Here comes the weekend ...

... in case you were wondering what to do with yourself, our colleagues at The Guide compile a great roundup of things to do in and around L.A. Check out some of the options for this weekend:

The future of drumming (Saturday): Winning the Guitar Center Drum-Off finals can be a stepping stone to a professional career. A prime example: Thomas Pridgen of prog-metal band Mars Volta, who won the event 16 years ago when he was 9. Here's a YouTube clip of last year's winner, Donnie Marple.

A new crop of six finalists (who have outlasted 5,000 entrants) will compete Saturday at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Price: $15. More information: www.guitarcenter.com

Martin Luther King Jr. tribute (Sunday): Forest Lawn honors the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a musical tribute by the Southeast Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by a 60-voice choir.  Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Liberty Hall, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, L.A. 5 p.m. Free. (800) 204-3131.  www.forestlawn.com.

More events after the jump ...

Peter Bogdanovich speaks (Saturday): Known for his devotion to the art of cinema, his famous friends and his tumultuous personal life, director Peter Bogdanovich ("The Last Picture Show," "Mask") appears at the Hammer Museum to give a talk called "Sacred Monsters." Expect animated stories about Bogdanovich's past and about such characters as Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford and Orson Welles. Hammer Museum, Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. Free. (310) 443-7000.  hammer.ucla.edu.

Photo exhibition (Friday-Sunday): Photo L.A. packs Barker Hangar in Santa Monica with images from 70 of the world's top galleries and private dealers. The three-day show also features lectures by Catherine Opie and Joel-Peter Witkin. On Saturday, Charlotte Cotton, the curator of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's photography department, will speak with Bruce Davidson, Diane Keaton and Marvin Heiferman, who are signing their new books. Santa Monica Airport's Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave. Noon-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; noon-6 p.m. Sunday. $20 for a one-day pass, $30 for a three-day pass. (323) 937-4659. www.artfairsinc.com/photola/2009/.

“Smogtown” stories (Saturday): Challenging Angelenos to "breathe if you dare," Chip Jacobs and William Kelly, authors of "Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles," present a story of the region's unprecedented urban development and its effects. Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 5 p.m. Free. (626) 449-5320;  www.vromansbookstore.com.

--Martin Beck

Photo: 2008 drum-off finalist Ivan Garcia. Credit: Stefano Paltera / For The Times