Best Bets / JULY 15-21, 2001

Movies

“America’s Sweethearts” stars Julia Roberts, above left, as the sister/slave of megastar Catherine Zeta-Jones, right. As it happens, the star’s estranged husband (John Cusack) is the man of Roberts’ dreams. The Joe Roth-directed film also features Billy Crystal, who co-wrote the film with Peter Tolan. Opens Friday.

Also: Joe Johnston takes over directing chores for Steven Spielberg on “Jurassic Park III,” in which Sam Neill (who was in the original but not the first sequel) is back for further adventures with hungry dinosaurs. With William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Michael Jeter and Trevor Morgan. Opens Friday.

Pop Music

Sade is one of those rare artists who can disappear for years and then pick up where they left off without missing a beat. The singer’s first album in more than five years, “Lovers Rock,” has sold 3 million copies since its release last fall, and her first tour in six years brings her to Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday and the Hollywood Bowl next Sunday and July 23.

Dance

Fusing Korean refinement with Russian style, Seoul’s 17-year-old Universal Ballet dances Marius Petipa’s “La Bayadere” Friday to next Sunday and Adrienne Dellas’ “Shim Chung” on July 24 and 25 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Never heard of “Shim Chung”? Too bad: If Petipa had created a full-evening dance spectacle on a Korean theme, this definitely would have been it.

Art

The fifth Absolut-L.A. International Biennial Art Invitational opens Wednesday as more than 70 Los Angeles art galleries play host to exhibitions by artists and galleries from around the world for four weeks. The invitational kicks off Wednesday with receptions at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, followed by West Hollywood, Westwood and Beverly Hills galleries on Thursday, La Brea Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Boulevard galleries on Friday, and Santa Monica, Venice and downtown L.A. galleries on Saturday. See art listings for specifics.

Theater

A teacher from the Midwest looks for romance in Italy but finds that love comes with a price in “Do I Hear a Waltz?,” opening today at the Pasadena Playhouse. The revival of this bittersweet 1965 Broadway musical, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Richard Rodgers and book by Arthur Laurents, features Alyson Reed, Anthony Crivello Carol Lawrence, above center with Benjamin Sprunger and Annie Wersching.

Jazz

Jazz diva Nina Simone, below left, makes a rare L.A. concert appearance tonight at the Greek Theatre. Since the late 1950s, when her recording of “I Loves You, Porgy” went gold, Simone has blazed her own path through the music world. The Juilliard-trained pianist-singer-composer, born Eunice Waymon in North Carolina in 1933, still defies simple classification. Los Hombres Calientes open the show.

Movies

“America’s Sweethearts” stars Julia Roberts, above left, as the sister/slave of megastar Catherine Zeta-Jones, right. As it happens, the star’s estranged husband (John Cusack) is the man of Roberts’ dreams. The Joe Roth-directed film also features Billy Crystal, who co-wrote the film with Peter Tolan. Opens Friday.