Movies
“Fred Claus” is the gift you didn’t see coming. Vince Vaughn uses his fast-talking powers for good in this PG-rated fable that transforms sibling tensions into holiday tinsel. Vaughn plays Fred, Nicholas Claus’ older brother. Long ago, he vowed to be the best big brother ever. But Christmas after Christmas – and sainthood – made the promise harder. This delight finds Fred traveling from Chi-town to the North Pole just as an efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey) shows up to Scrooge Santa (Paul Giamatti). The wrapping is goofy, the treat inside just right. Kathy Bates, Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz and John Michael Higgins sparkle. Lisa Kennedy
Television
We’ve seen this coming for weeks, but the downward spiral is breathtaking to watch: ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” at 9 tonight on KMGH-Channel 7, puts the spotlight on Dave Annable as Justin, the Walker son who is recovering from wounds sustained in Iraq and now, after abusing pain pills, back to being an addict. Lisa Kennedy
Classical music
One of the great violinists of our time, Pinchas Zukerman, will join the Colorado Symphony for a pair of concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. He and his wife, cellist Amanda Forsyth, will be featured in concertos for violin and cello by Vivaldi and Brahms. Also on the program in Boettcher Concert Hall will be two repertoire favorites: Barber’s Adagio for Strings and Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony. Tickets are $15-$69.50. 303-623-7876 or . Lisa Kennedy
Stage
Dirty and daring, intense and intimate, Listen Productions’ cowboy- themed “Macbeth” is Shakespeare for a new generation. It’s as lawless as the Colorado frontier it mines and performed with abandon by a star- studded cast of 18 in a space that holds not even 100. This outlaw “Macbeth” is visceral, bloody and raw, a rare Shakespeare experience that actually makes you feel something, from your spine down to your spurs. Purists won’t like its colloquial liberties, for this adaptation is unbeholden to dusty old rules of verse or form. Final performances 4 p.m. today, 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Buntport Theater, 717 Lipan St. $20 (2-for-1 Thursday). 720-290-1104 or . Lisa Kennedy
Visual arts
While so much sociopolitical art is pat, obvious and just plain shallow, Russian emigré artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid consistently invested their paintings, installations and performances with complexity and ambiguity. In 1994-99, the artistic duo, which has since split, undertook a multifaceted project titled “American Dreams,” which delves into patriotic iconography and cultural mythology. Today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is the last chance to see key works from that effort at the Mizel Arts & Culture Center’s Singer Gallery, 350 S. Dahlia St. Admission is free. 303-316-6360 or . Lisa Kennedy
Night life
Local synth-rockers Mr. Pacman will fill in for inexplicable hipster/mischief- maker Magic Cyclops on Monday at Cyclops’ weekly Championship Karaoke night. The stand-in makes sense, considering the acts’ shared penchant for over-the-top sarcasm and hilarious, ’80s-worshipping spectacle. If you’re itching to bust out some Tears for Fears, Yaz or Duran Duran, Monday night is your night. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway. Doors at 7 p.m. 21 and up. No cover. hi-dive.com. Lisa Kennedy
Popular music
Sometimes there’s no hiding the excitement. Sometimes you’re just downright giddy over a concert. And that’s how we in The Denver Post music corner feel about Saturday’s Of Montreal show at the Ogden. (Kevin Barnes is our Hannah Montana.) Most artists have only one unabashed opus. And Barnes’ is this year’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?” Forget about the fact that he sold that song to Outback Steakhouse and focus on what matters here. The music on this album is historic in focus, and Barnes went through a lot of pain for this dancey, bipolar synth-pop – so much so that you wouldn’t be wrong for feeling at least a little bit bad for enjoying it so much. But throw your cares to the wind on Saturday and celebrate one of 2007’s brightest albums. Barnes will no doubt help, as his shows are usually as quirky and bizarre as his music. Ricardo Baca
