Three-day forecast

MOVIES

King of the mundane

Harvey Pekar is not your typical biopic subject and “American Splendor,” based on Pekar’s autobiographical comic books, is not your typical movie. “From off the streets of Cleveland” trumpets each issue of the Ohio native’s musings -- illustrated by artists such as R. Crumb -- in which he finds the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary in his life as a file clerk at a V.A. hospital. The movie’s directors, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, blend the minutiae of Pekar’s life story -- starring actor Paul Giamatti -- with commentary by the real Harvey creating a cinematic profile of a regular Joe who became the bard of the mundane. Hope Davis also stars as Pekar’s wife, Joyce Brabner. (See related story, Page 12.)

“American Splendor,” R for language, opens Friday exclusively at the Laemmle Sunset 5, West Hollywood; and the Laemmle Monica 4-Plex, Santa Monica.

ART

Works of a wunderkind

He may have been only 19 when he died in a car crash in 1966, but the body of work Mo Adams left behind was as accomplished as that of artists twice his age. The Southern California teen painted in the German Expressionist style. “Mo Adams: American Expressionist,” opening Saturday at BGH Gallery, collects the young artist’s self-portraits and wild landscapes and makes the viewer wonder just what he might have done if he’d lived a bit longer.

“Mo Adams: American Expressionist,” BGH Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building D4, Santa Monica. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Ends Sept. 14. (310) 315-9502.

EVENT

Trip to TV’s golden age

Fans of classic television finally have something to get them off the couch. The TV Land Convention will feature appearances by such favorites as Carl Reiner, Tim Conway, Larry Hagman, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs, Dick Martin, Gary Owens and many others. Additionally, a “Rowan & Martin Laugh-In” cast reunion is scheduled. Some of the other classic shows represented will be “Bewitched,” “77 Sunset Strip,” “Magnum P.I.,” “Superman” and “Lassie.”

TV Land Convention, Airport Hilton Hotel and Convention Center, Burbank, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank. Saturday and Sunday, 1-7 p.m. $15-$25, 6 and younger, free. (818) 409-0960.

THEATER

Sibling rivalry runs amok

Turmoil comes to a peaceful Southern home when two sisters discover that their ne’er-do-well brother has become wealthy, in “Toys in the Attic,” Lillian Hellman’s drama of intrigue and deceit, directed by Jessica Kubzansky.

“Toys in the Attic,” Colony Theatre Company, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank. Opens Saturday. Runs Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Exceptions: Aug. 23 and 30, 3 and 8 p.m.; Sept. 4 and 11, 8 p.m. Ends Sept. 14. $26-$32. (818) 558-7000.

JAZZ

Crusaders make a stop at the Bowl

The annual JVC Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday will feature an all-star lineup that

includes a stop by the

Crusaders reunion tour, plus saxophonist David Sanborn, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Larry

Carlton and guitarist-

singer Ellis Hooks. Continuing a tradition started back in Houston in the 1950s, pianist Joe Sample and saxophonist Wilton Felder will anchor a Crusaders band that will also include vocalists Randy Crawford and Ray Parker Jr. The band released its long-awaited reunion album “Rural Renewal” in March.

JVC Jazz Concert, Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. Sunday, 6 p.m. $11-$32. (323) 850-2000.

FESTIVAL

An African celebration

The African Marketplace & Cultural Faire will celebrate the African diaspora with more than 200 vendors and exhibitors, a gourd festival, a Brazilian music festival, games, art, a business expo, live entertainment, arts and crafts. The event will continue on weekends through Labor Day. For details, see www.africanmarketplace.org.

African Marketplace & Cultural Faire, Exposition Park, 3665 S. Vermont Ave., L.A. Saturdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Ends Sept. 1. $3-$6. (323) 734-1164.

DANCE

Romance at the Bowl

More ballets are based on Shakespeare than any other literary source, and more Shakespeare ballets are based on “Romeo and Juliet” than any other Bard of Avon play. The latest turns up on a Hollywood Bowl Orchestra program that also includes star-cross’d music by Tchaikovsky (the “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy Overture) and Leonard Bernstein (a “West Side Story” suite). Former American Ballet Theatre principal Terrence S. Orr has choreographed a 50-minute “R&J;” for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre to music by Prokofiev. And for those who sneer that 50 minutes of excerpts is a far cry from the full three-act Prokofiev score, remember that the composer originally envisioned a one-act version, but Soviet authorities forced him to make it longer.

“Romantic Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet,” the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m. $1 to $88. (323) 850-2000.

POP MUSIC

Born to (home) run

In what could be called his Batter Up 2003 tour, Bruce Springsteen rolls through stadiums across the country, a good percentage of them baseball parks. L.A.’s no exception, and the Boss will play Dodger Stadium for the first time. On this tour, he and the E Street Band have been regularly dipping into the catalog for several chestnuts that he ignored or played sparingly last year, among them “Jungleland,” “Rosalita” and “Kitty’s Back.” Which songs they’ll be in the mood for when Sunday rolls around, though, is anybody’s guess.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., Los Angeles. Sunday, 7 p.m. $35-$75. (323) 224-1459.

COMEDY

Vegas in L.A.

Haven’t gotten to the shows in Las Vegas? Let the show come to you in the form of two entertainers from Harrah’s Las Vegas, singer Clint Holmes and comedian-magician Mac King, who perform at the Cerritos Center this weekend.

Clint Holmes & Mac King, Cerritos Center, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. $30-$75. (800) 300-4345.