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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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Huge art openings, major and not so major motion pictures, as well as Trashy and Smelly events in LA. The end of May is a busy busy weekend and finds a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ for everyone, even peeps in Cinci!

• Tonight pop art legend Coop brings his trademark grinning devils, voluptuous vixens, and hell-bound hot rods to the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City as he opens his highly anticipated and hyped first solo show since 2006.

• While on my latest editing stint with the Motion Theory crew, we put together a couple of charming Nintendo spots for the upcoming video game The Legendary Starfy. What we didn’t know then was that the commercials were going to be featured in front of a small indie Pixar film coming out this weekend called Up. For the kids, yo!

• When you put the music of Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse together with the mind and eyes of David Lynch you get The Dark Night of the Soul, a series of photographs influenced by the original songs created by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse for the album of the same name. This uniquely unusual collabo marks Danger Mouse’s first-ever gallery installation as well as Lynch’s first exhibition at the Michael Kohn Gallery in nearly 15 years. The album will be playing in the gallery’s two rooms as it is now one of the only places you can legally hear it.*

*As a result of a dispute with EMI, the record — featuring vocal contributions from members of the Strokes, the Cardigans, the Flaming Lips, the Pixies, and Super Furry Animals — is no longer receiving an official release. A book containing Lynch’s artwork, originally slated to be packaged with the CD, will now only include a blank CD-R, of which the artists cagily advise, “Use it as you will.”

• Sydney based street artist Kill Pixie (a.k.a. Mark Whalen) brings his latest works stateside with I’ll Hit You Up Tomorrow at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery on La Brea. Also featured in the project room, The Future Spa–collaborative Installation with Autolux. All this hosted by actor Tim Roth.

• Eat vegetarian, dance right, do yoga, and help raise funds for inner city youth as local artists make recycled art at Trashy L.A. sponsored by Breathe Los Angeles campaign. Proceeds go to the Art of Living Foundation Youth Programs in Los Angeles.

• If you’re feeling sleepy on Saturday sleep with the eternal sleepers at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery as Cinespia presents Woody Allen’s futuristic sci-fi romantic comedy Sleeper.

• Ohioans out in the naughty ‘Nati get two openings for the free price of one as Evan Hecox and Christina Seely open their respective shows, Unnamed Places and Lux, at the Country Club of course.

• One more event for Saturday night: Family member and fellow November 13er, DJ Nate Harrington, will be spinning the records before/after the Black Dice perform at The Escarpment presented by the folks at the F Yeah Fest.

• And finally, end the weekend on a high note as one of Aska (The Sads, AsDSSka) Matsumiya’s many bands, The Moonrats, rock The Smell’s Sunday show along with The Curious Mystery, Audacity, Devon Williams.

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• Pop surrealist and one of the more prominent artists of the Lowbrow art scene (and also one of my favorites), master painter Todd Schorr brings new works to the Merry Karnowski Gallery on La Brea.

• And speaking of ending runs, Giant Robot’s Silver Lake store will be closing it’s door after servicing east side pop culturists for the past couple of years. And to commemorate the occasion, and clear out their store, the’ll be offering up 50% off all items this Friday and Saturday (Silver Lake location only)!

• Last week to check out Bill McMullen’s “Hype, Hustle, Ripoff” show at the Constant Gallery on La Cienega as it ends it’s run this Saturday March, 28th.

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