Best Bets: SEPT. 29 -- OCT. 5, 2002

Movies

Anthony Hopkins returns as Hannibal Lecter in “Red Dragon,” a new movie version of the book that introduced the wryly sinister gourmand. Edward Norton, right, is the FBI agent who needs his help to catch Ralph Fiennes in the creepy thriller directed by Brett Ratner. Opens Friday.

Also: With “Biggie and Tupac,” documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield presents his own

theories about the deaths of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, which are different from the conclusions reached in stories by Los Angeles Times staff writer Chuck Philips. The film opens at selected theaters Friday.

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Dance

In “Terra Nova,” choreographer Rosanna Gamson takes time off from her ambitious full-evening dance-theater projects to develop the creative talents of her ensemble. From Thursday through next Sunday, at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, live music will accompany new work by company members Cesar Cazares, Paul Outlaw, Edgar Ovando, Deborah Rosen, Johnny Tu and Dana Wieluns, plus a duet by Gamson with guest artist Peter Kwong.

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Pop Music

The new shape of rock descends on the Southland with two bills showcasing music that’s brainy and head-hammering. On Friday at the Hollywood Palladium, Queens of the Stone Age show their cosmic metal, supported by the intense Texans ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and hip-hop potty-mouth Peaches. On Saturday, the annual This Ain’t No Picnic festival at Oak Canyon Ranch in Irvine gathers the likes of Jimmy Eat World, the Mars Volta, the Donnas and other rising forces, including Guided by Voices, Blonde Redhead and Pinback.

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Music

The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 38th and final season at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion--the orchestra will move into the Walt Disney Concert Hall a year from now--begins Thursday, when Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, above, leads a two-part program consisting of the suite from Bartok’s “Miraculous Mandarin” and Carl Orff’s “scenic cantata,” “Carmina Burana.” This program is repeated Friday (the Casual Fridays agenda will omit “Miraculous Mandarin”), Saturday and Sunday.

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Art

“Light Screens: The Leaded Glass of Frank Lloyd Wright,” a survey featuring innovative leaded-glass windows designed by the celebrated architect, opens Saturday at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach. The exhibition gathers 50 of Wright’s most important windows (including one from L.A.’s Hollyhock House, above), along with prints and photographs. Viewing this many “light screens” in one place is a rare opportunity; many are on loan during building restoration projects.

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Theater

Swoosie Kurtz and Cherry Jones star as Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy, respectively, in the premiere of “Imaginary Friends,” Nora Ephron’s play about the literary figures who became bitter enemies. Harry Groener also stars. The music is by Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics by Craig Carnella. Opens today at the Globe Theatres’ Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.