Dream Come True Party Room

This week: Hollywood hosts movies at the cemetery and a Marvin Gaye tribute concert, and the Burbank Comedy Festival features Jeff Garlin, Adam Carolla, and Wendy Liebman. As always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in Los Angeles. Movies All Night: Fantasy Hollywood | Saturday, August 16 Staying up all night to watch Labyrinth and Legend in Hollywood Forever Cemetery isn’t a fantasy. It’s Fantasy, the fourth edition of Cinespia’s all-night moviethon. Gates open at 11:30 p.m., screenings start at midnight, and Intelligentsia will be pouring free coffee until 6 a.m. (6000 Santa Monica Blvd.; $14; buy tickets here) Hot August Bikes at Amoeba Hollywood | Sunday, August 17 At this inaugural event, Amoeba Records will be celebrating bike culture in tandem with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, raffling off Bern helmets, Converse gift certificates, and a bike from Solé Bicycles. There'll also be complimentary treats from Hubert's Lemonade and the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, and music spun by local DJs. (6400 Sunset Blvd.; free) Marvin Gaye's What's Going On with John Legend Hollywood | Wednesday, August 20 Backed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, nine-time Grammy winner John Legend will be covering Gaye's seminal civil-rights album. Sharon Jones will be filling in for Tammi Terrell on the duets, accompanied by the Dap-Kings. If you don't want to spring for a resale ticket, the event will be streamed for free online. (Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave.; resale tickets available only; $52–$489.50; buy tickets here) Sunset Strip Market West Hollywood | Thursday, August 21 With only a few Thursdays left before the market packs up for the fall, make sure to squeeze in a visit to this weekly bazaar that corrals several local food trucks, craft cocktails, and beers from Ballast Point, Lagunitas, and other craft brewers. Other highlights include fresh produce stands and a diverse schedule of live music. (8755 Sunset Blvd.; free) Burbank Comedy Festival Burbank | Through August 23 This weeklong festival at Flappers Comedy Club kicks off with a set by Jeff Garlin. He’ll be followed by more than 200 of his comic peers, including both up-and-comers and TV vets such as Adam Carolla and Whitney Cummings. Admission options range from tickets to individual shows to VIP passes that include food and drink credits and entry to all sets, classes, and panels. (102 E. Magnolia Blvd.; $15–$699; buy tickets here) Photos courtesy of Cinespia and the Hollywood Bowl

To the untrained eye, there’s not much in the way of scenery along the 270-mile stretch between Las Vegas and Los Angeles—just distant mountains and vast expanses of desert punctuated by the occasional tumbleweed. The monotonous terrain seems a fitting contrast to what awaits at either destination: the promises of money and stardom. An empty stomach and a taste for curiosity, however, can get the best of anyone during the four-hour drive. Luckily, just off the beaten asphalt of Interstate 15, there’s a smattering of roadside stops that prove anything but boring. Just an hour outside of Las Vegas, Primm is more than meets the eye. The city sits right up against Nevada’s border with California—an imaginary line that felons have long associated with freedom from the law. It happens that Primm is home to the most famous getaway car of all: Bonnie and Clyde’s V8 Ford. Punctured with more than 100 bullets, the battered vehicle sits behind a glass enclosure inside Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino. Nearby rests the torn and bloodied shirt Clyde wore on the morning of his death. More than 70 miles down the road and safely across California’s border, Alien Fresh Jerky restocks stomachs set on empty with 20 flavors of jerky—not to mention stuffed olives, nuts, candy, and various sauces. A few miles south of the exit for Zzyzx, CA, the gourmet jerky stop gets its curious name from owners who founded it after a failed search for Area 51. Standing at an impressive 134 feet and visible from Interstate 15, the world’s largest thermometer sits just down the road from Alien Fresh Jerky. The thermometer’s height honors the highest temperature ever recorded in North America: 134 degrees in nearby Death Valley. The heat and lack of moisture in the desert can help with preservation, which might explain why dinosaurs still roam the earth at Peggy Sue’s Diner and Dinosaur Park. When nobody is looking, the giant metal dinosaur statues that inhabit Peggy Sue’s backyard are said to slip quarters into the giant outdoor jukebox and feed on Peggy Sue’s hearty burgers and sandwiches. Not far down the road from these towering statues, Casa Jimenez hosts some animals of its own. The Mexican restaurant lines its walls and counters with stuffed antelope, zebras, and wolves. Of course, you don’t need to contend with wild beasts to get your fill of tacos and burritos. Just across town from Casa Jimenez, the world’s oldest operating Del Taco has kept its grills hot and its drive-through open since 1964.

Whether embracing your inner child at an ice-cream festival, reliving your high-school years at a screening of Dazed and Confused, or commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement, this week’s events give you a chance to revisit the past. As always, check Groupon for even more great things to do in Los Angeles. Street Food Cinema Exposition Park | Saturday, August 2, 5:30 p.m. If seeing Richard Linklater’s much-lauded new film Boyhood has you jonesing for some of his cult classics, this outdoor screening of Dazed and Confused should do the trick. Come early for food-truck fare and indie-rock tunes from local band Speardane, before settling in for the 8 p.m. screening. (700 Exposition Park Dr.; $6–$17; children 5 and younger are free; buy tickets here) People Get Ready: A Soundtrack of the Civil Rights Movement Downtown | Saturday, August 2, 8 p.m. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement, this concert features modern soul and world-music singers performing freedom songs by Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and other legends. The lineup includes French favorites Les Nubians, as well as Sam Cooke’s granddaughters, who’ll likely be covering their grandad’s classics. (350 S. Grand Ave.; free) Once Hollywood | Through August 10 This Oscar-, Grammy-, and Tony-winning story may have moved from Off-Broadway’s modest theaters to the Pantages’ grand stage, but it still centers on the original songs Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová wrote for the film. If you get there early enough, you can even grab a drink from the onstage bar before the show begins. (6233 Hollywood Blvd.; $32.25–$140.70; buy tickets here) Ice Cream Festival Downtown | Through August 24 At Rosa Mexicano, chefs are throwing a month-long Ice Cream Festival, during which they’re making scoops inspired by their savory, south of the border foods. Flavors include avocado, cinnamon-chili-spiced chocolate, and sweet-corn-and-caramel. If you’re worried how these concoctions might taste, don’t be—Martha Stewart once said the restaurant serves “the best guacamole in the world.” (800 W. Olympic Blvd.; free) Jack & the Giant Sawtelle | Through August 24 In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, kids in the audience decide the characters' fates by helping them make decisions along the way. The Little Theater's intimate, 49-seat setup eases the interactive process, but come early for a good seat as the venue is first come, first serve. (12420 Santa Monica Blvd.; $10–$15; buy tickets here) Photos courtesy of the Dazed and Confused Facebook page and Rosa Mexicano.