I hope your holidays are very merry so far. Here at LAist, we headed out to the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena recently to get a fresh look at the art collection, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. If you have time in this light traffic (and rainy!) week, it’s worth the ride to check out this gem. Or if old Hollywood glam is more your thing, Fiona Ng scoped out the ASU FIDM museum downtown, which has more than 300 artifacts in its care that you can visit — including many pieces worn by Marlene Dietrich.
Licorice Pizza’s music picks for the weekend include the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Mint on Friday, plus RL Grime at Academy L.A. and Quiet Riot at the Whisky a Go Go, both also on Friday. Sunday has hair metal vets the BulletBoys at the Whisky, and actress and performance artist Ann Magnuson will do an encore performance of her “The Luv Show – 30th Anniversary” Celebration at Zebulon.
Elsewhere on LAist.com, learn about the final shows at the Hotel Cafe before it moves and get a glimpse of LACMA’s first Van Gogh acquisition.
Events
Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry
Preview through Sunday, January 4
Pacific Asia Museum
46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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David Kim
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Pacific Asia Museum
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A museum-wide installation takes over USC’s Pacific Asia Museum starting in February, but you can get a sneak preview at the innovative project, conceived by Los Angeles-based Korean American artist and muralist Dave Young Kim, over the holidays. Mythical Creatures is an immersive exhibit that spans 12 rooms and tells visitors a story in verse across the museum’s walls. It features 100 objects from USC PAM’s diverse collection of Asian art, as well as new work from Dinh Q. Lê, Lily Honglei, Wendy Park, Momoko Schafer, Kyungmi Shin, Sanjay Vora, Lauren YS and more.
Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special
Saturday, December 27, 5 p.m.
Alex Theatre
216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale
COST: FROM $19; MORE INFO
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Courtesy The Alex Theatre
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Artist Shepard Fairey is DJing, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater is performing and DJ Lance Rock is hosting this charity screening of the iconic 1988 Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special. The evening will benefit AnimAID, which helps animation professionals whose lives have been affected by the wildfires. The movie is followed by a holiday concert at 8 p.m. with Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas.
The Wonderful Winter of Oz
Through Sunday, December 28
Scherr Forum at Bank of American Performing Arts Center
2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks
COST: FROM $42; MORE INFO
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Lythgoe Family Panto
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Ticketmaster
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A very British tradition at Christmastime is going to a panto — a pantomime — with your family and friends. For the uninitiated, a panto is a sort of mistold fairy tale rewritten with audience participation, bawdy (but typically kid-friendly) humor and colorful costumes and sets. The Lythgoe Family Panto brings a taste of that to L.A. every year, this year with The Wonderful Winter of Oz, starring none other than J. Peterman himself, John O’Hurley.
When Harry Met Sally…
Saturday and Sunday, December 27 and 28, 11 a.m.
Art Theatre
2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
COST: $13; MORE INFO
Honor Rob Reiner’s legacy by heading to Long Beach for a screening of the best holiday movie and best rom-com of all time (don’t @ me), When Harry Met Sally…
2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour
Sunday, December 28, 7 p.m.
Los Feliz Theatre
1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz
COST: $17; MORE INFO
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Courtesy American Cinematheque
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Take the opportunity to see some great indie shorts as American Cinematheque and Vimeo present a showcase of seven standouts from this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The event is followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
S.H.I.N.E. Mawusa
Saturday, December 27, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
World Stage
4321 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park
COST: $5 SUGGESTED DONATION; MORE INFO
Every Saturday, S.H.I.N.E. Mawusi — Sisters Healing, Inspiring, Nurturing, and Empowering, in the Hands of God — brings West African drum culture to the L.A. community. World Stage hosts this suggested donation-only performance, which teaches African culture through music and dance.
Laboratory for the Future
Through January 4, Thursdays to Sundays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Propeller Gallery
Airport Arts Center
3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Debra Scacco’s work is only on display for another couple of weeks; make sure you get over to Santa Monica Airport to see the project from the beach city’s first Public Works Department Artist in Residence program before it’s gone in early January. Scacco explores the relationship between “water, waste, and urban ecology” and uses clay from Santa Monica’s water well excavation alongside portraits of city essential workers in the installation.
Holiday tours & Vault Experience
Saturday and Sunday, December 27 and 28
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile
COST: $150; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Petersen Automotive Museum
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If you left the car fanatic in your life off your list, this is the perfect opportunity to make up for the oversight. Included in your Peterson Automotive Museum admission is a special tour of the Vault — home to many rare and vintage cars — a trip to the museum’s mechanic’s shop, where restoration work on the vehicles is ongoing, and a gift certificate to the museum’s restaurant, Meyers Manx.
Papusas and Punchlines
Friday, December 26, 7:30 p.m.
Jaragua Restaurant
4493 Beverly Blvd., Mid-City
COST: FROM $19.50; MORE INFO
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Papusas and Punchlines
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Eventbrite
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Eat delicious papusas and laugh till it hurts at Jaragua for their ongoing Papusas and Punchlines series, this week with a holiday theme. Comics from HBO, Jimmy Kimmel Live and more will perform.