BEST BETS Friday 11/24

3pm

Ice Skating

The holiday spirit kicks into gear at Universal CityWalk with the opening of its in-ground outdoor skating rink. The 50-feet-by-80-feet rink will be open through Jan. 7. Thousands of lights, Christmas trees, gift-wrapped palm trees, gospel choirs, a variety of holiday entertainment and frequent “snowfalls” around the Fountain Court area of CityWalk will contribute to the festive, holiday feel. To kick off the opening, former world figure skating champions Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner will perform together at 10 a.m. on Friday.

* Outdoor skating rink, Events Court, CityWalk, 100 Universal Plaza, Universal City. Fridays, 3 p.m.-1 a.m; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m.-1 a.m.; Mondays-Thursdays, 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Through Jan. 7. $6.50 per hour; skate rental, $2.50. (818) 622-4455.

5pm

Festival

Native Americans and everybody else will come together at the Indio Powwow in a sharing of Native American dancing, music, regalia, art, crafts and food. Tribes in the United States and Canada will be represented in this three-day weekend celebration, with an estimated 50 tribes taking part in various dance exhibitions. Art and crafts will be showcased by a gathering of artists specializing in jewelry, painting, sculpture, weaving, leather work and beadwork. Authentic traditional Native American foods will also be available.

* Indio Powwow, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Reservation, north of Interstate 10 at the Golf Center Parkway exit, near Indio. Friday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $4; seniors, $3; ages 7-12, $2; under age 6, free. (760) 342-5000 or (800) 827-2946, Ext. 3017.

8pm

Movies

Big films on the big screen highlight the American Cinematheque’s “Blow Your Mind!: The Second Great Big 70mm Festival!,” a chance to see larger-than-life movies in the format in which they were intended. “Lawrence of Arabia,” David Lean’s 1962 wind-and-sand epic starring Peter O’Toole, opens the festival in what is a final opportunity to see it before Columbia Pictures withdraws it from distribution. Alec Guiness, Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy and Omar Sharif co-star in the story of enigmatic adventurer T.E. Lawrence. Other titles in the series will be “Ben-Hur” (1959), “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines” (1965), “Twinkle Twinkle, Killer Kane” (a.k.a. “The Ninth Configuration”) (1980), “My Fair Lady” (1964), “Baraka” (1992), “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), “Silverado” (1985), “The Last Emperor” (1987) and “Nights and Days (Noce I Dnie)” (1975).

* Blow Your Mind!: The Second Great Big 70mm Festival, American Cinematheque, Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Friday, “Lawrence of Arabia,” 8 p.m.; Saturday, 5 and 9:15 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m. The festival continues Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 10. $15 to $70. (323) 466-FILM.

8pm

Theater

The first of two upcoming musical adaptations of “The Ugly Duckling” arrives with “Everything’s Ducky,” by composer Henry (“Dreamgirls”) Krieger and lyricist Bill Russell, who collaborated on the recent Broadway cult hit “Side Show,” with a book by Russell and Jeffrey Hatcher. Producer Tom McCoy hopes to take the show to Broadway. The second “Ugly Duckling” musical, “Honk!,” is slated for next year in Long Beach.

* “Everything’s Ducky,” La Mirada Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2:30 p.m., except no matinees this Saturday and Sunday. $35. (562) 944-9801.

8pm

Theater

The second of two current Lorenz Hart revues, “Glad to Be Unhappy: The Lyrical Life of Lorenz Hart,” features two ‘50s pop icons, Gogi Grant and Bill (“The Ballad of Davy Crockett”) Hayes, directed by Betty Garrett and William Mead. It follows on the heels of “Beguiled Again,” another Hart revue, in Long Beach.

* “Glad to Be Unhappy: The Lyrical Life of Lorenz Hart,” Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Dec. 17. $20. (323) 851-7977.

8pm

Music

Guest conductor Zubin Mehta, former music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1962 to 1978, returns to lead the orchestra, the Los Angeles Master Chorale and soloists Heidi Grant Murphy and Mary Phillips in Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” three times this weekend.

* Zubin Mehta and the L.A. Philharmonic play at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. 8 p.m. $10 to $70. Also, Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (323) 850-2000.

9pm

Pop Music

Cat Power isn’t a feline rights slogan--it’s the nom de rock of Chan Marshall, who has established herself as one of indie-rock’s most respected figures. While she’s no slouch as a songwriter, her current album, “The Covers Record,” finds her digging into material by the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground, Nina Simone and other icons.

* Cat Power, Friday and Saturday at the Knitting Factory Hollywood, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 9 p.m. $12 in advance, $14 at door. (323) 463-0204.

FREEBIE: Los Angeles Jazz Quartet performs at the L.A. County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 5:30 p.m. (323) 857-6115.