21 Of Our Favorite Events In Los Angeles This Week

LAist gets a lot of press releases and we go through all most of them to curate a list of our favorite events happening in LA. This week, we found a diverse set of events, from a benefit comedy show with headliner Aziz Ansari to 50 Shades! The Musical to Lunafest film festival and the Global Green pre-Oscar party. Read on for all the details.

MONDAY, FEB. 24

MUSIC: School Night welcomes live music and DJ sets from both up-and-coming and seasoned artists every Monday night at Bardot in Hollywood. Playing live are: Sleeper Agent, Broods, Early Winters and Say Say with DJ sets by Carlos Morales and Alison Swing. Free with RSVP for those 21+; $10 for 18+ with RSVP. Doors at 8 pm.

COMEDY: Aziz Ansari headlines a benefit show for Liza Dye, an NY-based comic that was hit by a subway car on Feb. 13. She survived, but because she had no insurance, her medical bills are sky-high. Also on the bill are Chelsea Peretti, Moshe Kasher, Jerrod Carmichael, Joe Mande and more. Doors at 7 pm. Show at 8:30 pm. Tickets: $75.

ART TALK: The ALOUD series and the Broad Museum welcomes artist Jeff Koons and filmmaker/author/photographer John Waters to discuss Koons’ art, which ranges from painting to digital media. “Like Waters, Koons’s art comments on the notion of ‘good taste,’ as well as the decadence of capitalist culture, the innocence of childhood, and beauty’s eternal resonance.” The advanced sales ar over; rush line may be available beginning at 5 pm and the program begins at 7:30 pm. This event is being held at the Orpheum Theatre in DTLA. Tickets: $10.

MUSIC: The indie-soul trio Memoir plays the Silverlake Lounge at 8 pm. They’re on the same bill as The New Electric Sound, Twin Ponies and Moonroof. Free. 21+.

COMEDY: Part Two: The Sequel Show! takes place at NerdMelt at 9 pm. Tony Sam and Julia Prescott co-host the 63rd Annual Sequel Show aka the Pitchies where comedians pitch sequels to unwritten movies. At the end of the night, the audience votes on the best pitch. Comics in the lineup are: Kyle Kinane, Matt Braunger, Dave Ross, Guy Branum, Karen Kilgariff, Emily Heller, Ron Lynch and Liquid Feet! Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

MUSIC: The El Rey kicks it back to the 90s because Cibo Matto headlines the bill with Salt Cathedral and Scott and Rivers. Show at 9 pm. Tickets: $25+ fees.

TUESDAY, FEB. 25

FILM: Westside Comedy presents The Web Show Show at 8 pm. New webisodes are judged in front of a live audience and a panel of judges that votes on which creator gets to create another episode for the next screening. This month's shows: Thug Notes, Teachers, Kyle Cowgill, Dress Up Gang and The Tiffany and Erin Show. Admission: $5.

THEATER: 50 Shades! The Musical is a parody of the best-selling book Fifty Shades of Grey. It follows a book club’s interpretation of the book and includes dance numbers, 11 original songs and a live band. Original songs include: “They Get Nasty”, “I Don’t Make Love”, and “There’s a Hole Inside of Me.” Not for those under 18, but not too sexy either. It opens on Tuesday and runs through March 30 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Tickets start at $30.

TALK: His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, speaks at the Forum on the topic of “Universal Responsibility & Alleviating Inner Turmoil through Compassion in the 21stCentury.” Tickets: $38.40-$224.70. 12:15 pm.

TV TALK: The Paley Center brings together one of TV's most influential showrunners, Aaron Sorkin, with noted cultural reporter Dave Itzkoff to discuss the “cultural relevance of early TV's master writer, Paddy Chayefsky, through the lens of his 1976 film masterwork, Network.” A book signing of Itzkoff's book Mad As Hell: the Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies follows the 7 pm program. Tickets: $10-$27.

MUSIC: Silversun Pickups play a special acoustic set at Amoeba at 6 pm to celebrate the release of The Singles Collection, 7" Vinyl Box Set. The box set will be available for purchase and signing at Amoeba. The band will only sign copies of the set purchased at Amoeba (you will need to have receipt to show in line). Lineup at 4 pm on Ivar.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26

CONCERT+FUNDRAISER: Global Green USA hosts its pre-Oscar and 20th anniversary party at Avalon in Hollywood. Headlining the evening is a performance by Moby with sets by The Crystal Method. The zero-waste party will work to ensure that at least 90 percent of all refuse, including food scraps and packaging, is diverted from landfill by reusing, recycling and composting. Concert tix: $125.

VIDEO: Tubefilter presents Mobile—Online Video's Next Frontier from 7-11 pm at Busby’s East. Mobile platforms provide opportunities to capture, engage, and monetize audiences, from games to merchandise to ticket sales, direct downloads and additional engagement. Learn from a panel discussion on the “opportunities, best practices and the future of mobile and online video.” Moderated by Tubefilter founder Drew Baldwin, the panel includes Jason Rapp of Science, Inc.; Frank Sinton of Beachfront Media; Greg Goodfried of United Talent Agency and Olga Kay of Mooshworld.

MUSIC: As part of the LA Phil’s TchaikovskyFest, Music Director Gustavo Dudamel with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela leads a program that features three Fantasy-Overtures inspired by Shakespeare plays Hamlet, The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet. Preceding each of the overtures, actors perform key scenes from each play, with Orlando Bloom as Romeo, Joe Morton as Prospero; and Robert Sean Leonard as Hamlet. Tickets: US $42-$132.

COMEDY: Comedian Bridgid Ryan presents her sketch comedy show Grind Time, about the worst alt-coffee shop in Brooklyn and the hipsters who inhabited the establishment. She based the show on her real-life barista experiences. The show begins at 10 pm at El Cid. Tickets: $10 at the door.

MUSIC: The chamber/rock orchestra Mother Falcon concludes its Wednesday night February residency at The Echo. They’re sharing the bill tonight with Mark Mulcahy, formerly of Miracle Legion. This is an 18+ show. Tickets: $12-$14. Doors at 7:30 pm.

THURSDAY, FEB. 27

STORYTELLING: The RISK! Storytelling show is at NerdMelt tonight at 9 pm with people telling true stories they’d never thought they’d share in public. Great guest lineup tonight includes:Jay Mohr, Cameron Esposito, Dave Ross and Alison Rich.The evening is hosted by Sara Benincasa and Beowulf Jones.Tickets: $8 in advance, $10 at the door

FILM: Lunafest, a national traveling short film festival (to more than 150 cities) that features films by, for and about women screens works at Vibiana in DTLA. The program of nine films are “filled with stories of reflection, hope and humor.” 100 percent of the screenings’ net proceeds benefit charity: 85% to Step Up and 15% to the Breast Cancer Fund. The reception begins at 7 pm and the screenings start at 8:30 pm. Tickets: $25.

FILM: Film Independent at LACMA screens the rarity Too Late Blues (1961), written by Richard Carr and John Cassavetes and directed by Cassavetes. In the film, Bobby Darin plays a singer who “eschews any work that he deems is the stuff of sellouts. Once he starts chasing Jess (Stella Stevens), he has to also start chasing money.” (Their relationship isn’t a healthy one.) Before the screening, there’s a conversation with 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards John Cassavetes Nominees Chad Hartigan (This is Martin Bonner) and Yen Tan (Pit Stop). Cassavetes award is given to a film finished for $500,000 or less—are invited to speak about the work behind getting their films made. At LACMA’s Bing Theater. Tickets: 
$10 for general public; $7 for LACMA members, students with valid ID, and seniors (62+); $10 for the general public.

BOOKS: La Luz de Jesus / Wacko holds a Groupie Night Book Reading and Signing featuring Pamela Des Barres, Miss Mercy and Catherine James from 7-10 pm. Des Barres reads from her book, I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie and a few of her teen poems; James reads from her book Dandelion; Memoir of a Free Spirit; and the muse Miss Mercy reads from Des Barres work, too. A Q&A and book signing to follows.

MINDSHARE: The February Mindshare meetup at the Downtown Independent features three speakers on varied topics; entertainment from Super Tall Paul, Lindsay Benner, popcorn from from Daily Dose and microbrews on tap. Speakers are: Sabrina Williams, director of Home & Comunity, Sarah Kang of We are Matik and Samy Kamkar, “hacker extraordinaire.” Program: 8-9:30 pm. Tickets: $15-$20.

Related: Your Ultimate Guide To February: 20 Cool Events Happening In Los Angeles

Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.