Category Archives: Entertainment

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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We Love Music: The Killers at Patriot Center

Killers.jpg
The Killers @ Madison Square Garden by Aphrodite in NYC

Suffice it to say: The Killers are a Great Band that plays a Great Show. I just wish I could say that each album they put out was as good as their blockbuster Hot Fuss and its sophomore follow-up Sam’s Town. Day & Age just isn’t as good, and it showed last night at their show in Fairfax at the Patriot Center. Aside from top singles Human and Spaceman, the rest of Day & Age fell flat in front of the crowd. While better live than memorex, it was tough to see the band that rocked out so hard on previous albums watch the crowd ebb in front of their eyes.

Perhaps it’s that the sound wasn’t all that great in the Patriot Center (and it wasn’t, the engineering team needs to go back to school, there was some real balance programs for the whole first half of the concert.), or maybe it’s that the source material for Day & Age just hasn’t gelled yet. Regardless, the crowd came most alive for the partially acoustic version of Sam’s Town, which was a highlight of the show. Continue reading →

Downtown, Entertainment, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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And So Begin the Exemptions

Photo courtesy of
‘Cigar’
courtesy of ‘J$’

It’s gotta be nice to have a councilman in your organization; so that he’ll take on the first exemption to the smoking ban so you can have a cigar on St. Paddy’s Day. That’s right, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (and their circa 1998 website) have convinced Councilman Jack Evans (Ward 2) to put legislation before the council that would exempt the fraternal organization on St. Paddy’s day so they can have celebratory cigars with their celebratory whiskey.

This one seems crappy to me. I know, holiday, but if we do one exemption, it’s going to be a dozen of them. Better would be to write an exemption process and let people petition a committee of the council for it, instead of going the legislative route. It seems that Evans took this on of his own volition, but it seems to be an inefficient way to try to do this on a regular basis, if we want to do that at all.

24 in DC, Entertainment, The Features
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24 in DC: Episode 3 (12:00 to 1:00)

Picture 5.png
Jack Bauer IV and 24 by Browserd

We’re a little late getting started, sorry for that, we were hanging out with some inaugural guests.

24 picks up this week right at the safe room where Prime Minister Baku is hanging out, which, supposedly, is up in Northwest off Foxhall Road. The house itself looks more like an LA-style mansion than the big properties up on Foxhall.

12:04

Agent Walker is driving up Constitution near Justice, getting bitched out by her boss for “torturing” the guy at the imaginary hospital down somewhere near 3rd and Independence. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Middle Distance Runner


Middle Distance Runner by dcjasmine

I have a confession to make: I have a crush on Middle Distance Runner. I went to see them a few months back at Iota, and since that time I found myself wondering when I could see them again. Their catchy songs, sweet style, and talented band members make for a winning combination, if I do say so myself. Dear Middle Distance Runner, do you like me back? Please check yes or no.

MDR is a local band that has been around since 1995. They may have started out as an excuse to play Led Zeppelin covers, but since deciding to take themselves seriously, they seem to have really hit the right note. They’ve even had some commercial success with songs in HBO and Harley-Davidson commercials.  Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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Live Blog – Moby @ The 9:30 Club

Breakin' Beats Breakin' the Club

D.C. begins it’s musical revelry for the Inauguration of Barack Obama on Sunday with both concerts for the masses but also in smaller venues. Tonight, or this morning if you take it that way, Moby is now on stage at the 9:30 Club with a sold out show expected to end at 4:30am this morning. This is the first such event at the club to push past the normal D.C. curfew for alcohol and noise. If you can still get a ticket, it’s one of the most intimate and loose events of the next two days of celebration.

At approximately 1:32am, Moby “broke” the club. The entire club’s power supply tripped and sent revelers into a chant of “yes we can” as attempts to restore the life back to the club continued. At least the bar servers were still able to dispense alcohol in the bottle format to keep the “mob”-y at bay.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Night Life, The Features
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No Ball? No Problem

Photo courtesy of
‘__ _______ __ __’ courtesy of ‘Sexy Fitsum’

Former WeLoveDC blogger (and currently preparing to make her way here from CA for next week’s festivities) Brittany hooked us up with a BYT event coming up that promises to be one heck of a party…but not a ball.

Brightest Young Things is having their “Inauguration Classic 2k9 Spectacular” on Tuesday evening at the Bohemian Caverns / LIV night club, located at 2001 11th and U St. NW. Party starts at 9:30 a.m. and runs until 4 a.m. That’s right – it starts early and goes all day long, celebrating in true BYT fashion.

They’re promising “Inaugural viewing, food, fun, games, happiness, general merriment and much rejoicing.” At 5 p.m. Tig Notaro from The Sarah Silverman Project kicks off a rocket-ride of live performances, featuring the likes of WALE, the Mathematicians, Fatback DJs, Art of Junk, the Buildings and more. (See their online flier for the full list of performers and specials.)

You have to secure tickets, but the souvenir glitter band gives you in and out access all day / night long, plus bag and coat check. Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features
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Red vs. Black: Ice Rivals

Photo courtesy of Teka England
Penguin!, courtesy of Teka England

Okay, in case you’re unaware, there’s a war scheduled for tonight at 7:30 pm. It’s set to rumble off up in Pittsburgh’s venerable Mellon Arena (hereafter called by its proper name, the Igloo) and features an interstate rivalry that dates back to at least the early nineties, depending on who you talk to.

Yes, I’m talking about tonight’s NHL hockey match-up, the Washington Capitals vs the Pittsburgh Penguins.

I bring it up because honestly, it’s a must-watch event in our household. More than American Idol and Top Chef – though the game should be over before Top Chef comes on – and usually warrants the phone being off the hook and ignoring any knocking at the door. (Though I dislike being forced to watch Comcast’s coverage due to Center Ice blackout restrictions – I cannot stand Craig Laughlin’s commentary. At all.) Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Tiger City/Bear Hands/Statehood

Bear Hands by faithdesired  Bear Hands by faithdesired 

I would not normally list the two opener bands when reviewing a concert, but Saturday’s show at the Rock and Roll Hotel was no normal concert. The woman at the box office was keeping track of how many people were there to see each band, and at the end of the night all three were neck and neck. For good reason.

First up was Brooklyn band Tiger City. To be honest, my friend and I were more than a little skeptical about these guys. They came on stage dressed like some ragtag team of time travelers, with frontman Bill Gillim rocking a very bohemian shirt and a massive (though tidy) beard. But once they started playing, it became an entirely different story. Continue reading →

24 in DC, Entertainment, The Features, WTF?!
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24 in DC: Episode Two (10:00 – 12:00)

JackBauer2.jpg
Jack Bauer II by browserd

When last we left our intrepid hero, he had found the mysterious gang of quasi-Juman terrorists lead by Tony Almeida somewhere along the DC waterfront. The terrorists were in possession of some magical device that lets them into the Air Traffic Control systems, but they handed that off to The Big Bad Guy, who’s leaving threatening messages on the State Department’s Voicemail like an intern who’s had a bit too much Busch Light on a weeknight.

Sorry for the late start everyone, Happy Hour at Science Club ran long.

10:06am

We begin tonight’s episode in the White House, where President Taylor is dealing with the consequences of the compromised firewall. She’s hoping that the FBI will quickly break Almeida, which means it’s off to the FBI Bureau again. Which has a helipad. In DC? Really guys? I don’t think so. Again with the skyscrapers in the distance here. 12 stories and a penthouse is the rule in DC. No one breaks it, not even the Feds.

And suddenly there’s an open air parking garage adjacent to the helipad in DC? Yikes. Not so much, guys. Not so much. We’re going to take this out on Tony Almeida, I can just tell.

Continue reading →

24 in DC, Entertainment, The Features, WTF?!
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24 in DC: Episode One (8:00 to 10:00)

JackBauer.jpg
24:00:00 by TCM Hitchhiker

With the return of everyone’s favorite vigilante/law-enforcer Jack Bauer, and the show’s move from Los Angeles to here in DC, I thought it might be a good time to track 24’s progress through our streets and see how we fare. This’ll be a live-blog tonight, and if it works well, we’ll bring it back next week.

8:00am.

Cellphone in the driver’s compartment? That’s a ticketing. Good thing he got plowed by a nearby truck. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Penn Quarter, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: How Theater Failed America

How Theater Failed America

“You should not have come.”

That’s how Mike Daisey opens his monologue at Woolly Mammoth, acknowledging that this is going to be a different kind of show. He’s very wrong, mind you: this show has a self-selecting audience that is sure to be glad they came. The show’s title assures that. Anyone who reads “How Theater Failed America” on a program schedule and thinks “that’s something I want to see!” is pretty certain to enjoy it, since anyone who isn’t predisposed to be interested in a critical examination of the business of modern theater isn’t going to be jazzed by a moniker that holds up a metaphorical axe and grindstone.

That’s really too bad, since this is a show that anyone can take something away from. (Well, presuming they’re not afraid of the word “fuck,” which Daisey uses pretty liberally.) Daisey intertwines examination, analysis, personal anecdote and touching revelation to create something worth hearing even if you couldn’t care less about what ends up on local or national stages. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Penn Quarter, Sports Fix, The Features
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Caps Extra: Halfway There

Photo courtesy of clydeorama
Boudreau and Capitals at Bench, courtesy of clydeorama

I recently had the pleasure of chatting about hockey with John Buccigross, ESPNEWS Anchor and SportsCenter host – and the former primary host of NHL 2Night when ESPN covered NHL games. Bucci’s (as many call him) columns on hockey on the ESPN website are often insightful, humorous and engaging. Just don’t call him ESPN’s “hockey guy.”

Since the Washington Capitals have hit the halfway point, I wanted to give a mid-season review, so why not Bucci?

Sum up the Caps season so far. At or above expectations?

[Bucci] Right about where I thought they would be. Maybe a little better. They are certainly among the NHL elite. Time will tell if they can win low scoring playoff games and if they have enough playoff defense and goaltending when they play a good team every night for two months.

Areas of improvement?

[Bucci] Team defense, blueline, a goaltender to trust to win for two months, and keeping their goals against lower.

Goaltending. Can they be successful with just Johnson and Theodore (and some solid minor-league backups), or is this where McPhee needs to pull a trade-trigger?

[Bucci] This where GM’s earn their money. They get paid to make tough decisions. They have to make a determination if they have the goaltending to win the Cup. I would think they don’t because they are not a great defensive team. But, if they can improve in that area and they keep scoring goals, they might have enough. Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Downtown, Entertainment, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Jamming inmates cell phones – or not?

Cell phone zombie, originally uploaded by erin m.

Just because the inauguration is only a week away shouldn’t mean we avoid any other controversy. Like, for instance, a battle over jamming cell phone signals.

As Tom reported earlier, DC is going to test a system to jam cell phone signals coming from one of the DC prisons.

But, the prisoners have a new ally in the fight to keep those unlawful cell phones. CTIA – the cellular phone industry’s lobbying group – has filed suit today trying to stop the DC department of corrections from testing cell phone jamming equipment.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, WMATA, WTF?!
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2008 Retrospective: What You Loved This Year

Babys First Christmas, by wfyurasko

Baby's First Christmas, by wfyurasko

Thanks for a great year, everyone. This has been OUR baby’s first Christmas, and by way of celebration, I thought I’d take a look back at some of our most popular posts this year, in case you missed ’em the first time.

By far, the most popular post this year in terms of both pageviews AND comments has been Welcome to Murky. You Don’t Get It Your Way. Who could forget this tempest in a coffeepot? It had everything: An outraged customer, a small-business-owning coffee artist, downtrodden hourly employees caught between the customer and the boss’ policy, not to mention threats of arson and physical violence…  This is the kind of drama the Internets are made for, people.  Don’t forget to read through the comments for links to other accounts of the incident. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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It’s Your Lucky Day

music at jammin java, by flickr user cafemama

music at jammin' java, by flickr user cafemama

If you missed the Ten out of Tenn Christmas show last weekend but are still in the mood for some live holiday tunes, head out to Jammin Java tonight and catch The Lucky Day Christmas Show. They’ve got kind of a catchy, 90’s rock sound, which is hard for me to pass up.

They’ll be there with the super sweet Ellen Cherry and guy-with-guitar Joel Stein. $10, 7:30 pm.

Arlington, Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Ten out of Tenn

Ten Out of Tenn at Iota, photo by Jasmine ZickTen Out of Tenn at Iota, photo by Jasmine  

I hadn’t heard of Ten out of Tenn until recently, and I don’t know exactly how that happened. TOT is a group of awesome indie folk/rock artists from Tennessee who play together and release CD under the Ten out of Tenn name, even though each one is trying to make it big on their own. The result of this collaboration is something like a mix CD on stage, which is just about the greatest idea ever.

Ten out of Tenn came to Iota Saturday for their Christmas tour, and the venue was definitely decked out to reflect that–white Christmas lights on the ceiling, giant red bows on the mike stands, and stockings in the back with each TOT artist’s name on it. I was ready: bring on the holiday cheer.
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Entertainment, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Keep Your Dignity. Keep Your Job.

ecard by RTCRM

ecard by RTCRM

In a follow up to Tiffany’s The Office Holiday Party piece, Washington DC advertising agency RTCRM has come up with the microsite keepyourdignity.com in an effort to help people make it through the holidays with their dignity and job intact.

You can watch helpful PSA-style videos, take a risk assessment quiz to see if you’re in danger of embarrassing yourself, and if it’s the day after the party you can send out an apologetic e-card (this image above) to make up for your faux pas.

Holiday parties should be about laughter, joy and the open bar.  Not awkward moments and ruined reputations.  So visit the site, educate yourself and have a safe, happy and office-appropriate holiday.

Entertainment, Life in the Capital, The District
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Downtown Holiday Market Opens

Russian Egg Christmas Ornaments
Russian Egg Ornaments by Tom Bridge

The Downtown Holiday Market on F Street in Penn Quarter started at noon today, and features dozens of market stalls of some of the coolest locally-made stuff that I’ve seen. There are homemade cutting boards, made with beautifully-grained Shenandoah trees, amazing decoupage boxes in just about every shape and size, with just about every different pattern you can imagine.

The pedestrian market is right across the street from the Verizon Center, so if you’re out to get lunch at Gordon Biersch, or Rosa Mexicano, or maybe Jaleo, stop on by the market. It’s open every day between now and the 23rd, from noon until 8pm. There’s fair-trade coffee and tea vendors, with sample pourers, so you won’t freeze despite the chill. There’s all manner of unique crafts and gift opportunities. Read on for more photos from the Market.
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Entertainment, Interviews, People
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She Loves DC: Carrie Milbank

Photo courtesy of Carrie Milbank

Photo courtesy of Carrie Milbank

I’m an avid viewer of nhl.com’s The Hockey Show, co-hosted by Steven Lee and Carrie Milbank. I was surprised to find out Carrie had some roots in the DC area – specifically, during her initial foray into the broadcasting field – and on a whim, contacted her and asked if she’d like to do an interview for WeLoveDC.

I mean, we love finding out what others have to say about our city, right? So why not ask some of those in the spotlight? It doesn’t hurt that Carrie’s a big Ovechkin fan and did a few interviews for THS on coach Bruce Boudreau and Ovie.

Carrie was very gracious in accepting my request, so what follows is the Q&A session I had with her. We covered quite a bit, from her impressions and memories of DC to the Capitals and her career as a female sportscaster.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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We Love Music: Vampire Weekend @ 930 Club – 12/08/08

If Vampire Weekend fans had a case of the Mondays at the 9:30 Club the past two nights, then they were delighted out of that funk and transported to, well, brace for cliché…the weekend.

Taking the stage Monday night against a large canvas banner of their January 2008 self titled album “Vampire Weekend,” the four band members looked shockingly youthful. Dressed in their trademark prepster style, there was tremendous display of plaid, three of four musicians donned tartan shirts, and the drummer, always edgy, rocked a tie dye shirt.

The band’s two night stint at the 9:30 Club marked their first DC performance since a February concert at the Rock and Roll Hotel. This DC performance gap is particularly ironic given keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij’s metro area roots; for Batmanglij, who had strong crowd support, playing this venue must have been surreal, as one of his first concerts, Sigur Ros, was at the 9:30. In one of the brief set pauses Batmanglij admitted that he had seen another act prior to Sigur Ros but was too embarrassed to share the name with the crowd. Hanson, perhaps?
Continue reading →