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Anything's possible on the Forbidden Planet. Urban Guide Listings to plan your week by Forbidden Planet "By the final decade of the 21st century, men and women in rocketships landed on the moon," announces the grandiloquent narrator. But despite such occasional lapses into guffaw-inducing campiness, this is still one of the most involving, intelligent, and influential of sci-fi films, and also one of the most gorgeous widescreen Cinemascope movies of the 1950s. Leslie Nielsen stars as straight-arrow Commander J. J. Adams, the epitome of uptight deadpan squareness (a role that Nielsen's been parodying ever since). Nielsen's ship, the United Planets Cruiser C57D, lands on the mysterious planet Altair-4, and he and his crew encounter the shady Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his gorgeous daughter Altaira (Anne Francis), and their faithful robot sidekick Robby. The story is a surprisingly sophisticated reworking of Shakespeare's Tempest overlaid with pop Freudianism, and the internal struggles of the characters are brought to life by the imaginative special effects of Disney animator Joshua Meador. Also features an extraordinary soundtrack composed entirely of strange "electronic tonalities," made by synthesizers and a theremins and what sounds like a percolator. Sat/9, Sat/16, 4 & 7:30pm. Chabot Space and Science Center, Tien Megadome, 10000 Skyline, Oakl. www.chabotspaceandscience.com. (CB) San Quinn, local inspiration. Rock Tha Boat House While Oakland has produced some of the toughest and greatest rappers in hip hop, one must wonder where the parties are at? This week there will be a thugged out party in stride that will surely turn heads. The Rock Tha Boat House party will be at Oakland's jewel, Lake Merritt. The party will be held together with none other than the SBC crew of KMEL. However, the feature performances will be Bay Area favorites Richie Rich and San Quinn. Double R (Richie Rich) can normally be found riding his Harley Davidson through the streets of East Oakland, where he birthed famous tracks like "Do G's Go to Heaven?" As for San Quinn, he comes out of San Francisco's Fillmore District, where he respectively has been bringing hard lyrics to the table, making him a seasoned veteran. Don't count Oakland out -- they still bring the hip hop -- this weekend Quinn and RR will provide. Now that you're informed of the week's entertainment, go read some Shakespeare. Fri/8, 9pm. Lake Merritt Boathouse, 568 Bellevue, Oakl. 888.421.3591. (GS) Two worlds collide. Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Often what is found to be dead has a great deal of life to it, which is why the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of the old world feels new. This ensemble manages to keep their music alive and thriving as they take Baroque traditions and influence them with eras, such as the Classical and Romantic. For two evenings only, the East Bay will be blessed with the modern day premiere of !Viva La Zarzuela! The diversity of rhythms found in Zarzuela come from 1650s Spain. These emotional sounds are found to be vastly different from German, French, and Italian music. Fortunately the evening conductor, Eduardo Lopez Banzo, is a master at rediscovering these early Spanish works. He will be accompanied by sopranos, Marta Almajano, Lola Casriego, and Mimi Ruiz. The night should not be missed as the composition moves between two worlds, finding itself in the best of both. Sat/9, 8pm; Sun/10, 7:30pm. First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing, Berk. $34-49. 415.392.4400; www.philharmonia.org. (GS) Salon Salon Have you ever opened the events listings section of the paper and it looked like your overstuffed refrigerator? There is plenty of good food in there, but you just can't see beyond the clutter to decide what to eat. Why not just try a little of everything, which is exactly what you can do on Tuesday at 21 Grand. The Salon Salon Reading and Performance Series offers a chance to sample live poetry, performance art, musical extravaganzas, and more in the hopes that these creative collaborations will open dialogue in our communities as well as between artists and writers working in various media. Local poet and artist Spencer Selby, collective performance troupe The Brown Bunny Ensemble, and Bay Area poetry maven Elizabeth Robinson will perform for this leg of the Salon Salon Reading and Performance Series. It is sure to please any well-trained, but adventurous appetite. Tues/12, 8pm. 21 Grand, 21 Grand, Oakl. Free. 444-7263. (AL) Picks by Chris Baker (CB), Aimee Le Duc (AL), and Gabriel Serpa (GS). [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]