TODAY10 a.m.-8 p.m.Last ChanceThe Philharmonic Society closes...

TODAY

10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Last Chance

The Philharmonic Society closes the doors Sunday on one of its biggest annual fund-raising events, and one of Orange County’s most popular spring happenings, the Philharmonic House of Design. Sitting atop the hills of Newport Coast and overlooking the ocean and harbor, the 8,000 square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion has been meticulously groomed by interior and exterior designers and landscape artists. Guests can tour the magnificent custom-built home, then shop at the on-site boutique or enjoy salads, sandwiches, pastries and other goodies from Plums Cafe & Catering, also on the estate grounds. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Philharmonic Society’s music education programs, which serve more than a quarter of a million students each year.

* Philharmonic House of Design, shuttle from Pelican Hill Road North and Newport Coast Drive, Newport Beach. Also Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $20. (714) 840-7542.

TODAY

7:30 p.m.

Lecture

Erich von Daniken, who became well known in the 1970s through his book “Chariots of the Gods” and his “In Search of Ancient Astronauts” TV specials, will speak at a meeting of the Orange County Mutual UFO Network tonight in Costa Mesa. Von Daniken, whose latest book, “Arrival of the Gods: Revealing the Alien Landing Sites of Nazca,” hit American bookstores last year, claims that extraterrestrials visited Earth centuries ago and created huge landing strips in the Peruvian desert. His talk will focus on the latest findings from the Archeology, Astronautics & SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) Research Foundation Assn., and on the development of a Mysteries of the World Theme Park.

* Erich von Daniken speaks at a meeting of the Mutual UFO Network tonight at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa. 7:30 p.m. $15. (714) 633-4387.

TODAY

7 p.m.

Collectibles

Some collectors love their hobby a bushel and a peck. Label lovers advertise it. At a meeting of the Citrus Label Society, collectors and other enthusiasts can show off and enjoy collections of the colorful crate labels that promoted Southern California’s produce from the 1880s to the 1950s.

* Citrus Label Society meeting, Orange Civic Center, 300 E. Chapman Ave. 7 p.m. Free. (909) 981-5171.

TODAY

8 p.m.

THEATER

It’s a frightful situation that finds newlywed Colleen Ferguson standing at the edge of a bridge, ready to jump. She has been robbed and abandoned by her new husband. Broke and beleaguered, the water looks awfully good, until circumstances take a switch and set her on a laugh-filled road to recovery in “On the Jump.” Written by South Coast Repertory’s literary manager John Glore, and based on a story by his wife, the comedy is directed by Mark Rucker (SCR’S “Our Town”) and is a world premiere.

* “On the Jump,” South Coast Repertory Mainstage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2:30 & 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. Ends June 27. $28-$45. (714) 708-5555.

FRIDAY

all day

Movies

“Besieged,” the latest from master filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, is a nearly wordless drama set in an Italian villa, where a beautiful African expatriate (“Beloved’s” Thandie Newton), driven from her homeland by political upheaval, works as a housekeeper for a shy British pianist (David Thewlis).

* “Besieged,” rated R for brief sexuality, opens Friday at selected theaters.

FRIDAY

all day

Movies

An unsigned love letter makes the rounds in the sleepy New England town of Loblolly by the Sea, unsettling some of its residents and prompting others to seize the day. The film, which marks the U.S. debut of Chinese director Peter Chan, is called, appropriately, “The Love Letter.” The ensemble cast includes Kate Capshaw, Blythe Danner, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Everett Scott and Gloria Stuart.

* “The Love Letter,” rated R for some sexuality and language, opens Friday at selected theaters.

FRIDAY

8 p.m.

Music

The Philharmonic Society ends its seven-month-long Beethoven Festival this weekend with performances of the Sixth and Seventh symphonies on Friday and the Eighth and Ninth symphonies on Saturday. John Eliot Gardiner will conduct the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, an ensemble that plays period instruments. The Monteverdi Choir will join the orchestra for the Ninth Symphony. The solo quartet will include soprano Christine Brewer, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, tenor William Kendall and baritone Rodney Gilfry.

* John Eliot Gardiner conducts the last four Beethoven symphonies at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Limited ticket availability. $20 to $60. (714) 556-2787.

SATURDAY

8:30pm

Jazz

Saxophonist Charles McPherson, a longtime associate of legendary bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus, has redefined bebop for the next millennium, emphasizing its roots in the blues while imparting technical and emotional refinements. Here, he finds the cutting edge with a quartet.

Charles McPherson, Steamers Cafe, 138 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. $4 cover, two drink minimum. (714) 871-8800.

SATURDAY

11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Art

Maybe you know his sparkling nightscapes best. Maybe his raging fires, or his sunsets. See it all in “Peter Alexander: In This Light,” a survey of the Venice-based romantic landscape painter’s work. Sixty-five pieces trace Alexander’s progression from his early resin sculpture to his recent luminous Los Angeles cityscapes. Also on view, through July 18, at the Orange County Museum of Art: “Mabel Alvarez (1891-1985): Retrospective,” which documents the contribution of this influential artist active on the L.A. art scene in the ‘20s and ‘30s.

* “Peter Alexander: In This Light,” opens Saturday at the Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach. $4-$5. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. (949) 759-1122.

SATURDAY

10:45 a.m.-10 p.m.

Pop Music

The Doheny Blues Festival has come up with a promising two-day bill of legends (Wilson Pickett and Little Feat on Saturday, Bo Diddley and Etta James on Sunday), respected modern-blues talents (Keb’ Mo’, Angela Strehli, Joe Louis Walker and Tommy Castro on Saturday, Marcia Ball and Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers on Sunday), well-regarded locals (Barrelhouse on Saturday, Eric Sardinas on Sunday) and a special-occasion band, the Rolling Fork Revue, which plays Sunday and features Muddy Waters’ son, Big Bill Morganfield, and two of Muddy’s sidemen, Pinetop Perkins and Bob Margolin. Indigo Swing (Saturday) brings a touch of jump-blues revival.

* Doheny Blues Festival, Doheny State Beach, 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point. Also Sunday. $22-$50 per day; $38 two-day pass; $10 ages 3-12. (949) 360-7800 (tickets) or (949) 262-2662 (taped information).

SATURDAY

9 p.m.

Pop Music

In Jonathan Richman’s world, “Mass” used to stand for Massachusetts, the home state he celebrated in songs such as the immortal “Roadrunner” and “Girlfren.” Now, more than 25 years later, it stands at last for “mass exposure,” thanks to his appearance last year as musical commentator in the hit film “There’s Something About Mary.” But you can rely on this quirky, humorous, open-hearted talent not to let semi-fame change a thing about his unique approach.

* Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins with Busstop Hurricanes. Also Sunday with All the Madmen. Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. $10. (714) 533-1286.

SATURDAY

1 p.m.

Retro TV

In the “Combat!” episodes that he directed, Robert Altman wanted to show a war that wasn’t TV-pretty. He did, with the first-season episode “Survival,” which is why he wouldn’t be back for the second season. “Survival”--in which an injured and exhausted Sgt. Saunders (Vic Morrow) wanders aimlessly in enemy territory--was too grim for ABC. “They didn’t think we should make this episode. I got fired over it,” director Altman says in Jo Davidsmeyer’s excellent “Combat!: A Viewer’s Companion to the Classic TV Series.” Altman did get something out of the episode: a friendship with Mike Murphy, a “Combat!” guest star he met during filming. That’s the same Michael Murphy (“Manhattan,” “An Unmarried Woman”) who would go on to be featured in Altman projects including “Nashville,” “Tanner ‘88” and “Kansas City.”

* “Survival” episode of “Combat!,” KDOC Channel 56. 1 p.m.

SATURDAY

3 a.m.

Retro TV

Jon Voight’s third guest appearance on “Gunsmoke,” a March 1969 episode about an outlaw whom Kitty foolishly helps out, was his last. That’s probably because of a little movie that came out two months later. “Midnight Cowboy,” which certainly was no western (it was rated X back then), was Voight’s breakout film. His success meant no more guest shots on such shows as “12 O’Clock High,” “Coronet Blue,” “Cimarron Strip” and “N.Y.P.D.” Besides doing feature films, the Oscar-winner (“Coming Home,” 1978) these days is directing and producing and acting on TV. But after the reviews of “Noah’s Ark,” in which he starred, maybe he wouldn’t mind having some of those “Naked City” and “Defenders” roles again.

* “Gunsmoke,” guest-starring Jon Voight, KDOC Channel 56. 3 a.m.

SUNDAY

7 p.m.

Music

John Alexander will conduct the Pacific Chorale in an a cappella “Radiant Voices” program to close the season. The program, which also includes the 60-voice Pacific Chorale Children’s Chorus, will present the premiere of Frank Ticheli’s “There Will Be Rest,” commissioned by the chorale from the former Pacific Symphony composer-in-residence. The work is a setting of a poem by Sara Teasdale.

* The Pacific Chorale sings a “Radiant Voices” program at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7 p.m. $16 to $46. (714) 556-2787.