Latest in Calendar

• Latest in Calendar

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    Calendar Arts

    Recommended

    Hello Kitty Con 2014

    After 40 — yes, 40 — years of cooing and obsessing over Sanrio’s adorable mascot, Hello Kitty is getting her own fan convention. The first Hello Kitty Con takes place Halloween weekend at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary. The festivities launch Thursday morning with a packed schedule of panels and demo sessions. Check out talks such as “Inspired by Her — Artist and Hello Kitty” and “Guys Love Hello Kitty Too!” There also will be classes on flower arranging, cookie decorating and scrapbooking. Given that this is a convention at an art museum, you can expect lots of art-filled activities. On Thursday, Vancouver-based artist Camilla d’Errico will teach and lecture throughout the day. Esther Kim, Dabs Myla and Martin Hsu will appear later in the convention, while five tattoo artists will be available for appointments throughout the weekend. If you’re looking for something less permanent, get a Hello Kitty manicure from nail artist Masako Kojima. Hello Kitty merchandise, including exclusives and limited items, will be on sale as well. Somehow not enough for you? K-town’s hipper-than-thou Line Hotel is offering Hello Kitty packages during the convention. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., dwntwn.; Thu., Oct. 30-Sun., Nov. 2, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; $20-$30 (most days sold out). sanrio.com/hellokittycon-eventinfo. More
    Oct. 30
    Museum of Contemporary Art (The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA)
    Liz Ohanesian
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    Calendar Performing Arts

    Recommended

    The War of the Worlds

    Today’s generation might be familiar only with Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise’s 2005 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, but on Halloween Eve 1938, back when radio was the lifeline of the home, Orson Welles’ retelling of the sci-fi novel became the most infamous radio broadcast in American history. Many of the nearly 1 million people who tuned in to the CBS program were convinced that a meteorite had landed in New Jersey, sending an army of Martian invaders to eat them. Though Welles and his Mercury Theater assured listeners the program was merely a play (their “version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of the bush and saying ‘boo’ ”), mass hysteria and even reports of suicide set in, to the delight of the press. Fake Radio re-creates that fateful night when aliens conquered the country, employing a cast of more than a dozen actors, period music and costumes. Since 1998, the local troupe has been re-enacting old radio scripts from the 1930s to the 1950s, including The Wizard of Oz, The Phantom of the Opera, It’s a Wonderful Life and All About Eve. Past guests have included George Wendt, John Larroquette, Fred Willard and Jeff Garlin. Trepany House at the Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Thu., Oct. 30, 8 p.m.; $20. (323) 666-4268, trepanyhouse.org. More
    Oct. 30
    Trepany House at the Steve Allen Theater
    Siran Babayan
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    Calendar Conventions

    Recommended

    Comikaze Expo

    Looking for the perfect place to show off your Black Widow costume? Stan Lee’s fourth annual Comikaze Expo launches on Halloween at the Los Angeles Convention Center. At this pop culture extravaganza, learn how to pose for cosplay photos or get a crash course in steampunk. Check out a screening of Return to Nuke ’Em High Volume 1 with Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman. Bring the kids: On Friday, the convention’s exhibit hall hosts a massive trick-or-treat adventure. Stick around throughout the weekend for a huge Tetris 30th-anniversary gathering or catch Spike and Mike’s new Halloween special on Saturday. Sunday is “Family Day,” with fun for all ages, including a panel with the stars of Power Rangers Megaforce and a Land of the Lost reunion. The whole weekend is filled with celebrity guests — from Adam West and Julie Newmar to Game of Thrones stars Gwendoline Christie and Alfie Allen. Look out for the convention’s founder, Stan Lee, as well as Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira), who is a partner in the event. Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., dwntwn.; Fri., Oct. 31, 1-7 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 1, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 2, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; $30 day pass, $70 weekend pass, children under 12 free with paying adult. comikazeexpo.com. More
    Oct. 31
    Los Angeles Convention Center
    Liz Ohanesian
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    Calendar Halloween

    Recommended

    West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval

    Though it’s the fleshiest gathering outside the Playboy Mansion, the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is not clothing-optional. In fact, the 500,000 attention-getters expected tonight have been working on their amazing outfits almost since the day they shed last year’s Miley Cyrus’ wrecking-ball gear. The biggest people-watching event in town — and, as a parade, second only to the Tournament of Roses — includes 50-plus performers, live bands and DJs across six stages, a costume contest and the crowning of the honorary “Queen of the Carnaval” (last year, Queen Latifah held that title). So what will be the most popular costume idea this year? Maleficent? The three-breasted woman? Ebola? Put on a hospital mask or hazmat suit and find out. Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive & La Cienega Boulevard, W. Hlywd.; Fri., Oct. 31, 6-11 p.m.; free. (800) 368-6020, visit​west​hollywood.com. More
    Oct. 31
    West Hollywood, Santa Monica Boulevard
    Siran Babayan
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