Three-Day Forecast

MOVIES

Hoffman takes the next step

Though stout of stature and ruddy of feature, Philip Seymour Hoffman is perhaps the coolest actor working today, appearing regularly as a standout supporting performer in films by such directors as Paul Thomas Anderson, Todd Solondz, Anthony Minghella, Cameron Crowe and Spike Lee. This week he steps into a leading role in the indie drama “Love Liza,” playing a Web site designer dealing with the death of his young wife. The part was written by his brother, Gordy Hoffman. Kathy Bates co-stars; Todd Louiso (who played record store clerk Dick in “High Fidelity”) makes his feature directing debut.

“Love Liza,” rated R for drug use, language and brief nudity, opened Monday at selected theaters.

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ART

The Weisman vision

During his lifetime, Frederick Weisman amassed a private collection of contemporary art that was one of the nation’s largest. He was known to favor thought-provoking, boisterous, humorous artworks that he chose intuitively. “Pop and More From the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Collection,” opening Mondayat the Luckman Gallery at Cal State L.A., reflects Weisman’s interest in Pop Art, California art and SuperRealism in a selection of works by Andy Warhol, Richard Artschwager, James Rosenquist, Tom Wesselmann and Keith Haring, among others.

“Pop and More From the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Collection,” Luckman Gallery, Cal State L.A., 5151 State University Drive, L.A. Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays, noon-5 p.m.; ends March 1. Free. (323) 343-6610.

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MUSIC

A ‘living national treasure’

Percussionist Katada Kisaku, one of Japan’s official “living national treasures,” will play a variety of instruments in this traditional Kabuki music and dance performance. The program honors Kisaku for his 20-year contribution to the Los Angeles arts community, including helping to establish Katada-Kai of USA, a group devoted to the percussion music of Kabuki theater, here in 1982. Artists from Japan and America also will participate.

Katada Kisaku, New Year Kabuki Music and Dance, Aratani Japan America Theatre, 244 S. Pedro St., L.A. Sunday, 3 p.m. $22 to $25. (213) 680-3700.

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MUSIC

A new year of new music

The California EAR Unit, which celebrated its 20th anniversary as a leading new-music chamber ensemble last year, turns to the works of five varied composers for its first concert of the new year at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. On tap are pieces by Charles Wuorinen, Sean Heim, John Luther Adams and Roger Zahab and a new work from Icelandic composer Atli Heimir Sveinsson.

California EAR Unit, Leo S. Bing Theater, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Wednesday, 8 p.m. $12 to $17. (323) 857-6010.

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EVENTS

Get your motor runnin’

The Greater Los Angeles Auto Show is the first international auto show of the year and will feature new models from major manufacturers around the world, including more than 20 world and North American debuts. Add some sneak previews and concept cars, and you have more than 1,000 cars, trucks, SUVs and other vehicles in one place: the L.A. Convention Center. Also included: an enormous aftermarket accessories display and a special exhibit, “The Aston Martin Cars of James Bond.”

The Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., L.A. Saturdays, 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays- Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Ends Jan. 12. $5-$10, 12 and younger free. Parking is $7-$20. (213) 741-1151.

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POP MUSIC

Tha Liks let the good times roll

As if Tha Liks needed any excuses to party, 2003 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Los Angeles rap outfit, which made its debut on a 1993 album by its mentor, King Tee. They were known then as Tha Alkaholiks, but with their shorter and less problematic name they’ve continued to reign as the city’s premier good-times crew, hitting a new high on their latest album, “X.O. Experience,” which features production by the Neptunes, among others.

Tha Liks, El Rey Theatre, 5515 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., Saturday, 8 p.m. $20. (323) 936-4790.

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THEATER

Treading carefully among topics

Never mind those dings and dents. TheatreMachine’s “The Parking Lot Plays” by Cybele May -- “A Grave Mistake,” “Demise,” “Digital Revolution,” “Family Affair,” “Fur May” and “Tough Love” -- explore taboos and controversies ranging from incest to cloning.

“The Parking Lot Plays,” Theatre/Theater, 6425 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Opens Saturday. Runs Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; ends Feb. 9. $15. (323) 871-9433.

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MOVIES

LaPaglia goes native, so to speak

Whether it’s in a film, a Broadway play or his CBS television series “Without a Trace,” you can take an Anthony LaPaglia performance to the bank. And in the case of his latest film, “The Bank” also happens to be the title. LaPaglia, in contrast to the New Yorkers and Italian Americans he has frequently been cast as -- most recently in “Analyze That” and “The Guys” -- returns to his native Australian accent, playing a ruthless chief executive in this drama from Down Under about a mathematician who develops a system for predicting stock market crashes. David Wenham co-stars.

“The Bank,” unrated, opens Friday, exclusively at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica, Blvd., West L.A. (310) 478-6379.