The golden states of Outfest

Outfest is upon us, and if you still haven’t secured any tickets, now would be a good time to hustle over to festival headquarters to investigate the remaining possibilities. You were warned. Last week we tried to give you a head start on the first part of the festival.

From the looks of next week’s itinerary, winding down gently was the last thing organizers had in mind -- good news for latecomers and couch potatoes who might yet feel motivated to put down the remote and engage in the experience. There are still some tasty screenings at the Ford, another glitzy night at the Orpheum and the groundbreaking Platinum event (this year at the Ambassador Hotel). Standby tickets are still available at the last fashionable minute.

Headquarters

At festival headquarters, the Directors Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard, you’ll find helpful people to answer questions and point you in the right direction, as well as snacks, drinks and, hopefully, a few dog-eared catalogs lying around.

Plastic will get you into screenings at the DGA, but standby at other venues calls for cash. If what you want to see is sold out, expect to wait in line. In most cases, festival officials assure us that standbys still have a good chance of squeezing in. There is parking in the DGA lot for $3.

The ticket desk is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day through the end of the festival.

The Net

Traffic at the Outfest Web site (www.outfest.org) is lighter this week. Still, it’s probably best to make your first stop the DGA, where an actual person can answer questions and convert your lucre into tickets.

Gay matrimony

The subject matter of this Canadian production is surprisingly timely considering the fact that our neighbors to the north have now legitimized gay weddings. Those of us who live south of the border will have to settle for “Mambo Italiano.” But how many “closeted boys from hysterically ethnic families find true love with each other and give their parents heartburn” sagas do we need? Oh, nevermind. It must be funny, since it’s the closing night presentation. July 21 at 8 p.m. at the Orpheum.

Queens of noise

Chicks with sticks. Girls with guitars. A lesbian with a public address system -- it’s Camille Paglia! Run! No, wait, it’s Gina Gershon, and she’s singing and aging -- therein lies the crux of “Prey for Rock and Roll.” When is it time for an individual rocker who’s going nowhere to lay down the guitar? That’s the question the members of Clamdandy (Gershon, Drea de Matteo, Lori Petty and Shelly Cole) must answer for themselves when the band’s big break finally comes along. This is also the night when filmmakers may find answers to similar real-life questions when they are presented (or not) with festival awards. July 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ford. Make it an evening with boxed dinners from Tasteful Creations at (310) 652-3797 (order at least 48 hours prior to screening). The menu is at www.fordamphitheatre.org.

Those who like their rock in documentary form can check out “Rise Above: The Tribe 8 Documentary,” Tracy Flannigan’s look at the Bay Area’s rad/punk band. July 20 at noon at the Village.

Viewfinder

Long before the Valley became the video production capital it is today, 7-year-old Darren Stein was making his mark as Encino’s premiere (G-rated) auteur. Over the next eight years, Stein’s oeuvre included music vids, ninja action thrillers, studies of homosexuality, the threat of nuclear war and the Holocaust. Narrated by an all-grown-up Stein, “Put the Camera on Me” explores childhood and the way that putting something on film changes the viewer and the viewed. Next Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Village. July 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the DGA, Screening Room 1.

Discussion topic

If you can’t resist a real knock-down, drag-out controversy, check out “The Gift,” Louise Hogarth’s look at “gift givers” and “bug chasers” -- men who eroticize transmission of HIV. Lauded by some as an honest look at the disturbing sexual practices of some gay men, denounced by others as a distorted, judgmental screed, Hogarth’s project ignites journalistic, moral and biological controversy. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and reps from AIDS Healthcare Foundation. July 19 at 2 p.m. at DGA1.

The bash

What could be more Los Angeles than the premise that cinema is as much a sensibility as a medium? Platinum, Outfest’s live, multimedia extravaganza, is a three-dimensional, boundary-breaking orgy of lights, camera and action. Outfest’s signature multimedia event makes the move this year from the notorious Coral Sands Hotel to the grounds of Wilshire Boulevard’s once-smart Ambassador Hotel. A good night to leave the kids home. July 19 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Ambassador is located on Wilshire Boulevard between Normandie and Catalina.