BEST BETS: Friday 9/24 : all day: Movies

Lawrence Kasdan, whom moviegoers haven’t seen much from since 1995’s “French Kiss,” returns to the multiplex Friday with “Mumford.” The comedy stars Loren Dean as a former IRS agent who has moved to a small town and hung out his shingle as a psychologist. His booming business--fueled by his listening skills and unorthodox approach--means he knows all the town’s secrets . . . and he’s not afraid to use them. The only folks who are unhappy are the rival shrinks and an attorney (Martin Short) who sets out to expose Mumford as a fraud.

* “Mumford,” rated R for sex-related images, language and drug content, is in general release.

all day: Movies

Screenwriter Audrey Wells, who penned the charming romantic comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs,” has taken the director’s helm on “Guinevere.” The film stars Sarah Polley--who captured critical attention in “The Sweet Hereafter”--as a sheltered young woman seduced by an older man (Stephen Rea).

* “Guinevere,” rated R for strong language and sexuality, is playing in selected theaters.

7 pm: Reading

With a movie version of his novel “Breakfast of Champions” playing in theaters, it seems only appropriate that Kurt Vonnegut Jr. would be in Hollywood for a few days. The acclaimed author--perhaps best known for “Slaughterhouse Five”--will read from his new book, “Bagomba Snuff Box: Uncollected Fiction,” at the UCLA Hammer Museum of Art on Friday. Then on Saturday he’ll be at the Getty in conversation with Christopher Hitchens for a Writers Bloc event.

* Kurt Vonnegut Jr. at UCLA Hammer Museum of Art, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Free. Tickets sold out. There will be a standby line for open seats. (310) 659-3110. Writers Bloc at the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood. Saturday, 2 p.m. $15. Reservations required. (310) 335-0917. The film “Breakfast of Champions” is in limited release.

7:45 pm: Theater

Two brothers, one an ambitious screenwriter, the other a bad-news drifter, have an escalating confrontation in “True West,” Sam Shepard’s dark drama playing at South Coast Repertory’s Second Stage. Note the early start time for evening performances.

* “True West,” South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tuesdays-Sundays, 7:45 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Oct. 24. $18 to $45. (714) 708-5555.

8 pm: Pop Music

The story line sounds like a cinema fantasy: The group Pink Martini goes from its Portland, Ore., outpost to the heart of high society, capturing the glitterati from Manhattan to Cannes with its sophisticated palette of Cuban, cabaret, cafe and classical music. Dissolve to the latest scene: The 10-member ensemble headlines two big shows in L.A.

* Pink Martini, with 3 Leg Torso, El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. $15. (323) 936-4790.

8 pm: Theater

Luis Valdez directs “Bandido!,” his new drama about Tiburcio Vasquez, one of the most notorious bandits and resistance fighters on the California frontier.

* “Bandido!,” San Diego Repertory Theatre, Lyceum Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, San Diego. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, Tuesdays, 7 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Also Oct. 6, 13, 2 p.m. Ends Oct. 17. $21 to $34. (619) 544-1000.

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FREEBIE: The seven-voice KITKA Women’s Vocal Ensemble performs a noontime concert at the Watercourt in California Plaza, 300 S. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles. (213) 687-2159.

Drummers from around the world perform at the 17th Annual Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival, 1727 E. 107th St., L.A., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (213) 485-1795.