There's pop surrealism, there's lowbrow — and then there's whatever painter and cat fancier Anthony Ausgang is up to. His wildly colorful, hyper-patterned, superflat cosmic Catascopes would be totally abstract were it not for the omnipresence of cartoon cats to lend them space and scale for context. Rendered with the same exaggerated mannerism as their surroundings, these cats are indeed curious. Sleek, flirtatious, mischievous, the felines are largely metaphors for the artist's experience of the random world we inhabit. And tonight's opening promises plenty of randomness — including a special performance by Ausgang's fancy rock band, Cat Museum. Copro Gallery, Bergamot Station Art Center, 2525 Michigan Ave., T5, Santa Monica; Sat., May 30, 8-11:30 p.m.; free. Exhibition continues Wed.-Sat, 1-6 p.m., through June 20. (310) 829-2156, copronason.com. —Shana Nys Dambrot

What will become of Captain Holt and Gina? Who will be the precinct's new captain? Will Jake and Amy finally hook up? With the recent season-two finale of Fox's cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, fans were left with a lot of questions. Luckily for them, UCB hosts this panel discussion, moderated by The League actor Jason Mantzoukas, with the show's cast and crew, including Andy Samberg, Chelsea Peretti, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, Joel McKinnon Miller, Dirk Blocker and co-creators Dan Goor and Michael Shur. Maybe now you can find out why Sergeant Jeffords named his twin girls Cagney and Lacey. UCB Sunset, 5419 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Tue., June 2, 8:30 p.m.; $5. (323) 908-8702, sunset.ucbtheatre.com. —Siran Babayan

The New Bev hosts lesser-known films from Brian De Palma and Martin Scor­sese, respectively: Get to Know Your Rabbit and Boxcar Bertha. A rare comedy and De Palma's first foray into studio filmmaking — Warner Bros. gave him the gig after seeing his film Greetings — Get to Know Your Rabbit tells of a corporate exec who gives up his life to pursue his real passions: tap dancing and magic. Barbara Hershey and David Carradine play a train-robbing duo in Boxcar Bertha, Scorsese's second feature, which is set in the South during the Depression. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax; Mon., June 1, 7:30 p.m.; $8. (323) 938-4038, thenewbev.com. —Michael Nordine

To address the sadness spurred by seeing old places get demolished in our fair city, Zócalo presents Is L.A.'s Past Worth Saving? Moderated by KCRW's Saul Gonzalez, it's a conversation about the loss of sites such as Ray Bradbury's home or that last Queen Anne mansion in Bunker Hill. It's also the launch of the Getty and the city's new preservation initiative, HistoricPlacesLA — a website that aims to comprehensively chronicle the endangered city. The panel will include L.A. Weekly's own Dennis Romero, Libros Schmibros' David Kipen, KCET's Lynell George, crime novelist Denise Hamilton and L.A. Office of Historic Resources manager Ken Bernstein. The Plaza on Olvera Street, El Pueblo de Los Angeles, 845 N. Alameda St., downtown; Mon., June 1, 7:30 p.m.; free. (213) 485-6855, zocalopublicsquare.org/event/?postId=59741. —David Cotner

Mark Haskell Smith discusses his new book, Naked at Lunch: A Reluctant Nudist's Adventures in the Clothing-Optional World, with L.A. Times book editor David Ulin. Smith embarks on a personal quest to explore the appeal and history of nudism dating back to ancient Greece. He looks at public indecency laws, namely San Francisco's ban on nudity passed in 2013. Smith also interviews academics and folks who live in the buff, and does as the Romans do, traveling from SoCal to the South of France (including an entire town in Spain that's clothing-optional), where he goes to nude beaches, resorts, cruises and even hikes in his birthday suit. Vroman's, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Wed., June 3, 7 p.m.; free. (626) 449-5320, vromansbookstore.com. —Siran Babayan

Lou Ureneck, a Boston University journalism professor, discusses his new book, The Great Fire: One American's Mission to Rescue Victims of the 20th Century's First Genocide. Ureneck recounts the little-known story of Rev. Asa J. Jennings, a Methodist minister from New York working for the YMCA, who arrived in Smyrna in 1922 during the Greco-Turkish War. The predominantly Christian port city, located in modern-day Turkey, was home to Greek and Armenian refugees fleeing Turkish soldiers, who set fire to the city, killing thousands. Though the United States and other countries were unwilling to intervene, Jennings, with the aid of other Americans, orchestrated the evacuation of more than 250,000 of the refugees. Vroman's, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Thu., June 4, 7 p.m.; free. (626) 449-5320, vromansbookstore.com. —Siran Babayan

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