Valley Weekend : FRIDAY : STAR-STRUCK TALES

Everybody likes a little gossip, and Betty Garrett is no exception.

Garrett, a veteran of stage and screen, will present her one-woman show “No Dogs or Actors Allowed” this weekend at Theatre West in Universal City.

The show, first produced at Theatre West in 1989, is an evening of personal anecdotes from Garrett’s career.

“Most of the stories are funny and affectionate,” Garrett says. “I felt it was time to do it again.”

Garrett describes the show as gossipy, with stories about celebrities she’s worked with over the years ranging from Orson Welles to Shelley Winters.

“I happened to be a stage-struck person since I was a kid, “ Garrett says. “These stories represent my love of the theater.”

Earlier this year, Garrett won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. Many people remember her for her work on television’s “All in the Family” and “Laverne and Shirley,” and others for her featured roles in such classic MGM musicals as “On the Town” and “My Sister Eileen.” Garrett is a co-founder and the current chair of Theatre West.

“This show is all talking and it’s fun to do,” Garrett says. “There’s nothing I like more than to talk about myself.”

* Betty Garrett’s “No Dogs or Actors Allowed” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Universal City. Tickets are $20. Call (213) 851-7977.

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SATURDAY

WHERE IS SHE NOW?

Singer Joni James will make her first West Coast performance in over 20 years when she plays this weekend in North Hollywood.

During the 1950s, James sold millions of records and scored more than a dozen Top 40 hits, including “How Important Can it Be” and “Why Don’t You Believe Me.”

James withdrew from the musical landscape in the 1960s and later bought back the master recordings of her entire MGM Record catalogue. In later years, James became the stuff of legend and rumor. Copies of her old records became collectors’ items selling for $15 to $25.

This is her first concert since the reissue of her music on CD earlier this year and the start of a national tour.

* Joni James will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Academy Plaza Theatre, 5230 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Tickets are $25. Comic Johnny Dark will open. Call (818) 785-8885.

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SUNDAY

VALLEY O’ FESTIVALS

Valley residents will have two festivals this weekend to choose from: The Taste of Encino and the Russian Culture Festival.

The eighth annual Taste of Encino will be Saturday and Sunday at both the Encino Town Center and the Plaza de Oro shopping centers in Encino.

Attendees will be invited to sample the wares of over 25 participating restaurants, wineries and beverage companies. Tastes will cost from $1 to $4.

Besides arts and crafts and children’s activities, live entertainment will feature an eclectic blend of jazz, blues and rock featuring Erik Ekstrand and Daryl Purpose plus the bands The Hodads and Tropical Punch.

The First Annual Russian Culture Festival will be Sunday at CityWalk in Universal City. Miniature villages, each designed to look like a particular region, will feature arts and crafts and exhibits from the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Musicians, dancers and jesters will perform on a central stage. Music will range from Russian rock and classical to Ukranian, Armenian and Jewish folk songs.

* The eighth annual Taste of Encino will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at both the Encino Town Center and the Plaza de Oro shopping centers on both sides of Ventura Boulevard between Louise and Amestoy avenues. Admission is $3 general, $1 seniors and children. Tastes cost from $1 to $4. Call (818) 789-4711.

* The first annual Russian Culture Festival will be from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Universal CityWalk, Universal City. Featured will be arts and crafts and entertainment. Free admission. Call (310) 858-1990.