Orange County Events - Orange County Entertainment Guide

Recommended Events
Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation 2012 Art Theatre of Long Beach : May 18
Dating back to the heady—or should we say “head”-y, and then pretend like we just inhaled deeply?—days of ‘70s campus film festivals and pioneering DIY animators, the Spike and Mike Festival of Animation is up there with New Wave Theatre and Liquid Television for... More >>
Long Beach	Film, Arts

The Jerk Regency South Coast Village : 7:30 p.m. May 23
In 1979, wild and crazy guy Steve Martin threw in the stand-up towel (after generating crowds bigger than rock stars while on tour) to co-write and star in his first feature film about “poor black child” Navin R. Johnson, who one day realizes that he is not black, loves Lawrence... More >>
Santa Ana	Arts, Theater, Film

Goose and Tomtom The Garage Theater : Every Thu., Fri., Sat. from April 26 until May 19
The exceedingly quirky Garage Theatre opens its 2012 Armageddon season with Goose and Tomtom, written by David Rabe and directed here by Eric Hamme. Described as an "existential mindfuck," Goose and Tomtom is a story that's difficult to describe—filled with countless what-ifs and... More >>
Long Beach	Theater

Long Beach Pride Festival Shoreline Village : May 19
This weekend marks the very anticipated Long Beach Pride Festival, set to take over the fair city once again for positivity, acceptance, and mayhem. Along with local shops and bars proudly hanging rainbow flags and becoming individual raging parties all weekend long, the main draws are the... More >>
Long Beach	Festivals, Arts, LGBT Events

Doheny Blues Festival Doheny State Beach : May 20
Full disclosure: We’re jealous as fuck of Gregg Allman for two reasons. No. 1: At Fillmore East. No. 2: Cher. The man was enjoying her dark, exotic favors back before plastic surgery turned her into Wayne Newton’s weird-looking sister. (Today, she looks to have had more touch-ups... More >>
Out of Town	Music, Festivals

NASA’s 'Driven to Explore' Exhibit Discovery Science Center : Daily from May 19 until May 22
Big brother may have killed NASA’s manned space exploration efforts, but that doesn’t mean that the dream of navigating the final frontier is dead for future generations. Discovery Science Center hosts NASA’s “Driven to Explore” mobile exhibit this week, giving... More >>
Santa Ana	Museum Exhibits & Events, Children's Events

Names in Vain Detroit Bar : 9:00 p.m. every Mon. from May 7 until May 28
Thou shalt not use the lord's name in vain, but thou shall head to Detroit Bar for May's Monday residency featuring Names in Vain. The indie progressive, alt rock team of Michelle Ashley and Richie Aquino have perfected tight beats and sleek sounds from regular instruments into a very laid back... More >>
Costa Mesa	Music

Jack's Tea Room Harvelle's Long Beach : Every Tue. from May 8 until May 29
The tagline reads "Remember Prohibition?" but, thankfully, most of us missed that cruel, cruel time when decent folks couldn't legally catch a proper buzz. As far as retro decades, though, the '20s and early '30s had some darling fashion, swingin' music and excellent dance crazes. Harvelles in... More >>
Out of Town	Libations, Music

College Night Pride Party Club Ripples : 9:00 p.m. May 16
Leave it to Ripples, Long Beach's most notorious gay club, to come up with a mid-week theme night that makes even the most un-shockable of club hoppers to do a double-take. Case in point: Freshmen 15 Wednesdays, where nubile young college boys are invited to partake in booze, go-go boys,... More >>
Long Beach	LGBT Events, Club Events, Libations

Andre Nickatina The Glass House : 7:00 p.m. May 18
West Coast rap pillar Andre Nickatina has been in the game since the mid-'90s, and though albums like Cocaine Raps and Tears of a Clown shuttled him toward a certain national notoriety, Nickatina stayed just out of the spotlight of popping bottles and dating models. And that, we have to admire.... More >>
Pomona	Music

Jack Hanna Into the Wild Live! Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center : 7:00 p.m. May 19
Instead of just experiencing wild animals with Jack Hanna via your TV, why not see it live as he brings Into the Wild to the Carpenter Center? “Jungle Jack” introduces dozens of exotic animals, discusses wildlife conservation and even shares footage from his travels across the... More >>
Long Beach	Zoo & Animals, Theater

Zelda Bing's Love Camp Long Beach Playhouse : 6:00 p.m. May 20
We all remember Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live giving “motivational speeches," his character “living in a van down by the river." It's hard to ever forget Farley’s genius—and now Emmy-nominated writer and award-winning comedian Debbie Kasper comes up a character... More >>
Long Beach	Theater, Comedy

Devendra Banhart The Observatory : 8:00 p.m. May 23
Devendra Banhart comes to OC with a wandering-troubadour backstory that took him from boho megacities like San Francisco and Paris to an official debut on Michael Gira’s Young God Records, which unfurled into a nice healthy career as probably the highest-profile and most versatile... More >>
Santa Ana	Music

Geeks Who Drink Auld Dubliner : 8:00 p.m. every Mon.
Yes, the geeks have just about inherited the earth. Go ahead and ask Mark Zuckerberg or J.K. Rowling. Geeks Who Drink is an organization that pairs brains with booze; it currently hosts weekly bar events in 14 states across the country. Modeled after traditional Irish-pub quizzes, this is more... More >>
Long Beach	Music, Games, Contests, Cheap Thrills, Barhopping, Arts, Adult

Resonating Fields Muzeo : 10:00 a.m. daily from April 5 until October 31
The human body serves many purposes. To the church, it is the sanctuary of sins. To science, the body is simply a vessel carrying us between points A and B. To its owner, it can be a source of great shame or pride, depending on your level of vanity. But to photographer Lois Greenfield, the body... More >>
Anaheim	Photography, Museum Exhibits & Events, Arts

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead Theatre Out : Every Wed., Thu., Fri., Sat., Sun. from May 16 until June 9
What if existence was like a comic strip? The boring parts would be white space, every other moment would be a punch line, and the heaviest problems in life would be trying to kick a football held by a mischievous girl. This play, Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, wants you to... More >>
Santa Ana	Theater, LGBT Events

Sunday Karaoke with Bobby Vegas Detroit Bar : 9:00 p.m. every Sun.
Let's all get drunk and sing! Every Sunday night, Detroit Bar, one of OC's most prominent venues for stylish, up-and-coming musical acts, frees its stage for less talented hacks to come up and belt it out. At Sunday Karaoke, the alcohol is flowing, the mic is open and MC extraordinaire Bobby... More >>
Costa Mesa	Music, Arts

Vendetta Red; The Makeup Sex Detroit Bar : 9:00 p.m. May 16
As far as Seattle grunge bands go, Vendetta Red was a little late to the party. Formed from the same musical clay that bore the world Nirvana and Pearl Jam, VR didn't arrive on the scene until 1998. Still, they continue to strum guitars while the corpse of Nirvana continues to rot. They also... More >>
Costa Mesa	Music

Exene Cervenka House of Blues Anaheim : 8:00 p.m. May 17
Though she's best known for her work in legendary LA punk band X, fans will want to catch Exene Cervenka's solo show. Rocking an acoustic, country-inflected folk style, she sings about life's heartbreaks and trials with wide-eyed youthful mind. More >>
Anaheim	Music

Sponge (performing Rotting Pinata) The Coach House : 8:00 p.m. May 17
Here's a blast from the past for all you grunge monkeys. Sponge is on the scene and ready to rock their debut album, Rotting Pinata, in its entirety. For those who listened to stations like KROQ in the post Nivana-era, Sponge was famous for the song "Molly," which enjoyed heavy rotation.... More >>
San Juan Capistrano	Music

Zeke; Electric Sister Alex's Bar : 9:00 p.m. May 18
Those in search of a little catharsis should head over to Alex's and catch Zeke. Known for a full- throttle sound, this punk band has been at it since 1993. Signed to Relapse records, they manage to mix some classic rock nuances with their three chord attack. Dig the song "Down Payment Blues."... More >>
Long Beach	Music

The Slow Forward The Glass House : 7:30 p.m. May 19
The Slow Forward are an aggressive sounding band with enough growling and screaming to appeal to hardcore ears. But their constant change-ups and complex style will appease the math set as well. Hailing from Fullerton, they've been at it since 2005. Catch their performance at the Glass House... More >>
Pomona	Music

Don Darox & the Melody Joy Bakers The Pike Bar & Fish Grill : 9:00 p.m. May 19
Don Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers traffic in bluesy tunes with vocals reminiscent of Tom Waits. Rocking songs about late-night benders and other assorted debauchery, we can't think of a better sound track for sipping cocktails in the iconic Pike Bar. More >>
Long Beach	Music

Jitney South Coast Repertory : 8:00 p.m. every Tue., Wed., Thu., Fri., Sat., Sun. from May 11 until June 10
Ever wonder what a jitney is? Well, you're in luck—August Wilson's play is all about them and more. As the '70s dawn upon Pittsburgh, an urban resurgence threatens a storefront station where gypsy cab drivers, known as jitneys, exchange stories about daily fares and snoop in each other's... More >>
Costa Mesa	Theater

Evan Stone's Jazz Jam Steamers Jazz Club : 8:00 p.m. every Sun.
Calling all jazz aficionados, virtuosos and wannabes. Every Sunday at Steamer's, it's a free-for-all jam session for enthusiasts of all skill levels. Led by drummer Evan Stone and his trio, you are invited to join the veterans onstage. A particularly warm welcome has been extended to Cal State... More >>
Fullerton	Music