Movies - Dec. 3, 2000

For “Proof of Life,” above, Meg Ryan turns to kidnap-and-ransom expert Russell Crowe to rescue her American engineer husband (David Morse) from kidnappers in a Latin American country. Directed by Taylor Hackford. Opens wide Friday.

Also: Chris O’Donnell strives to reach the “Vertical Limit” as a climber who races against time to rescue his sister (Robin Tunney) from K2, the world’s second-highest peak. Martin Campbell directed. Opens wide Friday.

Theater

With “X-Files” star Gillian Anderson as honorary chairwoman, Drew Carey, Kathy Kinney, Teri Garr, Kathy Najimy and other celebrities are slated to appear in “A Cracked Christmas,” a hilarious look at dysfunctional holiday customs. Proceeds from the show, presented by Comic Relief, will benefit the non-profit Trevor Project. Today at the Wilshire-Ebell Theatre in L.A.

Art

“Making a Renaissance Painting,” opening Tuesday at the Getty Center, explores the methods and materials used by prominent Dutch artist Joachim Beucklaer for his “Miraculous Draught of Fishes,” painted in 1563. The exhibition will illustrate how Renaissance artists created panel paintings according to their specialized training and local traditions.

Music

Jeffrey Kahane conducts two performances of Bach’s Mass in B minor by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the L. A. Master Chorale, Friday in Royce Hall at UCLA and Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Vocal soloists are Janice Chandler, Susan Platts, Alan Bennett and Jaco Venter. Kahane has been associated for a number of summers with Helmuth Rilling and the Oregon Bach Festival.

Pop Music

Tina Turner, below, has been on Southern California stages a few times already this year, but with Wednesday’s show at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim marking her formal farewell to concert life, it’s a good time to raise a toast and give thanks to the woman who more than three decades ago set the standard for dynamic, sexually charged performance and independent spirit.

Dance

If an all-American company habitually uses such arcane titles as “Tsu-Ku-Tsu” and “Gnomen” for new works, you can bet it’s the ever unconventional and mysterious Pilobolus Dance Theatre, above, or one of its offshoots. On Wednesday and Thursday, the company performs these pieces, along with “Aeros” and “Femme Noire” at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Orange County. Bring your thesaurus.

Jazz

Until she departed for New York several years ago, Kate McGarry was one of the most promising jazz singers in the L.A. scene. The constantly improvising vocalist returns this week, singing at the Westin LAX on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Video

Despite generally negative reviews, audiences loved the gross-out humor of “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.” The sequel to the 1996 Eddie Murphy comedy finds the actor deftly playing the members of the Klump family and the outrageous Buddy Love. Janet Jackson and Larry Miller co-star. The comedy arrives Tuesday on DVD and video.