Also See L.A.'s hottest arrivals in shopping, nightlife, dining, entertainment, attractions, museums, theater, culture, sports and recreation. MAPS of Los Angeles

Independence Day
HOLLYWOOD BOWL JULY 4TH FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR WITH JOHN FOGERTY July 2-4. An all-American hero headlines the Hollywood Bowl's annual U.S. birthday bash. John Fogerty, the guitar and voice of Creedence Clearwater Revival and a master craftsman of classic rock 'n' roll, is enjoying an enormously successful solo career. Don't miss an electrifying night of "Fogerty and Fireworks" — favorite American orchestral classics and a rollicking set by America's favorite son. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 213.480.3232 Map G13 HollywoodBowl.com

AMERICAFEST July 4. 83rd annual event with fireworks, food, marching band, crafts, carnival rides. Call for hours. $13, additional fee for parking. Rose Bowl Stadium, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, 626.577.3101 Map P18

MARINA DEL REY FIREWORKS July 4. Display over the water. 9 p.m. Free. Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way; Fisherman's Village, 13755 Fiji Way, 310.305.9545 Map O9 INFO.

Queen Mary Celebration July 4. Celebrate independence day in style, come early and spend the day touring, dining and shopping on the Queen Mary. The night's festivities include: Street performers including singers, dancers, mimes, and magicians; Karaoke and DJ Dance Party in the historic Art Deco styled Observation Bar; Nightclub with DJs and Live Performances in the Queen's Salon; Unique Outdoor Nightclub with DJs and Live Performances on the Sun Deck; Radio stations 102.7 KIIS FM & 98.7 FM will be broadcasting live; FIREWORKS--One of the largest shows in California starts promptly at 9:00 p.m. with incredible views from the Sun Deck. Queen Mary, 1126 Queen's Highway, Long Beach, 800.437.2934. INFO.

Pool Party July 4. The Standard Hollywood hosts a pool party complete with ping-pong tournament, DJ Max Vanville, BBQ with organic hot dogs. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The Standard, Hollywood, 8300 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, standardhotels.com; RSVP: hollywoodrsvp@standardhotel.com

MUSIC
Death Cab for Cutie July 5. Alternative-rock group Death Cab for Cutie plays a concert with the 90-year-old Los Angeles Philharmonic to benefit the Los Angeles Philharmonic Musicians Pension Fund; indie-rock sister act Tegan and Sara and The New Pornographers open. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 213.480.3232 Map G13 HollywoodBowl.com

Movies
B-Movies and Bad Science July 5. Join members of the Natural History Museum's history and science departments for a lighthearted exploration of the "science" behind Hollywood's creature features. You'll discover what makes these creatures and plots implausible off screen, and see some of their "real life" counterparts from the Museum's collection. Today we screen "The Beginning of the End" (1957), which finds gargantuan grasshoppers terrorizing the streets, but Entomology Curator Brian Brown is on hand to settle your nerves. 900 Exposition Blvd., downtown, 213.763.DINO Map K15 www.nhm.org

Expo
Anime Expo Through July 5. The nation's largest Anime and Manga party of the year, with concerts, cosplay events, screenings, exhibits, karaoke guests of honor, industry guests and much, much more. Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S Figueroa St., downtown, (213) 741-1151. www.anime-expo.org

Circus
Cirque Berzerk Thurs.-Sun., THROUGH July 5. Having been classified as “French burlesque meets ‘Sweeney Todd’ meets Cirque du Soliel,” Cirque Berzerk features fiery burlesque dancers, jaw-dropping acrobatics, stunning aerialists, punk rock clowns, gothic stilt-walkers, and psychedelic tomfoolery. Come early to dine picnic-style around the tent, and stay late for a nightly party in the Berzerk Lounge with the Cirque Berzerk circus troupe and a live performance by Vaud & the Villains. Tickets $25-$80. Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring Street, downtown. Boy tickets: cirqueberzerk.inticketing.com/events; more info: www.cirqueberzerk.com 

ART
Temptation and Salvation: The Psalms of King David Through Aug. 16. Features splendidly illuminated manuscripts and leaves from the Getty museum's collection that reveal the importance of the Psalms in medieval devotion. he Psalms and their illustrations played a central role in medieval Christianity. Originally composed in Hebrew and incorporated into both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the 150 "songs of praise" include laments as well as prayers of thanks and exaltation. Tues.–Fri., Sun. 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Free, parking $10. 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A., 310.440.7300 Map K7 www.getty.edu

CARVERS AND COLLECTORS Continuing. The Getty Villa in Malibu presents the exhibition Carvers and Collectors: The Lasting Allure of Ancient Gems. It brings together remarkable intaglios and cameos carved by ancient master engravers along with some of the outstanding works by modern carvers that they have inspired. 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu, 310.440.7300 Map K7

EAT | Drink
Summer Saturdays at Casa Ongoing. Casa had teamed up with Grand Performances to for their official afterparty. Expect a late night dinner menu, drink specials and DJ Matty Matt spinning remix school. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Reserve your table in advance at 213.621.2249. 350 S. Grand Ave., downtown. casadowntown.com

locanda Del Lago Happy Hour Find half-price appetizers and pizzas and $3 beers, $4 house wines and $8 martinis. Additionally, Lago's "Recession Relief" dining room offers include "BYOB Mondays" (no corkage),"Wine half-Off Wednesdays" and an ongoing "Stimulus Package" with a three-course dinner ($29) and two-course lunch ($15). Also check out their new artisanal cocktail menu. Happy hour daily 4-7 p.m., all day Tuesdays. 231 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica. 310.451.3525. www.LagoSantaMonica.com

Bottomless BBQ Ongoing. Shin jumps on the favored concept of Koreatown restaurants by offering an all-you-can-eat menu. Feast on Shin's famous ribs, BBQ chicken, spicy pork and more. 1600 Wilcox Ave., Hollywood, 323.464.4100. www.shinbbq.com

EDISON DEPRESSION SOUP KITCHEN COCKTAIL HOUR If the economy is getting you down, head to the Edison for free grilled cheese melts and tomato soup as well as 35 cent depression era cocktails: Your 401K (made with gin) and The Bail Out (made with bourbon). Fridays from 5-7 p.m. 108 W. 2nd St., downtown, 213.613.0000 Map H17

Scotch and song Sundays Find live music from up-and-coming LA singer songwriters, complimentary scotch tastings, discounted featured scotches and specialty scotch-based cocktails. Foundry On Melrose, 7465 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.651.0915. www.thefoundryonmelrose.com

Theater
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Opening July 4. Shakespeare's comedy about the collision of mortals, fairies and enchanted creatures in a magical forest. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.455.3723 Map west of B1 www.theatricum.com

Eternal Equinox Through July 25. A romantic comedy about a very uncommon romantic triangle. On a fall day in 1923, the British painters Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell are just finishing packing up their summer retreat at Charleston when the work is interrupted by the surprise visit of the dashing mountain climber George Mallroy. Since both Duncan and Vanessa have had an affair with George in earlier years, the visit is filled with uneasy questions as the three sort out their art, sex, conquests and loves. Grove Theater Center is located at 1111-b West Olive Ave., Burbank,818.238.9998. www.gtc.org

The Wasps Through July 26. Originally commissioned for the January 2006 reopening of The Getty Villa in Malibu, The Wasps was the first in the excellent Villa Theater Lab Series. In the current adaptation, Meryl Friedman puts the funny back in classic comedy in a way literal stagings never quite seem to: by connecting Aristophanes' comic tradition to ours, her play peels away the cobwebs, bridging two thousand, five hundred years so that we can experience The Wasps as Aristophanes intended, "as one immense joke in action." Tickets $22.50-$27.50. Fri., Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. The Lost Studio Theatre, 130 South La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, 1.800.838.3006. www.thewasps.net

FARRAGUT NORTH Opening June 16. West Coast premiere drama about a young press secretary who falls prey to backroom politics during a presidential campaign. Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order) and Chris Pine (Star Trek) star. Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, 310.208.5454 Map J10

Oleanna Through July 12. David Mamet, the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning writer of Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed-the-Plow, returns to Center Theatre Group with a new production of his gripping drama of a power struggle between a male university professor and one of his female students. Doug Hughes (Tony Award®, Doubt) directs, featuring film and stage stars Bill Pullman (Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping, Broadway’s The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?) and Julia Stiles (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum), who reprises her role, after performing to rave reviews on London’s West End. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N Grand Ave, downtown, 213.628.2772. Map H16

Our Town Through July 11. The Actors' Gang performs Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage classic about small town life. This timeless play is told through the eyes of the Stage Manager, who allows a girl named Emily to relive a day in her life, then stands back and watches. After exploring her town of Grover's Corners for its daily life, love and marriage, and finally life and death, Emily is left to ask, "Doesn't anyone ever realize life while they live it?" The Actors' Gang at the Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.838.4264. www.theactorsgang.com