7 pm: Pop Music

Fresh from the wide open spaces of the Lilith Fair, Sarah McLachlan comes to a small nightclub to headline a benefit for research on autism. The singer-songwriter finds herself in strange, potentially stimulating company, namely the evening’s deejay, Perry Farrell. The Toledo Show, Jaded and others are also scheduled.

* Sarah McLachlan, Perry Farrell, others, Key Club, 9039 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 7 p.m. $TK. (310) 786-1712.

8 pm: Theater

In David Ives’ romantic comedy “Ancient History,” a young couple tries to overcome a conflict--she’s Jewish, he’s not--before they take the matrimonial plunge.

* “Ancient History,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Sept. 26, Oct. 10, 3 p.m. Dark this Sunday. Ends Oct. 24. $18-$22. (323) 663-1525.

8 pm: Movies

Dennis Hopper will be the guest of honor at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 30th anniversary screening of the 1969 rock ‘n’ roll biker odyssey “Easy Rider.” Hopper starred in and directed the film that he co-wrote with Peter Fonda and Terry Southern. The landmark film struck a nerve and made Jack Nicholson a star. Film historian Charles Champlin will moderate a post-screening discussion with Hopper and others. The academy will screen a newly restored print.

* “Easy Rider,” Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. 8 p.m. $3 for academy members, $5 for all others. (310) 247-3600.

Movies & TV: 3:30 and 7:30 pm

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Noel Coward, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Television & Radio will host simultaneous retrospectives of the work of the Renaissance man, whose contributions as an actor, playwright, director and composer truly make him a national treasure. LACMA’s three-weekend “Mad About the Boy: Noel Coward on Film” series will kick off with a double bill of the 1930s films “Private Lives” and “Cavalcade.” The Museum of Television & Radio’s five-week “Mad About the Boy: Noel Coward on Television” series will commence with “Four Star Jubilee: Together With Music,” Coward’s 1955 television debut.

* “Mad About the Boy: Noel Coward on Film,” LACMA, Bing Theater, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Friday: “Private Lives” and “Cavalcade,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday: “Design for Living” and “The Scoundrel,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24: “This Happy Breed” and “In Which We Serve,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25: “Brief Encounter” and “The Astonished Heart,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1: “Bunny Lake Is Missing” and “Our Man in Havana,” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2: “Blithe Spirit” and “Boom!,” 7:30 p.m. $5 to $7. (323) 857-6010.

* “Mad About the Boy: Noel Coward on Television,” Museum of Television & Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. Friday-Sunday and Sept. 22-23: “Four Star Jubilee: Together With Music,” 3:30 p.m. Sept. 24-26 and 29-30: “Four Star Jubilee: Blithe Spirit,” 3:30 p.m. Oct. 1-3 and 6-7: “Producers’ Showcase,” 3:30 p.m. Oct. 8-10 and 13-14: “Four Star Jubilee: This Happy Breed,” 3:30 p.m. Oct. 15-17 and 20-21: “Cowardly Delights,” 3:30 p.m. $3 to $6. (310) 786-1000.

7:30 pm: Pop Music

What do you do when your 60th anniversary in musical theater comes up? If you’re Broadway icon John Raitt, you launch a unique series of 10 Friday evening concerts chronicling the 25 shows you’ve done, with different guest performers each week--starting with Linda Michelle and George Ball tonight, and including his daughter, Bonnie, on Oct. 15.

* John Raitt, with Linda Michelle and George Ball, John Raitt Theater, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., 7:30 p.m. $15 to $35. (323) 871-8082.

all day: Movies

“American Beauty,” a wry look at the modern American family, stars Kevin Spacey a middle-aged man who has become alienated from his wife (Annette Bening), his teenage daughter (Thora Birch) and even himself. His inner fantasy life is reignited when his daughter brings home a beautiful new friend (Mena Suvari of “American Pie”). The DreamWorks film, which has received strong industry buzz and critical raves, is the feature directorial debut of noted theater director Sam Mendes (“The Blue Room”).

* “American Beauty,” rated R for strong sexuality, language, violence and drug content, opened Wednesday at selected theaters.

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FREEBIES: Ronald Leonard and Kevin Fitz-Gerald play Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, Los Angeles Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington. 8 p.m. (310) 374-2141. Also Sunday at 3 p.m. at Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Pianist Richard Eames’ quintet appears at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., 5:30 p.m. (323) 857-6000.