Celebrations

With a rich history and a promising future, the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts will celebrate its 80th birthday Sunday with a dedication ceremony of its new $175-million home on campus. The school's most famous alum, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, whose Lucasfilm Foundation provided $75 million for the new digs, plus $100 million for the school's endowment, will be on hand.

The mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco joined gay rights groups Sunday in raising concerns about the Obama administration's defense of a federal law restricting same-sex marriage. "I think it's a big mistake," San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said shortly before he and his Los Angeles counterpart, Antonio Villaraigosa, kicked off the annual L.A. Pride parade in West Hollywood.

Every Easter weekend for the last two decades, gay men have flocked to Palm Springs for Jeffrey Sanker's White Party. Poised to celebrate its 20th anniversary next weekend, it's equal parts dance, pool, costume and networking extravaganza and has grown from a smallish spring bash on the outskirts of acceptability to a mainstream party that attracts nearly 30,000 revelers.

Suddenly, Los Angeles is feeling a little like Sao Paolo. First, two large Carnaval-related events will take place this weekend -- a festival in Santa Barbara and the annual Brazilian Carnaval at the Palladium Saturday. Then, a DJ-centric dance party dubbed Made in Brazil returns to Hollywood early next month after a well-received August turn at the Avalon, and automaker Scion is sponsoring an art exhibition of emerging Sao Paolo street artists at the Choque Cultural Gallery, which debuts Feb.

For one last night, the cafes of Paris were filled with cigarette smoke. Summer Olympics organizers played host to dancing and music in Beijing. And rare celebrations resounded in war-torn Baghdad. Across the globe, people gathered for parties, shot off fireworks and held out hopes for a peaceful and prosperous 2008. But reminders of violence were apparent as security was tightened in many nations.

The Crenshaw High School marching band, in electric blue and gold uniforms, stepped 90-strong in formation down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard during Monday's parade to commemorate the civil rights leader, drums clattering in time. Despite knowing that one of their own was missing, the band marched on.

They're hoping wet weather doesn't turn "MASH" into mush today in Calabasas. But rain or shine, a tribute to the 25th anniversary of the popular television series' finale will be staged at the show's Malibu Creek State Park filming location, organizers promise. The former "MASH" set is about two miles into the park, next to a dirt road that turns muddy when it rains. Several stars from the series, Mike Farrell, Loretta Swit and William Christopher, have indicated they plan to attend.

County officials on Saturday dedicated a more than $30-million civic center in East Los Angeles that took nearly a decade to complete. The center, at 4801 E. Third St., serves residents of the unincorporated neighborhood, as well as those from Montebello, Monterey Park, Commerce and Los Angeles. Angie Castro, a spokeswoman for L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina, whose district includes East L.A., called the center the heart of the neighborhood.

The Chinese have worked overtime to get all their checklists ticked, buildings built and security secured in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics. But something seems to have happened on the way to the arena: They forgot the fun. Fearful of political protests or terrorist attacks, Beijing feels increasingly battened down as the Aug. 8 opening ceremony approaches, leading some wags to predict a "fun-free" or "killjoy" Games.

Gloria Alvarez never got to shout "Viva Mexico!" The 32-year-old homemaker, cradling her infant son, jostled with the rest of her family and thousands of other people who packed the center of this colonial-era city Monday night to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Then came the blasts. Alvarez's husband and 7-year-old daughter were seriously injured. The 3-month-old baby, Uriel, somehow escaped unharmed, but Alvarez, gravely wounded, died later in a public hospital.