WEDNESDAY 7/14
Chris Linder
Unnatural selection at the Burke.
20th Century Fox
“Hello, boys!”
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Photography: Artful and Endangered
Adorable critters and lovely panoramas are to be found in this environmentally themed group show, but the best work here doesn't seek merely to celebrate nature. On remote Midway Atoll, an albatross and chick nest next to our plastic trash—washed over from thousands of miles away. Erstwhile SW contributor Annie Marie Musselman shows injured animals in rehab at the Sarvey Wildlife Center near Granite Falls. In Costa Rica, Enrique Calvo documents the surprisingly legal harvest of turtle eggs. An elephant seal sits blithely near an "asbestos hazard" sign on South Georgia Island. Storks root through trash heaps in India, and a migratory antelope lies dead along a Wyoming highway. That later image, a striking long-exposure nighttime shot by Seattle's Chris Linder, is a necessary counterweight to the cute animals on other walls here. Death is a part of nature, too; yet there would be no roadkill without our paved roads and speeding automobiles. (Through Sept. 6.) Burke Museum (UW Campus), 543-9681, burkemuseum.org. $6–$9.50. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
Burlesque: À la Recherche du Vêtements Perdu
At tonight's Bastille Day party, it isn't about what you put on, but what you take off. Burlesque artists will dance and undress to an all-Gallic program of music by Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot, and others. (Wait—BB made music, too? Never mind...) On the roster are Miss Lily Verlaine and Kitten LaRue (of The Burlesque Nutcracker and the Atomic Bombshells, respectively). Also, choreographer Olivier Wevers has made a cheeky duet for Vincent Lopez and Kylie Lewallen, where they systematically replace what they've first removed—striptease in reverse. (Note: Second show is 21 and over.) The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, tripledoor.net. $20. 7 and 10 p.m. SANDRA KURTZ
FRIDAY 7/16
Food: Get Stuffed
Go ahead—you can gorge yourself at the Bite of Seattle without chewing up the environment. Among its 50 restaurants, the annual food fest is featuring "Green Bites," a group of six environmentally sustainable vendors, including Blue Moon Burgers, which serves its hormone-free beef patties on gluten-free buns, and Mighty O Donuts, whose cini-minis taste no less indulgent for being organic. Portions are priced at $6–$7, and power for the food prep comes from solar and biodiesel sources. Cheaper and smaller servings can be had at the Just a Bite! restaurants, offering Thai, Vietnamese, and Mexican fare at $3.75 a plate. For upscale palates, Tom Douglas is back with The Alley, where $10 buys you a taste from seven different restaurants (Volterra and the Dahlia Lounge among them). There's also the usual array of global dining options: chicken artichoke crepes from France, mango sticky rice from Korea, and alligator on a stick from New Orleans, along with beer and wine tastings, cooking demos, and live music. In case you somehow have room for dessert, you can't say you've lived in Seattle until you've dug into a whipped cream–capped mountain of strawberry shortcake under the mist of the International Fountain. (Through Sun.) Seattle Center, 425-283-5050, comcastbiteofseattle.com. Free. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. REBECCA COHEN
Film: Blonde Ambitions
Shot for salivating shot, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes boasts the highest "wow" quotient of anything in the formidably ecstatic Marilyn Monroe oeuvre. The 1953 movie, which starts Three Dollar Bill's "Blonde But Not Forgotten" series of free outdoor screenings, opens with an edible MM and full-figured gal pal Jane Russell bursting onto the screen in skin-tight, feather-hatted, red-sequined regalia like a couple of carnivorous cake toppings. It eventually ogles its way through not only the now-legendary "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" routine. but also an audacious "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love" number, where Russell offers to take on the entire U.S. Men's Olympic Team. (Yet they ignore her in favor of choreographed calisthenics in nude-colored shorts—again, wow.) The standout in the rest of the lineup, Desperately Seeking Susan (Aug. 13), features the '80s alter-Marilyn, Madonna. By the time of that 1985 film, she'd already aped Monroe's "Diamonds" shtick for her "Material Girl" video, and Susan is the only flick ever to capture the particulars of her tacky grace. Other titles in the series include The Legend of Billie Jean and Candleshoe. (Through Aug. 27.) Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave., threedollarbillcinema.org. Free. Dusk. STEVE WIECKING
Wine: Where Cougars Gather to Prowl and Drink
There are many reasons to love this weekend's annual Kirkland Uncorked event. Sun, food, wine, shopping—yes, there is all of that. But mainly there's the pleasure of watching attractive blonde women of a certain age, clad in their nicest sundresses, drink a little more than is advisable in the July heat. That delicious Columbia Valley Chardonnay goes straight to the head, and tongue, on a warm summer evening. All of which results in some of our favorite overheard remarks from last year's celebration: "My mouth tastes like summer!" "It's like a bouquet of bouquet!" "I need a bigger straw!" "This wine goes equally well with brie and Cheez-Its!" "It's like a Miata in a glass!" "I dropped my iPhone in the toilet again!" "Don't tell anyone, but I'm not wearing panties!" (Through Sunday.) Marina Park, 25 Lakeshore Plaza, kirklanduncorked.com. $15–$25. (21 and over). 5–10 p.m. T. BOND
