all day ArtMany a joke has been...

all day Art

Many a joke has been made about California being a cultural wasteland (mostly by Easterners). In its inaugural exhibition, the Pasadena Museum of California Art asserts that California has been a remarkable source of artistic inspiration. The survey, “On-Ramps: Transitional Moments in California Art” compiled by four independent curators, focuses on four important California movements: Impressionism to Post-Impressionism, Post-Surrealism, Hard-Edge Abstraction to Finish Fetish, and Bay Area Conceptualism. In addition, “PUSHALE!” a group show of works dedicated to contemporary Tijuana artists, will debut in the museum’s Classroom Gallery.

“On-Ramps: Transitional Moments in California Art” and “PUSHALE!” Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 East Union St., Pasadena. Ends Sept. 1. Wednesdays to Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Adults, $5; seniors and students, $3; children under 12, free. (626) 568-3665.

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all day Tour

Some houses never before open to the public are included on this year’s Redondo Beach Historical & Architectural Home Tour. Selected for their historic significance and unique architectural style, homes and buildings dating from the early 1900s will be featured this year, including the Morrell House restoration currently in progress.

Redondo Beach Historical & Architectural Home Tour, Heritage Court, Redondo Beach, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $15. (310) 372-0197.

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8pm Pop Music

Garbage in, Garbage out. That’s sort of the way it went for the band of that name, which arrived with a splash in 1995 but hasn’t managed to break through to wider stardom. As a major cult band, though, charismatic Scot Shirley Manson and her Midwestern bandmates are hard to beat, piling on the attitude and excess with seductive exuberance.

Garbage, with Abandoned Pools, Wiltern Theatre, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 8 p.m. Also Sunday. $31.50. (213) 380-5005.

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8pm Movies & Music

A newly restored version of Harold Lloyd’s classic college comedy “The Freshman” will be the centerpiece of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 13th-Annual Silent Film Gala. The preservation and restoration by the UCLA Film and Television Archive reintroduces a scene cut by Lloyd in the 1960s and not seen since. The film will be accompanied by the LACO performing the world premiere of conductor-composer Carl Davis’ 1920s-style jazz score. Lloyd’s 1920 short “An Eastern Westerner” opens the evening, which concludes with a VIP catered buffet.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s 13th-Annual Silent Film Gala, Royce Hall, UCLA, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood, 8 p.m. $60 to $225. (213) 622-7001, ext. 275.

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8pm Poetry

When hip-hop met poetry on HBO, the combination was so compelling, the producers decided to take their show on the road. Word fans can catch Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam, with poets featured in the HBO Def Poetry series--Steve Coleman, Beau Sia, Georgia Me, Lemon, Black Ice, Staceyann Chin and Suheir Hammad--when they take their energetic, eclectic mix of lyric, tone and style center stage.

Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam, Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway, San Diego, 8 p.m. $32 to $35. (619) 220-8497.

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7:30pm Music

Grant Gershon calls “Israel in Egypt,” Handel’s dramatic oratorio, “a Baroque blockbuster extravaganza.” To close the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 38th season, Gershon conducts the chorale and orchestra in this large-scale piece. Sopranos Tania Batson and Holly Shaw Price, countertenor Steven Rickards, tenor Jonathan Mack and basses Lew Landau and Jinyoung Jang will be soloists.

Los Angeles Master Chorale and Orchestra, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A., 7:30 p.m. $10 to $54. (213) 972-7282.

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8pm Theater

The Colony Theatre Company presents the first L.A.-area production of “The Laramie Project,” the drama about the small Wyoming town that was at the epicenter of the national conversation about homophobic violence after the murder of Matthew Shepard. The play, by Moises’ Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, is comprised of real interviews with the residents of Laramie.

“The Laramie Project,” Colony Theatre Company, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank, Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends June 30. $25 to $31. (818) 558-7000.

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7:30pm Theater

In “The Shape of Things,” by Neil LaBute, a shy young college student is willing to go to unusual lengths in order to retain the affections of the woman he loves--an audacious art major. LaBute is best known for his play, “Bash,” and his films “In the Company of Men,” “Your Friends and Neighbors” and “Nurse Betty.” His latest film, “Possession,” starring Gwyneth Paltrow, is slated for release in July.

“The Shape of Things,” Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays to Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. June 30, 2 p.m. only. Ends June 30. $38 to $45; opening night, $80. (949) 497-2787.