Advance Notice. 826LA's Everything You Know is Pong.

826LA is known for their fantastic charity events. An evening of summer fun is coming up, featuring Spike Jonze, Miranda July, and Ping Pong! What's not to love?

Everything You Know is Pong: Tournament of Champions will take place next Tuesday night at the Echoplex. There are options to join an existing team, create a team, or sign up as an individual player.

The Echoplex is located at 1154 Glendale Boulevard in Echo Park. Spectator tickets $10, donations also welcome. Info: attheecho.com & 826la.org, to register: 826la.org/pingpong

Related post--Check out this beautiful rehearsal video of my all-time favorite singer Ryan Adams (and his wife, the multitalented Mandy Moore), for an 826LA event last fall.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: 826LA

Check It. Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore for 826LA.

Ryan Adams, who's probably my favorite musician, was a last minute addition to the recent 826LA charity event hosted by Judd Apatow and Dave Eggers. Adams and Mandy Moore (his wife) sang one of his best songs, Oh My Sweet Carolina, from his Heartbreaker album.

Here's an iPhone video someone took at rehearsal (and I found on Ryan Adams' facebook page). Enjoy!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Advance Notice. 826LA's Spelling Bee.

Admit it: every June, whenever you're flipping the channels around and see the Scripps Spelling Bee is on (or if you don't even try to pretend and just immediately switch to it), you get excited. You get pulled in. You suddenly get overwhelmed by every single awkward and passionate emotion that you remember feeling as an adolescent child and put all that energy into that one kid with the glasses, nervously asking for any alternate pronunciations. And no matter who wins, you're happy. Everyone loves the spelling bee.

So why not take that love and put some money behind it? And maybe take your own spelling skills to task? The (always cool) education-based non-profit 826LA has got the event for you. In its latest creative fundraiser, A Spelling Bee for Cheaters, you have the chance to show off your spelling moxie...but also save some face if you're not exactly keeping up with word origins and all that. That's because if you and your team raise enough money, you can buy cheats such as "get a dictionary" ($750) or "i before e" (ask a letter hint, $100) to get you through to the next round.

The bee is on August 14, so it's time to start raising your money! Glee's Dianna Argon is already past her goal of $5,000. Oh yeah, there'll be celebrities there too, like Argon and Spike Jonze and John Krasinski. So even if you're spelling-shy, you can still sponsor another participant, or buy general admission tickets to the show (will be available on Aug.6 for $25). Educational, charitable fun? It's spelling 8-2-6-L-A (that's sort of cheating, I know, but that's the spirit of it all, right?).

A Spelling Bee for Cheaters is taking place Aug. 14 at 2pm at Lincoln Middle School at 1501 California Avenue in Santa Monica.

-- Chau Tu

Do It. McSweeney's release party.

The quarterly literary mag, McSweeney's, will be holding a release party tonight that includes free ice cream and live music to kick off it's 34th issue. Ice cream, music, and literature. All in one place.

The event is set to take place at Stories Books & Cafe in Echo Park. Proceeds from purchasing the $20 mag will go straight to the nonprofit writing group for kids 826LA.

Those interested in saving a seat should RSVP before heading out the door. This quarter issue includes stories from T.C. Boyle and Daniel Handler, as well as a nonfiction account about Iraq. Sounds promising.

The party is scheduled to be from 7:30- 10 p.m. tonight.

Stories Books & Cafe is located at 1716 W. Sunset Blvd.

-- Lauren Williams