MOVIES
Maybe it’s the smart chemistry between Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as Coast Guard rescue swimmers at different ends of their careers. Or maybe, it’s the fine independent streak of their love interests (Sela Ward and Melissa Sagemiller). Or maybe it’s simply a relief to take in a movie free of terrorists of unknown nationality or heroes defusing bombs and dodging bullets. Likely, it’s the pleasant convergence of all these qualities that makes Andrew Davis’ “The Guardian” such fine popcorn fare. |Lisa Kennedy
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Felix Mendelssohn gets the nod this week as guest conductor Michael Stern and the Colorado Symphony devote an entire program to his music. Included will be the composer’s Symphony No. 5, “Reformation,” and Violin Concerto in E minor, with guest soloist Joo Young Oh, one of five young musicians featured as part of the orchestra’s 2006-07 Rising Stars program. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 8 in Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets are $15-$67.50. 303-623-7876 or coloradosymphony.org. |Kyle MacMillan
STAGE
After three months, the cast of Second City’s “How I Lost My Denverginity” seems to be settling in to the Mile High City quite happily. The famed Chicago comedy troupe moved in, turned tourist and penned a sketch-comedy revue based on its findings. It’s crass, political and profane but never particularly offensive (unless you happen to be a descendent of, say, Adolph Coors). Though its targets are plentiful – including Marilyn Musgrave, Tom Tancredo and retired Denver Broncos cheerleaders, “Denverginity” comes off more as racy homage than skewering roast, one with a comic sensibility the young-adult set will embrace more easily than their parents. 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 7 and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays at the Galleria Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis Streets $25-$28 (303-893-4100 or denvercenter.org).| John Moore
TELEVISION
Focus group results are in, and late-night variety show producers Matt and Danny (Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford) are in trouble on NBC’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” Monday at 9 p.m. on KUSA-Channel 9. In real life, “Studio 60” hasn’t scored particularly well in the ratings; the superpowered ratings surprise for the network is its lead-in, “Heroes,” airing Mondays at 8 p.m. on Channel 9. | Joanne Ostrow
VISUAL ARTS
Hungary doesn’t get much attention in most overviews of modern art history, but it nonetheless boasted a rich, multifacted creative scene. “Treasures Revealed: The Art of Hungary, 1890-1955,” which opens Oct. 6 and runs through Nov. 2 at the Emmanuel Gallery on the Auraria campus, will examine some of the fruits of that period. The exhibition, marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s uprising against its communist occupiers, will contain more than 60 paintings, drawings and decorative objects from two private collections. 303-556-8337 or emmanuelgallery.org.|Kyle MacMillan
POPULAR MUSIC
When Dave King sings – er, growls – the kids listen. His band Flogging Molly is headlining Denver University’s Magness Arena on Tuesday, and the group’s steady growth is a textbook example of artist development. The rise has been solid, and the group did it all in a very young demographic through constant touring and instrumentation that includes a fiddle, mandolin, accordion, banjo and tin whistle. “Whiskey on a Sunday” was released in July, and the album solidifes the band’s reputation as a hard-hitting act with a sound big enough to match its bravado. | Ricardo Baca
NIGHT LIFE
DC10’s service industry nights have been offering more than just discounted drinks, with music from Kostas K, Gift and Dragon in an elegant, aviation-themed atmosphere. On Sunday they’ll up the ante with the Go Platinum fashion and music event. Platinum Talent, Stephanie Jerome’s Denver-based agency, will hold an open model search from 8 p.m. to 11 pm. See if you have what it takes at 940 Lincoln St. 720-771-3500, DC10Denver.com.| John Wenzel
