"Back to the Future" with Street Food Cinema

MARTY! We recently went "Back... to the Future!" via a Saturday evening Street Food Cinema screening in Glendale's Verdugo Park. And we weren't the only ones: The actors who played Jennifer Parker (Claudia Wells) and Mayor Goldie Wilson (Donald Fullilove) were there and answered a few questions beforehand:



Also, The Flux Capacitors, who bill themselves as "Hollywood's ONLY Back to the Future-themed 80s cover band," kicked things off:



We brought along a bottle of wine and some Trader Joe's goodies but also grabbed eats from India Jones, one of several trucks in attendance. Meanwhile, the Street Food Cinema summer season continues through the end of September. Next weekend:

August 30: Casablanca (Brookside Park, Pasadena)

August 30: Edward Scissorhands (Westchester Park, Los Angeles)

August 30: A Hard Day's Night (Northridge Little League Field, Northridge)

Dinosaurs! "B-Movies and Bad Science" Return to the La Brea Tar Pits

The outdoor movie trend has exploded in recent years, and here's a unique one: For its annual "B-Movies and Bad Science" outdoor movie festival, the Natural History Museum is celebrating the opening of its new Dinosaur Hall by focusing on "dinosaurs and their sci-fi counterparts." (The event itself is actually held at the La Brea Tar Pits, next to the Page Museum.)

This Saturday, that means the campy 1960 feature "Dinosaurs!" More details:

Spend a lighthearted Saturday evening outside, as members of the Natural History Museum Family’s science and history staff explore the “science” behind Hollywood’s weirdest and most implausible B-movies. Prior to each screening, curatorial staff from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits will introduce the movie, explore a few scientific facts (if any), and show off related Hollywood artifacts and specimens from our collections.

Bring your blanket and picnic, and cozy up to watch a movie under the stars. This is the third season for the series, and the first year all films will be held outdoors at the Page Museum (on the great lawn, adjacent to the Museum in Hancock Park). Each screening begins with a discussion at 8:30 pm, followed by the film at 9:00 pm. Cost is free.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, July 30
Dinosaurus! (1960)
Before the film, Page Museum Assistant Lab Supervisor Trevor Valle will lead the discussion.

Saturday, August 6
The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
Before the film, head of NHM’s Dinosaur Institute and curator of the Dinosaur Hall, Dr. Luis Chiappe, will lead the discussion.

Saturday, August 20
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
Before the film Dr. John Long, NHM’s VP of Research and Collections, will lead the discussion.

Saturday, August 27
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Before the film Chief Curator of the Page Museum Dr. John Harris will lead the discussion.

Go to www.tarpits.org or call (323) 934-PAGE for more info.

My Evening (Sorta) With Tom and Katie

I generally don't do the red carpet at events, but the Monday night premiere of controversial new miniseries "The Kennedys" was different on a number of fronts. First off, it was controversial -- dumped by History channel, shopped around and finally salvaged by little-known network ReelzChannel.

And secondly, the guest list promised some real star wattage (unusual for a basic cable screening, doubly unusual for a screening surrounding a channel that no one had previously heard of). Stars Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes were in attendance, and Katie brought along her husband -- this guy named Tom Cruise.

Standing outside the Motion Picture Academy theater in Beverly Hills, I chatted with "The Kennedys" executive producer Joel Surnow, as well as director Jon Cassar. Then I stood back to watch the media circus as Tom and Katie passed through. Armed with my Blackberry, I caught a few pics (above and below).