Piranha-Man vs. Wolf-Man @ Facets

Facets Cinematheque presents the world premiere of the 2010 movie Piranha-Man vs. Wolf-Man: Howl of the Piranha. Need convincing? Have a look at the trailer on YouTube. The film screens tonight at midnight. Tickets are $5. Facets: 1517 W. Fullerton. (773) 281-4114.

WHPK presents Summer Breeze Festival @ U of C

University of Chicago's WHPK (88.5 FM) presents its annual Summer Breeze festival this afternoon from 12pm - 5pm with six bands (The Electric Bunnies, James Ferraro, Pants Yell!, The Dreams, Eric and the Happy Thoughts, and Tee Pee) playing on the U of C quads near the corner of 58th Street and S. University Avenue. Admission is FREE and open to the public. More information available at Transmission.

SELF Magazine Workout in the Park

Love taking yoga, pilates and dance classes, but don't like being cooped up indoors and surrounded by all of those mirrors? Sick of the same old exercise routine and want to shake things up with a little Masala Bhangra? Well, get out of the gym and start your weekend off right with a four-hour power workout in Grant Park. Access Hollywood and NBC News correspondent, filmmaker and actress, Maria Menounos, will be appearing exclusively at the Chicago event. 11am - 3pm. Rain or shine. Butler Field, Grant Park. 350 East Monroe Street. A free one-year subscription to SELF magazine is included with the purchase of a $20 ticket.

Taste of the Neighborhoods Tour

The City hosts a tour today of the eats representing selected neighborhoods around Chicago--Greek on Halsted, Italian on Taylor, South side BBQ, Middle Eastern in Albany Park--and you can join them! The Taste of the Neighborhoods tour series meets monthly; destinations are announced a few weeks before the tour, so contact the City to find out what's on the menu for today.

Sappho's Salon @ Women & Children First

Women and Children First hosts Sappho's Salon: A Provocative Night of Lesbian Diversions this evening at 7:30pm, featuring comedy from Sapna Kumar and M. Shelly Conner, and music by DJ SpinNikki. Admission is $7-10 (sliding scale) and includes food & wine. Women & Children First: 5233 N. Clark. (773) 769-9299.

Scott Free's 10th Annual Alt-Q Festival

The Old Town School of Folk Music presents a 10th anniversary "best of" show of Scott Free's Alt-Q series of performances from the GLBT community. Among the acts featured tonight will be: Coyote Grace; Wishing Chair; Heat Birds; Namoli Brennet; Actor Slash Model; and more. Tickets are $20 ($18 to OTS members, $16 to seniors/kids) and can be purchased from the Old Town School box office. Old Town School: 4544 N. Lincoln. (773) 728-6000.

Two-Hour Comedy Hour @ Gallery Cabaret

This week's Two-Hour Comedy Hour features consummate host Cameron Esposito wrangling this motley crew: Mike Lebovitz, Dean Carlson, Trey Mowder, Paul Sigwerth, Aparna Nancherla, Chris Condren and Matt Jones. This free show features a fresh mix of comedians each week. There's no cover for the 21+ show -though a $5 donation is accepted - and it runs from 7-9 pm at Gallery Cabaret, 2020 N. Oakley (near Western and Milwaukee, just off the Blue Line stop). Guests are encouraged to arrive early.

Children's author and environmentalist Alexandra Gnoske @ Drew's Eatery

Local author, illustrator, and self-described "eco-chick" Alexandra Gnoske celebrates the release of her children's book Loui Saves the Earth, about a little boy in Chicago and his dog, who try to clean up the planet one discarded bottle or plastic bag at a time. Founder of organic-cotton clothing company Recycle Me, Gnoske plans to give free signed copies to the first 15 people and distribute free passes to the Chicago Green Festival. Readings at 3:30 and 4:30pm; Drew's Eatery, 2207 W. Montrose Ave.

Kurosawa Double Feature @ Film Center

The Gene Siskel Film Center is running an Akira Kurosawa series through June, and this afternoon you can see two of his films: Rashomon (1950) at 3pm and Ikiru (1952) at 4:45pm. You can purchase tickets to each film individually, or purchase a discount ticket for both films. See the Film Center Website for full details and a schedule of the series. Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.

World Kitchen Learning Series: Pasta Extravaganza

Get your Italian on at this class, which is part of the World Kitchen learning series offered by the City of Chicago. Class runs 11am-2pm at Gallery 37 for the Arts, 55 East Randolph. Pre-registration required; admission is $30.

U.S. Labor in the Crisis: Resistance or Retreat?

The Open University of the Left is hosting a talk by veteran labor journalist Lee Sustar on how unionized and non-unionized workers are resisting in the current crisis. Sustar is the labor editor for Socialist Worker and writes extensively about the labor movement. The talk is on Saturday, May 15, at 2:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Library, at 1150 W Fullerton.

artEdge Benefit @ Venue One

Camp Freddy will perform to benefit the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 East Chicago Avenue). Camp Freddy is a supergroup with rotating members, including Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction) and Matt Sorum (Guns 'n' Roses). The theme and suggested attire is "rocker-chic." Cocktails and contemporary adaptations of comfort food will be served. After dinner, a sexy rocker club atmosphere, complete with skulls and leopard print, will set the scene for Camp Freddy's performance. Individual tickets for the benefit start at $500 and table packages start at $10,000. Tickets for the after party can be purchased separately for $200.

Chicago Outfit vs. North Star

Got the mid-May no-derby blues? I've got the cure for you, my friend: The next bout for the Chicago Outfit is tonight, vs. the North Star Roller Girls (Minneapolis, MN) at the Windy City Fieldhouse (2367 West Logan Blvd). The bout starts at 7pm, and tickets are $15 presale and $20 at the door.

1700% Project @ Sullivan Galleries

Poetry is like love, hard to define, often badly imitated, but you know the real thing when you find it by how hard it is to forget and how uncomfortable it makes you. That's how I felt hearing about the 1700% Project on NPR the other day. The title refers to the rise in hate crimes against Arabs, Muslims (and those perceived as such) since September 11, 2001. The poem is a Cento, which is 100 lines of found writings, comprised of some of the individual news stories that fill out that percentage. It's an ingenious technique that's all the more arresting for its simplicity and straightforwardness. The brainchild of "artist/writer/agitator" Anida Yoeu Ali, "1700% Project: Otherance" was "conceived as a collaborative project utilizing art not just as a means to address critical issues but also as strategic intervention." Check out the last two performances, which include the poem, video, dance, audio recording and performance-installation, at Sullivan Galleries, 33 S. State Street, 7th Floor, (312) 629-6635, Saturday, May 15 at 12:30pm and Friday, May 21 at 4:30pm.

Update, 05/13/2010: Ali's project was vandalized some time between May 6 and May 11.