Fri. Best Bets: 7/10

8pm / Theater

Stages Theatre Center celebrates its 18th anniversary by celebrating the author of “Don Quixote.” “The Cervantes Project” features two of Miguel de Cervantes’ famous “Interludes,” adapted by Paul Verdier and directed by Florinel Flatulescu: “The Theatre of Wonders” and “The Love Smitten Sentry.”

* “The Cervantes Project,” Stages Theatre Center, 1540 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Aug. 30. $18. (323) 465-1010.

9:30am / Fair

“We’re in the Pink” is the feel-good theme for the 1998 Orange County Fair, opening at the Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Evelyn “Champagne” King, blues legend Bo Diddley and Johnny Pink and the Big Shots are just a few of the entertainers who will take you back to the swingin’ ‘40s, when feelin’ fine was known as “in the pink.” Other attractions are a youth expo, agricultural exhibitions and equestrian events.

* 1998 Orange County Fair, Friday-July 26. 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Monday-Wednesday, noon-midnight; Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-midnight. Opening ceremony Friday at 9:30 a.m. $6; seniors, $5; children 6-12, $2; under 6, free. Parking: $4 per vehicle; $2 if four or more in vehicle. (714) 708-FAIR. Web site: www.ocfair.com

8pm / Pop Music

Pearl Jam, in the midst of a rare U.S. tour, opens a three-night sold-out Southern California stand in San Diego before playing shows Monday and Tuesday at the Great Western Forum. Eddie Vedder and Co. haven’t headlined an L.A. show since 1991, and that was before they hit big.

* Pearl Jam at Cox Arena, 5500 Canyon Crest Drive, San Diego. Sold out. (619) 220-8497. Also Monday and Tuesday at the Great Western Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. Sold out. (310) 480-3232.

8:30pm / Music

For its almost annual Gershwin Celebration, the Hollywood Bowl serves up a familiar agenda of music by the American composer, born 100 years ago this Sept. 26. The Bowl orchestra, led by John Mauceri, with pianist Leon Bates and singers Marvis Martin, Camellia Johnson, Gregg Baker and Peabo Bryson, play and sing just what you would expect: “Rhapsody in Blue,” selections from “Porgy and Bess,” “An American in Paris” and more.

* Gershwin Celebration, Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. $3-$40. (323) 850-2000.

all day / Movies

It’s not unusual for studios to open “chick flicks” opposite action movies, the rationale being that there is a distinct market for each. The new twist this weekend is that the coveted audiences for two debuting films--”Madeline” and “Small Soldiers”--are going to need their parents to drive them to the theaters. “Madeline,” a live-action adaptation of Ludwig Bemelmans’ charming stories about a mischievous Paris schoolgirl, will open in direct competition with “Small Soldiers,” a special-effects-heavy action fest targeted at mini-testosterone heads. Let the baby battle of the sexes begin!

* “Madeline” and “Small Soldiers” open in general release on Friday.

all day / TV Nostalgia

Lucy lovers from both sides of the TV screen will gather in Burbank this weekend for “Loving Lucy ‘98,” a tribute to the life and career of Lucille Ball. Ball will be saluted with film presentations, bus tours, panel discussions, displays, memorabilia auctions, a dinner show and a re-creation of Lucy’s 1940s radio series “My Favorite Husband,” to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

* “Loving Lucy ‘98,” Friday, 9 a.m.-11:15 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Burbank Airport Hilton, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank. Tickets for individual events $22-$45; weekend package $210. (818) 981-0758.

FREEBIE: T.G.I. Dance Kaleidoscope, California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A., noon. (213) 687-2159.