Calendar Girls Picks and Clicks Oct. 11-17: Mr. Maus in the haus, Yiddishkayt, Sita Sings the Blues

SAT | OCTOBER 11

(AUTHOR TALK)
Before “Maus” won him the first and only Pulitzer Prize for a graphic novel, Art Spiegelman was a “drug-addled youth cartoonist” honing his talent and battling inner demons during the ’60s. He compiled his formative experiences into a ” target=”_blank”>http://www.vromansbookstore.com.

(PLAY)
It’s election night in 2004, and Jake, a recent NYU grad, is hosting a Kerry-Edwards rally at his home. He also plans to win the affection of the girl he fancies. There’s only one problem: She and her family have voted for George W. Bush. A hip take on the political movement among young voters, playwright Suzanne Bressler, a Milken High School graduate who teaches writing at Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Sunday school, presents “Asses and Elephants,” about the challenges that ensue when bipartisanship and romance commingle in the same living room. Sat. 8 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.), 7 p.m. (Sun.). $20. Through Nov. 3. The Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St., Santa Monica. (323) 960-7711. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.lunaplayhouse.com.

SUN | OCTOBER 12

(ELECTION)
Gay marriage. Abortion. Alternative fuels. These are only some of the controversial topics that voters will be expected to tackle this November. Need help deciphering it all? L’Dor Vador, the Simi Valley/Moorpark Hadassah group, is lending a hand by hosting a speaker from the League of Women Voters. In the Hadassah Voter Speaker Event participants will have the opportunity to “find out what the bonds, props and measures on the ballot really mean.” Sun. 2-4 p.m. $5. Ziegler Morasha Center, 6150 Mount Sinai Drive, Simi Valley. (818) 489-4880. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.cerritoscenter.com.

(YIDDISHKAYT)
Relive the songs and sounds of your Eastern European ancestors with the help of Los Angeles’ Yiddish Culture Club. The organization is kicking off their cultural season with “Yiddish Folk Songs in Word and Sound.” Fan Magid Shalin, cantor at Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim, will be part of the program, as will Lilke Majzner, a concentration camp survivor and president of the club. Sun. 2-4 p.m. Free (members), $4 (non-members). The Los Angeles Yiddish Culture Club, 8339 W. Third St., Los Angeles. (310) 454-3687.

MON | OCTOBER 13

(CARTOON FILM)
” border = 0 vspace = ‘8’ hspace = ‘8’ align = ‘left’>first feature-length film, “Sita Sings the Blues.” Spanning continents and millennia, Paley’s remarkable work parallels two women, an American and an Indian, who are unfairly dumped. Set against the backdrop of the ancient Sanskrit epic “Ramayana,” which the artist once dismissed as “misogynist propaganda” but upon closer examination found “a blueprint of human suffering,” she has told her own story through the vibrant visuals of 2-D animation. Variety called her flick “a delightfully subversive feminist musical … a viable, vibrant low-budget arthouse medium for adults.” Sounds like she won’t be unknown for long. Mon. 8:30 p.m. $5-$9. REDCAT, Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater, 631 W. Second St., Los Angeles. (213) 237-2800. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.lavc.edu.

(BOOK SIGNING)
“L Word” star Mia Kirschner, an actress often cast as the ingénue, digs deeper with a book that reveals the powerful struggles of women and children around the globe who are desperately in need, yet too often ignored. In “I Live Here,” her first book, Kirschner describes the humanitarian disasters women and children have to face: the war in Chechnya, ethnic cleansing in Burma, globalization in Mexico and AIDS in Malawi. With the help of renowned comic artists like Phoebe Gloeckner and Joe Sacco, Kirschner tells their stories with both pictures and words. Get your copy signed when the actress/author appears at Book Soup. Wed. 7 p.m. Free. Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood. (310) 659-3110. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.theMETtheatre.com.

THU | OCTOBER 16

(SUKKOT)
Hang your hat and your fruit in the sukkah at the JCC at Milken’s communitywide “Sukkot Picnic Under the Stars.” After all those interminable High Holy Day services, this holiday is an opportunity to connect with community in the ” target=”_blank”>http://www.jccatmilken.org.

(LECTURE)
CNN, FOX, PBS and NPR are only some of the news outlets citizens can choose from, but sometimes it’s difficult to tell whom to trust. “Understanding the Media to Understand Our World” is intended to combat that problem by making us smarter and more sophisticated interpreters of the news. American Jewish University’s University Women presents the six-part lecture series taught by Jon Dobrer, which will use current events — think Election 2008 — to make its points. Thu. 10:30 a.m. $18 (single class), $75-$90 (series). Through Nov. 20. American Jewish University, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel Air. (310) 440-1283. ” target=”_blank”>http://www.skirball.org.

FRI | OCTOBER 17

(JAZZ CONCERT)
Sink into the sultry sounds of Russian-born jazz vocalist Sophie Milman, who has been widely praised as the most promising jazz chanteuse since Sarah Vaughan. At the tender age of 25, the blonde beauty has traveled the world singing and songwriting, and sold more than 100,000 albums. And it was after immigrating to ” target=”_blank”>http://www.ocpac.org.

(ART)
Artist and scholar Ruth Weisberg, famous for her Jewish-themed art, unveils a startlingly different concept for her newest work: a 20-plus painting meditation on Mary Magdalene. Weisberg, whose education included studying Italian biblical art, examines Italian baroque painter Guido Cagnacci’s “Martha Rebuking Mary for Her Vanity,” an important work housed in the permanent collection of the Norton Simon Museum. “Ruth Weisberg: Guido Cagnacci and the Resonant Image” traces her three-year exploration of the ancient painting and its themes of repentance and anger, as seen through the context of her own family history and ancestry. The result is an exhibit of paintings, drawings and monotypes that reflect the connection between Weisberg’s and Cagnacci’s narratives. Fri. Noon-6 p.m. (every day except Tuesday). $4-$8 (free on the first Friday of every month from 6-9 p.m.). Through March 2. The Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 449-6840.