Calendar Picks and Clicks: July 29-August 6, 2010

THU | JULY 29

(MUSIC)
Singer Natacha Atlas continues the free Sunset Concert Series at the Skirball Cultural Center with a performance influenced by her multicultural descent. Atlas, born in Belgium, mixes North African and Arabic music with Western electronic beats, French chansons and U.K. pop. Thu. 8 p.m. Free. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

FRI | JULY 30

(LECTURE)
David N. Weiss, the Modern Orthodox screenwriter of “Shrek 2” and the upcoming “Smurfs” movie, discusses his personal and professional life in “From Hollywood to Holywood.” Shabbat services and a sushi dinner kick off the evening. Fri. 7 p.m. (dinner), 8:30 (lecture). $50 (dinner and lecture), $18 (lecture only). Chabad of Ventura, 5040 Telegraph Road, Ventura. (805) 558-1770. chabadventura.com.

SAT | JULY 31

(COMMUNITY)
Practice the art of being present during “Kol Haneshama: With Every Breath We Pay Attention,” an afternoon of yoga — Iyengar with a Jewish twist or the more rigorous Ashtanga style — food and meditation. Chair yoga for seniors or those with movement difficulty will be available. Rabbi Jonathan Aaron leads a Havdalah service afterward. Proceeds benefit Jewish World Watch. South Indian nosh included. Sat. 1:30-6 p.m. $40. Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, Hoffman Hall, 8844 Burton Way, Beverly Hills. (310) 274-6388. tebh.org.

(MUSIC)
Singer-songwriter Kinky Friedman performs live in concert, marking his first Los Angeles appearance in nearly 20 years. The Kinkster’s “Go West Young Kinky” tour will feature songs like “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Ride ‘Em Jewboy” as well as his latest venture — Kinky Friedman Cigars. Sat. 8 and 10 p.m. $30. McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 828-4497. mccabes.com.

(THEATER)
Based on the hit 1974 big-screen comedy, Mel Brooks’ stage version of “Young Frankenstein” follows Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronkensteen”), who inherits his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania as well as his desire to reanimate the dead. Making its Los Angeles debut run, the musical re-creates memorable moments from the classic film. Directed and choreographed by Tony winner Susan Stroman. Sat. Through Aug. 8. Various times. $25-$85. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 468-1770. youngfrankensteinthemusical.com.

(THEATER)
Eileen Mack Knight directs an outdoor staged reading of Moss Hart’s 1948 comedy “Light Up the Sky,” a nostalgic backstage play with savvy dialogue that recounts an ill-fated opening-night performance. Sat. 8 p.m. $10 (seniors, members), $15 (general). S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre, Coldwater Canyon Park, 12601 Mulholland Drive, Beverly Hills. (818) 623-4877. treepeople.org.

SUN | AUG 1

(OUTDOORS)
Summon the summer spirit, brave the outdoors, and make new friends or a love connection. Join the Mosaic Outdoor Club crew of Jewish singles, couples and families for an afternoon of kayaking, canoeing, swimming and sunbathing at Alamitos Bay in Long Beach. Carpools from West L.A. and the Valley available. Sun. 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $5-$15. Meet at Kayaks on the Water, 5411 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. (310) 375-8815. mosaicla.org.

(GENEALOGY)
From 1873 to 1934, the Red Star Line transported 2.7 million people from Antwerp to American ports; it’s estimated that half of its emigrant passengers were Jewish. Erwin Joos, curator of the Eugeen Van Mieghem Museum, discusses the Antwerp artist’s work, “One Foot in America: Eugeen Van Mieghem (1875-1930) and the Jewish Emigrants of the Red Star Line” with the Jewish Genealogical Society of Conejo Valley and Ventura County. 1:30 p.m. Temple Adat Elohim, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. (818) 889-6616. jgscv.org.

MON | AUG 2

(FILM)
Writer-director Yael Hersonski’s 2009 documentary, “A Film Unfinished,” offers a behind-the-scenes look at another film — an incomplete Nazi propaganda piece shot in the Warsaw Ghetto. Found after World War II, it was initially thought by historians to be an authentic — if propagandist — record of life in the ghetto. But the discovery of a missing reel that showed camera crews manipulating “everyday” scenes complicated earlier interpretations. Ghetto survivors — as well as one of the original cameramen — recall the actual events as Hersonski relentlessly explores each reel. The UCLA Film and Television Archive sponsors the screening. Mon. 7:30 p.m. $10. The Hammer Museum’s Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 206-3456. cinema.ucla.edu.

TUE | AUG 3

FILM)
“I Love You, Alice B. Toklas” continues the “Classic Films: Jews on Celluloid” series at the Skirball Cultural Center. The 1968 film, co-written and featuring a cameo by Paul Mazursky, stars Peter Sellers as attorney Harold Fine, a middle-aged mama’s boy who runs out on his tame life and fiancée for the counter-culture and a Venice Beach hippie (Leigh Taylor-Young). Tue. 1:30 p.m. Free. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

WED | AUG 4

(BUSINESS)
Come for the speakers — marriage and family therapist Judi Lirman and family law attorney Douglas Wolf — and stay for the networking as JNET’s San Fernando Valley chapter provides Jewish professionals a chance to meet and mingle. Wed. 7:45-9:45 p.m. Free. Shomrei Torah, 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. jnetonline.org.

THU | AUG 5

(MUSIC)
Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb comes to the Conejo Valley to perform hits, including “Stay (I Miss You),” “I Do,” “How” and more. Thu. 8 p.m. $20-plus. The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills. (818) 879-5016. canyonclub.net.

(MUSIC)
Thursday Night Jazz and Friday Night Music, the summer concert series at the Original Farmers Market, features diverse and local talent. On Thursday, the Jazz Rangers play with D.J. Bonebrake and Mark Christian. On Friday, enjoy a fusion of jazz, Latin rhythms and salsa courtesy of Rudy Regalado. Thu. and Fri. 7-9 p.m. Free. Original Farmers Market, West Patio, 6333 W. Third St., Los Angeles. (323) 933-9211. farmersmarketla.com.

FRI | AUG 6

(FILM)
“The Extra Man” adapts Jonathan Ames’ 1998 comic novel about Louis Ives (Paul Dano), a lonely Princeton prep school teacher who seeks a fresh start in New York when he’s forced to leave his job. After renting a room from a failed playwright (Kevin Kline), Ives is mentored in the art of being an “extra man” — a social escort for wealthy widows in Manhattan high society. Fri. Various times. Laemmle Sunset 5, West Hollywood; Playhouse 7, Pasadena; and Town Center 5, Encino. laemmle.com.