Calendar Picks and Clicks: Sep. 1-7, 2012

SAT | SEPT 1

NEIL COMESS-DANIELS
A folksy singer-songwriter (and rabbi of congregation Beth Shir Shalom), Daniels appears live at the Skirball to perform children’s music that carries a universal message. Come dance and sing along in Skirball’s scenic outdoor amphitheater. All ages welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Sat. Performances at noon and 2 p.m. Free (included with museum admission). Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org.

SUN | SEPT 2

“THE BIG PICTURE: PARAMOUNT’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY”
Television icon Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”) hosts tonight’s nostalgic celebration at the Hollywood Bowl, which honors Hollywood’s oldest major studio. Led by conductor and acclaimed film composer David Newman (“Anastasia,” “Ice Age”), the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra performs scores from Paramount’s rich history, including “Wings,” the first Academy Award winner for best picture, “The Godfather” trilogy, “Titanic,” action-thriller “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” and many others. Special guests include Emmy-winning television composer Michael Giacchino (“Lost”); film composer and Grammy-winning musician Lalo Schifrin and Oscar-nominated film composer Alan Silvestri (“Forrest Gump”). Sun. 7:30 p.m. $11-$160. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. (323) 850-2000. hollywoodbowl.com.

SUMMER SOIREE CARNIVAL
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb performs during Adat Ari El Early Childhood Center’s end-of-summer carnival. Set on the CBS lot that was home to shows such as “Seinfeld” and “Gilligan’s Island,” this daylong family event includes rides, entertainment, pop-up retail shops (SOTO, Little Rockstar Salon, Tough Cookies) and food trucks (Canter’s Deli, the All American Softy Truck and more). Proceeds benefit the Adat Ari El Early Childhood Center. Sun. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $36 (adults), $18 (children), free (children under 1). CBS Radford Lot, 4024 Radford Ave., Studio City. (818) 766-9426. adatariel.org.

MARK ROTHKO
Discuss the ideas behind artis Rothko’s large-scale pictures and the techniques used to apply various colors that appear to float on the canvas. Then paint a picture with a guest artist, using Rothko’s techniques and your own. This participatory hands-on workshop, part of MOCA’s Sunday Studio, has been designed in collaboration with Center Theatre Group’s “Red,” a play that spotlights the legendary artist Rothko before his death in 1970. Sun. 1 p.m. Free. Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 621-1745. moca.org.

WED | SEPT 5

“FREEDOM SONG”
Produced by Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish residential rehab facility in Culver City, this Passover-themed musical features alumni and residents of Beit T’Shuvah who use the Passover story as a lens through which to view their own journeys. The staging juxtaposes a 12-step meeting with a family seder. The music, a mash-up of original theater tunes, Jewish liturgy and forceful pop, with interludes of rap, plays as a constant underscore for dialogue that weaves itself into the music. Wed. 7 p.m. $50. Skirball Cultural Center, Magnin Auditorium, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 204-5200. beittshuvah.org.

FRI | SEPT 7

“RESISTING THE PATH TO GENOCIDE”
This USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education holds a two-day workshop that examines what enables people to resist racist ideologies, state discrimination practices or active participation in mass atrocities. Fri. Through Sept. 8. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Friday), 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Saturday). Free. Friday: University of Southern California, University Park Campus, 850 W. 37th St., Los Angeles.  Saturday: Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar, Pacific Palisades. (213) 740-6001. dornsife.usc.edu/vhi.

“BLINKY AND ME”
The life of Australian animator Yoram Gross — from his childhood in Nazi-occupied Poland to Australia, where he created the popular animated series “Blinky Bill” — comes to life in director Tomasz Magierski’s documentary. At 85, Gross continues to create with youthful enthusiasm. The film follows Gross as he journeys back to Poland, accompanied by his teenage grandchildren, to revisit his past. Magierski participates in a Q-and-A after the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. screenings on Sept. 7-10. Fri. Various times. Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. (310) 478-3836. laemmle.com.

“NATALIE PORTMAN: THE MUSICAL”
A celebrity narrator guides us through the life of Natalie Portman — and what may or may not have happened — stopping along the way at all her major movies (“Black Swan,” “Garden State,” “Star Wars”) and life events in this sketch comedy musical. Fri. Through Sept. 30. 8 p.m. $18. Chromolume Theatre at the Attic, 5429 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 510-2688. chromolume-theatre.com/natport.html.