Luck be a ladybug

The Ladybug Transistor has a way of sneaking into town without the fanfare normally afforded brilliant indie-pop bands. A glorious jumble of guitars, tambourines, flutes, organs, drums, and sunny '60s melodies, the chamber-pop outfit from Brooklyn last came here in 2003, just after its sublime self-titled album had been released. As nice as it was to see the band perform at the Museum of Fine Arts, it was an odd bill that featured a children's Dixieland jazz band opening. So once the families cleared out, it was literally 20 scenesters sprinkled throughout the auditorium all trying to look indier-than-thou and picking at their Converse. Ladybug deserves more, and we're happy to tell you that tonight the band is at P.A.'s Lounge in Somerville. It's with the Lucksmiths; Pipas start at 9:30. Tickets: $5-$7. 345 Somerville Ave., Somerville, 617-776-1557.

CAN'T TOUCH THIS Just when we thought it was finally OK to part with our Members Only jacket collection -- does one really need versions in maroon, gray, black, and blue leather? -- tonight's Pretty in Prom has changed our mind. What else can we wear to an event that salutes all things '80s, when Molly Ringwald wasn't a failed sitcom star and Christina Applegate was more popular than her then-boyfriend, Brad Pitt? From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center, it's your big chance to dust off the stonewashed jeans and haul out the crimping iron stowed under your bed since '92, when you thought you could still rock the crimped bangs. (Note: You couldn't.) With a cash bar and DJ Steve Greco and local '80s revivalists Square Pegs, tonight's 21-plus event is a benefit for Planned Parenthood. The musical selections read like Go!'s typical Sunday-morning brunch soundtrack: Cyndi Lauper, MC Hammer, David Bowie, and more. To really win us over, though, somebody better be busting out LaToya Jackson's ''Heart Don't Lie." And judging from photos of last year's prom, this is not a spectator event. So remember: members only. Tickets: $25 per person or $45 for two. 85 West Newton St., 617-927-0061.

SIGHTS
''THE LARAMIE PROJECT" Playwright Moises Kaufman's account of the 1998 hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard and how it affected a small Wyoming community (with Emma Greer, left) continues to galvanize college theater companies. It's at Boston University Theatre's main stage this weekend, with performances tonight at 8 and tomorrow at 2. Tickets: $10. 264 Huntington Ave., 617-933-8600.

SAY CHEESE Now in its 13th year, Boston University's Photographic Resource Center's annual Mother's Day Portrait Extravaganza attracts the kind of crowd you might expect. Over to your right we have that adorable couple bouncing a giggling newborn on their knees. Then there's that family of five with Fido perched in the middle. Oh, and if you look to your left you'll see the woman with her collection of . . . Pee-wee Herman dolls? ''For the past four years, we've had this woman who comes with her Pee-wee Herman dolls and sets them all up beside her," says Terrence Morash, the PRC's executive director. Believe it. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and tomorrow, come to any of six locations across the Boston area to get your portrait snapped by local fine-arts and commercial photographers. Boston locations include the PRC, E.P. Levine, and Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Also participating are Zeff Photo Supply (Belmont), Royal Sonesta Hotel (Cambridge), and Filene's in the Mall at Chestnut Hill. The prices -- $95 for a 20-minute session for three people or fewer and $145 for a 40-minute session with four people or more -- are not so steep when you consider that these are esteemed professionals who would usually charge much more than that. They're feeling generous today, so take advantage of it. Besides, the proceeds benefit PRC. You should call and make a reservation. Various locations, 617-975-0600. www.bu.edu/prc

BITES
TASTY TREATS Time is running out to enjoy dessert while helping to raise money for breast cancer research. More than 100 restaurants, cafes, and bakeries are participating by offering special desserts and donating proceeds to the Eva Brownman Cancer Fund to aid research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The special desserts will be offered through tomorrow. This year, the fund-raiser is in memory of Mary Klein, mother of Pigalle pastry chef Stacy Klein.

Participating restaurants include Radius, Locke-Ober, and Julien downtown; Bonfire, Aquitaine, Union Bar & Grille, and Icarus, all in the South End; Bonfire and Via Matta in Park Square; the Elephant Walk in Boston and Cambridge; Coriander in Sharon; Il Capriccio in Waltham; La Morra in Brookline; Sage in the North End; and Tryst in Arlington. For a complete listing, go to www.bostonbakesforbreastcancer.org.

ALISON ARNETT

Events can always be canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call to confirm. Go! can be reached at go@globe.com or by calling 617-929-8257.