By -- Lavanya Ramanathan
Thursday, April 3, 2008; C13

In 1963, as his painting career was taking off and he himself wasn't getting much shut-eye, Andy Warhol began his first major film project, "Sleep" -- in which he hoped to capture his lover, the poet John Giorno, doing nothing but sleeping. Nude. For eight hours.

"Sleep," which gets a rare screening Sunday at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden as part of its "Cinema Effect" exhibition, ended up clocking in at less than 5 1/2 hours. (Warhol hit a snag with his camera, which could shoot only four minutes at a time.)

Trust us: Unlike real life, no one ever complains they just didn't get enough "Sleep." When the much-buzzed-about movie was screened in Los Angeles in 1964, one report said that of 500 filmgoers present, only 50 remained at the end. (The rest? The theater manager wrote that some threatened to riot if they didn't get their money back. He also noted that the projectionist kept falling asleep.)

"Sleep" begins with a 20-minute scene of Giorno's belly. Followed by Giorno on his back. Then there is some quality time with Giorno's armpit. Then something else -- perhaps a knee?

According to Callie Angell, curator of the Andy Warhol Film Project at the Whitney Museum of American Art, as simple as "Sleep" may seem, it wasn't shot in a night; Warhol got about four hours of actual footage over several months' time, then used less than 30 minutes of that, stretching it out by repeating much of it and requiring that the movie be run in slow motion.

Um, why?

Well, for one thing, Warhol was in love. "Watching someone sleep, it's kind of a love affair," says Angell, who'll be on hand for a talk about the film tonight at the Hirshhorn (sorry, you'll have to come back Sunday to see the entire film). He was also looking to make films that were as much art as any painting.

And although Giorno and the artist didn't last long as a couple, "Sleep" lives on. Says Angell: "You don't know if the relationship is about getting the film, or if the film is about holding onto the relationship."

Warhol continued to make movies -- hundreds of them, even as he was prolifically painting. Not long after making "Sleep," he finally made his eight-hour epic: Called "Empire," it consists of hours and hours of just one view of the Empire State Building.

Lecture by Callie Angell, tonight at 8. "Sleep," free, noon-5:30 Sunday. Both at Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. 202-633-4674.

CONCERT: The Raconteurs, at the Club Surely big enough to sell out the Patriot Center or something comparable, the Raconteurs (Jack White's side project with Brendan Benson and others) are pulling a second surprise after releasing a record, "Consolers of the Lonely," only a week after announcing it was even in the works. Their tour is bringing them to the 9:30 club for two intimate shows May 27-28. We hope you are reading this bright and early, because tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today, and will not last long. $40. 9:30 club, 815 V St. NW. 800-955-5566 or http://www.tickets.com.

ON STAGE: Janeane Garofalo The funny liberal actress and thinking man's hottie has reemerged, after leaving Air America Radio in 2006, for a role on the television show "24." And she's definitely still a hot act here; her stand-up show was sold out at the State Theatre a year ago. But you have a second chance: Catch her next week at one of three shows she's doing at the Drafthouse Comedy Theater (as in Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse). But get tickets in advance, because this will likely sell out. $25. April 11 at 9:45 and April 12 at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. 703-486-2345 or buy tickets at http://www.arlingtondrafthouse.com.

CONCERT: Death Cab for Cutie Indie rock's most heartfelt, emotive band is also, somehow, still really good (assuming you don't count that appearance on "The O.C."). And after an unusually long time between records -- after releasing six full-length albums in six years, the band hasn't offered up anything since 2005 -- Death Cab is returning with a new record, "Narrow Stairs," in May. A tour brings the band to Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 9. $40; lawn, $25. 7:30 p.m. 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 202-397-7328.

CONCERT: Kimya Dawson A central member of the Moldy Peaches (who toured with the Strokes at the peak of their popularity in 2001, then pretty much petered out by 2004), Dawson is back in the spotlight with the "Juno" soundtrack; the Peaches' song "Anyone Else but You" was featured in the last sequence of the film. Tonight, Dawson plays a show at the Black Cat. $14. Doors at 8 p.m. 1811 14th St. NW. 202-397-7328.

LITERATURE: "Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living" NPR correspondent Doug Fine spent 12 ambitious, frustrating, silly months living "off the grid" in New Mexico -- going "carbon neutral," driving a veg-oil-powered truck, raising his own chickens. Is he total ly hippie? Yes. Did he get to keep his Netflix? Yes to that, too (surprisingly). He talks about his trials and tribulations in going green tonight at National Geographic. $18; members, $15. 7:30 p.m. Grosvenor Auditorium, 1600 M St. NW. 202-857-7700.

THE SCENE: The Hirshhorn's After Hours Return The parties at the contemporary art museum resume for the season tomorrow with an event celebrating two newish shows, "The Cinema Effect, Part 1: Dreams" and "Directions: Amy Sillman, Third Person Singular." DJ Solomon Sanchez spins, and Portland, Ore., cellphone-musicmakers Hooliganship and Lucky Dragons, a duo that uses audience members and electronics to make music from skin touching skin (sounds intriguing, we know), will perform. Cash bar. Buy in advance by phone (the best way to avoid fees). $10 in advance (tickets bought online through http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu/afterhours are subject to fees); $12 at the door. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. 202-633-4629.

CONCERT: Beach House The Baltimore duo of Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand play haunting, minimalist indie-pop. On the road promoting their breakout record, "Devotion," they visit the Rock & Roll Hotel tomorrow for a show with the Papercuts. $10. Doors at 8:30, show at 9:30. 353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625 or get tickets in advance at http://www.rockandrollhoteldc.com.

ON STAGE: "Bad Dates" Consider Theresa Rebeck's one-woman show something to pass the time till the "Sex and the City" movie comes out in May. Tracking a fabulous urban single mom as she prepares for a big date, "Dates" is as heavy on fashion as the old HBO show, with many Choo -- um, shoe-- and outfit changes. $25-$48. Wednesdays-Sundays at 7:45 p.m., also 1:45 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Through April 20. Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd., Olney. 301-924-3400.

FILM: "Dasepo Naughty Girls" It helps if you think of this teen sex comedy/musical -- one of the opening films in the Freer Gallery's annual Korean Film Festival -- as an Asian "American Pie" meets "High School Musical." But it's not for kids. The film, based on the popular Web comic "Dasepo Girls," is quirky, surreal and full of jokes about all manner of subjects, including sexually transmitted disease. It plays tomorrow at the AFI Silver. $9.75; seniors and students, $8.50; age 12 and younger, $6.75. 9:45 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6720.

CONCERT: Opening the Outdoor Concert Season: Santana The inveterate Latin-beat guitarist Carlos Santana and his band, on the road months before the release of their upcoming CD, "Multi Dimensional Warrior," open the season at Merriweather Post Pavilion tomorrow night. Also on the "Live Your Light Tour" is the Derek Trucks Band. Lawn tickets remain. $35.50. 7 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 202-397-7328.

CLOSING: "Last Days of the Killone Players" Keegan Theatre's premiere run of this Eric Lucas play follows an Irish amateur theater group doing a reading of its final production over the course of a single night. The production, which closes with Saturday's show, is part of the theater's New Island Project. $20; seniors and students, $15. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Theatre on the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Dr., Arlington. 703-892-0202, Ext. 2.

ON STAGE: "Moby Dick Rehearsed" and "The Tempest" The Acting Company, a touring troupe, takes on two plays over two nights at George Mason University's Center for the Arts. First, on Saturday, it's Orson Welles's "Moby Dick Rehearsed," a play-within-a-play that ties Captain Ahab to King Lear. On Sunday, it's Shakespeare's play about the exiled, shipwrecked Prospero, who becomes obsessed with revenge. $17-$34 each performance. Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7. George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax. 888-945-2468.