Best Bets / JANUARY 30-FEBRUARY 5, 2000

MOVIES

Drug agent Liam Neeson, right, confronts mobster Oliver Platt, left, in the dark romantic comedy “Gun Shy,” directed by Eric Blakeney. Also starring Sandra Bullock. Opens wide Friday.

POP MUSIC

In the era of Latin-pop crossover, Mexican superstar Luis Miguel has declined to join the Enriques and Rickys and Marcs in recording an English-language album. But Miguel’s latest collection, “Amarte Es Un Placer,” has taken up residency in the Latin Top 10, and the suave crooner will be headlining five nights, starting Thursday, at the Universal Amphitheatre.

DANCE

Moses Pendleton’s whimsical, gymnastic Momix celebrates its 20th anniversary with multiple Southland activities, including bringing its compilation program “Momix in Orbit” to Pepperdine University in Malibu on Thursday, the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Friday and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa next Sunday. On Saturday, the Alex hosts the West Coast premiere of Momix’s “Passion.”

ART

Illustrated books, leaves and cuttings from the 12th to the 15th centuries compose “The Psalms and Their Illustration,” opening Tuesday at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Drawn from the Getty’s permanent collection, the exhibition will focus on how the psalms influenced medieval thought and inspired artistic practices.

MUSIC

Brilliant and controversial Ivo Pogorelich, a charismatic pianist who visited regularly here from the early 1980s but who has been absent from our local stages for several seasons, finally returns this week. He appears Tuesday night in Civic Theatre, San Diego, then plays at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday night; his recital is a Chopin-Rachmaninoff program.

THEATER

“That’ll Be the Day”--Wednesday, that is--when the national tour of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” opens at the Pantages Theatre. The rousing musical about the brief but spectacular career of the legendary rock ‘n’ roller includes live renditions of “Peggy Sue,” “Maybe Baby,” “La Bamba,” “Chantilly Lace” and other hits by Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.

JAZZ

Nnenna Freelon is one of the top jazz singers around today, a vocalist who continually searches for new material to interpret. She will be performing with her trio at Pepperdine University on Friday.

VIDEO

“Tarzan,” last summer’s big Disney animated feature, garnered terrific reviews for its dazzling animation and did boffo business at the box office. Based on the classic tale by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the divine “Tarzan” also boasts songs by Phil Collins. The film swings into video stores Tuesday.