MOVIES
Hinting at what lies beneath in “Curse of the Golden Flower,” director Zhang Yimou has repeated this saying: “Gold and jade on the outside, rot and decay on the inside.” And by the time the royal family gussies up for the opening of Chong Yang Festival, the rot is rampant. Gong Li and Chow Yun Fat bring grace and contempt to their adversarial roles as the Empress and Emperor in this extravagant, action-packed family melodrama set in the later Tang Dynasty. For all the swordplay and fisticuffs, “Curse” is its most delirious as a lavish argument for the soap opera’s roots in Greek tragedy. There will be secrets. There will be lies. There will be lethal betrayals. | Lisa Kennedy
STAGE
Buntport Theater’s “Something Is Rotten,” recently named the best comedy of 2006 by the Denver Post Ovation Awards, returns this week, as they say, “by popular demand.” “Rotten” is a witty introduction to both Shakespeare and Beckett via talented comic actors Brian Colonna, Erik Edborg and Evan Weissman. They play an existentially tied trio compelled to perform “Hamlet.” By whom? By the ghost of a long-lost tube sock, of course. The result is bizarre, hilarious and engaging to everyone from 16-year-old slackers to charmed grandparents. (You should know that Laertes is played by a remote-controlled toy bulldozer, and drowning Ophelia is played by a goldfish.) How often do audiences leave a theater buzzing – especially after watching Shakespeare (sort of)? 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Feb. 3 at 717 Lipan St. $12-$15 (720-946-1388). | John Moore
TELEVISION
Valerie Mahaffey is a great addition to “Desperate Housewives” (at 8 tonight on KMGH-Channel 7), playing Alma Hodge, ex-wife of Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), who’s now married to Bree (Marcia Cross). Remember when Mahaffey stole episodes of “Northern Exposure” as Eve in 1991? Remember her comic turn in “Fresno” in 1986? Tonight, thanks to Edie (Nicolette Sheridan) the real-estate bombshell, Alma is moving to Wisteria Lane. | Joanne Ostrow
VISUAL ARTS
Contemporary artists have redefined the whole notion of what a book is and how it functions, creating a hybrid form known as the artist book. Examples by such well-known figures as Agnes Denes, Damien Hirst and Richard Tuttle will be on view Jan. 19-March 16 in the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway. An opening reception is set for 5-7:30 p.m. Friday. The works are drawn from the Polly and Mark Addison Collection at the University of Colorado at Boulder Art Museum. Admission is free. 719-262-3567 or galleryuccs.com. | Kyle MacMillan
POPULAR MUSIC
Anytime G. Love and Special Sauce tour, it’s worth getting out of the house to catch their lively show – no matter how cold it is outside. When G. Love brings his Philly funk to the Fillmore Auditorium Friday and Saturday, it will surely be a heated singalong dance party. G. Love has tweaked his show in recent years, and while it’s less funky and more jammy and Jack Johnson-esque, it’s still a good time. G. Love has always been part singer-songwriter, part circus emcee, and, thankfully, some things never change. Tickets, $25, ticketmaster.com or 303-830-8497. | Ricardo Baca
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Though still in his 20s, Macedonian-born Simon Trpceski has already generated a considerable stir in the classical world. In December he debuted with the London Symphony, and he returns this year for his second appearance with the New York Philharmonic. The fast-rising pianist joins conductor Jeffrey Kahane and the Colorado Symphony for Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 2. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 21 in Boettcher Concert Hall. $15-$67.50. 303-623-7876 or coloradosymphony.org. | Kyle MacMillan
NIGHT LIFE
Savvy hipsters already know that La Rumba hosts one of Denver’s best dance parties (Friday’s Lipgloss), but even the most in-the-know can learn something. That’s where Sound College comes in. Presented by DJ Check One, who bills himself as a ghetto musicologist, the weekly event educates with a mix of genre tributes, guest artists, a “guided mic” segment for MCs and spoken-word artists, and more. Launched last week, the next installment will be dedicated to soundtracks. Now’s your chance to expand your music-crazed mind. Wednesdays at La Rumba, 99 W. Ninth Ave. 9:30 p.m. $7. | John Wenzel
DVDS
Filmmakers might cringe when two movies of similarly obscure themes arrive in the same season: Audiences could be forgiven last fall for confusing Edward Norton’s magician in “The Illusionist” with the manipulators played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in “The Prestige.” But the happy viewer of two good films gets to compare and contrast, to both movies’ benefit. The arrival of “The Illusionist” on DVD this week highlights the game, romantic intensity Norton brought to the movie, whose dreamy-gloomy design resonates far longer than the fairy-tale plot would indicate. The romance was enhanced by a nice turn from Boulder native Jessica Biel (pictured), increasingly in demand among casting directors. | Michael Booth
