Whether you feel like learning more about scientific discoveries, “The Simpsons” or TLC’s rejection of scrubs, or if you simply feel like watching the premiere of “Red Sparrow” or Cal Performances’ “My Lai,” this week’s picks have you covered.
Monday, Feb. 26 | ‘Popping the Science Bubble’ at Berkeley Public Library
As part of its lecture series aimed at making UC Berkeley’s cutting-edge research accessible to the public, “Popping the Science Bubble” at the Berkeley Public Library will host UC Berkeley chemistry professor Zachary Hallberg and doctoral candidate Pratima Satish in the third floor community meeting room. Hallberg will speak on the development and accessibility of fluorescent biosensors, and Satish will describe the future of chemistry without test tubes with the rise of computer simulations in the field. Come to learn more about innovations happening on campus!
Tuesday, Feb. 27 | Classic ‘Simpsons’ Trivia at Cafe Du Nord
San Francisco’s Cafe Du Nord will host a night of “The Simpsons” trivia from seasons one to 10, the period that spanned 1989 to 1998. If only ‘90s kids remember that decade, prove yourself to be the best of the best with your knowledge of the most iconic and longest-running animated shows on TV. This knowledge may come in handy — the Simpsons have predicted everything from the Fox-Disney merger to a rogue squirrel at the Olympics, according to some fans.
Friday, March 2 | Premiere of ‘Red Sparrow’
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been clamoring for a solo film featuring the ex-KGB superspy Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and it seems that Francis Lawrence’s latest, “Red Sparrow,” will fill that void. In the film, Jennifer Lawrence plays a Russian spy trained to seduce unsuspecting enemies of the state as she gleans secrets from them. As both Lawrences team up for the first time since “The Hunger Games” franchise, we’re looking forward to the same kick-ass action that they brought to their previous collaborations.
Saturday, March 3 | ‘No Scrubs’ ‘90s hip hop and R&B party at Bar Fluxus
Don your ‘90s alternative gear, mom jeans and fanny pack — we’re going back in time. Bar Fluxus, a cocktail bar in San Francisco, will host its “No Scrubs” night Saturday, honoring the hip hop and R&B music of the 1990s. Come for the tunes by TLC and Kid ‘n Play; stay for the free event’s live painter, assortment of board games and free candy.
Sunday, March 4 | Cal Performances’ ‘My Lai’ at Zellerbach Hall
Cal Performances will host Kronos Quartet, tenor Rinde Eckert and Vietnamese multi-instrumentalist Vân-Ánh Võ in a production of “My Lai,” a monodrama for tenor, string quartet and Vietnamese instruments. The work revisits the infamous My Lai Massacre of 1968, in which American soldiers killed hundreds of unarmed villagers during the Vietnam War. Jonathan Berger’s score blends Eckert’s voice, the string quartet, traditional Vietnamese percussion and string instruments, digital sounds of helicopters and voices and samples of popular music from the era. The performance takes place Sunday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall.
