Three-day forecast

MUSEUMS

In Vogue and in town

Alexander Liberman was art director at Vogue for more than 50 years. Every summer, he went to Europe and photographed artists in their studios, some while they were painting and sculpting works that became treasures. The artists included Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, De Kooning and Jasper Johns. The Getty will show 71 of these photos in “Photographs of Artists by Alexander Liberman,” opening Tuesday.

“Photographs of Artists by Alexander Liberman,” the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. Tuesdays to Thursdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; ends Oct. 19. Free; parking, $5. Parking reservations required Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (310) 440-7300.

THEATER

New Parks play to open

“In the Blood,” a drama by Pulitzer Prize-winning Suzan-Lori Parks (“Top Dog/Under Dog”), making its Los Angeles premiere, is about a homeless mother, living on the streets with her five children, one of whom is trying to teach her how to read.

“In the Blood,” Edison Theatre, 213 E. Broadway, Long Beach. Opens Friday. Runs Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; ends Aug. 9. $15. (562) 972-3593.

WORDS

Giving kids goose bumps

Nobody can put goose bumps on a kid’s arm or “Goosebumps” -- the juvenile horror novel series -- on a kid’s bookshelf like prolific writer R. L. Stine. Young adult readers have another good and scary read ahead of them with Stine’s latest book, “The Sitter.” The author will talk about and sign “Sitter” in at least two Southland locations.

R.L. Stine, the Mystery Bookstore, 1036-C Broxton Ave., Westwood. Saturday, 11 a.m. (310) 209-0415. Also, Dark Delicacies, 4213 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank. Sunday, 3 p.m. (818) 556-6660.

CONCERTS

A shot of fandango

The Getty does nothing in a small way, and its summer concert series is no exception. At the opening of the series on Saturday, Quetzal Flores of the East L.A. band Quetzal will curate “Fandango sin Fronteras,” an evening of Chicano roots music featuring Los Cojolites, Burning Star and Quetzal. Times music writer Agustin Gurza has described the Quetzal sound as “sweet and thoughtful Afro-Chicano fusion music inspired by Zapatista rebel politics.”

“Fandango sin Fronteras,” the Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles. Saturday, 6-9 p.m. Free; parking, $5. Parking reservations not required. (310) 440-7300.

MOVIES

The ‘Dirty’ side of life

Stephen Frears’ dramatic thriller “Dirty Pretty Things” depicts the fraying world of a group of immigrants scraping by in the south of London. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Okwe, a Nigerian-born doctor attempting to outrun a mysterious past, working as a taxicab driver by day and a hotel clerk by night. He steals moments of sleep on the couch of Turkish emigre Senay (Audrey Tautou) and plays chess in the morgue of a local hospital with his Chinese friend Guo Yi (Benedict Wong). Sergi Lopez co-stars as the opportunistic Sneaky, whose nefarious black market activities at the hotel pull Okwe and Senay into a dangerous game in which freedom is the prize, but death could be the cost.

“Dirty Pretty Things,” rated R for sexual content, disturbing images and language, opens Friday exclusively at the Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. (310) 477-5581; and the Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, L.A. (323) 692-0829.

POP MUSIC

Chicks sing of freedom

The Dixie Chicks aren’t making any attempt to ignore the flap that erupted over singer Natalie Maines’ jab at President Bush last March during a concert overseas. Their current tour, with three L.A.-area shows this weekend, includes a segment in which they tout the virtues of freedom of speech, amid plenty of hits from the multiplatinum Texas trio’s three acclaimed albums.

Dixie Chicks, Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., L.A. Saturday, 8 p.m. $35 to $65. (213) 742-7340. Also Sunday and Monday, Arrowhead Pond, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. 8 p.m. $35 to $65. (714) 704-2500.

MUSIC

Brahms at the Ford

In its recent Los Angeles debut, the Brahms Piano Trio drew a rapturous response from Los Angeles Times critic Chris Pasles, who wrote of the musicians’ “impassioned” playing and seamless ensemble. Now the trio -- violinist Alla Aranovskaya, cellist Leonid Shukaev and pianist Maxim Mogilevsky -- will open the summer chamber music series at the Ford with works by Beethoven, Dvorak and Ravel.

Brahms Piano Trio, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood. Monday, 8 p.m. $12 to $25. (323) 461-3673.

CABARET

Laughing, singing

Comedian-actress-vocalist Sandra Bernhard first caught national attention in 1983 when she was featured in the Martin Scorsese film “The King of Comedy,” starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis. Originally perceived as a stand-up comic, Bernhard made her singing debut with the release of “I’m Your Woman” in 1985. Other CDs followed, including “Without You I’m Nothing” and “I’m Still Here ... Damn It!” Bernhard performs at the Cinegrill through Saturday.

Sandra Bernhard, Feinstein’s at the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd. Today, 8:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. $35 cover plus a $30 minimum. (323) 769-7269.

FESTIVAL

Celebrating with tofu

The eighth annual L.A. Tofu Festival, a two-day family fair featuring cooking demonstrations, food tastings, sake and wine tastings, live entertainment, children’s activities, contests and health and fitness exhibitions, happens this weekend in Little Tokyo. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto of the Japanese TV import “Iron Chef,” and chef Jean Francois Meteigner of La Cachette will be among many on hand. The bands Hiroshima and Tierra head an entertainment lineup that will also include Afro-Cuban, Korean Samulnori, Polynesian and Japanese drum troops.

L.A. Tofu Festival, 237 San Pedro St., Little Tokyo, L.A. Saturday, 2-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon-8 p.m. $5-$8, 4 and younger, free. (213) 473-1602.

DANCE

Dancing the tango

The Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble was formed in 1990 to preserve the distinctive style and spirit of Argentina’s preeminent musical idiom. The group first toured North America in 1999 with seven musicians and one vocalist, earning acclaim for its interpretive suavity. “The passion that identifies tango as ‘Argentinian blues’ is not lost,” wrote a critic in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “But the emotionalism is tastefully restrained.” For the latest touring production of “Tangos ... for La Milonga,” in the intimate Founders Hall of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, dancers have been added: Six tango specialists will perform duets and group choreography under the direction of Cecilia Saia. The music still rules, however, so expect to hear some of the most familiar tango music ever composed, as well as vintage rarities.

“Tangos ... for La Milonga” with the Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble, Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Today and Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. $46 (afternoon performances) and $49 (evenings). (714) 740-7878.