Temporary Help
(THEATER) A Contemporary Theater's world premiere of TEMPORARY HELP couldn't be better timed, cashing in, as it does, on the recent horror genre revival. Billed as a "steamy" new thriller, David Wiltse's play was inspired by a real-life Midwest farm couple found guilty of killing the help, and toys with the "mysterious hired hand" chestnut. This time the temp needs all the help he can get. Original music by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. -- TONIA STEED
ACT, 700 Union St, 292-7676, runs Tues-Sun through Sept 12, $10-$40.
Club Night
(CLUBBING) Weekend clubbing is for pretentious, crank-snorting gays, so go out on Thursdays instead. I'm told (by a gay) that RE-BAR'S QUEER DISCO draws straights as well, and that "the music is fun, and the party's just kickin'." Or get drunk and drive up to NEIGHBOURS around midnight to see men dress up like women and lip sync. DJ Trent Von spins '80s favorites, people sweat a lot, then everyone goes home to touch each other. -- JEFF DeROCHE
Re-bar, 1114 Howell at Boren, 233-9873, $5. Neighbours, 1509 Broadway, 324-5358, $1.
Artist Talk
(LECTURE) Harrell Fletcher and Jon Rubin introduce BOY, their installation at Center on Contemporary Art, which opens Saturday. See Saturday listing. -- ERIC FREDERICKSEN
Henry Art Gallery, 15th Ave NE at NE 41st St, 7 pm, $6/$4 students.
Library Rock
(MUSIC) I wonder how our high school librarian, the lisping, shuddering Ms. Shane -- an unfortunate name for a silence-seeking librarian suffering from a speech impediment if there ever was one -- would have dealt with four rock bands invading her quiet domain? Her furious THHHHHHHH!!s would have had no effect on these four diverse acts: VALENTINE KILLERS, THE ADDING MACHINE, RUSTY WILLOUGHBY, and THE MALINKS range from the explosive to the introspective. Pretend you're back in school writing your loathsome term paper, and let the bands blow the roof off the joint for you. -- KATHLEEN WILSON
Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, 386-4151, 8 pm, free.
La Strada
(FILM) If you're not familiar with the films of FELLINI, haul ass to this screening of the heartbreaking LA STRADA. The film stars the blustery Anthony Quinn as a very mean circus strongman, and the brilliant Giulietta Masina as the peasant girl he buys and treats like shit until she dies. Take a loved one for comfort, and to share in this veritable anti-primer for relationships. -- JD
The Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E at Mercer, 675-2055. Fri-Sun Aug 20-22, 5:30, 7:30, & 9:30 pm.
Pinball Competition
(PINBALL) SHORTY'S CONEY ISLAND is giving away a classic pinball machine! And all you have to do to win is play like Tommy. For a $5 entrance fee, any chump with a dream can enter the competition -- but beware! Sharks and hustlers from around the state are bound to play as well. Still, if you think you've got the chops, give it a whirl. If not, spectators get in for free. -- BRADLEY STEINBACHER
Shorty's, 2222 Second Ave, 441-5449. 8 pm. $5 entry.
Boy
(FILM) Boy opens at Center on Contemporary Art. Bay area artists Harrell Fletcher and Jon Rubin make art that is very similar to real life: Past shows have taken the form of a fresh produce market and a garage sale. For BOy, Fletcher and Rubin documented the life of Gregory Smart, a 10-year-old Seattle boy. Smart wore a video-camera-equipped bicycle helmet as he went about his activities: playing soccer, walking his dog, eating, and so on. Video pieces made from this footage share the space with a small-scale working soccer field and a display of used balls from Smart's back yard. -- EF
CoCA, 65 Cedar St, 728-1980, opening reception at 8 pm, $4.
Ukulele Freedom Front Festival
(MUSIC) What better way to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Ukulele's maiden voyage from Portugal to the Hawaiian Islands than a two-day blowout featuring some of the finest "new" uke bands, dedicated to keepin' it real for their four-string-lovin' brethren? A BEACH PARTY at Golden Gardens kicks off the fest on Saturday; Sunday the fun continues in Ballard at the Tractor Tavern as UkeFink, the Ukulele Trance Project, and Super Duo fend off requests for "Tiny Bubbles." For more info call 323-2556 or check out www.ukulelefreedomfront.com. -- KW
Golden Gardens, Shilshole Bay, Sat Aug 21, 7 pm, free. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave, 789-3599, Sun Aug 22, 8 pm, $5.
Water
(RAVE) With performances by artists from San Francisco (Astral Matrix, Eti), Vancouver BC (Tripwire, Remedy), and Portland (Ben & Ravi, Capricorn), alongside favorites like LORD CHILLUM and BASJUMPER, and a "lifesize" art installation by Peter Foucault, Wendy Shriner, and Patrick Thomas, this well-organized rave promises a wide-ranging, bone-chillin', slicked-down experience. Plus, they're offering free water (hmmm....)! Outdoors. -- TRACI VOGEL
Call for info: 748-1724 or 366-2273.
Brasil Fest
(FESTIVAL) Seattle and Brasil come together like strange bedfellows for this day-long celebration of food, entertainment, and culture from sunnier shores. Highlights include samba performances and workshops, children's activities, and DORI CAYMMI, prominent Brazilian composer, on the Mural Amphitheater stage at 5:45 pm. -- TRACI VOGEL
Seattle Center, 684-7200, 10 am-7 pm, free.
Soundprint
(RADIO) Public radio's Soundprint presents Crumb on the Run, a '60s-era documentary made by comix artist ROBERT CRUMB. The whole show is him wandering around California and the Midwest recording his thoughts about the communes, drug culture, music, and underground comix artists he encounters. Pull down the shades, turn up the radio, and put yourself in the head of the comix world's most daft and voluble genius. -- TV
KUOW 94.9 FM, 543-9595, 6 pm, free.
Get Nekkid
(PARKS) Leave work early and head to Howell Park -- it's as close as Seattle has to a nude beach, which is to say there are often two or three LARGE MIDDLE-AGED MEN lounging around IN SKIMPY SHORTS (which they might peel off at any moment). Wedged between a pair of multi-million-dollar houses, and reached by a short dirt path, Howell Park is low-key and fun, habituated (aside from the near-naked 50-year-olds) by a good-looking crowd of young people who don't look like they go to the beach much. There's no sand, but there's much less duck shit in the grass than at Madison Park, and more privacy than the close-by Denny-Blaine Park. At night, it's the best skinny-dipping spot in town. -- EF
On Howell Place, just off Lake Washington Boulevard near Kurt Cobain's former home.
Mark Mitchell
(MUSIC) Listening to MARK MITCHELL sing jazz standards at the BALTIC ROOM becomes something of an education, an initiation into the pleasures of American popular song. Mitchell is not a trained jazz singer, yet his delivery is never heavy or bold, but breezy, honest, and infinitely charming. Though he performs standards, there are spaces in his songs that are entirely his own. If you appreciate loss, loneliness, and the type of existence that celebrates only after everything is over and exhausted, here is a chance for education in sentiment. -- CHARLES MUDEDE
Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625-4444, 6-9 pm, no cover.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(TELEVISION) For you couch slugs, here's another terrific BUFFY repeat in which our teen vampire slayer actually begins losing her powers! As most teens already know, it's no fun getting your ass kicked, but the doo-doo really hits the fan when the Buffster discovers who's behind her sudden weakness -- her sexy mentor, Giles! -- WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
WB, Channel 22, 8 pm.
Dappin' Butoh
(PERFORMANCE) Local Butoh champions Dappin' Butoh present a double bill of experimental performance. First, Dutch dancer/choreographer LILY KIARA performs her solo piece When the Body Remembers. Then collaborative quartet IN THE MOMENT present their "multi-disciplinary improvisation." And while that is the scariest hyphenated phrase in the English language, with dancer Joan Laage, poet Pamela Moore Dionne, percussionist Chuck Smart, and saxophonist and flautist Dan Blunck on board, the results should be compelling. -- DAVID SCHMADER
Freehold's East Hall Theater, 1525 10th Avenue, 526-5756, 7 & 9 pm (two showings), $8.
Test 'N' Tune
(CAR RACING) Try your leather-gloved hand at racin' your own rev-engined HOTROD on the pavement of Seattle International Raceway. Every Wednesday beginners are welcome to "Test 'n' Tune": Find out what your own car is capable of without pissin' off the Smokies. Note: If you're gonna watch, don't forget the earplugs. -- TRACI VOGEL
Seattle International Raceway, 31001 144th SE, Kent (take 18E to 304/312 exit), 253-631-1550, 4-10 pm, $20.
