BEST BETS FRIDAY 9/22

all day Movies

Penelope Cruz cooks up a potent mixture of food, love and music in “Woman on Top,” a romantic comedy from director Fina Torres. She breaks free of her husband in Brazil to pursue a culinary career in San Francisco. Murilo Benicio and Harold Perrineau Jr. also star.

* “Woman on Top,” rated R for some strong sexuality and language, opens Friday in general release.

all day

Movies

Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman face off as a prominent tax attorney and Caribbean police captain, respectively, embroiled in an island murder investigation in the psychological thriller, “Under Suspicion.” The film is an adaptation of the 1981 French film, “Garde a Vue” and was directed by Stephen Hopkins (“Lost in Space”). Thomas Jane and Monica Belucci co-star.

* “Under Suspicion,” rated R for areas of strong violence and sensuality, and for language, opens Friday in general release.

1pm

TV Screenings

From the comedic creepiness of “The Munsters” in the ‘60s to the spine-chilling adventures of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the horror genre has been a part of the TV landscape for five decades. The Museum of Television & Radio examines and celebrates the diversity and vitality of TV horror in a new screening series titled “Monster in the Box: Horror on Television.” The series will be presented in six thematic packages. The first, titled “Director’s Showcase,” begins tonight and runs through Oct. 1. It features the work of such noted filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, John Frankenheimer and Robert Zemeckis. For more on “Monster in the Box,” see story on Page XX.

* “Monster in the Box: Horror On Television,” the Museum of Television & Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills. Thursdays, 7 p.m.; Wednesdays, Fridays-Sundays, 1 p.m. Ends Dec. 10. Free. (310) 786-1000.

8pm

Pop Music

As ornery and unpredictable as you’d expect this heir to be, Hank Williams III could go any which way in his Southern California debut as a headliner, from the honky-tonk-rooted sound of his 1999 debut album to the fierce country-punk he played in a brief set at the summer’s Hootenanny festival in Irvine.

* Hank Williams III, Friday at the Galaxy Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $15. (714) 957-0600. Also Saturday at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. $15. (310) 278-9457.

8pm

Pop Music

The eclectic singer Marisa Monte combines the music of her native Brazil with the influence of New York jazz and experimental musicians such as Arto Lindsay, who has produced her recent records. Fans will get the full Monte on this tour--she’s bringing along her complete stage set and scenery.

* Marisa Monte, Friday at Royce Hall, UCLA. 8 p.m. $20 to $35. (310) 825-2101.

8pm

Theater

It’s a who’s who of comedy masters: Shelley Berman, Harvey Korman, Louis Nye, Tom Poston and Jack Riley are just some of the all-star veteran comedians set to perform in the fund-raising “Yarmy’s Army” as a benefit for Theatre West.

* “Yarmy’s Army,” Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Ends Sat. $35. (323) 851-7977.

8:15pm

Dance

Celebrating its 48th anniversary, the big, beloved, much-imitated Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez visits the Universal Amphitheatre as part of a monthlong, 18-city U.S. tour. As always, the array of regional suites will include such favorites as the spectacular Veracruz carnival and the elegant Jalisco ensemble dances. But there’s also new Hernandez material to be discovered: notably “Los Matachines” (a.k.a. “Danza de Indio”) from the northern Zacatecas region of central Mexico--depicting the subjugation of indigenous Mexican religions to Christianity. The company also performs in San Diego next Thursday and Riverside on Sept. 26.

* Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez, Universal Amphitheatre, Universal City. 8:15 p.m. Also Saturday, 8:15 p.m.; Sunday, 3:15 p.m. $23 to $58. (213) 252-TIXS.

FREEBIE

Three early Hitchcock films, “The Skin Game,” “No. 17” and “Rich and Strange,” screen at USC’s Lucas Theater as part of the Hitch 101 Film Festival, 5 p.m. Reservations: (213) 740-2167.