Three-day forecast

MOVIES

Economic sundown

Spanish actor Javier Bardem, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001 for his performance in “Before Night Falls,” stars in the ensemble drama “Mondays in the Sun.” Writer-director Fernando Leon de Aranda explores the effects of globalism through the story of six friends who gather regularly at a bar after losing their jobs when a shipyard is sold. Luis Tosar and Jose Angel Egido co-star.

“Mondays in the Sun”; R, for language; opens Friday in selected theaters.

ART

Painting with fire

Minjung Kim, a South Korean artist who lives in Milan, Italy, combines Eastern spiritualism with Western pictorialism in a most unorthodox way. She paints with fire. She’s flying in this week to demonstrate her technique at Leslie Sacks Fine Art in connection with her show there, “Ink, Paper, Fire,” part of the Absolut L.A. International Biennial Art Invitational.

“Minjung Kim, a Demonstration,” Leslie Sacks Fine Art, 11640 San Vicente Blvd., L.A. Saturday, 2 p.m. Free. (310) 820-9448.

POP MUSIC

Dylan’s day at the fair

A date at the county fair used to signify the end of any serious musician’s career, but that couldn’t be further from the truth for Bob Dylan, whose Sunday show highlights the pumped-up pop lineup for the 113th Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa. Dylan has four tracks amid high-profile covers of his songs on the soundtrack for the film “Masked and Anonymous,” in which he acts (as singer Jack Fate) for the first time in 14 years. (The movie, rated PG-13, opens Friday in selected theaters.) Plus, previous stops on his “Neverending Tour” have found him in consistently top form, drawing generously from his acclaimed recent albums “Love and Theft” (2001) and “Time Out of Mind” (1997) as well as his incomparable catalog.

Bob Dylan, Pacific Amphitheatre, 100 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Sunday, 8 p.m. $58 to $71.50. (714) 708-3247.

JAZZ

Spike Lee at the Bowl

Film director Spike Lee hosts a live performance of original music composed for his movies by jazzman Terence Blanchard. Grammy winner Blanchard will conduct a small chamber orchestra. Along with Blanchard, singers will include Grammy winners Dianne Reeves and Chaka Khan, plus Raul Midon and Donnie.

The Movie Music of Spike Lee and Terence Blanchard, Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. Wednesday, 8 p.m. $1-$100. (213) 365-3500.

MUSEUMS

Russians’ French art

During the 19th century, the French lost the battlefield wars against the Russians, but not the cultural wars. Russians with titles and money spoke French at home, hired French tutors, gave their children French names and, with considerable artistic savvy, collected French paintings. The State Pushkin Museum in Moscow has lent 76 of its most notable French paintings to LACMA for an exhibit opening Sunday: “Old Masters, Impressionists and Moderns: French Masterworks From the State Pushkin Museum.” Among the artists are Gauguin, Matisse, Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec.

“Old Masters, Impressionists and Moderns: French Masterworks From the State Pushkin Museum, Moscow,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Mondays-Tuesdays, Thursdays, noon-8 p.m.; Fridays, noon-9 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; closed Wednesdays; ends Oct. 13. $5 to $9; 17 and younger, free. (323) 857-6000.

POP

Norah is nigh

Phenom Norah Jones swings through Southern California this week with stops in Santa Barbara on Monday and the Greek Theatre on Wednesday. Jones is every bit the pop sensation. Not only did her debut album “Come Away With Me” win eight Grammys in February, but the former No. 1 CD has sold more than 7 million copies and is still going strong. Both Southland shows are officially sold out, but your favorite ticket resellers will be happy to accommodate you.

Norah Jones, Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara. Monday, 7 p.m. $32 to $47. (805) 962-7411. Also Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. at the Greek Theatre, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., L.A. $29.50 to $49.50. (323) 665-1927.

DANCE

An African aesthetic

Dances devised by African slaves or oppressed mine workers or inner-city young people trying to escape a hopeless environment have enriched more than one culture with their life-affirming vitality. “Echo Africa: Dance From the Diaspora” supplies four examples: tap-dancing as performed by the 11- to 17-year-olds of the Kennedy Tap Company; the Brazilian martial art capoeira, demonstrated by Ballet Folclorico do Brasil; South African gumboot dancing, presented by the Shaluza Boot Dancers; hip-hop, in which dancer-choreographer Rennie Harris uses the fragmentation of popping to depict a black male coming of age. UC Riverside dance professor Anna Scott links these forms to one another and to their sense of a reinvented African aesthetic.

“Echo Africa: Dance From the Diaspora,” Watercourt, California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Saturday, 8 p.m. Free. (213) 687-2159.

MUSIC

Beyond ‘Messiah’ sing-along

Sing-alongs aren’t just for Handel’s “Messiah” anymore. First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica has been venturing different sing-along possibilities now for a dozen years. This program offers Brahms’ “A German Requiem,” led by Vance George, director of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus for 20 seasons and recipient of three Grammy Awards. First United Methodist will provide the scores.

“A German Requiem,” First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, 1008 11th St., Santa Monica. Today, 7:30 p.m. $12. (310) 393-8258.

THEATER

Boys gather years later

“The Men From the Boys,” Mart Crowley’s sequel to his 1968 landmark play about the lives of gay men, “The Boys in the Band,” is having its Southern California premiere. Stephen Sachs directs the seriocomic play, in which the older, but not altogether wiser “boys” gather 30 years later, joined by three young newcomers.

“The Men From the Boys,” Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Opens Friday. Runs Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; ends Sept. 28. $22. (323) 663-1525.

FESTIVALS

Go Greek

in Santa Barbara

This is your chance to dance like Zorba, eat like a king and contemplate Aristotle, all in one place. The 30th Santa Barbara Annual Greek Festival, a celebration of Greek culture and cuisine, features authentic dancing and live music, ceramics, clothing, art, jewelry, books and, best of all, homemade food and pastries.

Santa Barbara Annual Greek Festival, Oak Park, 300 W. Alamar Ave., Santa Barbara. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free. (805) 698-1332.