Best Bets / JUNE 6-12,1999

Movies

Watch out, because the sexiest spy since Mata Hari is back, with Mike Myers groovier than ever, baby, in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” The mockumentary-style adventure-comedy sequel, co-starring Heather Graham, opens in general release Friday.

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The Europeon version of Carol Reed’s 1949 classic “The Third Man,” which opens Friday at the NuArt, offers 11 minutes more than the original stateside cut. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Trevor Howard star, and Graham Greene wrote the script.

Music

Closing their respective winter seasons, the Pasadena Symphony, under Jorge Mester, and the Long Beach Symphony, led by JoAnn Falletta, perform Saturday night. Pasadena has violinist Olivier Charlier playing Mozart’s Fifth Concerto; Long Beach has Miranda Cuckson in the Violin Concerto by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and, to close, Falletta leading Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony.

Art

During the 19th century, a large group of itinerant rural artists migrated to Calcutta and produced a new style of painting which modernized Indian art. More than 100 works from this period will be included in “Images From a Changing World: Kalighat Paintings from Calcutta,” opening Thursday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Theater

South Coast Repertory’s “Pacific Playwright’s Festival,” opening Thursday, includes John Glore’s “On the Jump,” staged readings and workshop productions by Rogelio Martinez, Jose Rivera, Jonathan Ceniceroz, Eduardo Andino, Richard Greenburg, Marlane Meyer, Donald Margulies and Tom Donaghy.

Pop Music

For a panoramic view of today’s mainstream pop music, you can’t do better than KIIS-FM’s “Wango Tango” concert on Saturday at Dodger Stadium, where the Latin boom (Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias), friendly rap (Will Smith), the teen wing (Britney Spears, 98 Degrees), nostalgia (Blondie) and some other twists will all be on display.

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Not relying on his own drawing power as the leading man of contemporary R&B;, R. Kelly has assembled a stellar lineup for his U.S. tour. Joining the Chicago-based performer tonight at the Arrowhead Pond are a triad of rappers--Nas, Busta Rhymes and Foxy Brown--and two hitmaking singers--Deborah Cox and Kelly Price.

Jazz

The harmonically sophisticated and swinging style of Jim Hall has long been an inspiration for many diverse guitarists. At the Jazz Bakery for four nights starting Thursday, Hall and bassist Scott Colley will perform duets, preceded by a showing of the Hall documentary “Life in Progress.”

Video

Director Bill Condon won an Oscar for his screenplay of “Gods and Monsters,” a delicate, compelling drama about the last months in the life of gay film director James Whale. Ian McKellen is a revelation as Whale; Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave also star in the indie hit, which arrives Tuesday on video.