There’s an eclectic panel of playwrights this...

There’s an eclectic panel of playwrights this Friday night at the Geffen Playhouse and their projects go well beyond the stage: Neil LaBute, who made the film “In the Company of Men” about cruel men with plastic souls; Adrian Pasdar, whose “Heroes” character inspired a plastic action figure; and Joan Rivers, whose face is . . . familiar to all. The panel, which will take questions from the crowd, also includes Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies. Call (310) 208-2028 for details. . . . On Sundays you can get your hayseed on at the Brunch Americana at Safari Sams on Sunset Boulevard [(323) 666-7267]. The shows are put together by Hillbilly DJ Jeff W. and they’re stirring up a scene; last Sunday he booked two of my favorite honky-tonk heroes, Mike Stinson and Dave Serby; this weekend it’s Bonebrake Syncopators, and on Jan. 20 it’s Dave Gleason and the Palominos. . . . Our great moment in L.A. history: 41 years ago this Saturday a Glendale cryogenics team put a 73-year-old professor named James Bedford on ice, making him the first intentional human Popsicle. Mr. Bedford is still chilling today. To celebrate, raise a frosty one on Saturday night while Dead Man’s Party plays “Weird Science” and other Oingo Boingo hits at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills [(909) 599-7459].

-- Geoff.Boucher@latimes.com