Wed. May 23

 Did you know Ike Turner was busted for coke - again? Perez Hilton did and was one of the first to post on perezhilton.com, a celebrity sleaze sheet/site so hip and tawdry it was name-checked on "Dirt," the hip and tawdry F/X TV show about a tabloid mag. (Just last night, Perez had the audio from a distress call placed by the wife of the former lead singer for Creed. He had guns, he threw a glass at her, there was a child in the house ... ) If you've ever wanted to check out the raunchy photos of fallen, addled celebs, that's where you go. Perez Hilton - perhaps not his real name - likes diving into the celeb muck and having fun. Does this make him different from "Access Hollywood" or any of the network TV shows? Well, Perez - who we're sure is having a field day with Paris Hilton facing the slammer - is not ready to play nice. He calls himself the "Queen of All Media," which makes us immediately think of the David Bowie song "Queen Bitch." Hilton writes text and scrawls comments over paparazzi photos. Like Lindsay Lohan and her new English boyfriend are: "Coke 'n' Bloke." Nasty, clever, fiendish bugger. Well, Perez is bringing his fabulous self to Boston Wednesday May 23 for a stop at Mansion and Suite - the two new adjoining clubs in Boylston Alley run by the Kane brothers (Ed and Joe) and Patrick Lyons. What will he do? Dish. He'll take a mic and speak to the masses, but also mingle and mix. Not only do they have Hilton in the house, they've got hip UK rapper Lady Sovereign. Things start around 9 and - here's the cool thing - it's free to get in. But what you must do is RSVP to going.com.

One Boylston Place, 617-351-7000 mansionboston.com

ongoing - May 29

We were tipped off to the work of photographer Jonathan Stark, by a pal at the local gym. These things happen. It's not all press agents and club owners. Sometimes ... Anyway, we'd have to agree Stark brings a distinct visual and emotional perspective to his work.  This is how he puts it on his website:
“My work is rooted in the emotional nature of all things and in my visceral response to both animate and inanimate objects. From the moment a scene or subject captures my attention I am involved in an intimate relationship. In composing, focusing, and ultimately exposing the film I am exploring the depths of that relationship. When the subject is in my viewfinder nothing else in the world exists. I am immersed in that person’s face or in that landscapes composition. While landscapes and city scenes do not of course interact with me, they do cry out to me. It asks me to walk a little further or climb a little higher or crawl on my knees to find a view that truly highlights its visual uniqueness. With a person, the most engaging photographs occur when that person feels the intensity of my visual/emotional attraction to them and responds with openness and trust.” 
Stark has an exhibition up at the French Library and Cultural Center called "Reves et Realities." There are photos of the Seinee, beautiful scenes and night, and, yes, some portraits like the one you see here. It's free. The Library is open Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. -9 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Up through Tuesday May 29.

53 Marlborough St., 617-912-0400 frenchlib.org

Sun. May 20

Sound + Vision. It wasn't just a David Bowie album title. It's what surrounds us and, especially, in a darkened theater it's what heightens our reality. Being a music guy, sound has always been important to us from Bernard Herrmann to Ennio Morricone to, Philip Glass to well, Tangerine Dream. We've often thought film-makers underestimated the value of sound, or, worse, attached stupid music to scenes in the hopes that we wouldn't notice the stupidity, so diverted were we my the music. So, now let's take a look at a filmmaker (and a musician before he turned to film) Leighton Pierce, from Iowa. He's said "the soundtrack is the movie, (and) the image is there to give poeple something to look at while they listen." The images he chooses tend to be lush and beautiful and the soundscapes nuanced and evocative. Critic Scott MacDonald calles these "impressionist interpretations of reality" and finds revelations of "transcendental domesticity." Pierce is at Harvard Film Archive Sunday May 20 at 7 for a series of his short film,s "He Likes to Chop Down Trees," "Red Shovel," "Blue Hat," "50 Foot of String" and "Glass." Admission; $8. The program is done in collaboration with the ICA and BU's Summer Term and Department of Film and Television. The ICA will present a program of Pierce's recent work May 23. Visit icaboston.org/programs/films for more info. BU will sponsor a workshop with Pierce May 21 - June 1`. Go to bu.edu/summer/featured_college_programs/film_workshops/.

HFA, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge, 617495-4700 hcl.harvard.edu/hfa

Sun. May 20 & Mon. May 21

Why do we love Boston and its environs? Well, here it is, the dawn of Summer Blockbuster Season with all sorts of Spidery and Shrecky things out there, and we're able to counter that by wondering: Gee, minimalist Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan led a renaissance in Turkish film-making, but has only four feature films to his credit. I wonder if there's any place to see them. It just so happens Harvard Film Archive has 'em all through Monday May 21. "The Small Town" (with the short "Cocoon") wraps it up Monday (9 p.m.).  films deal a lot with obsessions, the solitary life, insecurity - that sort of thing. The New York Times Manohla Dargis compared Ceylan to Antonioni, and writing about "Climates" said that "while (Ceylan's) films are similary personal, they're more accessible ... The mysteries of his work are those of the heart, the head, the soul." Tickets: $8.

24 Quincy St., Cambridge, 617-495-4700 harvard.edu.hfa

Sunday, May 20

 What hath Alice Cooper wrought? Easy answer. Marilyn Manson and GWAR. What hath Marilyn Manson and GWAR wrought? One answer is Candy Spooky Theatre, which hails from that great American rip-off country of Japan. (No knock on Japan; their rip-offs tend to be a scream.) This gig at the Middle East Upstairs Sunday May 20 should be a scream indeed. It's all the trappings of a big bloody arena show, scaled down to club size. Here's what they promise: Jack-o-lanterns, murder, gore, and hellish screams. This is a horror-themed goth band with a demented sense of humor from Tokyo, Japan. Formed in 2003, they quickly became known through out their home country for their stylishly wild on-stage antics, and their overtly original, Halloween-esque, B-Rated horror inspired music. Their unique sound and personality soon garnered them worldwide fame as in early 2007 they signed to the Trisol label in Europe, and announced their first US tour for May of that year. A band that truly needs to be seen to be believed, they never let their fans down with their one-of-a-kind live Show, characteristic tongue-in-cheek humor, and over the top, harrowing, unconventional melodies. Unconventional melodies? Ah yes, the Japanese do have a way with that. Think of the Sadistic Mika Band or the Boredoms or Shonen Knife. This is one for the adventurous rocker, perhaps someone who's about to attend one of those fine Grindhouse shows at the nearby Brattle. Of note: This is an all-ages afternoon show - meaning the gore can't be so horrific. Starts at 1. Tickets: $12.

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 mideastclub.com