Thu., Aug. 25 -- Comedy
"I was dating a mime," recalls Amy Schumer. "I didn't even know he was a mime at first. I thought he was just pale and quiet. I'm like, ‘He just likes The Cure, you guys don't get him.' I just couldn't get close to him. It was like there was a wall …" The comic, whose résumé includes a Comedy Central special and a guest-star spot on Curb Your Enthusiasm, makes a special one-night visit to the Pittsburgh Improv tonight. Bill O'Driscoll 8 p.m. 166 E. Bridge St., W. Homestead. $15. 412-462-5233.
Fri., Aug. 26 -- Art
Designer, artist, blogger and general polymath Mundania Horvath opens her first show since 2002 tonight at WildCard. Horvath, who grew up in Pittsburgh and returned here in 2009, draws much of her inspiration from images of industry in the Three Rivers area, incorporating found objects, pop-culture elements and vintage photography into original collages on wood. The gallery will also have Horvath's prints for sale, as well as issues of her new magazine, Steeltown Anthem. Free drinks, refreshments and music by DJ Llamo round out the evening. Brendan Sullivan 6-9 p.m. 4209 Butler St., Lawrenceville. Free. www.wildcardpgh.com
Fri., Aug. 26 -- Art
If you find yourself craving Latino art and flamenco music, Mendelson Gallery is here to sate you. Tonight is the opening of Luis Castellanos Valui, an exhibit of watercolors and oils by the eminent Mexican artist whose expansive canvases are vividly colored, and typically depict people vibrantly making music and romance. Besides a visit from Valui himself, the opening includes free food, flamenco music and dancing. Also this month, Valui will paint a mural on the Uptown building of the Pittsburgh Deaf Club, on Gist Street, close to the studios of his host, artist James Simon. BS 6-10 p.m. 5874 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside. Free. 412-434-5629
Fri., Aug. 26 -- Words
This weekend, Mystery Lovers Bookshop complements its visiting authors with free refreshments. Tonight, suburban Washington, D.C.-based author Ellen Crosby stops in to promote her new one about sleuth Lucie Montgomery, who's in Napa and Sonoma to investigate the death of a Virginia wine-importer. Fete The Sauvignon Secret with a wine-and-cheese book-signing party, featuring vintages selected by Crosby herself. Then, on Sunday, two authors visit the Oakmont literary landmark with their new books: Laura Lippman (The Most Dangerous Thing) and Alafair Burke (Long Gone). This event is a talk and signing … with popsicles. BO Crosby: 7 p.m. (reservations required; over 21). Lippman and Burke: 2 p.m. Sun., Aug. 28. 514 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Both events are free. 412-828-3877
Sat., Aug. 26 -- Film
In 1949, The March of Time newsreel series made a 17-minute film titled "Careers for Girls." Perhaps you can imagine what options it offered young women -- but tonight, you don't have to, as The Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh's esteemed Orgone Archive present "Careers" and six other archival shorts from 1941-1975 in the program It's Women's, Women's, Women's, Women's Work. These 16-mm films range from American suburbia to rural China, from one about a mender of fishing nets to 1955's "Kitchen Ideas" (made for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association) and the 1956 Bugs Bunny cartoon "Broom-Stick Bunny." BO 8 p.m. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. Free with museum admission. 412-237-8300
Sat., Aug. 27 -- Arts Showcase
The Pittsburgh Poet's Café is about more than poetry. This series -- which goes monthly starting tonight at Point Breeze gallery and boutique Montage -- also incorporates visual art, live music and food. The blues, jazz and more are courtesy of groups including Jazz Incorporated and the Legacy Arts Dancers and Drummers. The poetry is from the Langston Hughes Poetry Society and Kuntu Writers Workshop. And the art on exhibit is by the likes of Vanessa German, George Gist, Laverne Kemp, Jorgé Meyers, Amir Rashidd and James "P-Wee" White, among many others. There's also a marketplace for imported and specialty goods, plus refreshments. The event is a "fun-raiser," says co-organizer Rashidd, "not a hell-raiser." BO 6 p.m. 201 W. Braddock Ave., Point Breeze. $5 donation requested. [email protected]
Sat., Aug. 27 -- Words
Christopher Boucher has a new novel, How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, and this summer, to promote it, he's trekking across the country from reading to reading in a restored 1972 Beetle. He rolls into Pittsburgh today, coming to Awesome Books with local author Gary Lutz. The novel is the story of a newspaper reporter in Western Massachusetts, his son and his '71 Beetle. Excerpts from mechanical texts are woven among surreal vignettes, as the book manages to ask some of the big questions about life, family and pistons. BS 7 p.m. 5111 Penn Ave., Garfield. Free. www.vwalive.com
Sat., Aug. 27 -- Stage
The Rex Theater opened in 1905 as a vaudeville venue, and tonight Super Happy Funtime Burlesque returns the place to its roots, and then some. Billed as an "updated variety show … as much Rocky Horror as it is Saturday Night Live, Bob Barker as it is Tom Waits," the group is on its second national tour. The event is hosted by Mr. Happy Pants, and features: dancing girls like Velveeta the Cheetah; acrobats; comedy sketches; and the End of Times Orchestra. BS 9 p.m. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side. $15.50. 412-381-6811 or www.rextheater.com
Sat., Aug. 27 -- Party
Down and Derby is Pittsburgh's monthly roller-disco party, with era-appropriate costuming favored. Tonight's festivities in the back room of Belvedere's honor the King of Pop with a special Moonwalker Edition. Expect glitter gloves, afros and other boys' and girls' fashions raided from videos and album covers. There's even a midnight Moonwalk Contest. Bring skates, or rent them for $3; add drinks, and you've got the over-21 version of what organizer Vince Masi calls an attempt "to re-create our generation's fourth-grade birthday party." BO 9 p.m.-2 a.m. 4016 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $6 with RSVP. www.downandderby.org
Sun., Aug. 28 -- Festival
Last month, a severe-storm warning curtailed festivities at the Natrona Community Festival, postponing an outdoor concert and art-dedication ceremony. Hence today's rain date at the Natrona Community Park and Playground -- basically a reprise of the fest, courtesy of the Natrona Comes Together Association. The schedule includes kids' games and crafts, bingo, and food from haluski to barbecue. Then there's that rescheduled dedication of a public-art installation of 10 mosaic columns honoring the town's river-valley heritage, from prehistory to industrial times. And local reggae favorites Ras Prophet close things out with a concert from 4-6 p.m. BO 2-6 p.m. 10 River Ave., Natrona. Free. 724-226-9353
Thu., Sept. 1 -- Comics
Today, The ToonSeum hosts the grand opening of its newest exhibit of comic art: Lemuri, A Hero Beyond Boundaries, highlighting work by Giulio De Vita. The story of Lemuri is told through a combination of words, drawings and music that stretch the boundaries of comics. De Vita, who lives in a small town in north-eastern Italy, is considered one of the greatest modern Italian comic book artists and a master of the magical and fantastic. Lemuri co-creator Vittorio Centrone is tonight's special guest. BS 7 - 9 p.m. 945 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $4 suggested (children under 12 free)
