Amir Zaki

(ART) We all know well enough that digital manipulation of photographs makes the fantastic possible, but photographer Amir Zaki uses it to emphasize the real and mundane instead. In VLVH, his second solo show in Seattle, he contrasts images of suburban homes--compressed in the extreme so they grow skinny and tall--with strangely lush photographs of dying weeds. Now we grow close to the horrible fairy-tale feel of the suburbs, realm of the windowless Rapunzel tower, where souls wither and die... perhaps. (Opening reception Thurs Jan 2, 6-8 pm, James Harris Gallery, 309A Third Ave S, 903-6220. Through Feb 1.) EMILY HALL

'Carlotta's Late Night Holiday Wing-Ding'

(THEATER) Thanks to a handful of unforgettably ill-spirited slams (the most dramatic of which remains Matthew Sweeney's unequivocal call for the execution of the poor guy playing Louis in Intiman's Angels in America in 1994), The Stranger's theater section has a reputation for hating everything. Still, the base of hatred is passion, and when The Stranger sees something that knocks us out, we'll break our backs hyping it to the skies. Case in point: Carlotta's Late Night Holiday Wing-Ding, which has received more gushy Stranger ink than anything since the goddamned monorail. Tonight and tomorrow are your last chances to catch Carlotta's latest show. Get there early. (Northwest Actors Studio, 1100 E Pike St, fourth floor, 325-6500. $8-$10. Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm. Through Jan 4.) DAVID SCHMADER

Of Sustenance, Secrets and Two Girls

(ART) In Toi Sennhauser's past performances, she's poured milk over her bare legs and had bright berry jam dripped--ever so slowly and bloodily--over her thumb, which stuck lonely and alone out of a felt backdrop. This month she's teamed up with sculptor Jodi Rockwell to produce a galleryful of food-as-art, including heaps of sugar, armies of eggs, and portraits done in candy--all of which will change over the course of the month as it variously rots or disintegrates. The contemporary masterpiece is as ephemeral as it is philosophical (and delicious!). (Opening reception Sat Jan 4, 7-10 pm, SOIL Gallery, 1317 E Pine St, 264-8061. Through Jan 26.) EMILY HALL

'24'

(DVD) Look, I know when some people say they don't watch TV they're just trying to sound superior, but I really don't watch TV, because I don't get any channels and fuck the cable companies. But thanks to the miracle of DVD, I too have been allowed to share in the glory of your Sopranos, Sex and the City, Mary Tyler Moore, et al. The second-greatest TV series ever made and released on DVD--where compulsive serial viewing is made easy through the magic of interactive menus--is undoubtedly 24, a show that takes one real-time day in the life of an antiterrorist supercop trying to prevent the assassination of the first viable black presidential candidate, and stretches it out on the melodramatic rack of treacherous foreigners, scandalous ladies, dirty cops, upright politicos, and sexy daughters. The stakes are raised about every 10 minutes, the actors rule, and the twists are mind-blowing. It's probably old news to the regular TV watchers among you, but for the rest of us, 24 is fresh meat, and a very addictive way to stay home for the weekend. (Now available at most video stores.) SEAN NELSON

Movie Monday

(RARE PUNK FOOTAGE) As part of the Sunset's regular Monday movie night, tonight Tim Hayes from Fallout Records gives everyone at the Ballard bar a special treat: rare punk flicks from the '60s to the '90s. I'm not sure of everything he has in store, but he's dropped hints about footage of the MC5, Captain Beefheart, the Pretty Things, Eddie & the Hot Rods, the Saints, Teenage Head, the Scientists, Radio Birdman, the Devil Dogs, the Monks, and tons more, all taken from a very international collection. If you're in for a late night, stay for the piano bar after the show. (Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave NW, 784-4880, 8 pm, free.) JENNIFER MAERZ

David Lasky at Glo's

(ART & FOOD) Currently presiding over the walls of the beloved Capitol Hill breakfast joint Glo's are artist David Lasky's gorgeous portraits of the Carter Family, whose 1927 debut recording session Lasky captures in all its simplicity and stoic drama. It's the perfect collision of art and commerce. Sleep in, wander over, have a late Glo's breakfast, and gaze at Lasky's stars. (Glo's, 1621 E Olive Way, 783-3426. Through Jan 12.) DAVID SCHMADER

'The Scar'

(BOOK) A friend of mine, Matt Briggs, wrote this to me recently: "At the heart of fantasy books there is the myth of eugenics, just as at the heart of science fiction there is always the myth of utopia." Indeed! This is the very reason why I'm disturbed by the current popularity of the Lord of the Rings movies--especially during these times, when white confidence has been badly shaken by a band of brown fanatics. There is, however, a healthy alternative to Tolkien's snow-white fantasies: China Miéville's mongrel fantasy novels, the most recent of which is The Scar. A winner of several impressive awards, the London-based Miéville (who hates Tolkien) writes dense and enormous fantasy novels that draw their mood and monsters and politics from the forward-looking left rather than a backward-looking right. (Available at Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway E, 323-8842.) CHARLES MUDEDE