Weekend eight great: Larry King, local suds and alien abductions

I’m a writer; the crazy, creative type. So every now and then, to soothe the neuroses that naturally accompanies anyone in the arts, I need a beer (or 11). This week, I’ll have no shortage of options. My picks for your weekend tips: San Diego Beer Week festivities, and Ari Hest at Lestat’s. Hest is a singer/songwriter; less John Mayer, more Eddie Vedder. Check him out on Sunday. And for the rest of your weekend eight greats, forge ahead.

Working with local breweries, bars and restaurants, the San Diego Brewer's Guild will kick off San Diego Beer Week Friday. Events are scheduled around town. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/Aubrey Sun)

San Diego Beer Week: More than 100 events during the span of 10 days pay tribute to local breweries and the homegrown suds you love. Working with local breweries, bars and restaurants, the San Diego Brewer’s Guild will kick off San Diego Beer Week Friday. Events are scheduled around town. For example, head to Little Italy’s Extraordinary Desserts on Friday for a special beer week menu, including luxurious desserts prepared using premium craft stouts and porters. And, don’t miss sixth annual San Diego Brewers Guild Festival at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are 10 days chock full of beer-themed specials, so pace yourself. But start with Chris Nixon’s SDBW coverage, including links to a calendar of events. And, as a shameless ploy to get you clicking around the site, check out our eight great microbrews, too! Bottom’s up!

San Diego Sockers home opener: After a five-year hiatus, the 10-time champion league team, the San Diego Sockers, will celebrate their home opener Saturday at the Del Mar Arena. The Sockers — San Diego’s Professional Arena Soccer League team — will kick off the season against the Mexican All-Stars at the 6 p.m. game.  The Mexican All-Stars have a strong lineup, including Luis Hernandez, Oscar Dautt, and Guadalupe Castaneda. Cheer your home team on, and don’t miss the San Diego team’s first professional game since 2004. The Del Mar Arena is located at 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.

Ari Hest: The tight quarters of Lestat’s West on Adams Avenue lend an intimate setting to thoughtful singer-songwriters. New York’s Ari Hest is looking forward to returning to the Normal Heights haunt on Sunday for his show, with guests Declan O’Rourke and Jordan Reimer. Check out Hest’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” here, and check out SDNN’s Michael Toombs’ interview with Hest here. Tickets to the 9 p.m. all ages show are $8, and Lestat’s West is located at 3343 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights. For more information, call (619) 282-0437.

‘The Fourth Kind’: Movies with faux “lost footage” or fake “never-before-seen footage” tend to attract moviegoers. Following in “Paranormal Activity’s” footsteps, “The Fourth Kind” opens this week, and it claims to be based on actual events. In the film, Milla Jovovich plays Abigail Emily Tyler, an Alaskan psychotherapist investigating the sleep disorders of patients, who report waking in the middle of the night and seeing a white owl staring in at them from their windows. Tyler uncovers a pattern of alien abductions — just as her daughter goes missing overnight. Sure to scare, the film utilizes a split-screen at times to show the “real abduction footage,” too. If you’re looking for a post-Halloween fright, don’t miss “The Fourth Kind.”

In the film "The Fourth Kind," Milla Jovovich plays Abigail Emily Tyler, an Alaskan psychotherapist investigating the sleep disorders of patients, who report waking in the middle of the night and seeing a white owl staring in at them from their windows.

Playathon for Kourtney Najjar: Seven-year-old Kourtney Najjar is waiting a multi-organ transplant that would save her life — and 12-year-old Alana Ethridge is letting Kourtney know she isn’t alone. Ethridge — an “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” alum and San Diego resident — is hosting a Saturday Playathon fundraiser for the National Foundation for Transplant on behalf of Kourtney. Ethridge’s organization, Alana’s Achievers, will organize the event from 3-5 p.m. at the Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Co. on Mission gorge Road in Santee. The goal of a Playathon is for participants to gather pledges or donations to play a variety of Hasbro board games — including Pictionary, Catch Phrase and Twister — for a determined amount of time. Playathons allow kids to raise funds for good causes, while doing what they do best: play. The Playathon is open to kids 10 and older. Oggi’s is located at 9828 Mission Gorge Rd. in the Target shopping center. For more information, call (619) 892-8940.

15th Annual S.D. Jewish Book Fair: The legendary CNN anchor Larry King will make a stop at the 15th Annual S.D. Jewish Book Fair on Sunday. King will appear to promote his new book, “My Remarkable Journey,” a glimpse into King’s professional and personal lives. Former-President Bill Clinton called the book “insightful and engaging, a reflection of (King’s) unique combination of a big heart, a fine mind, and an unquenchable desire to understand everything and everybody.” King will do a book signing after his noon talk. Tickets are $14 for Jewish Community Center members and $17 for non-members.  For the fair’s full schedule, or for more information about King’s Sunday appearance, visit the Jewish Book Fair’s Web site. All events are hosted by the Temple Solel, located at 3575 Manchester Ave. in Cardiff by the Sea.

Save Second Base!: For a $10 donation, you can be a part of the fight against breast cancer — and get a pretty darn good meal, too. The Aero Club, located at 3365 India. St., is sponsoring Save Second Base!, a $10 lasagna dinner from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, to support one woman’s participation in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. All of the proceeds from the dinner and a portion of the proceeds from drink sales will benefit breast cancer research, treatment and education. With a name like Save Second Base!, this event is definitely worthy of your support.

San Diego Velodrome 2009 Fall Swap Meet: Kobey’s Swap Meet in Point Loma may be a bargain hunter’s dream, but the San Diego Velodrome Fall Swap Meet only rolls around once a year, so take advantage. The proceeds from the $3 admission for the Sunday swap meet go to a good cause to boot; they benefit the San Diego Velodrome, a nonprofit org that promotes the sport and recreation of velodrome cycling. I just wrapped up a story on a nonprofit that teams with the Velodrome to teach underprivileged middle school students to cycle; check it out, and learn a little more about the Veldrome. The San Diego Velodrome is located at 2221 Morley Field Dr.

Joseph Peña is the lifestyle editor for San Diego News Network. He can be reached at joseph.pena(at)sdnn.com. Follow him on Twitter: @josephpena.

Tags: Aero Club, Alana Ethridge, Alana's Achievers, Ari Hest Lestats, Ari Hest San Diego, Extraordinary Desserts Little Italy, Guadalupe Castaneda, Kourtney Najir, Larry King My Remarkable Journey, Luis Hernandez, Mexican All Stars, Milla Jovovich, Oscar Dautt, Playathon, San Diego Beer Week, San Diego Brewer's Guild, San Diego Jewish Book Fair, San Diego Sockers, San Diego Velodrom 2009 Fall Swap Meet, Save Second Base breast cancer fundraiser, SDNN, The Fourth Kind, World Beat Center Balboa Park

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 11:37 am and is filed under 8 great, Lifestyle, Nightlife . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.