She & Him’s Charming Sophomore CD

Everyone may be talking about tween star Justin Bieber’s new album, but the truly adorable (and actually worthy) music has arrived in the form of She & Him: Volume Two, the new record from actress Zooey Deschanel and songwriter M. Ward. Deschanel is an indie it-girl, but she can also really sing, and the pair’s second record together is just as soda-pop addictive at the first, overflowing with bubbly hooks but never verging on too saccharine for repeat spins. If you want to hear the songs in person, the duo plays two nights at Manhattan’s Bowery Ballroom on March 29 and 30, and then heads to Southern California to perform at Coachella on April 16.

New York City Opera’s Explosive Return

The New York City Opera has long been the scrappy, tenacious stepsister to the Metropolitan Opera; but now that it has a permanent home inside the shiny new David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, it has blossomed and come into its own, at last rivaling the Met for the city’s premiere aria factory. To celebrate the new season, which opens with Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and Emmanuel Chabrier’s raucous comic opera, L’Etoile, the NYCO commissioned artist E.V. Day to create a clever installation inside the Koch’s lobby. Day, whose work appears in the Whitney and MoMA, is famous for her “exploding couture” work, in which she shows ballgowns and wedding dresses deconstructed and blown apart. For the Opera’s return, Day has turned her wires and scissors to famous costumes of the past, such as Cio-Cio San's kimono, Don Giovanni's cape, and Manon’s Victorian dress. The work is on view through April 11, and the two opening operas of the season run through April 1 ( L’Etoile) and April 18 ( Butterfly). Now is your chance to witness the birth of a true opera rivalry, in real time.

The New Mad Men DVD

Been having Mad Men withdrawal? Well good news, Season 3 is finally out on DVD this week. See Betty’s baby hysteria, Don’s affairs with flight attendants, the exposure of Sal’s homosexuality, and battles with the new owners of Sterling-Cooper. The season is only 13 episodes long, but each one is so full of American dreams and three-piece suits that you will want to savor every moment with Jon Hamm and company. At least until Season 4 begins in July.