Itinerary: Not the Oscars

Geez. You’d think the way some people are carrying on (look left and right), the Oscars are going to swallow the whole universe. Or at least the better part of Southern California.

Yeah, yeah, we make a lot of movies in Los Angeles. But we make other artistic things too--like music and plays and art. Really.

So when those relatives in the Midwest call Sunday and want to know if you’ve spotted any stars or if you have the inside track on Oscar winners, you can say, “Oh? Is it Oscar weekend? I was just going to the museum.”

In fact, this may be the perfect weekend to check out non-movie things going on around town. With so many people staying home to watch the awards--an average of 45.6 million Americans were tuned in last year--you might be able to get a same-day parking reservation at the Getty Center.

Thursday

Turn off “ET” and get thee to a jazz club.

There are plenty of them, but if you’re looking for recommendations, how about the Jazz Bakery (3233 Helms Ave., Culver City, [310] 271-9039)? The legendary Oscar Brown Jr. performs today through Sunday.

The septuagenarian Brown is tough to categorize--and he seems to like it that way. Part jazz singer, part poet, part songwriter--perhaps The Times’ jazz writer, Don Heckman, put it best when he hailed Brown as “a national treasure, a compelling entertainer, and a voice of reason in a musical world that vacillates between excess and political correctness.”

Friday

Little-known fact: Los Angeles has more theaters than New York.

Not movie theaters (though that may also be true). Theater theaters.

For a new spin on a Tennessee Williams classic, try Deaf West Theatre Company’s revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire” (Deaf West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, Thursday-Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. Ends April 9. $20. [818] 762-2773; [818] 762-2787 [TTY]). The cast features a mix of speaking and signing actors--and that creates a powerful subtext showing how Blanche is further isolated from Stella and Stanley’s world. The production also inaugurates Deaf West’s new home in North Hollywood.

Saturday

Here’s one for your star-searching relatives in Ohio: Michael Richards at the Hollywood Improv.

Richards, best known as Jerry Seinfeld’s oddball TV neighbor Kramer, has also been in films such as “Unstrung Heroes.” Like several comedians who got plucked into sitcoms, Richards is returning to his stage act, honing it at the Hollywood Improv (8162 Melrose Ave., [323] 651-2583) on Saturday nights at 8:30 and 10:30.

Sunday

Ah, spring at the Getty. The gardens are blooming, the courtyards pleasant and warm.

Seasonal attributes aside, there are several compelling shows on view right now worth a tram trip up the hill to the Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood. Call to see if same-day parking reservations are available, [310] 440-7300). Late afternoon, once the Oscar preview shows start, might be a good bet. Check out “Departures,” where local contemporary artists created works inspired by things in the permanent collection. Fans of photography and the history of the American West will enjoy the landscapes of “Carleton Watkins: From Where the View Looked Best.”