6:15 pm Pop Music

6:15pm Pop Music

For its 12th edition, the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas puts the emphasis on newer acts, with Staind and Linkin Park headlining both nights, and such upstarts as Alien Ant Farm (see story on Page 35), Sum-41 and System of a Down rocking on Saturday and Coldplay and Remy Zero striking a gentler tone on Sunday.

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 6:15 p.m. Sold out. (818) 622-4440.

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all day Art

“Pirkle Jones: Sixty Years in Photography” celebrates the work of an 87-year-old Bay Area artist who has often been dismissed as an Ansel Adams clone but who finally is being recognized for his independent vision. Opening Saturday at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the exhibition surveys Jones’ landscapes and views of San Francisco, along with his pictorial social commentary on laborers, hippies, the Black Panthers and a reclamation project that flooded a Northern California valley.

“Pirkle Jones: Sixty Years in Photography,” Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara. Saturday to March 31. Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Adults, $6; seniors, $4; students and youth 6 to 17, $3; children under 6, free. (805) 963-4364.

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8pm Theater

Justin Tanner will direct the return of his offbeat comedy, “Happytime Xmas,” a zany chronicle of a dysfunctional family during the holidays. The show features a cast of Tanner veterans led by Ellen Ratner.

“Happytime Xmas,” Third Stage, 2811 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, Thursdays to Saturdays, 8 p.m. Dark Jan. 17. Ends Jan. 26. $15. (818) 842-4755.

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noon, 2, 4 & 6pm Family

The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts reprises “Too Many Tamales,” its gentle-spirited holiday comedy-drama about temptation and forgiveness, set at a Christmas Eve family gathering. Based on the story by Gary Soto, it’s adapted for stage by Margarita Galban and Lina Montalvo.

“Too Many Tamales,” Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, 421 N. Ave. 19, Lincoln Heights. In English: Saturday through next Sunday, Dec. 20 to 23. In Spanish: Dec. 13 to 16, 27 to 30. Curtain times: Saturdays and Sundays, noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 30. $12 to $14. (323) 225-4044, (323) 226-1170.

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11am Music

Yasuo Shinozaki, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s assistant conductor appointed last summer, leads the orchestra’s series, Toyota Symphonies for Youth, this week. With host John de Lancie narrating, Shinozaki will lead Benjamin Britten’s “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” along with selections from Carl Nielsen’s “Aladdin.”

Toyota Symphonies for Youth, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A., 11 a.m. $10 to $12. (323) 850-2000.

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8pm Theater

L.A. Troupe performs a family musical version of Mozart’s fairy tale, “The Magic Flute,” about a prince’s magical, action-packed quest to rescue a beautiful princess, adapted and directed by Koni McCurdy.

“The Magic Flute,” Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A., Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Also Dec. 26 to 28, 2 p.m. Ends Jan. 6. Adults, $18.50; under age 12, $7.50; under age 25, $12; opening night, $26. (310) 477-2055.

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noon Family Freebie

Festival Navideno, a Latin-flavored Christmas street festival featuring arts and crafts, food, rides, games and a gift giveaway, happens this weekend in Lincoln Heights.

Festival Navideno, Broadway and Daly Street, Lincoln Heights, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m. Admission free. (323) 962-4735.

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8pm Jazz

Grammy winner Diana Krall swings through the Southland with concerts in Costa Mesa and Thousand Oaks. The jazz singer-pianist is one of those rare performers who enjoy both critical acclaim and commercial success. Her 1999 multi-platinum album “When I Look In Your Eyes” won the Grammy for best jazz vocal performance.

Diana Krall, Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, Saturday, 8 p.m. $38 to $66. (714) 556-2121. Also, Sunday, 8 p.m. at the Fred Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. $35 to $57. (805) 583-8700.