“Daddy, why don’t we eat hollow chocolate Jesuses on Easter?” My kids, when they come to be, will ask me this—and like any good parent should, I will help them learn the true meaning of Easter by visiting with the Easter Bunny. And you people who are already parents can do just this on Sunday afternoon at Lil Devils Boutique, where humans and pets of all ages are welcome to show up and snap a photo with the rabbit. Don’t forget to browse the store—which specializes in cute and edgy clothes for toddlers, as well as other clever novelties like thumb-sized luchador masks—while you wait.

Lil Devils Boutique, 2218 E Fourth St, Long Beach 90814. 562.439.0555. Sun noon-5pm.

Is it summer yet? No? Spring? That’s tomorrow? Hooray! Celebrate the first day of spring on the Big Red Bus with a three-stop tour of local wine bars. There’ll be three two-ounce tastings at each stop (that’s 18 ounces all together, if you’re math-challenged like me—like two-thirds of a bottle!). You may also purchase additional wine and (so long as you’ve brought a glass) drink it onboard, or bring another beverage (and food!) of your liking. Enjoy your first peek at what are certainly going to be some beautiful months here in Southern California.

Departs from Tantalum, 6272 E Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach 90803. 562.852.9888. Sat 12:45pm. $42. Call to RSVP.

The beat goes on at the 20th annual Long Beach Step Show hosted by CSULB National Pan-Hellenic Council. Be part of the largest collegiate-produced step show in the Western US, where teams from all over the country will come together to compete. This community event is more than just top teams synchronizing in scandalous outfits and outrageous moves; it’s also outreach, as alumni will emphasize the importance of a college education and aim to register 1,000 bone-marrow donors by partnering with the Be a Match Foundation.

Walter Pyramid, CSULB, 1250 N Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach 90840. 562.985.4111. Sat 2pm. $22; parking, $7. csulb.edu.

Sometimes it’s all about the simple things, so earn some peace, quiet and placation this weekend with the Los Altos Neighborhood Library’s Family Film Festival. This isn’t an all-day affair but a solo screening of DreamWorks’ computer-animated Monsters vs. Aliens. The plot is self-explanatory: there are monsters . . . versus aliens—and the cast is expectedly large, featuring voice acting by Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Colbert and Will Arnett, whose baritone alone will convince you and the kids to laugh at anything.

Los Altos Neighborhood Library, 5614 E Britton Dr, Long Beach 90815. 562.570.1045. Sat 2pm. lbpl.org.

Empty lots are ugly. The Arts Council for Long Beach’s A Lot series fills this emptiness with art. And this weekend choreographer Heidi Duckler, along with the Collage Dance Theatre, will make a correlation between vacancies and immigration and how the idea of “home” is often in flux. Our own Cambodia Town will provide the open-air backdrop for this cross-disciplinary site performance. The event will include live music and a symposium afterwards to discuss thoughts relating to the artwork itself and issues concerning urban development. JIMMY CABRERA

1546 E Anaheim St, Long Beach 90813. 562.570.1930. Fri-Sat 6pm. Free; park at Mark Twain Library. Fri and Sat 6pm. artslb.com.

It’s less than one month until tax day; do you know where your W-2 is? Now, hopefully the answer to that question is yes. But you may need a little help with all that paperwork. Fortunately, the kind folks at the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association have organized a community happy hour on Thursday at H&R Block. Reps from F&M, Ameriprise and H&R will be available to answer any questions you might have, and there’ll also be food, treats, music and door prizes! Don’t procrastinate. It’s inevitable, remember.

H&R Block, 4520 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach 90807. 562.595.0081. Thurs 5:30-7pm. bixbyknollsinfo.com.

129 min. • Dir. Martin Scorsese • Rated R

The story of a barely-articulate lug (played by Robert DeNiro) who’s a brutal genius inside the boxing ring and merely brutal outside it, Scorsese takes a type—the B-boxing picture of the ‘40s and ‘50s—and glosses it with the French New Wave, the realistic violence of the ‘70s and the naturalistic acting of Brando, Clift, et. al. The kinetic boxing scenes are a marvel of editing and camera movement; and in the quieter moments, static scenes are composed—off-hand gestures are highlighted by slow-motion to underscore themes or reveal characters’ inner lives—while at the same time celebrating the possibilities of cinema. This hybrid of the realistic and the artificial results in a strange thing: we care about a character whom in real life we wouldn’t want to share a meal with. Paul Schrader’s script is Calvinistically unflinching, the black-and-white cinematography rich and sharp and the sound design like something from David Lynch. It also stars Joe Pesci as Jake’s put-upon brother and Cathy Moriarity as Jake’s put-upon wife, a platinum blonde with a sharp tongue and the slyest of smiles. (Whatever became of this remarkable actress?)

Screens Sun., Mon. and Wed., March 17 at the Bay Theatre in Seal Beach.

Just when you thought Congressional Rep. Laura Richardson (D-efault) was settling into a long, boring career in Washington, the Los Angeles Times‘ Steve Lopez tells us that it ain’t so. She’s still racking up more bills, just on other people’s money.

This time, as Lopez reports, Richardson managed to get herself and her entire staff an aerial tour of her actual district, using two Los Angeles County Fire Department emergency services helicopters—despite giving the department just six days notice.

(This means, Lopez writes, that members of the congresswoman’s Washington, D.C. staff were flown out to California; then stuffed into two emergency helicopters—because, obviously, they were too numerous to fit into just one helicopter.)

“A number of questions come to mind,” Lopez writes.

“Why would the entire staff need an aerial tour, including employees who do little more than answer phones?

“Couldn’t Richardson, who had already hosted such a tour with congressional reps from other states, spread out a few maps and tell the staff what she had seen from up in the air?

“And was Richardson—who defaulted six times on homes she owns in Southern California and is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee regarding the foreclosure of her Sacramento home—aware that most helicopters can’t accommodate 20 people?

“I’ll get to all of that.”

And he does—all except anything remotely related to Richardson’s time as our Sixth District Councilwoman. You should check it out.

Dreamgirls hits the Orange County Performing Arts Center later this spring, but if you need your girl group fix a little sooner than that, try the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra’s Pops! performance of “The Ladies of Motown” featuring Las Vegas singing group Radiance. Backed by LBSO, the women will pay tribute—which I think is a fancy phrasing for “cover”—the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Marvelettes and more. And since I have always had a soft spot for Whoopi G. in Sister Act, here’s hoping we hear “Heat Wave”!

The Long Beach Arena, 300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach 90802. 562.436.3203 x 1. Sat 8pm. $18. lbso.org.

Founded in 1988, the Long Beach Chorale has been around longer than most of our interns have been walking the Earth, which means it’s probably time for a refresher course in what chorale isn’t: boring. “It’s not soothing background music,” Artistic Director Eliza Rubenstein told the Press-Telegram’s Al Rudis. “I get frustrated with people who make it sound like it’s a comforting Hallmark card. It’s not.” No, really: they perform Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem—about, um, death—next. So live a little and explore something new.

Grace First Presbyterian Church, 3955 Studebaker Rd, Long Beach 90808. 562.427.1931. Sat 7pm; also Sun 4pm. $15-25. longbeachchorale.org.