BEST BETS Friday 1/14

8pm

Pop Music

Rosalie Sorrels has been a fixture in the folk-music revival since the early ‘60s, but with her latest album she turns the focus on another folk matriarch. “No Closing Chord: The Songs of Malvina Reynolds,” includes such staples of the activist repertoire as the satirical “Little Boxes” and the chilling “What Have They Done to the Rain,” and features guest appearances by Terry Garthwaite and Bonnie Raitt.

* Rosalie Sorrels, Dabney Hall Lounge, Caltech, Pasadena, 8 p.m. $15. (626) 395-3652.

9pm

Pop Music

Well, no one can say that L.A.’s progressive or “positive” rap hasn’t received an airing. While they haven’t sold like hip-hop’s more flamboyant and violent figures, such major-label albums as Jurassic 5’s “Quality Control” and Dilated Peoples’ “The Platform” have earned critical raves this year, and showed there’s more to L.A. rap than gangsta. Now you can add Black Eyed Peas’ “Bridging the Gap” to that list and check out this promising force at two weekend gigs.

* Black Eyed Peas, House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 9 p.m. $20. (323) 848-5100. Also Saturday at the Glass House, 200 W. 2nd St., Pomona, 8 p.m. $17.50 in advance, $19.99 day of show. (909) 469-5800.

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all day

Movies

Ryan Phillippe plays Milo, a recent college grad, who lands his dream job writing software for a multibillion-dollar computer firm in the thriller “AntiTrust.” The corporate monolith, however, proves to be more evil than even the most vehement Microsoft-hater could imagine, with Tim Robbins as its charismatic leader. Peter Howitt (“Sliding Doors”) directs. Rachael Leigh Cook and Claire Forlani co-star.

* “AntiTrust,” rated PG-13 for some language and brief nudity, opens Friday in general release.

8pm

Theater

In Edward Albee’s 1967 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, “A Delicate Balance,” a long-married couple’s well-ordered existence is shaken by the arrival of their divorcing niece and her mother, and their best friends, who have just experienced a strange, unidentifiable terror.

* “A Delicate Balance,” South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 8 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Through Feb. 11. $18-$49. (714) 708-5555.

8pm

Movies

The current release “Shadow of the Vampire”--starring Willem Dafoe, who is garnering considerable critical acclaim for his performance as actor-bloodsucker Max Schreck--is a fictionalized account of the making of the 1922 silent classic “Nosferatu,” directed by F.W. Murnau. The Silent Movie Theatre offers you the opportunity to check out the source material on the large screen this weekend when it screens the granddaddy of all Dracula movies in its macabre, black-and-white splendor. “Shadow of the Vampire” is in limited release and is scheduled to expand to other theaters on Jan. 26.

* “Nosferatur,” Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., Hollywood. Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 1, 4 and 8 p.m. $6-$9. (323) 655-2520.

8pm

Dance

The annual return of Dance Theatre of Harlem to Cerritos involves more than public performances. As in years past, the company is extensively involved in outreach activities--this year with more than a dozen free and low-cost events in the Los Angeles and Orange County communities. But the onstage action also looks eventful. Program A emphasizes the new and adventuresome with Robert Garland’s “Return,” Dwight Rhoden’s “Twist,” Royston Maldoom’s “Adagietto No. 5” and Augustus van Heerden’s “Memento Mori.” Program B offers far more familiar fare: Geoffrey Holder’s “Dougla,” George Balanchine’s “Four Temperaments” and John Taras’ “Firebird.”

* Dance Theatre of Harlem, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday: Program A. 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday: Program B. $40 to $55. (562) 916-8500.

8, 9:30 & 11pm

Jazz

Alto saxophonist Charles McPherson is one of the few remaining beboppers, delivering the message of Charlie Parker with a blend of virtuosity and authenticity. Don’t be surprised if he kicks off his set with a super-speed rendering of “Cherokee” and darts through 20 or 25 improvised choruses--just as a warmup. His group includes his son, Chuck McPherson, on drums.

* The Charles McPherson Quartet, the Jazz Spot, 2138 Hilhurst Ave., Los Angeles. 8, 9:30 and 11 p.m. $15. (323) 666-8666. Also on Saturday.

FREEBIE: CalArts hosts a three-day Electronic Music Festival, with performances by Elliott Sharp, Tim Perkis and the group, Blectum from Blechdom, at 8 p.m. Friday. Presented by the Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology, performances take place in Roy O. Disney Music Hall at CalArts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia. Also, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m., with a micro-symposium on Saturday at 2 p.m. (661) 253-7832.