Official Twilight Convention: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner just stopped by the Chinese Theatre to put their hands in cement; now the trio will be heading to the official "Breaking Dawn -- Part 1" fan convention. It's at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza from Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6, but the principals will appear on Saturday. Our favorite part of any good con? The table centerpiece contest. This gathering has it. Oh yeah.
LA Opera Open House: If you think our acclaimed opera company is simply about the the hitting of high notes and the telling of steamy tales via aria, well, you'd be partly right. But the LA Opera has a sense of spunky fun. Witness the recent costume sale -- powdery wigs for everyone! -- and the free Saturday, Nov. 5 open house at the Dorothy Chandler. It's kid-nice and a great intro into what the opera does.
Sidecar Rally: Do you have to wear goggles and an old-school leather jacket when riding in a non-motorized vehicle that happens to be attached to a motor bike? It isn't the law or anything, but in our mind you do. Enthusiasts of everything sidecar will be gathering for a free to-do at the Griffith Park merry-go-round on Sunday, Nov. 6. Find those goggles.
Free Metro Art Tour: It's that time again -- the first Saturday of the month -- for getting to know the eye-tickling works of our metro stations. Meet at the Hollywood & Highland stop, find your docent, and become acquainted with art below ground. Bonus: free metro ticket for the day, and restaurant discounts at some Tinseltown eateries. If you can't make it, the tours also roll on first Thursdays, too.
AFI FEST: Now that we're on a run of free things -- the last three things we talked about are stow-your-cash dealies -- let's get to the biggest freebie of the weekend, and next week, too: AFI FEST Presented by Audi. We mention its full name because the car company helped the festival go gratis a few years back. Lots of the Hollywood screenings are full, but tickets remain. Oh, and stars are talking after a lot of the films. We're just sayin'. People like stars. Through Sunday, Nov. 13
