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The Cinefamily’s continuing Comedy Death Ray series continues to kill. This time young Michael Cera presents Freebie and the Bean starring Alan Arkin and James Caan in what Cera says “has to be the best buddy-cop film of 1974″.

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The 2nd weekend of the new year brings a plethora of group shows to Los Angeles along with a Hamburger weekender.

• Gallery 1988 on Melrose has been pumping out art shows depicting some of our most recognizable pop culture heroes and villains over the years (I AM 8-BIT, Crazy 4 Cult, Lost, etc.) so it comes as no surprise that our favorite childhood muscle bound bowl-cut hero from Eternia has over 100 artists making pieces of him and his pals for the show Under the Influence: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)

• You Can Heal Your Life! at the Circus Gallery on Lexington that is at their group show which features the works of Sister Corita among others. Curated by Emma Gray, the “art works in this show seek to address issues of religion, spirituality and self-help through performance, sculpture, painting, video and printmaking.“

(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)

• For animal and art lovers alike, Thinkspace in Silver Lake is putting out A Cry For Help, a group show of over 100 artists with the goal of raising awareness about the plight of animals in our modern world. *20% of all proceeds will be donated to Born Free USA.

(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)

• New Image Art on La Brea is run by some amazing women (Marsea Goldberg, Amber Abramson) so it should come as no surprise that their current group show features some of today’s powerful women photographers with the group show Put Your Finger on the Button. Included in the show are two of my favorite photographers, regardless of sex, the awesome Cheryl Dunn and lovely Deanna Templeton (who you may have both seen in our film Beautiful Losers).

(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)

• Speaking of Deanna Templeton, her husband Ed Templeton will be featured in the show for the Japanese publication Megane Zine at the HVW8 Art + Design Gallery off of Melrose. In addition to a limited edition HVW8 x Megane t-shirt designed by Ed for sale, comic zine’s will be given free to the first 20 people on January 9th.

(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)

• And finally wrap up your weekend with family, laughter and Hamburger as the Cinefamily on Fairfax extends their Comedy Death Ray series with Neil Hamburger’s tribute to Frank Sinatra, Jr. I repeat Frank Sinatra, JUNIOR. In honor of Frank Jr.’s birthday, Hamburger has assembled this evening of rare, vintage Frank Jr. TV variety specials and film appearances!

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Close out the summer this Labor Day weekend with art openings, saving our state parks by dancing your ass off and watching classic movies in unusual places around Los Angeles.

• Brooklyn based artist Jon Vermilyea brings an Attack From Space with art and a new silkscreen book to The Secret Headquarters in Silver Lake.

• Fresh friends at Fresh Pressed host Michael C. Hsiung and his cast of mythical creatures for an opening and live screenprinting of select works in Los Feliz.

• Picnicing, beer tasting and “beautiful baby” watching at the Barnsdall Art Park for an outdoor movie night featuring Jon Favreau’s Los Feliz inspired Swingers.

• Go to the Fuck Yeah Fest and help save our state parks while enjoying the musical stylings of the Black Lips, No Age, Tim and Eric and many more F-Yeahers at the Los Angeles State Historic Park.

• Buff Monster brings a Heavy Metal Ice Cream Smile to the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City just in time to cool off and close out the summer.

• Be there for Being There at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery as Cinespia presents the 1979 dramedy (and original Forrest Gump) directed by Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude) starring Peter Sellers.

• Enjoy your day off while watching the recently departed John Hughes’ 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Also at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

• Also on Saturday night, The Cinefamily on Fairfax and Paul F. Tompkins (Mr. Show) has an adventure for you should you choose to accept it: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure directed by Tim Burton. Screening as part of the Upright Citizens Brigade’s Comedy Death Ray series.

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A few things to do in Los Angeles when you’re not swimming in swimming pools, swimming at the beach, or swimming in your sorrows with alcoholic beverages this weekend:

• Savannah Snow goes to Reform School in Silver Lake with her charming little show Charming Cobras. See the preview here.

• Explore Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite with a video screening and group show featuring Paper Rad, Souther Salazar, Ben Bigelow, and many more at Synchronicity Space on Melrose. Check the trailer below.

• The Cinefamily presents Experiments in Nature as Aska Matsumiya and The Moonrats (along with Warpaint) provide a live score to science films, experimental films, and nature footage at The Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax.

• Mid-City Arts celebrate their one year anniversary with a massive group show featuring some of LA’s finest graffiti artists. Including live painting by the infamous CHAKA, DUSTER (Style Wars), RETNA, and more.

• And finally, end your weekend with some laughter as The Cinefamily presents Comedy Death Ray (Upright Citizens Brigade) presenting Fred Armisen (SNL) presenting Claude Lelouch’s 1974 romance Toute Une Vie (And Now, My Love), which chronicles three love affairs over three generations.

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This weekend’s events and openings look swell and all but you know the whole world will be dancing their collective asses off to the music of Michael all weekend long. So tonight, you gotta leave that 9-5 up on the shelf and just enjoy yourself!

• The LA Film Festival pays tribute to some of the most iconic music videos that completely raised the bar with Where It Was At: A Propaganda and Satellite Films Tribute featuring classic clips from Spike Jonze, David Fincher, Mark Romanek, Stephane Sednaoui, and more. Also, the Propaganda Class Reunion, with many of the co-founders and early executives, will follow the Friday, June 26 screening!

• The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax conclude their Comedy Death Ray (Upright Citizens Brigade) series with Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric presenting David Byrne’s 1985 quirky look at Texas with True Stories. Bonus: Tim and Eric will be presenting a sneak preview of some of their latest sketch work from their hilariously creepy show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

• The second installment of Subliminal Project’s Park Life series brings together a diverse group of creatives for the opening of The New Utopia at Echo Park’s Studio Number One. Featuring Shepard Fairey, Amanda Fairey, Florencio Zavala, Cleon Peterson, Zach Gibson, Kristian Henson, Casey Ryder, Jesselisa Moretti, Simon Steinhardt, Philip Lumbang, Ernesto Yerena, Marissa Textor, Adrianne Read, Jeremy Kaplan, Fighting, Seth Ferris, Sage Vaughn, Maya Hayuk, Michael Muller, Mansi Shah, Tanya Rubbak, Gail Swanlund, Jeremy Landman, Nicholas Bowers, Spencer Elden, Z James, Edwin Bethea, Eric Elms, The Date Farmers, Devin Gallagher, HelloVon and more…

• APAK (husband and wife duo of Aaron Piland and Ayumi Kajikawa Piland) bring their magical little creatures to Hollywood’s Tinlark Gallery with their Rainbow Garden.

• Korin Faught’s hauntingly beautiful paintings come to the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City with her solo show Echo.

• INVADER and WK Ineteract dually attack New York’s Jonathan Levine Gallery with their respective solo shows Top 10 and Motion Portrait.

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• Jack Long goes long with his latest paintings for his show Singing Her to Sleep at Giant Robot’s New York shop.

• And finally on Sunday, come to Silver Lake and Hunt and Gather in a garden filled with one of a kind treasures culled from the collections of local collectors.

More from the locals:

“Local Silverlake peeps have come together to put their items on display. There’s gonna be music, $1 refreshments (margaritas, mimosas, & lemonade) and the CUTEST KITCHEN BOUTIQUE selling HOMEMADE VEGAN BAKED TREATS and CANNED GOODS.

Other items you will find on your hunt: VINTAGE bags, shoes and clothing. ANTIQUES, HANDCRAFTED CLOTHING, RECORDS, BOOKS, HANDMADE TERRARIUMS, ORGANIC APOTHECARY PRODUCTS, ORIGINAL ART and so much more!”

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Come one, come all! LA is once again hustlin’ and bustlin’ this weekend with art, film, food, and music galore.

• Arkitip gets down with the ubiquitous Shepard Fairey tonight in Hollywood for the release of issue no. 0051, art installations, and of course Shep and guest djs on the 1’s and 2’s. All courtesy of Alife.

• Celebrate at Chinatown’s Ooga Booga with good ol’ Cali and crew for the unveiling of Teenage Teardrop’s six latest drops: three new 12″s by Nick Dewitt, Lucky Dragons, and Infinite Body, two new t-shirts for the summer, and one new zine! Live performances by the aforementioned artists as well as a dj set by Eddie Ruscha.

• The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax continue June’s Comedy Death Ray (Upright Citizens Brigade) series with Patton Oswalt presenting Larry Cohen’s 1976 thriller, God Told Me To. Says funny man Patton, “I picked God Told Me To because I’ve never seen it — and I’ve always wanted to see Andy Kaufman go on a shooting rampage.” I smell unintentional comedy brewing.

• Opening this Saturday at the Scion Space on La Cienega is This Must Be The Place, a collection of art and oddities by eight American artists (Gluekit, Maxwell Loren Holyoke-Hirsch, Damien Correll, Joel Speasmaker, Matt Curry, Skull Phone, Dan Funderburgh and Jemma Hostetler) who explore the notion of ‘home’ with the loose limitation of a two-toned color palette.

• After unleashing their brand of Asian pop culture to the world in magazine form way back in 1994, Giant Robot has expanded their operation quite significantly with stores in LA, NY, and SF. Celebrate their quinceañera with them as they launch their 15th anniversary group show at the bay area branch.

• Toy Swap! Toy Swap! Toy Swap! Sale! Sale! Sale! On Saturday dork out and trade your toys with other toy dorks at Los Feliz’s venerable Wacko/Soap Plant/La Luz De Jesus.

• Bike down and get your design and dim sum on deliciously with DeLab (design east of La Brea). Read details and more from Alissa (Gelatobaby) here. Don’t forget to RSVP to hello@designeastoflabrea.org!

*Also, it’s not too late to submit your tasty designs for Dwell’s Coolhaus ice cream contest also being judged by the cream loving Alissa.

Gelatobaby meets Coolhaus from Alissa Walker on Vimeo.
• With schools coming to a close for the summer all aross the land, Cinespia apporpriately screeens Mike Nichols’ 1967 classic, The Graduate starring Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

• Watch iconic music video classics when the LA Film Festival screens Where It Was At: A Propaganda and Satellite Films Tribute with clips from Spike Jonze, David Fincher, Mark Romanek, Stephane Sednaoui, and more.

• And finally, dance the weekend away Hollywood Bowl style Sunday night with Femi Kuti, Santigold, Raphael Saadiq, and host KCRW’s Garth Trinidad.

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One of the funnest parts about putting together these weekend event lists is coming up with an appropriate title using the words from said events. As seen above, this weekend’s happenings has churned out the perfect storm of words. From partying with porn stars to making art with nuns, Los Angeles has a lot going for it under our overcast skies, including our beloved Lakers winning it all in Orlando this Sunday!

• Get your porn on all weekend long as Erotica LA 2009 sexys up the LA Convention Center with pornstars galore and the 40,000 estimated attendees who masturbate to them.

• Be both Cute & Dangerous at the group show of the same name at the seven-degrees gallery down in Laguna Beach.

• The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax continues June’s Comedy Death Ray (Upright Citizens Brigade) series with Bob Odenkirk (half of Mr. Show) presenting Albert Brooks’ 1979 directorial debut Real Life.

• The celebration of Sister Corita’s art and inspiring spirit just keeps on going as a modern day happening happens at the Corita Art Center in Hollywood. Complete with silk-screening, banner and flag making, music, food, a procession with pipes, the day’s festivities also include the release of the 2nd edition of Jan Steward’s Learning By Heart. Corita is definitely alive and well.

• Skaters (Tony Alva), artists (Shepard Fairey), and skateboarder artists (Mark Gonzalez) pay tribute to one of Dogtown’s legendary photographers, Wynn Miller, with the group show The Detournements of Wynn Miller at the Exhibit A Gallery on Fairfax.

• Attaboy presents A Touch of Evil with his latest drawings, paintings, sculptures, and Gooberries at the POVevolving Gallery in Chinatown.

• Childlike pop-art illustrations meet vector based computer art when J. Otto Seibold comes to Giant Robot’s GR2 on Sawtelle with his Jottobots.

• And finally, end the weekend laughing with a tribute to unorthodox cult comedian Mitch Hedberg at The Silent Movie Theater as the Cinefamily “commemorates the comic’s legacy with a screening of his TV appearances, live performances, and the pilot to his unreleased MTV reality show, The Mitch Hedberg Project. Also showing is his autobiographical 1999 feature, Los Enchiladas; directed by Hedberg, the film focuses on the humorist’s early days as a Mexican restaurant employee in the suburbs of St. Paul.”

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Group shows, group shows, and more group shows with Sarah Silverman, Z-Trip, Shepard Fairey, Diego Rivera, some graffiti, a dragon, and a Winnebago man mixed in to make your weekend well done.

• East coast meets West coast as artists Sage Vaughn, Dereck Albeck, Hiro Kurata, Mars Mario Martinez (MARS-1), G Bradley Rhodes, Britton Tolliver, and Oliver Vernon join forces for a group show at the Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica.

• At their not-so-secret Silver Lake comic book shop, The Secret Headquarters presents the Guilty Pleasures of artist Aiyana Udensen. Come for a drink or two and an “an informative slide presentation on rodent care”.

• Get down with superstar DJs and Darwin’s Revolution at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles for the last First Fridays of the season as Z-Trip, The Gaslamp Killer, and The Phatal DJ rock the hallowed halls of history.

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• You don’t have to be quiet as you laugh your ass off at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax as The Cinefamily presents Sarah Silverman presenting Carl Reiner’s 1970 black comedy, Where’s Poppa? as part of June’s Comedy Death Ray (Upright Citizens Brigade) series.

• For those looking to take a weekend trip to Northern California, the Scion art tour makes a move to San Jose with Installation Five: Self Portrait featuring artists Blek le Rat, Jeff Soto, David Choe, Kelsey Brookes, Mark Mothersbaugh, Ron English, Sage Vaughn, and many, many more at the Anno Domini Gallery.

• LA’s downtown Crewest crew presents a group tribute show to the mecca of the LA graffiti scene with The Legendary Belmont Tunnel. Featuring writers Cab, Man One, and the legendary Saber, among others.

• Sometimes there’s nothing funnier than found footage and the Cinefamily has a bunch of it as the Silent Movie Theater presents TV Carnage Night, the equivalent of “a mystical night of channel-flipping, in which every single click of the remote lands you on that bizarre something that stops you in your audiovisual tracks”. Check out a clip here:
TV Carnage Night (feat. One Man Force)
Silent Movie Theater
Saturday June 6, 2009 at 10:45pm 611 N. Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Cost: $10

• Giant Robot New York spotlights “indie-comics creators from across the country, ranging from stapled-and-folded stars of DIY to art-gallery superstars” with the group show Panelists V.

• The ever visceral Amanda Visell unleashes her latest vinyl toy, The Dragon Scout, for a release party at Pasadena’s Switcheroo workshop.

• For the Internationally inclined, the irrepressible street art icon Shepard Fairey opens a retrospective of his screenprint work at the Berlin arm of LA’s Merry Karnowski Gallery.

• See the Life-size Murals of Diego Rivera as educator Gregorio Luke leads an innovative multi-media lecture of the Mexican muralist’s life and work with the aid of 20,000 lumens at the Ford Theater. “Murals are projected life size using the most advanced projection technology and gives viewers the sensation of being in front of the original murals”.

• And finally, end your weekend on a f-ing high note with a sneak preview of Winnebago Man, a film in which filmmaker Ben Steinbauer takes on the seemingly impossible task of tracking down Jack Rebney (aka “the angriest RV salesman in the world”) and his hilariously foul-mouthed and ill-tempered outtakes from a Winnebago promo he made in the 80s. Check the original clip here:

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