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Calendar’s Summer Splash : Three Ways to Plunge Into Summer : The Bargains

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It’s summer, the “good vibrations” season when people spell the word entertainment f-u-n----and they get away with it.

There’s a deluge of no-brainers--and a good number of serious undertakings, too--all beckoning us to dive right in.

To assist waders, swimmers and lifeguards through the season’s somewhat unpredictable waters, Calendar has set up three guided tours to help you cope with the Summer Splash. They’ve been created chiefly with budgetary considerations in mind, but each itinerary includes bargains and splurges alike:

* At the low and frequently free end of the spectrum, there’s the Bargain tour for those with more time than bucks to invest in entertainment. Approximate investment for the whole summer: $100.

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* For middle-of-the-road spenders, there’s the Mid-Range tour, a generally local group of enticements. It’ll get you as far away as San Diego for an optional weekend getaway. Approximate summer-long cost, excluding side trip: $300.

* At the high-rent end of these excursions, there’s the Pricey plunge, with optional side trips to Paris, Venice and Purchase, N.Y. To have it all (excluding side jaunts), all summer, figure on about $1500.

In each case, the mythical traveler is presumably a well-rounded seeker, as open to Tchaikovsky as the Cowboy Junkies.

The selections have not been sampled, but are based on past performances, insider buzz or, in a few cases, convincingly seductive advertising.

This week: Attend a matinee showing ($3.50) of “Pink Cadillac” and see if the unexpected casting of Clint Eastwood with Bernadette Peters worked. Afterward, check out the Art of Creative Survival Festival (free), a Memorial Day Weekend celebration featuring painting, sculpture and photography exhibits as well as performance arts. The festival is from noon to dusk Saturday through Monday at St. Elmo Village, a black arts complex at 4830 St. Elmo Drive. Information: (213) 935-6123.

June 4-10: Sip tea in the coffee shop ($1.60 with tax and tip) at the L.A. Hilton Hotel, 930 Wilshire Blvd. That’s where you can observe the human equivalent of the bar scene in “Star Wars” as folks in extraterrestrial costumes take breaks from attending Creation Salutes Star Trek. If you really want to attend this predictably outrageous June 3-5 extravaganza, it’s $27 a day or $66 for the weekend (tickets available through Ticketmaster). But this is the cheap tour. Skip the formalities. And if you just want to see Star Trek personalities--William Shatner, Gene Roddenberry, Jonathan Frakes, Diana Muldaur and others--bypass even the coffee shop and hang out at the hotel’s entrance for free.

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June 11-17: Get a preview of the directors of the future at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s 16th annual Student Film Awards (free), June 11, 6:30 p.m. Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8949 Wilshire Blvd. Tickets must be obtained by contacting the Academy: (213) 278-8990, Ext. 223.

June 18-24: Hear comic Jay Leno road-test new jokes for his Tonight Show monologues ($15 and a two-drink minimum) at the Comedy and Magic Club, 1019 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, June 18. When Leno tests new material and it bombs here, he tends to reassure audiences he’ll make a point to re-write the jokes so they work by air time. Then his listeners can watch him on TV the next night to see how successfully he did his homework. Reservations: (213) 372-1193.

June 25-July1: Before the Craft and Folk Art Museum temporarily closes up shop on June 26 to move to new quarters, check out the current show, “The Vessel: Studies in Form and Media” ($1.50 for adults, $1 for students and seniors and $.75 for children under 12). The exhibition features wondrous containers ranging from baskets to ceramic, metal and textile receptacles. Daily except Mondays. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Information: (213) 937-5544.

July 2-8: Grab your outfielder’s mitt and head over to “Think Blue” week at Dodger Stadium (June 27-July 3), when roving mariachi bands and barbershop quartets will be serenading the crowd. High school bands will entertain from the field and spectators can check out baseball’s answer to the Gong Show when fans win such opportunities as singing the national anthem, broadcasting the game on radio and taking batting practice with the team before the game.

General admission seats are $4 (go for the top deck behind home plate rather than the outfield pavilions). And if you’re bringing a child, save $2 by buying his or her ticket for $2 at the stadium on the day of the game. Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres June 27, 28 and 29, and the Pittsburgh Pirates June 30 to July 3. Information: (213) 224-1500.

Note: Best pop bet to hit a stadium or other large, outdoor venue: Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, the Scorpions and the Soviet band Gorky Park sometime around Labor Day. The groups are playing a globally televised, two-day festival in Moscow’s Lenin Park in August and then plan to bring the show to Southern California.

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July 9-15: Pack a picnic, dig out your binoculars and go for the bargain seats ($6.25 each) to hear the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, July 12, 8 p.m. at the Hollywood Bowl. Information: (213) 850-2000.

July 16-22: Take in “Temptation” ($20), the latest available play by imprisoned Czech dissident Vaclav Have from July 13 through Aug. 27 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave. Los Angeles. Information: (213) 972-7211.

July 23-29: Skip the Listerine and on July 23 head for the 7th Annual West Hollywood Garlic Festival (free) where you’ll find men in garlic suits and a smokin’ lineup of jazz musicians. Forty of L.A.’s top restaurants will participate in the fund-raising event on San Vicente Boulevard between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. Information: (213) 462-4122.

July 30-Aug.5: Put on your plaid shorts and watch what happens when 25 local visual artists are assigned to create their own holes for a miniature golf course. It’s at the Art Golf Show (free) from June 23 through July 30 at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), 1804 Industrial St. Information: (213) 624-5650.

Aug. 6-12: Catch a bargain matinee ($3.50) of Ron Howard’s latest film, “Parenthood,” in which casting provides something for everyone: Steve Martin, Tom Hulce, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton and Keanu Reeves. Then move over to Little Tokyo for the 48th Nisei Festival (free), Aug. 5-13, for a wide-ranging celebration of Japanese and Japanese-American arts and culture. Exhibits include folk dolls, ikebana (flower arranging), the tea ceremony, bonsai (miniature horticulture) and calligraphy. Information: (213) 687-7193.

Aug. 13-19: Whip out your best ethnic jewelry to wear to the William Grant Still Arts Center’s annual African Marketplace and Cultural Faire (free). The cultures of Egypt, Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Cuba and, of course, Africa will be highlighted in dance and music workshops, plays, films, and craft displays. Festival runs Aug. 19, 20 and 27 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fairfax Ave. and La Cienega Blvd. Information: (213) 734-1164.

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Aug. 20-26: Round up a “big nasty redhead” (or your favorite short person), smear on a boastful “I Love L.A.” attitude and settle back for the Randy Newman concert ($20) at the Universal Amphitheatre Aug. 24. Information: (818) 980-9421.

Aug. 27-Sept.4: Laugh away your grief that summer’s almost over by spending Monday night at the Comedy Store. Watch both the newest comics on the scene and the old pros. No cover charge. Main room show starts at 9 p.m. but it’s best to arrive an hour in advance to be assured of a seat. Two drink minimum. 8433 Sunset Blvd. Information: (213) 656-6225.

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