Biggest Mouth @ Metro

The winners of Columbia College's Biggest Mouth perform at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., tonight. Catch Pearls and Bones, Roots Rockers, Overnight Fire, Lili K., Velvette, Harmonious Dynasty, Beasty Eyes, Hatie Parmeter, They Face Reaction, Aby and Tessa Gutierrez, Carbon Tigers, Jennifer Oakley and Katz Company up on the big stage. Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm. Free, 18+.

The Smiling Lieutenant @ Portage Theater

The Northwest Chicago Film Society presents the 1931 film The Smiling Lieutenant at the Portage Theater, 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., tonight at 7:30pm. Admission is $5.

You Can Make Him Like You Release Party @ Beauty Bar

Tonight! Release party for Ben Tanzer's new book You Can Make Him Like You
. Nik Korpon of The Nervous Breakdown says "You Can Make Him Like You is, I think, the book High Fidelity could've been, wanted to be." The evening also features readings by Lindsay Hunter, Gina Frangello, Jason Fisk and Tim Jones-Yelvington. Brought to you by local publisher Curbside Splendor. Beauty Bar, 1444 W. Chicago Ave., 7pm-10pm.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Lincoln Hall

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have followed up on their excellent indie pop debut with Belong, another collection of songs that may make you pine for the Pastels or Velocity Girl. At their past Chicago shows, they've sounded much more raw (in a good way) than their records might suggest. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart headline Lincoln Hall. Twin Shadow and Weakness open at 7pm. The show's all ages and $15. Lincoln Hall's at 2424 N Lincoln.

CIF: Babymakers; Delicious Moments @ The Second City ETC

Chicago's own Babymakers and L.A. based Delicious Moments perform at The Second City ETC (1616 N. Wells, 2nd Fl.) as part of this year's Chicago Improv Festival. Show starts at 8pm, tickets are $15 and can be purchased online, at the box office, or by calling (312) 337-3992. For more information visit Chicago Improv Festival.

CIF: Moral Fixation; One World on One Stage @ ComedySportz

Moral Fixation and One World On One Stage perform at ComedySportz (929 W. Belmont) as part of this year's Chicago Improv Festival. Show starts at 8pm, tickets are $10 and can be purchased online, at the ComedySportz box office, or by calling (773) 549-8080 For more information visit Chicago Improv Festival.

Great Books Chicago 2011

From the Great Books Chicago site:

April 28-May 1, 2011: a weekend of Great Books discussions and cultural events!

For more information, call 800-222-5870, ext. 7136

Join GB'er Ben Schulman kick things off as he joins a panel with Carl Smith, author of 'The Plan of Chicago', Charles Daas of UIC/City Solutions, and Alan Mammoser, with Form-Based Codes Institute/author of 'Beyond Burnham' to discuss the origins and growth of cities. Register now!

"Important American Paintings" @ JW Marriott

"Important American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture," an exhibition from Christie's New York featuring works by John Singer Sargent, Frank Weston Benson, Maxfield Parrish, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran and more will be on display at the JW Marriott Chicago, 151 W. Adams St., from 10am to 5pm yesterday and today, April 26 & 27. Free.

How We Got On by Idris Goodwin @ New Leaf Theatre

This is part of the Treehouse Readings Series at New Leaf Theatre. The revamped series, which kicked off last fall, is dedicated to providing an incubator for new play development, specifically for plays that have received an initial reading and are in the more advanced stages of polishing before their premieres. Tonight at 7pm they will be reading How We Got On by Idris Goodwin, a classic American coming-of-age tale with a unique hip-hop treatment: domestic suburban life remixed. The Selector, our DJ/Narrator, samples and loops us through the lives of three Midwestern teen rappers who have yet to discover the power of harmony over discord. This reading will take place at New Leaf Theatre's home at the Lincoln Park Cultural Center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West. Free, For more information, visit newleaftheatre.org.

Joe Bonomo & Jim DeRogatis @ Ferguson Hall

Bonomo (author of Highway to Hell (33 1/3 Series) and Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band) and DeRogatis (of "Sound Opinions" and Vocalo.org) will talk about rock 'n' roll writing tonight at Ferguson Hall (600 S. Michigan Ave), Room 101, at 6:30pm.

Danny Boyle's Frankenstein @ Music Box Theatre

The Music Box Theatre presents Academy-Award winning director Danny Boyle's production of Frankenstein. For the first time ever, National Theatre Live will broadcast two separate performances of a production. Throughout the run of Frankenstein at the National Theatre, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller are alternating the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. Audiences in cinemas will have the chance to see both combinations, with two broadcasts a week apart. Purchase advance tickets here. Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave, (773) 871-6607.