Gary Baseman

A sampling of home-themed pop-up shops in Southern California this season: Alessi: An assortment of the Italian company's iconic kitchenware, including tea kettles, glassware, barware and serving pieces. Also a small selection of holiday figurines. Fashion Island, Suite 1085, 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach; (949) 287-0231; www.alessi.com. Closing Dec. 31. Gifty: Ceramics made by local artists, handcrafted jewelry. Staged within the furniture store Ten 10, 1724 1/2 Silver Lake Blvd.

World-renowned artist and illustrator Gary Baseman's edgy cartoon noir art can be found in everything from Rolling Stone and Mother Jones to the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. Now fans can follow him to Saturday morning cartoon-land. Baseman's visually mind-blowing new animated series, "Disney's Teacher's Pet," debuts today.

Each word is taken from the vanity plate master list issued by the DMV. * MIDADD POPDEE QUESTIN 2MA 1NITE AT JOEYS CFOOD CAFE OFF PCH. HEE HIDD UNO OST1OT8S DIMOND RRRING ONDA BOTM UVA COMPLX MPECIBL BOWL OF PHISH CHOWDA. "UMORON," SEZMOM. "ICUDA HURT MYSLF." * HENSHE WED ATT JOEEEZ TOO, THEN DVOUR SEARED MAHI MAHIE WYTHE AVERY FEARLIS PEPPERI DILL SAUZE.

50 First Dates Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore Columbia TriStar, $29 DVDs have become an advertising tool -- replete with previews of features, DVDs and video games. But on the digital edition of Adam Sandler's hit, there is actually a plug for his latest album, which arrives this summer. The good news is that you can skip the promo. Though one can't say that "50 First Dates" is a good movie, it is far better than most of Sandler's vehicles.

Mostly, it felt like a party, with martinis, couples on dates, loud music, the brandishing of cellphones and lots of animated talking. There were a few unusual notes: a line of people painting a very busy mural, two crestfallen young men stopped by guards as they tried to enter an art exhibition with an open bottle of wine. Even so, it was the kind of crowd not out of place at any hip Hollywood hangout. It was the second-ever art party at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a 7 p.m.

KNOWN for vintage furnishings and midcentury-inspired original designs at their Beverly Boulevard studio, Glenn Lawson and Grant Fenning have created a new collection for their recently opened showroom in Silver Lake. "We used upholstery details, hardware and finishes from the Early American period on clean-lined shapes to create a mixture of modern and traditional," says Lawson, above left with Fenning.

Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon is no stranger to fashion. She designed the former X-Girl collection and is designer Marc Jacobs' muse. The musician's latest sartorial outing is with chain Urban Outfitters for Mirror/Dash in stores this month. Mirror/Dash, in which Gordon collaborates with former Mayle designer Melinda Wansbrough and Jeffrey Monteiro of Derek Lam, features classic separates infused with the singer's perspective as an indie-chic icon and mother of a 14-year-old.

Fans of American roots music will gather near the shores of Lake Casitas for a jampacked "Bowlful of Blues," now in its 19th year. Headliners include the first-rate guitarist Robben Ford and Charmaine Neville, the daughter of Charles, from the legendary New Orleans group the Neville Brothers.

It's been 10 years since Giant Robot editors Erik Nakamura and Martin Wong photocopied and stapled their first 'zine, a vehicle for their personal interests that sought to explore Asian and underground cultures. Now the quarterly publication has spawned bustling commercial ventures while establishing itself as a bridge between Asian and pop cultures.