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Dancing, fighting, opening, auctioning, speaking, signing, arting. Many a great things happening this weekend, but for me and my Friday the 13th birthday weekend, the best present I can receive would be an exciting Manny Pacquiao victory. Hope you have a fun filled Filipino weekend!

• The weekend begins with a Friday the 13th full of Wonder as New York’s DJ Spinna and Bobbito bring their traveling Stevie Wonder tribute to Hollywood with Wonder-Full LA4 at The Vanguard.

• Giant Robot boldly follows Deth P. Sun’s lead as his melancholy cat-like characters come to LA in his new solo show Please Be Brave at GR2 on Sawtelle.

• Juxtapoz celebrates their 15th year of existence by throwing The Big Payback, a group art show and charity auction held in conjunction with Upper Playground and Power House Project of Detroit at the Factory Place Arts Complex in downtown LA. Proceeds from the auction will support the goal of purchasing five homes and employing local Detroit contractors, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters to perform the renovations. See the pieces by some of the urban art world’s best being auctioned off on Juxtapoz.com and bid on them at Charitybuzz.com.

• The main event of the weekend for fight fans and Filipinos everywhere: Manny Pacquiao fights Miguel Cotto for the Welterweight championship and a record setting seventh title. Nike Sportswear graciously hosts the fight at the Montalbán Theater in Hollywood. RSVP required.

• Spend Sunday with Family, the extraordinarily eclectic bookstore on Fairfax that is, as they host a very special speaking and signing engagement with Spike Jonze to celebrate the release of Heads On & We Shoot a “unique collaboration behind Where the Wild Things Are-the combined work of Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, and all the cast and crew.”

• And finally a weeks worth of free admission to the MOCA and the Geffen Contemporary as they both open their doors to bring their acclaimed collection of postwar art to the community with complimentary admission during the opening week of Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty Years.

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Oh how I long to be one of the many thousands of lucky nerds in San Diego for Comic-Con (still can’t believe I’ve never been, I fear my dork credibility may be in jeopardy!) Fortunately there are many a happening around Los Angeles to take your mind off all the geeky goodness we’re missing out on.

• With that being said, allow me to start with a few events at Comic-Con for those who made the trek down the 405 freeway:

Artist signings by Mark Ryden, Joe Ledbetter, James Jean, The Pizz, Scott Musgrove, Ron English, and Travis Louie for Last Gasp Publishing.

James Jean (again), David Choe, and David Horvath for Giant Robot.

And a Tim and Eric sighting at their very own con of the awesome variety, appropriately called Awesome Con!

• Wayne White (one of my favorite typographists) and Exene Cervenka fly their way over to the Western Project Gallery in Culver City with their two person show, We Are Not the Jetset.

• Stick around Culver City for a three person show featuring some Heavy Petting with David Burke, Riddles In the Dark with Mia, and Keep It Down with guest artist Sarah Folkman at the Corey Helford Gallery.

• Don’t leave Culver City just yet cause the Scion Installation Space opens up it’s place for the 2009 Vice Magazine Photography Exhibition featuring Jamie Lee Curtis Taete, Maggie Lee, and former Vice photo editor, Tim Barber.

• Cinespia presents The Muppet Movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, need I say more?

• Recoup on Sunday and take an Urban Hike through Little Tokyo with the Architecture and Design Museum Los Angeles.

• Spread your wings and fly to the MOCA’s Pacific Design Center on Melrose for an art talk with Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues whose installation Feathered Edge: A New Installation by Ball-Nogues Studio is currently on view and features “over 21 miles of colored strings configured in catenary curves span the gallery space to form a dynamic environment.”

• And finally, end your weekend on a “high” note (yeah, that’s right I said it) with Cheech and Chong’s classic Up in Smoke at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

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Master painter/sculptor/Kanye West inspirer, Takashi Murakami continues his collaborations with Louis Vuitton with the Multicolor Spring Pallete collection. And to commemorate their latest pairing, Murakami has released the trailer for his animated short film entitled Superflat First Love. Premiering April 28th, 2009, Superflat First Love is the follow up to the Superflat Monogram project Murakami created with LV back in 2003. For now you can feast your eyes on the 15 second trailer which doesn’t say too much yet. But like all Murakami’s work, animated or otherwise, be prepared for something bold and beautiful.

More Murakami from his legendary show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles :

And just for kicks, here’s Murakami’s Inochi, (my favorite robo-alien-horny Japanese kid) :

And don’t forget about Kaikai & KiKi!

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This Saturday January 31st from 3-5pm, master painter Mark Ryden makes his way to the MOCA to sign copies of his latest exhibition book, “The Tree Show”. This chronicling of Ryden’s latest works shows how he took his vacant-eyed cast of magical and melancholic characters and set them afoot in the woods and forests of his mind. Ironically, the beautiful 128 pages of the book are made of mutilated bits and pieces of the artist’s subject matter…TREES! More from Markryden.com:

“A showcase of pieces from Mark Ryden’s 2007 major solo exhibition at the Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles, the Tree Show Book features over 130 color images including Mark’s paintings, drawings, studies, and sculptural works. This 128-page hard bound full-color edition also includes a wealth of Mark’s inspirational reference materials as well as an essay by Holly Meyers and artist’s statement.”

“The Tree Show” Book Signing
Saturday, January 31, 3–5 pm
MOCA Store, MOCA Grand Avenue
250 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Ph: 213-621-1710
[ mapquest directions ]

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