all day MoviesA divine cast, headed by...

all day Movies

A divine cast, headed by Ellen Burstyn, Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Maggie Smith and James Garner, is among the highlights of “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” Callie Khouri’s adaptation of Rebecca Wells’ best-selling novel. Khouri, an Oscar-winning screenwriter for “Thelma & Louise,” makes her feature directing debut with this ensemble comedy-drama about a close-knit group of friends who intervene to show a young playwright the many joys of her Southern roots.

“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, language and brief sensuality, opens Friday in general release.

9pm Dance

The annual City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.) Performing Arts series once again takes over the L.A. Theatre Center for two weekends of provocative work. Performance artist Tim Miller kicks off the series at 8 p.m. in Theatre 1 with “Us,” but the dance action begins an hour later in Theatre 3, when choreographer Hae Kyung Lee premieres “Silent Flight II,” a collaboration with composer Steve Moshier. A week later, C.O.L.A. programs a dance doubleheader: Victoria Marks’ “What Happened” (music by Amy Denio) and “July Gone” (music by Joe City Garcia) in Theatre 1 at 8 p.m., followed by Sophiline Cheam Shapiro’s “The Glass Box” in Theatre 3 at 9. Miller, Lee, Marks and Shapiro were each given $10,000 grants by the city’s Cultural Affairs Department to honor their achievements and support the creation of new work.

Hae Kyung Lee and Dancers, C.O.L.A. Performing Arts series, Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., downtown L.A., 9 p.m. Also Saturday, 9 p.m. and June 14, 8 p.m. $8; $22 for the four-part series. (213) 485-1681.

8pm Music

You might not expect U.S. premieres on the Mainly Mozart Festival bill. But among the Mozart pieces--Symphony No. 31, “Paris” and the “Finta Giardiniera” Overture--conductor David Atherton has tucked a bassoon concerto attributed to Rossini, which will get its North American debut played by Steven Dibner. Also, British pianist John Lill plays Beethoven’s early Piano Concerto No. 1, in B-flat. Man cannot live by Mozart alone.

Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, 8 p.m. (800) 988-4253. $27 to $36. Also, Saturday at 8 p.m. at Spreckels Theatre, San Diego, $28 to $100. Festival continues through June 16.

7:30pm Movies

The power of images resonates throughout LACMA’s series “Double Exposure: Photography, Film, and the Cinema,” an exploration of the relationship between still and moving pictures. “War Photographer,” Christian Frei’s Academy Award-nominated 2001 documentary on photojournalist James Nactwey, opens the series, which also includes narrative films such as “Rear Window” and “Blow-Up” and an evening with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. See Screening Room, Page 22.

“Double Exposure: Photography, Film, and the Cinema,” Bing Theater at LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. “War Photographer,” Friday and Saturday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. The series continues through July 6, $5 to $7. (323) 857-6010.

8pm Theater

The comically tangled saga of the Pazinski family continues in “King of the Moon,” Tom Dudzick’s stand-alone sequel to his popular comedy, “Over the Tavern.” For the Polish-Catholic Pazinski clan of Buffalo, N.Y., it is 10 years later and, in the shadow of the 1969 Apollo II lunar landing, all the family members--from the son, who’s AWOL from the seminary, to the family matriarch, who’s being wooed by her late husband’s best friend--are trying to adjust to a changing world.

“King of the Moon,” La Mirada Theatre, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada, Tuesdays to Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Ends June 23. $35. (562) 944-9801; (714) 994-6310.

6pm Art

Sister Wendy Beckett, Britain’s “art nun,” has conquered many museums in her lifetime: LACMA, the Met and the Art Institute of Chicago among others. Next up: Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum. “Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum of Art,” an hourlong film premiering Friday, will bring the museum’s collection alive with Beckett’s storytelling style and wit. The museum’s collection offers a wealth of story opportunities too, with its mix of Old Master, Impressionist, modern and Asian art masterpieces by artists such as Raphael, Degas and Picasso.

“Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum,” 6-9 p.m. at the Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Admission to the Friday premiere is free. Beginning Saturday, the 60-minute film will screen regularly, in three 20-minute segments for museum patrons. (626) 449-6840.

9pm Pop Music

Returning to its roots as a basic rock band on its new album after some experimental byways, Los Lobos celebrate the joys of community and confront their loss with the range and eloquence that’s made them one of L.A.’s musical treasures. Marking this week’s release of “Good Morning Aztlan,” Lobos shares a bill with Quetzal, a band widely seen as their heir apparent.

Los Lobos, with Quetzal, House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 9 p.m. $35. (323) 848-5100.