Got the urge to live life on the edge this weekend? (Or at least live vicariously.) We sure do. Mobsters, gamblers, anti-establishment gatherings and criminally bad karaoke are gonna make the next three days hurt so good.

FRIDAY 8/15 Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles
London gangsters and Capetown gamblers make this event a global tour de vice.

Innovative full-length features, shorts and documentaties from around the world hit the screens at DFFLA. Here are the must-sees.

The End the Film is "The bloody history and confessions of the cockney gangster." For those who think the mafia only lurks in Sicily and suburban New Jersey, this is an eye-opener. First time filmmaker Nicola Collins, with the help of her producer sister, Teena, explores the lives of the infamous East End London mobsters who grew up in poverty and found purpose in true crime. And did we mention one of these dangerous men is her father? 9:30 @ Laemmle Grand.

Confessions of a Gambler, premiering in the Afrique 360 series, follows the downward spiral of a Muslim mother in Capetown, South Africa, who loses her son and finds solace in the casino, spinning out of control into a sea of addiction. 7PM. Picadilly Theater

After Party at the rooftop terrace of the Roosevelt Lofts. 9:30-Midnight. Our LA2DAY photographer will be on-site to snap some party pics, so strike a pose and admire your pretty mug online.

SATURDAY 8/16: BLOW UP LA 2 Year Anniversary Party

Feeling rebellious? Join the cool kids at Lot 613 for the super-charged throw down on Imperial Street. And while we're pretty sure nothing is actually going to explode, the Blow Up LA parties never disappoint. With acts like Pase Rock on the turntables, this shindig is sure to kick major ass.

Pase Rock

SING-ALONG SUNDAY 8/17: Karaoke Round Up
Trade that guilty conscience for some guilty pleasure and redeem yourself with song.

Rosen Music Studio Grab the least self-conscious friends you've got, throw in that random person-you-met at-that-party-and-promised-to-hang-out-with-but-never-did, and head to Koreatown, where strangers become friendly rock stars over bad renditions of Delta Dawn. And don't worry about acting a fool in front of the other patrons, because its all private rooms here at RMS. Closed-set mini-jam sessions with your crew before the work week calls? You know you wanna. 3488 W 8th St., 90005. Noon-4am

Caffe Brass Monkey Where else can you belt out Bohemian Rhapsody in Fiipino in a bar that looks like the galley of a pirate ship? Choose from over 15000 songs in 6 languages in this diviest of K-town dives. We can almost hear Como Una Virgen now. 3440 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90005 213 381 7047. 10am-2am

The Gaslite No one does Sunday morning karaoke like this Santa Monica establishment (in fact we don't think anyone else does it at all). Grab a bloody mary and get on the mic early, we're talking real early. Bar and karaoke stage open at 6 AM, and it's happy hour all day long. 2030 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 310 829 2382 Close a 2 AM

So go on, live dangerously. If we wanted you to play it safe we'd send you to the Grove for a Pixar flick and cheesecake. Or worse, to Hollywood to stand in the world's longest line for the new four-story uberclub, The Kress, where you'll no doubt be pulling your hair out and mourning the loss of your buzz.

Story by Jordan Whitley,