ComedyAnthony Griffith likes to tell audiences what...

Comedy

Anthony Griffith likes to tell audiences what it was like growing up in Chicago. He and his younger brother were “so poor,” he says, “we shared a walkie-talkie. Just one.” And when they weren’t on the walkie-talkie, they could be found arguing and fighting. “Mom would just shake her head. She had become oblivious to it. She’d say: ‘Just put a tourniquet on it and come to dinner.’ ”

* Who: Anthony Griffith.

* When: Friday at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Saturday at 8 and 10:30 p.m., Sunday at 8 p.m.

* Where: The Improv, 4255 Campus Drive, Irvine.

* Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (405) Freeway to Jamboree Road, head south and turn left onto Campus Drive. The club is in the University Center shopping plaza.

* Wherewithal: $10-$12.

* Where to call: (714) 854-5455.

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Music

Rachmaninoff felt so crushed by the hostile reaction to his First Symphony that he did not compose again for several years. Only after undergoing treatment involving hypnosis and autosuggestion did he return to writing music. One of his subsequent pieces--the Second Piano Concerto--has become a popular and enduring work. The Orange Coast College Philharmonic, led by Alan Remington, will play the concerto with soloist Brian Gould, 36, a faculty member. The program will also include Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 and the Overture to Rossini’s “Semiramide.”

* Who: The Orange Coast College Philharmonic led by Alan Remington, with soloist Brian Gould.

* When: Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

* Where: The Robert B. Moore Theatre at Orange Coast College, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa.

* Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (405) Freeway to Fairview Road and head south to the college.

* Wherewithal: $6-$8.

* Where to call: (714) 432-5880.

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Pop

“Monkey see cash register ring, monkey hit the same button again.” That’s the rule in the record industry, so after 13 million rings of the register for Alanis Morrissette, and another million for Jewel, it’s no surprise that somebody like Leah Andreone, a 23-year-old pop chanteuse from San Diego, should get a major label deal for singing the young-woman blues with a rangy, theatrical voice and an over-the-top-emotionalism. Trend followers who want to check how she stacks up should get there in time for Supernovice, a strong band from O.C. that hasn’t been ringing many cash registers with its melodic alterna-rock approach but has churned out a series of good CDs.

* Who: Leah Andreone, Bionic Judy, Supernovice.

* When: Friday at 8 p.m.

* Where: The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano.

* Whereabouts: Take Interstate 5 to Camino Capistrano and go south. The Coach House is in the Esplanade Plaza, on the right.

* Wherewithal: $8.

* Where to call: (714) 496-8930.

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Festivals

Thanksgiving always has been a celebration for immigrants. This weekend in Santa Ana, turkey dinners give way to international foods, music and dance; job-hunting and Christmas gift booths; martial arts and magic shows; fashion events; beauty contests; art exhibits; and a petting zoo. Rancho Santiago College, the Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the United Festival Assn. are billing their “Thank You, America” festival as a chance for all immigrants “to express gratitude to God, to America and to the sponsors who brought them to a land of freedom and opportunity.”

* What: “Thank You, America” festival.

* When: Friday from 3-10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

* Where: Rancho Santiago College, 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana.

* Whereabouts: Take the Santa Ana (5) Freeway to 17th Street and go west. The campus is at the corner of Bristol Street.

* Wherewithal: $3; $1 for children less than 4 feet tall.

* Where to call: (714) 901-1671.