celebrity guest monologist who will tell impromptu stories based off of a random suggestion from the audience. These stories will inspire the funniest improvised comedy scenes you’ve ever seen, like ever! Cast: Bobby Moynihan, Nicole Byer, Neil Casey, Dan Black, Brandon Scott Jones, Natasha Rothwell and a TBD monologist! Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles.
Grandpa’s Haunted Planet: A Live Reading of The Rise of Skywalker – 7 PM, July 11: The Star Wars Minute Podcast and The George Lucas Talk Show are proud to return Dynasty Typewriter on July 11th to stage their LIVE reading of the original screenplay with a radical cast including some of the galaxy’s hottest stars! Cast TBA! Too far, far away to join us in person? We’ll be transmitting a livestream to your location and you can watch it for up to a week following the live show! Dynasty Typewriter, 2511 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles.
Sinbad – 7PM, July 12: Ranked by Comedy Central as one of the “100 Greatest Standups of All Time,” actor and comedian and A Different World icon Sinbad has had audiences laughing for over three decades. Join him at the Ice House! The Ice House Legendary Room, 24 N Mentor Ave, Pasadena.
THEATRE
Mexodus – July 8 – August 2: This electrifying experience explores a hidden chapter of the Underground Railroad – one that moved south, by crossing the Rio Grande toward liberation in Mexico. This groundbreaking musical amplifies the story of a freedom seeker and an unlikely ally as they forge a remarkable bond that transcends borders. It’s history remixed. It’s a ride you won’t want to miss. Pasadena Playhouse Theater, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena.
Defiantly Joni – July 11-19: Joni Mitchell revolutionized American songwriting, paving a path for future musicians to take ownership of their artistry. Joni is defiant, an artist who has always prioritized her authenticity over compromise. Celebrate the unparalleled influence of Joni Mitchell, the woman who continues to blaze a trail for female artists, featuring beloved classics such as “Both Sides Now,” “A Case of You,” and “Circle Game.” Mark Taper Forum, 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles.
Tranquility– through July 31: An improvised space Western that explores the human connection, Tranquility takes place In the year 2517. The universe is a vast frontier where lawlessness reigns and adventure awaits! Join a motley crew of space traders on the spaceship Tranquility. They take on any job as long as it puts food on the table. Outside In Theatre, 5317 York Blvd., Los Angeles.
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous – through July 12: Anna Campbell is a trailblazing actress flush with accolades but short on cash. After returning to the U.S. to stage a career-defining comeback, she collides with a new generation that challenges her past, her politics, and her place in the movement. Award-winning playwright Pearl Cleage (Blues for an Alabama Sky) teams up with Tony Award nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson (The Piano Lesson) to deliver a sharp-witted and soulful new comedy about art, activism, and aging on your own terms. Geffen Playhouse,10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles.
MUSEUMS AND ART
Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon – through February 28, 2027: Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon celebrates Marilyn Monroe—born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926—as a visionary actor and image-maker, examining how she created and shaped her public image in the context of the classical Hollywood studio system.
Presenting hundreds of original objects, including posters, portraits, photographs, production documents, letters,… and rarely seen personal materials—many on display for the first time—the exhibition offers unique insight into her agency in becoming a Hollywood icon. The exhibition also features an extensive array of Monroe’s screen-worn costumes, ranging from a dress featured in Love Happy (1949) to items from her final and unfinished film, Something’s Got to Give (1962). Major highlights include two costumes by Orry-Kelly from Some Like it Hot (1959), as well as the rarely exhibited famous pink dress by William Travilla from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles.
The Brady Experience – through July 17: Fans of classic television and nostalgia seekers alike will soon have their chance to step inside The Brady Bunch house, one of the most recognizable homes in pop culture history. The Brady Experience is officially opening its doors again, for limited dates throughout the summer. Tickets will be available exclusively through Bucket Listers—the media experiences brand known for turning everyday moments into unforgettable adventures. The announcement also follows news of the house being granted historic status by the Los Angeles City Council.
Owner Tina Trahan, a historic home enthusiast and the wife of former HBO chief executive Chris Albrecht, had previously pledged to use the property for fundraising and charitable events upon purchase of the home. After opening up last November for a sold out three day run, she will now be hosting visits throughout the summer in continued support of Wags and Walks, the local nonprofit dog rescue dedicated to saving at-risk dogs and helping them find loving homes. The Brady Experience, 11222 Dilling St., Los Angeles.
A New Song: Langston Hughes in the West – through September 13: One of the world’s most famous Black poets, Langston Hughes (1902–1967) is often associated with the writers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance in New York. But starting in the 1930s, though the upheavals of the Great Depression, World War II, and McCarthyism in America, Hughes spent significant time in the West where he maintained deep connections and produced important work, including lectures, film scripts, plays, and his first book of short stories. Through recorded interviews, lyrical texts, archival photographs, and historic posters and prints, A New Song: Langston Hughes in the West reveals little-known aspects of Hughes’s work as a champion for justice and the special relationships he cultivated during his many sojourns in California, Nevada, and Mexico. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles.
Willie Birch: Stories to Tell – through October 26: The first-ever career retrospective of renowned artist Willie Birch, this exhibition brings together groundbreaking works from 1968 to the present that chronicle his unique vision of Black American life and the interconnected nature of global art forms. Born and raised in New Orleans and trained in Europe, Baltimore, and New York, Birch often speaks about “retentions,” a term he uses to describe evidence of one culture’s narratives and traditions within another. Throughout his career, Birch has explored particularly how African traditions have been retained in music, art, and culture in America as part of the Black experience and beyond. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles.
Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation – through February 28, 2027: Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation presents California as a pioneering site of sustained, Black-led struggles for LGBTQ equality, civil rights, and recognition. The exhibition recovers histories largely excluded from existing narratives and exposes powerful ways that print culture, artistic practice, and performance styles shaped, advanced, and interpreted Black queer social movements alongside political and legal activism. California African American Museum, 600 State Dr, Los Angeles.
Community: Selections from the Texas African American Photography Archive – through September 5: Throughout the twentieth century, nearly every small town in the United States boasted a local studio photographer. These skilled image makers were dedicated to recording the people and events of their communities. Much of this vernacular visual culture has been dispersed or destroyed. Kinship & Community takes a look at a rare slice of that history, focusing on the work of Black photographers working in urban neighborhoods and rural villages across eastern Texas from 1944 to 1984. Presented at Art + Practice, 3401 W. 43rd Place, Los Angeles.
