Our picks of this week's events

ART

Visual madness

It's been asserted that psychologists are often even more messed up in the head than their patients, so we can only imagine what's going on in the mind of state prison forensic psychologist Marilyn Jacovsky. Interestingly, Jacovsky's also a painter, so clues to the inner workings of her psyche might be revealed upon the canvases in her upcoming exhibition, Not All Bars are Sweet. Her images are somewhat disturbing--which is to be expected--but in a stark, subtle way that still allows them to be beautiful. Jacovsky and her haunted thoughts will be at the exhibit's opening at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, at Patrick Moore Gallery, 2400 Kettner Blvd., Suite 103, during the Kettner Nights gallery stroll in Little Italy. 619-756-6483.

Breaking out: Luis de Jesus has worked for other people in art galleries in New York and San Diego for years, but now it's his turn to have other people working for him. The Luis de Jesus Seminal Projects gallery, 2040 India St. in Little Italy, will open with an inaugural group show, This is My Country, from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7. The show explores the issues of identity, gender and sexuality with works by artists Chris Ballantyne, Chris Barnard, Myoshi Barosh, Graham Caldwell, Cathy de la Cruz, Martin Durazo, Jason Sherry and more. If this first show is any indication of future shows, San Diego just got a much needed addition to its contemporary-art scene. 858-205-3739 or info@semincalprojects.com.

THEATER

Past is prologue

Mr. Zero may lead an unremarkable existence on the surface, but let's not forget that he did something even Paul McCartney can't claim. Whereas McCartney once missed a concert due to illness, Zero can boast an immaculate track record, having never called in sick--never--in 25 years as an accountant. His loyalty and a smile might get him a beer somewhere, but they mean squat to his company, which summarily and heartlessly lays him off amid its move toward mechanization. What happens next isn't entirely unheard of in our increasingly disconnected society--and the fact that it took place more than 80 years ago underscores playwright Elmer Rice's cautionary tale about the down side to technological advancement. The Adding Machine opens in previews Tuesday, Sept. 11, and runs through Oct. 7 at La Jolla Playhouse's Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. $28-$60. 858-550-1010.

MUSIC

Rock out

Everybody needs a little doobage every now and then. If tokin' on a reefer isn't your style, why not catch a natural high at the Doobie Brothers show? Yeah, those dudes are older now, but so are you. And if you think you're too hip to be "Doobiein' your funk"--as Parliament once put it--you clearly haven't heard "Jesus is Just Alright" recently enough. Listen to the music at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive. The $65 tickets are a little pricey, but if you've got a watercraft, you can float on the bay and doob out for free. 619-220-8947.

DANCE

Puppet masters

Outside the dance world, choreographers are the unsung heroes. Dance-performance attendees are too busy admiring the definition of dancers' muscles to think about the person behind the scenes. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, the one-night-only Emerge 4 is all about the choreographer. Eight promising choreographers, including Kevin Jenkins, Jennifer Curry, Joei Waldron and Chatherine Corral, will show off their latest experiments at the Lawrence Family Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive in La Jolla. $10-$15. 858-263-1348 or www.lfjcc.org.

As sweet: Forget about that whole "rose by any other name" crap Shakespeare dreamed up. Sometimes it's all about the name--like this weekend, when three of the biggest names in dance take the stage in Mizeranydance, a performance by award-winning dancer and choreographer Michael Mizerany, the prolific John Malashock, local favorite Colette Harding and the up-and-coming Bradley R. Lundberg. See Mizeranydance at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7 and 8, or at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Black Box Theater at the Academy of Performing Arts, 4580 Alvardo Canyon Road. The performance space is small, so get your tickets now. $15. 619-861-5286 or mizerdance@hotmail.com.

ACTIVISM

Another brick

Amid the intensely emotional debate over immigration policy, there's an underground, grassroots movement led by people who are sick of the gridlock and tired of the human-rights abuses, deaths and physical and psychological segregation caused by border fences and low immigration quotas. Activists worldwide have been holding No Borders Camps, gatherings of like-minded people who want to put an end to migration control. The regional No Borders Camp is happening Nov. 5 through 11, and organizers are asking for your help to plan it. Stop by room B103 at City College, 1313 Park Blvd., Downtown, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8. www.noborderscamp.org.

FILM

No business like it

Sometimes bad acting requires good actors. Christopher Guest sat in the director's chair for Waiting for Guffman in 1996 and kicked off a series of mockumentary films--including Best in Show and last year's For Your Consideration--that rely on improv and a core group of utterly unembarassable actors. Guffman is the story of a little community theater troupe in Blaine, Mo., and their hopes of making it to Broadway by telling the city's history in the form of musical theater. Guest is the production's director, Corky St. Clair, and he's joined by talentless hacks portrayed by Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy and Fred Willard. Painfully, painfully funny. Citizen Video is putting it on at the Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St. in South Park, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, so be dramatic, tip a couple back and check out www.whistlestopbar.com. 619-284-6784.

BOOKS

Smarty hot-pants

It sucks when smart women get recognized only for their physical attributes, but you just can't talk about Danica McKellar without mentioning the fact that she's the hottie who played Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. Now that that's out of the way, she's also a math whiz who's just written the book Math Doesn't Suck, an easy read aimed at middle-school-aged girls, their parents and their teachers to help everybody overcome the notion that girls can't enjoy math, excel at it and be cool all at the same time. McKellar will be signing copies at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, at Warwick's Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla. 858-454-0347.