8 pm: Music

“Lazy River.” “Stardust.” “Georgia on My Mind.” Hoagy Carmichael, born in 1899 in Bloomington, Ind., was the quintessential American composer, a purveyor of both beauty and nostalgia. The centennial of his birth will be celebrated by the 14-piece Stardust Orchestra under the direction of Tom Fay, with vocalists Becky Lillie, Dwayne Grayman, the Small Frys Quartet and tap dancer Tony Waag.

* Hoagy Carmichael Centennial Celebration, Fred Kavli Theatre for the Performing Arts, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. $21.50 to $36.50. (805) 449-ARTS. Also Sunday, 2 p.m. at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. $27 to $42. (800) 300-4245.

6:30 pm: Film Festival

The 11th annual Nortel Networks Palm Springs International Film Festival kicks off today with a gala screening of “Walking Across Egypt,” director Arthur Seidelman’s film adaptation of Clyde Edgerton’s 1987 novel of the same name. Ellen Burstyn, Mark Hamill and Jonathan Taylor Thomas star in the slice-of-life drama. The closing-night film is Richard Attenborough’s latest, “Grey Owl,” which stars Pierce Brosnan as a frontier trapper who adopts the ways of the wild. Almost 200 films will screen in the days between the two galas, too many to mention, but they include “Mifune” from Denmark, “East-West” from France, Peter Greenaway’s “8 1/2 Women,” Theo Angelopoulos’ “The Beekeeper” and American Troy Duffy’s “Boondock Saints.”

* Nortel Networks Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs Festival of Arts Theatre, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs. Today through Jan. 24. For the full schedule, check out the official Web site: www.psfilmfest.org. Opening and closing night films: $50. Gala screenings: $10 to $15. Regular screenings: $5 to $8. (760) 322-2930.

8 pm: Theater

Oscar nominee Sally Kirkland headlines in “The Powder Room Suite,” Frank Strausser’s pair of “toxic comedies” about a man in a women’s studies course and lovers in the aftermath of a passionate encounter.

* “The Powder Room Suite,” Court Theatre, 722 N. La Cienega Blvd. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Feb. 20. $25 to $30. (310) 289-2999.

Freebie

The country and western band the Rhythm Rangers performs at the Pershing Square Downtown on Ice rink, 532 S. Olive St., L.A. Noon. (213) 847-4970.