WEEKEND FORECAST

TODAY

ART

This was the abstract phase

Achille Perilli, a major player in Italian Abstract Expressionism, went

beyond the visual arts by excelling in different

disciplines, including theater and literature. His

extensive portfolio boasts joint projects with many other postwar Italian artists, poets and novelists. “Italian Abstract Expressionism: Achille Perilli” looks at some of those

collaborations and features more than 50 works on

paper.

“Italian Abstract Expressionism: Achille Perilli,” Italian Cultural Institute, 1023 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles. Opens today. (310) 443-3250.

* Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Ends Feb. 23.

FRIDAY

EVENTS

To car buffs, it’s paradise

Christmas comes a little early this year for automobile enthusiasts. The Los Angeles Auto Show, opening Friday at the Convention Center, will offer a sneak peek at more than 1,000 new cars -- including 15 vehicles that will be making their world debuts -- but also concept cars, hybrids, pickups, luxury sedans, SUVs, sports cars and other models from more than 40 manufacturers from around the world. Attendees can expect a wide choice of activities and attractions for adults and children.

Los Angeles Auto Show, Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., L.A. 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday. $7 to $10; 11 and younger, free with paid adult. (310) 444-1850.

* Runs 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday; ends Dec. 10.

MUSEUMS

Raising awareness

To commemorate nearly two decades of World AIDS Day, UCLA presents two on-campus art installations. “Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture” at the Fowler Museum

exhibits 14 garments that artist Adriana Bertini made entirely from condoms with the intention of raising awareness of a practical form of protection against the deadly disease. “The Keiskamma Altarpiece: Transcending AIDS

in South Africa,” only on display at the Glorya

Kaufman Dance Theater

for Friday, is a tapestry

created by 130 women from South Africa using embroidery, beadwork, wire

sculpture and photographs in remembrance of loved ones who have died from AIDS.

“Dress Up Against AIDS: Condom Couture,” Fowler Museum, Sunset Boulevard and Westwood Plaza, Westwood. Free. Opens Friday. (310) 825-4361.

* Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, except noon to 8 p.m. Thursday. Ends March 11.

“The Keiskamma Altarpiece: Transcending AIDS in South Africa,” Glorya Kaufman Dance Theater, Kaufman Hall, adjacent to the Fowler Museum. Friday only, noon to 5 p.m.

MOVIES

Visions of a daring plot

A timid taxidermist

(Ricardo Darin) seizes an opportunity to commit what he believes will be

the perfect robbery in

“The Aura,” from Argentine director Fabian Bielinsky (“Nine Queens”). His

dangerous scheme,

however, is complicated

by unpredictable seizures

in which visions of the

future become confused with the past -- at the

most inopportune moments.

“The Aura,” unrated, opens exclusively at Laemmle’s One Colorado, 42 Miller Alley (inside plaza, Fair Oaks at Union Avenue), Pasadena (626) 744-1224; Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 274-6869.

SATURDAY

REVUE

Honoring spirit of a country boy

Take a trip down memory lane in “Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert,” an acoustic country-music revue in the style of John Denver TV Christmas specials. Created by Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman, the show is filled with modern and traditional Christmas carols and such Denver hits as “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” and “Grandma’s Feather Bed.” The cast is led by Wheetman, who was a member of Denver’s band for eight years.

“Back Home Again: A John Denver Holiday Concert,” Rubicon Theatre Company at the Laurel, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. Opens 7 p.m. Saturday. Opening night, $85 (includes post-show reception), then $26 to $49. (805) 667-2900; www.rubicontheatre.org.

* Runs 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays; ends Dec. 24. Audio-described performance Dec. 17. Sign-language-interpreted performance Dec. 22.

MUSIC

‘Asyla’ says goodbye

British composer Thomas Ades ends his two-year residency with the Los Angeles Philharmonic by conducting the orchestra in his acclaimed “Asyla,” a four-movement symphony composed in 1997. The title is the Latin plural of “asylum” and can mean sanctuaries or places of refuge or facilities for the mentally ill. Philharmonic assistant conductor Joana Carneiro will close the program leading Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique.”

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A., 8 p.m. Saturday. $15 to $135. (323) 850-2000. www.laphil.com.

* Also 2 p.m. Sunday.

JAZZ

B-day bash with style

When Kenny Burrell was living in New York in the 1950s and ‘60s, he was the guitarist of choice for the likes of John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Gil Evans and Sonny Rollins. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s now in his 28th year as a UCLA professor and founder of the school’s jazz studies program. So it’s not surprising that the turnout for his 75th birthday bash includes greats such as Pat Metheny, Russell Malone, Hubert Laws, the Gerald Wilson Orchestra and plenty of surprise guests.

Kenny Burrell’s 75th Birthday, Royce Hall on the UCLA campus, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood, 8 p.m. Saturday. $25 to $40 ($15 for UCLA students). (310) 825-2101.

BOOKS

Her elbows on the table

The comic behind the delightfully deranged “Strangers With Candy” TV series has stepped into her brother David Sedaris’ (“Me Talk Pretty One Day”) territory with the outrageously deadpan hostess guide, “I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.” Sage advice from Amy Sedaris includes packing your medicine cabinet with marbles.

Amy Sedaris, Dutton’s Beverly Hills Books, 447 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, 2 p.m. Saturday. (310) 281-0997.

SUNDAY

MUSIC

Violists get some due

Mozart’s decision to add a viola to the string quartet, as he did in six works, allowed him to explore a wider, deeper and more symphonic range of expression than he could in the quartet format. The famed Brentano String Quartet -- violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory and cellist Nina Lee -- teams with violists Hsin-Yun Huang and Maria Lambros to play the entire set of six in two programs sponsored by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. On Sunday, Huang joins the Brentano to play Quintets Nos. 1, 5 and 4, in that order. On Monday, Lambros is the guest for Quintets No. 2, 6 and 3.

Brentano String Quartet, Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. 3 p.m. Sunday. $30 to $40. (949) 553-2422. www.PhilharmonicSociety.org* Also 8 p.m. Monday.

TUESDAY

THEATER

Pressure cooker

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” the Tony-winning musical comedy about six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime, is presented by Broadway/San Diego. For mature audiences.

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” San Diego Civic Theatre, 3rd Avenue and B Street, San Diego. Opens 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

* Runs 7 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. next Thursday, 8 p.m. Dec. 8, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 9, 1 and 6 p.m. Dec. 10; ends Dec. 10. $19 to $65. (619) 570-1100, (619) 220-8497. www.broadwaysd.com.

WEDNESDAY

THEATER

Long lost privacy

New York-based experimental company the Builders Assn. presents “Super Vision,” a multimedia theatrical examination of life in the post-privacy era, told through a triptych of stories created in collaboration with dbox, a 3-D animation and design studio. L.A. premiere, directed by Marianne Weems.

“Super Vision,” REDCAT, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., L.A. Opens 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

* Runs 8:30 p.m. next Thursday to Dec. 9, 3 p.m. Dec. 10. $36 and $40. (213) 237-2800. www.redcat.org.