Wednesday
Jennifer Grant reception and book signing at Cinema Paradiso, 503 S.E. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale; 6 p.m.; $10 to $15; 954/525-3456 or
Grant, the only child of actor Cary Grant, will honor her father’s legacy with this special event at Cinema Paradiso, organized as part of the theater’s ongoing Audrey Hepburn retrospective. Grant is the author of the recent memoir “Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant,†and the evening will include a signing, hors d’oeuvres, a Cary Grant video tribute and a Q&A with Jennifer Grant moderated by local film historian Foster Hirsch. Perhaps, best of all, the price includes a screening of “Charade,†Stanley Donen’s colorful Hitchcockian thriller and one of the most entertaining films of Grant’s and Hepburn’s careers.
Barry Estabrook at Books and Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables; 8 p.m.; free; 305/442-4408 or www.booksandbooks.com
Reading investigative journalist Estabrook’s new book “Tomatoland†will be a drag for pretty much anybody who buys tomatoes, year-round, at local supermarkets. Subtitled “How Modern Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit,†Estabrook’s nonfiction tome exposes the human and environmental costs of the $10 billion fresh tomato industry, from the health hazards of factory-farmed tomatoes to their comparatively unsatisfying taste. Happy fruit-shopping! Estabrook will speak and sign copies of his book, which will be available for $19.99.
Thursday
Opening reception for “Ryan Trecartin: Any Ever†at Museum of Contemporary Art, 770 N.E. 125th St., North Miami; 6 to 8 p.m.; free for members or $10 nonmembers; 305/893-6211 or www.mocanomi.org
An image from Ryan Trecartin’s “Any Ever”
North Miami’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) scored a coup in landing this video exhibition from renowned California artist Trecartin, whose numerous awards include a Pew Fellowship in the Arts and a New Artist of the Year award from the Guggenheim. Completed over 2009 and 2010, “Any Ever†is an epic video comprised of seven movies filmed alongside numerous contributors, including artists, friends and professional child actors. The MOCA show will be the first time the work is shown in its entirety, and the museum’s galleries will transform into semi-recognizable public and private Miami settings, which play a role in Trecartin’s video. A must-see.
Friday
Opening reception for “Picture My World†at Palm Beach Photographic Centre, 415 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; free; 561/253-2600 or www.workshop.org
For the past 14 years, the Palm Beach Photo Centre has presented the “Picture My World†exhibition, an annual showcase of some pretty stunning amateur photography. The works stand up on their own, but the initiative takes on a moving element when you realize that the images were shot by disadvantaged children, ages 8 to 17, who are under the supervision of the legal system due to abuse, neglect and abandonment. “Picture My World†is the photo center’s way of instilling a nonviolent means of expression into their lives while boosting their self-esteem, and it’s a program we should all celebrate.
“A Night of Joy†at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 9 p.m.; admission TBA; 561/832-9999 or www.respectablestreet.com
“A Night of Joy†might sound like a festive evening of carols, but this tribute concert at Respectable Street is anything but. The bands Fuck Yeah!, Age of Consent and {in-boxes} will honor the legacy of Joy Division – and probably New Order, the more mainstream synth band that rose from Joy Division’s ashes – by performing its brooding, post-punk music to a crowd of fans who never got to see the real McCoy (Joy Division’s lead singer, the enigmatic Ian Curtis, hanged himself at age 23 back in 1980). It’s depressing, but it’s got a great, danceable beat.
Martin Lawrence at James L. Knight Center, 400 S.E. Second Ave., Miami; 8 p.m.; $43.50 to $123; 305/416-5977 or www.jlkc.com
One of the least cuddly of all modern comedians, Martin Lawrence has a checkered past – multiple arrests, a sexual-harassment charge, a notorious “SNL†monologue about women’s hygiene that saw him banned from the show for life – and a film career with more bombs than hits. But there’s no denying his skills on the stand-up stage. Picking up where the young Eddie Murphy left off, He’s been honing his brash, filthy craft since his debut appearance on “Star Search†and remains one of the most charismatic hosts of HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.†If you attend tonight’s performance, you’ll see Lawrence in his best element.
Igor & the Red Elvises at Bamboo Room, 25 South J Street, Lake Worth; 9 p.m.; $17 to $22; 561/585-2583 or www.bamboorm.com
Since 1995, the Red Elvises have been playing their blend of self-described “Siberian surf rock:†a retro cocktail of rock ‘n’ roll, surf, rockabilly, reggae and lounge, along with some traditional Russian music styles. Lead singer Igor Yuzov is a character, claiming he started the band after a dream in which Elvis Presley came to him and told him to start playing rock ‘n’ roll. The group’s album titles are no less eccentric, with names such as “Better Than Sex,†“Shake Your Pelvis†and “Drinking With Jesus.â€
Opening night of “Le Quattro Volte†at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth; 4 and 8:15 p.m.; $5 to $8; 561/586-6410 orwww.lakeworthplayhouse.org
I managed to catch this wonderful, minimalist film when it ran in Miami a few weeks ago, and it is without a doubt one of the best films of the first half of 2011. Directed by first-time filmmaker Michelangelo Frammartino, the 88-minute film has no dialogue but is both an aural and visual feast – a sensory
immersion that plants the viewer into the daily routine of a sickly goat-herd. When he unsurprisingly dies, the film shifts its focus to one of the goats, then a tree, then a mountain of wood coal, all cut from the same fold of transmutated cloth. In this elegant and unforgettable evocation of the circle of life, man is definitely not at the center of it all, a novel concept in narrative moviemaking.
Saturday
Amy Beckerman at the Funky Buddha, 2621 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 8 and 10:30 p.m.; $10; 561/368-4643 or www.thefunkybuddha.com
No-holds-barred comedian Beckerman has made a name for herself around New York City as the host of “Dykes on Mics,†a regular event showcasing lesbian comics such as herself, in various comedy venues throughout the Big Apple. She received a popularity bump after a successful appearance on Howard Stern’s radio show last year, and she arrives in Boca for a one-night-only gig in our city’s best emerging comedy enclave. Her act is described as “cynical with a twist of sarcasm,†and she’s been known to riff on past and current relationships, weight loss and her bizarre life experiences.
