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TODAY Same song, different verse The third season of "The Sopranos," TV's most compelling drama series, begins with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. tonight on HBO. Creator David Chase's hunger for stories and different ways to tell them has distinguished this series from the start. Tonight's first episode is highlighted by a brilliantly edited cat-and-mouse game between the FBI and Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). Later episodes will focus on Anthony Jr. as he attempts to step out of his father's mob-boss shadow; and daughter Meadow as she heads to college, where she is matched with a troubled roommate and a handsome black boyfriend. - Aaron Barnhart/The Star WEDNESDAY More Russians are coming The Cold War is officially over. But it has been a "Russian season" in Kansas City, what with the Stravinsky Festival and performances by a whole passel of orchestras, choirs and ballet companies. The outpouring continues when the Kamchatka Vocal Ensemble of the Russian Far East performs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Liberty United Methodist Church, 1001 Sunset Ave., Liberty. This amazing choir's repertoire includes not only Rachmaninoff but also folk songs and sacred music. Tickets cost $5 at the door, and reservations are recommended. Call Bryan Taylor at the church, (816) 781-4554. - Paul Horsley/The Star FRIDAY Splatter flick In the late '40s and early '50s Jackson Pollock revolutionized art by dripping, pouring and splashing paint directly onto the canvas. But even as his artistic reputation was growing, his personal life was in disarray thanks to alcohol, ego and ambition. Actor Ed Harris has wanted to make a film about Pollock for more than a decade; now he has given us "Pollock," which he directed and for which he earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination (co-star Marcia Gay Harden is in the running for Best Supporting Actress). It opens Friday at the Tivoli Manor Square Theatre. - Robert W. Butler /The Star Plaid attack The American Heartland Theatre continues its season with "Forever Plaid," a whimsical piece about a 1964 guy-group that reunites in the afterlife after being run over by a busload of Catholic schoolgirls. The cast includes Matthew Fletcher, Don M. Simmons, Joel Morrison and Seth Golay. Performances continue through April 29. Tickets range from $14 to $27.50. Call (816) 842-9999. - Robert Trussell/The Star >>>
