GO LA: Fringe Artists, Porno Films and Lisa Lampanelli

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27

MUSEUMS

C. Thomas Lewis

Anna Biller licks up the scenery in Viva. See Tuesday.

What does Johnny Cash get if he eats too much spicy food? A ring of fire.

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More About

• Sarah Chang
• Cho-Liang Lin
• Jennifer Koh
• Classical Music
• Orchestral Music

He Walked the Line; He Walked the Line

Say goodbye to Hello, I’m Johnny Cash. Today’s the last day to catch the Paley Center’s tribute to the Man in Black. The Paley Center, formerly known as The Most Important Museum on the Planet, a.k.a. the Museum of Television & Radio, holds more classic and rare video footage than the YouTubes, and they’ve put together an eight-hour retrospective, including stuff that hasn’t been seen since its original broadcast. See Cash imitate Elvis doing “Heartbreak Hotel” in the late ’50s, his heralded return to the Grand Ole Opry after beating a raging drug habit, plus duets with June Carter, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Joni Mitchell and Roy Orbison. The Paley Center for Media, 465 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills; Fri., Feb. 27, 12:30 p.m.; free. (310) 786-1091. —Libby Molyneaux

CLASSICAL

Fiddlers Three

Three great violin virtuosi will be in L.A. this week, and since we’d be hard put to choose the best among them, we’re giving all of them a joint pick, in order of appearance. First off, Sarah Chang. While virtually every great musician started off as a prodigy, Chang seems to have outdone all but Jascha Heifetz in the violin category. Legend has it that Heifetz saw a fiddle at age 3, picked it up, and began playing it so beautifully that everyone present burst into tears. One might put that story down to 1 percent maybe and 99 percent no way, except for the fact that at age 4, Sarah Chang begged for a violin, and by age 6 was admitted to the Juilliard School after wowing them with her performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1. I saw Chang perform when she was 12, and was astounded by her maturity; she was not only technically brilliant but she had the insight and passion of a seasoned adult. Today, at 28, Chang is considered one of the most brilliant artists of her time, and this weekend she’ll be performing one of her signature works, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in E minor, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. James Conlon conducts the all-Mendelssohn program, which includes the Symphony No. 1 and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Next up is Jennifer Koh, who by age 11 had already performed solo with the Chicago Symphony, and who won the International Tchaikovsky Competition when she was just 17. Praised as a “fearless” soloist whose “white-hot imagination” takes old standards to new heights, Koh has chosen a technically ambitious and intellectually challenging program for her concert on Saturday: Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor for unaccompanied violin; Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 in A major; and Bartok’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano. At the keyboard is esteemed Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute. On Wednesday, check out the fabulous Cho-Liang Lin, a late bloomer who started violin lessons at 5 and made his memorable debut at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall at the ripe old age of 19.

Named “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America in 2000, Lin is known for his eloquent playing and profound musicianship, and his program includes Mozart’s Sonata in A major, K.526; Ravel’s Violin Sonata; and Brahms’ Sonata No. 3 in D minor and Scherzo. Accompanying him at the piano is the great Andre-Michel Schub, which should make for a dazzling evening indeed. Sarah Chang performs with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall; Fri., Feb. 27, 11 a.m. & Sat., Feb. 28, 8 p.m.; $42-$147. (323) 850-2000 or www.laphil.com. Jennifer Koh and Cho-Liang Lin perform at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Koh: Sat., Feb. 28, 8 p.m.; $20-$40. Lin: Wed., March 4, 7:30 p.m.; $25. (562) 467-8818 or www.cerritoscenter.com. —Mary Beth Crain

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28

PERFORMANCE READING

Your Placenta or Mine?

Afterbirth, Dani Klein Modisett’s highly successful series of “stories you won’t read in a parenting magazine tapping the gushing vein of amazingly talented funny writer parents who live and work here” will be out as a book later this spring. Can a cable-TV show starring Maya Rudolph be far behind? This weekend’s live show is noteworthy for featuring Afterbirth’s first grandparent, TV legend Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God!). Also sharing parents’ “whoas!!!” are Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, Dan Bucatinsky of numerous crappy shows I wish I had on my resumé, Lew Schneider (exec producer of Everybody Loves Raymond) and Sarah Thyre (Mrs. Andy Richter). Klein Modisett also tips us off that Racelle Rosett is also on this show. “Racelle was supposed to be the next Diane English but became the next head of kid crafts instead, which she will be talking about. Sarah has two children and tried to breastfeed them both. Operative word being ‘tried.’” Which reminds me — how about the story of the time my dog ate the piece of umbilical cord that had fallen off my newborn son? It’s called “Holy Crap! The Dog Just Ate My Baby’s Umbilical Cord!” I see Catherine Zeta Jones playing me. M Bar, 1253 N. Vine St., Hlywd.; Sat., Feb. 28, 8 p.m.; $20, $15 with resv. (323) 856-0036. —L.M.