BEST BETS Friday 12/8

all day

Movies

Martin Campbell (“The Mask of Zorro”) directs the high-impact, action-adventure “Vertical Limit” about a young man leading a dangerous rescue attempt on K-2, the world’s second-highest peak. Chris O’Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney and Scott Glenn head an ensemble cast.

* “Vertical Limit,” rated PG-13 for intense life/death situations and brief strong language, opens Friday in general release.

3pm

TV Museum

One of stand-up comedy’s influential figures, George Carlin, has been a part of the television landscape since the 1960s. So it’s fitting that the Museum of Television & Radio is paying homage to the trailblazer in the new screening series “From Class Clown to Social Critic: The Television Comedy of George Carlin.” This tribute will reflect his variety show appearances in the ‘60s, his groundbreaking routines from the ‘70s (including the “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”) and his HBO specials from the last two decades. The screening also includes original footage of Carlin discussing his career and providing commentary on the featured material.

* “From Class Clown to Social Critic: The Television Comedy of George Carlin,” the Museum of Television & Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. Opens Friday. Wednesdays through Sundays, 3 p.m. Additional 6 p.m. screenings on Thursdays. Ends March 4. Admission is free, but suggested contributions are $6 for adults; $4 for senior citizens and students; and $3 for children under 13. (310) 786-1000.

6:30pm

Pop Music

Rancid, one of punk rock’s purest and most perennially popular acts, is on its first tour in two years, and the Bay Area band has rehearsed more than 100 songs for the occasion, meaning the shows will be different every night.

* Rancid, with AFI and the Distillers, Friday at the Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., 6:30 p.m. $13. (323) 962-7600.

7:30pm

Theater

First seen in L.A. in 1988, “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding,” the zany, Italian wedding comedy, makes its much-anticipated return. The audience becomes the guest list at this interactive event, created by improv comedy troupe Artificial Intelligence.

* “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding,” Henry Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m., except dark Dec. 24. Ends Jan. 28. $75. (800) 660-8462.

7:30pm

Theater/Family

Good triumphs over evil in Mother Goose Village as toy soldiers march and the villagers fight to save themselves from eviction in “Babes in Toyland,” by composer Victor Herbert and lyricist Glen MacDonough, the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre’s big-stage, holiday extravaganza.

* “Babes in Toyland,” Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 1 and 5 p.m. Ends Dec. 23. $13 to $16. (Under age 5 not admitted.) (949) 497-2787.

8pm

Theater

Theater and film luminary Juliet Mills heads the cast in “Zoetrope: All Story, All Live. On Stage,” an evening of one-acts and essays celebrating the written word, with performances of selections from Francis Ford Coppola’s literary magazine. The evening includes works by Don DeLillo, David Ives, Edward Albee, Willem Dafoe and others.

* “Zoetrope: All Story, All Live. On Stage,” Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank, Friday and Saturday only, 8 p.m. $20 to $35. (818) 955-8101.

8pm

Pop Music

Christmas favorites and his own hits will form Collin Raye’s show at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, where the singer will demonstrate the Henley-like voice and ear for songs that have made him a fixture in Nashville.

* Collin Raye, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. $35 to $45. (800) 300-4345.

FREEBIES

The Theo Saunders Trio settles in for a 5:30 p.m. set at the L.A. County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., (323) 857-6115.