MOVIES
Far Far Away’s king needs an heir and looks to son-in-law Shrek. As if that wasn’t enough weight on the ogre’s sloped green shoulders, his beloved Fiona is pregnant. As Shrek, Donkey and Puss in Boots trek to find the other candidate for king (a lad named Arthur), Prince Charming enlists a pack of storybook baddies to seize Far Far Away. Such is the set-up for “Shrek 3,” the latest installment in the most successful animated franchise in all moviedom, starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas. The animated gang’s all here, with the Gingerbread Man and Pinocchio delivering side-splitting moments. Fine additions: a gaggle of storybook princesses and a bumbling whiz of a wiz named Merlin (Eric Idle). Deservedly confident in the snap, crackle and pop-culture wit of of their script, director Chris Miller and his co-writers don’t even bother to nail down one of their finest puns. Let’s just say it involves an interminably dying frog. | Lisa Kennedy
CLASSICAL MUSIC
There’s a reason why bassist Edgar Meyer is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. In addition to extraordinarily wide-ranging knowledge and appreciation of music of all kinds, he is both a premier bassist and first-rate composer. His composing and performing talents will be on display as he joins the Colorado Symphony for performances of his Double Bass Concerto No.2 at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. May 27. Also on the program are works by George Gershwin, including “Rhapsody in Blue” with guest soloist Jon Kimura Parker. Tickets are $15-$67.50. 303-623-7876 or coloradosymphony.org. | Kyle MacMillan
STAGE
The final episode of the Buntport Theater’s quirky biweekly spaceship serial “Starship Troy” takes place at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. These are the voyages of the flying garbage truck known as Starship Troy. Its mission: To clean up the universe, one load at a time. Characters include Captain Bernard Bimple and his caustically unimpressed sister Ensign Bernice Bimple (they’re twins conjoined by a dryer duct). Each episode is inspired by a pop-culture reference provided by the previous audience. The finale, “The Long War,” is based on a pop song by the band The Cages, and the episode promises a shocking reveal concerning the bickering Bimples. It’s 45 minutes of blissfully sophomoric fare. 717 Lipan St. $5-$7 (720-946-1388). | John Moore
VISUAL ARTS
Christel Perkins, an intern at the Plus Gallery, has organized an intriguing exhibition at its satellite space, Object + Thought, 3559 Larimer St. The show, titled “Lacunae,” presents works by seven primarily Colorado-based artists that deal in some way with absence or negative space. Among the participants are Christina Craigo, Wendi Harford and Wes Magyar. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 303-296-0927 or plusgallery.com. | Kyle MacMillan
TELEVISION
The hour-long 18th season finale of “The Simpsons” gives a nod to fellow Fox sibling “24” (with Keifer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub as guest voices) tonight at 7 on Fox; then newsman Kent Brockman is fired for swearing on the air (Homer spills coffee in his lap) in a bit with guest voice Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. That’s 400 episodes and counting. | Joanne Ostrow
DVDS
Movie sets come in the oddest groupings. The Complete “Gilligan’s Island”, now in widescreen HD! All the documentaries you never saw on PBS and still don’t have time for! But occasionally, an unexpected treasure arrives in our mail packages, such as Universal’s new “Denzel Washington Spotlight Collection.” For a suggested $29.98, and heavily discounted online, Universal puts together Denzel’s star turns in “Inside Man,” “The Hurricane,” “The Bone Collector” and “Mo’ Better Blues.” Along with those worthy movies comes director commentary from Spike Lee, Phillip Noyce and Norman Jewison, along with other extras material. | Michael Booth
POPULAR MUSIC
It’s obvious that Craig Finn is a big Replacements fan. When he moved from Minneapolis to New York at the turn of the century, the singer formed a band around him and called it The Hold Steady. Through constant work and a couple of consistent albums – both hailed and dissed for their utter simplicity – the band has cemented a well-deserved reputation as a smart, hard-working rock band playing music for all the right reasons. They’re playing the Ogden Theatre on Tuesday with the Heartless Bastards in support. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com and 303-830-8497. | Ricardo Baca
