Recently the Alamo Drafthouse has kicked up a little Internet dust with a press release that called its forthcoming Ashburn location "Alamo DC." City Paper wrote about it, DCist wrote about it, I wrote about their writing about it.

Maybe we should all chill?

The Ashburn location will be called Alamo Ashburn, says Brandy Fons, the cinema chain's publicist. Alamo DC is an umbrella under which the entire Washington metropolitan statistical area may eventually find shelter. "We plan to group all DC theaters in this same manner under the DC market on the homepage but then will have a drop down menu for specific theater locations," Fons writes in an email.

Fons wouldn't go into specifics about future area theaters but does say Alamo's franchise partners, who are opening the Ashburn cinema, have more plans for this region. If I talk to them, I'll write more!

Continue Reading

If their county's not in the Washington area, why are Loudoun's atheists so aggro? (Photograph by Ryan Kearney)

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema offended Washington City Paper's Christopher Heller recently with a press release that said its new cinema would be located "in the Washington, DC market area."

It's planned for Loudoun County, in Ashburn, specifically, which Heller finds "awfully deceptive."

DCist's Benjamin R. Freed weighed in on the Alamo issue yesterday, mostly dinging his corporate sister site Austinist for referring to Alamo's planned location as being in "Washington, D.C."

Since this theater is not opening till 2013, we could be looking at least 11 more months of this sort of wounded sniping. Friends, I can help. Also, I need a blog post today.

So let's figure it out: Do the official-boundaries-centric folks have a point?

Continue Reading

"Battle for Brooklyn"

It's Friday the 13th! That's enough of a reason to hide under the covers this weekend, but if you don't believe in silly superstitions, here are our weekend picks! Some may actually make you wish you had stayed in.

FRIDAY

• She Got Game opening reception at Arlington Arts Center. Curator Jeffry Cudlin brings together 11 artists in an exhibit exploring shifting perceptions of the female body, gender roles, and identity through sports. 6 p.m. The exhibit runs to March 18.

• D.C.-grown hip-hop artist Tabi Bonney performs with DTMD at Black Cat. Bonney dropped his latest album, The Summer Years, last September. 9 p.m. $15.

• Carole Greenwood pops up in Rosslyn at Food Meets Art: Recipes Inspired by Alice B. Toklas. The James Beard Award-nominated chef and artist will cook up an evening of food and conversation reminiscent of the salons in early 20th-century Paris. 7 p.m. Main Gallery. $150.

• Shortlisted for an Academy Award, Battle for Brooklyn, a documentary chronicling the story of the Atlantic Yard's project, a billion-dollar plan for a development in Brooklyn, where a community already existed, opens at Artisphere. The doc raises serious questions of eminent domain. In Arts Blog, Andrew Beaujon writes, "So why should we care about it here?" Because, he suggests, "the city of Alexandria has floated the idea of using eminent domain to get its waterfront-redevelopment plan going. Maryland considered using eminent domain to keep the Preakness in Baltimore. And the District recently argued that it could strong-arm tenants out of the Skyland shopping mall whether or not the plan to replace them was viable." The film runs until Sunday. $7 general admission/$5 seniors.

Continue Reading

So Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were apparently in town this week. They met with Obamas and went to a party where they talked about her new movie and she wore a gray coat and, oh, what's the use trying to make this visit sound interesting. It's nothing personal against these fine-looking people, but since Angie stopped kissing her brother and wearing blood around her neck, it's been harder to get worked up about her.

In fact, the juiciest detail any of our region's gifted gossip reporters managed to wrangle from the Jolie-Pitt stop in D.C. was Angie's admission that she's a "closet geek." Speaking to The Hill's Judy Kurtz, Jolie says she likes to discuss politics at home and sit in on trials at the Hague. Oh and Brad was walking with a cane. So there's that.

FANCY BITS AND PIECES

After six years of lovely floral arrangements, the Martha Stewart Show comes to a close. We’ll always have her Twitter feed, though, where Martha discusses the texture of the Snow Egg dessert at Quay and hanging out with the president of Panama. (Twitter)

Everyone is now supposed to fill their homes will their homes with  twig-inspired décor. (Washingtonian)

Gilt City DC’s Marissa Schneider sips a cappuccino and discusses how she uses social media in the pages of Capitol File. All well and good, but we’re more impressed by how relaxed she kept her face in this photo where she is clearly about to fall off the couch. (Capitol File)

On socialite blog Pamela’s Punch last week: “Vindication: Why We Feel the Need & What We Can Do About It,” a treatise on moral fairness and legal justice. Real-life examples include seeking the death penalty after the murder of a loved one, or wearing a very hot outfit when bumping into that guy who never called you again. (Pamela’s Punch)

Red wine might not actually be that good for you. Local socialites react with dismay. (Twitter)

Local stylistas distraught over allegations against Uber DC taxi, concerned they will be forced to ride in ghetto cabs. (Twitter)

The Glittarazzi girls ride an old-ass escalator at a New York Macy’s. (Tout)

Luke Russert apparently knows what Tory Burch is. (Twitter)

The owners of Evermay, D.C.’s most expensive house, have requested to rezone the Georgetown property to the site of a non-profit. (Curbed DC)

The offspring of Gayle King, sister friend of Oprah, has purchased a luxury condo near Georgetown. (Reliable Source)

If you want to remodel your Watergate apartment, embrace the rounded geometries of the building. (Home and Design)

Do NOT forget to accessorize when dressing to meet your boyfriend’s parents for the first time. (Ask Miss A)

The real housewives of D.C. agree that something called The Barbie Chair is the best gift EVER. (Twitter)

The Georgetown Cupcake gals have been charged with making a full-size jump out of cupcakes for the Washington International Horse Show. Yes, horses will jump over the cupcakes, I don’t know why. (Sidelines, hat tip Curbed DC)

FANCY THOUGHTS ON DATING FROM KELLY COLLIS

If you joke with your husband about having a threesome, he may one day actually want one. How to cope. (94.7 Fresh)

If your gentleman friend gives you a box of Godiva chocolates and a copy of a Nicholas Sparks book, just know that he got the book for free. (94.7 Fresh)

Continue Reading

The footprint for the Atlantic Yards project. Goldstein's building is in the foreground. (Photograph by Kai Simonsen.)

Battle for Brooklyn is a documentary film about the Atlantic Yards project, which attempted to parachute a new neighborhood, including a basketball arena, into downtown Brooklyn. The only problem? There was already a neighborhood there.

So why should we care about it here? You can't swing a Twitter client in Washington without hitting some nimrod who'll tell you New York's got better food, better coffee, and a better arts scene. Now we have to hear about how much more cinematic their civic problems are than ours?

But: the city of Alexandria has floated the idea of using eminent domain to get its waterfront-redevelopment plan going. Maryland considered using eminent domain to keep the Preakness in Baltimore. And the District recently argued that it could strong-arm tenants out of the Skyland shopping mall whether or not the plan to replace them was viable.

Continue Reading

Don't worry, be happy that Bobby McFerrin is in town for your three-day weekend. (Photo: Associated Press)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day means an extended weekend for most Washingtonians, and that means more time to see shows.

Eddie From Ohio
Friday, Jan. 13 / Sunday, Jan. 15 at the Birchmere, $35

Virginia folk group Eddie From Ohio reprises their 2011 MLK appearance at the Birchmere with a trio of shows this weekend. (Note: Saturday's show is sold out, but tickets remain to the Friday and Sunday night shows.) The group has a nice pair of openers: Dan Navarro (of Lowen and Navarro; also known as writing Pat Benatar's "We Belong") on Friday night and the much-hyped Native Run (formerly Deep River) on Sunday. For those who like show souvenirs, it sounds as though the group records and sells copies of the performance at these shows as well.

Deathrats (final show)
Friday, Jan. 13 at La Casa, $ donation for touring bands

Hardcore punk band Deathrats has sadly decided to call it quits. Watch the female-fronted group drop their fiery chaos one last time.

Kingsley Flood
Saturday, Jan. 14 at IOTA, $12

Folk/rock band Kingsley Flood, which has some D.C. roots, has gotten a lot of attention in its hometown of Boston; the group received a "New Artist of the Year" nod from the Boston Music Awards and was named "Best Roots Act" two years in a row by the Boston Phoenix. The sextet's peppy brand of Americana should translate as well to the stage as it does in the studio.

Bobby McFerrin and the Let Freedom Ring! Choir
Monday, Jan. 16 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, FREE

Your weekend will be winding down by Monday night, but there's still time to make this early show. Vocal innovator Bobby McFerrin, best known for his song "Don't Worry Be Happy,” will display his polyphonic technique (singing both melody and accompanying parts) as well as his vocal and body percussion. He'll be performing with the Let Freedom Ring! choir, a group made up predominantly of Georgetown students, as part of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage program. Tickets are free but will be given away two per person in line in the Hall of Nations starting at 5 PM on Monday.

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.

Continue Reading

When exactly did Yo-Yo Ma become the go-to reference for expressing that someone is really good at something? I don’t know. After combing through pages of Google search results, I lost patience trying to find the earliest Internet Yo-Yo Ma metaphor.

I did find, though, a world of people whose excellence at their instrument has earned them Yo-Yo Ma metaphorical status.

The Yo-Yo Ma of the piano? According to The Memphis News, it’s Markus Groh. The clarinet: Richard Stoltzman. The bass, the viola, and the organ: Edgar Meyer, Paolo Pandolfo, and John Rose. Iain Macey is the Yo-Yo Ma of bagpiping. Susan Fancher clinches the saxophone title. If you think you’re going to snag Yo-Ya Ma status with a more obscure instrument, like the mandolin, think again. Chris Thile has beat you to it. The Yo-Yo Ma of the triangle, tambourine, and harmonica — all claimed.

There is, however, no Yo-Yo Ma of the harp, and for good reason. At 85 pounds, a concert harp makes a terrible travel companion. “You can buy a seat on a plane for a cello,” one harpist told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2004. “You can’t do that with a harp.” Big cumbersome instrument means no jetting around the world to concerts, à la Yo-Yo Ma.

Continue Reading

Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas (Artisphere)

There won’t be any special requests at Carole Greenwood's pop-up dinner party this weekend at Artisphere. On picky eaters, she says, “This isn’t a health institution.”

The dinner this Friday, in fact, is taking place at an arts center, where the James Beard Award-nominated chef and artist will cook up an evening of food and conversation reminiscent of the salons in early 20th-century Paris. Food Meets Art: Recipes Inspired by Alice B. Toklas seeks to re-create dinners Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas once held in Paris at their home at 27 Rue de Fleurus. It was the home of Stein’s private art gallery, a place where contemporaries like Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse would attend dinner parties.

Continue Reading

When TBD last checked in with Maryland rapper Your Boy Fuse, he was concerned with gray days, solitary drinking, and heartbreak.

On his new record, Excellence, Fuse darkens the sound a little — he and producer Jamal da Great have constructed a dense background to his rhymes — while lightening the subject matter. The title, he says, reflects his ambition to always be "showing more, achieving more."

Continue Reading

Orange Juice in Bishop’s Garden is back for season five on Friday, which means more romance, more drama, and more ‘90s wardrobe elements from everyone’s favorite D.C. fictional teens.

The heartfelt web series, based on creator Otessa Ghadar’s memories of growing up in D.C. in the 1990s, has picked up viewers around the world (France!) and received support from the national LGBT community for a storyline exploring a high school lesbian romance. Ghadar promises that the story of Gwen and Sarah will offer new drama now that Gwen has moved to New York.

“It’s a long-distance relationship,” she says. “Which is always sort of angst-filled and problematic.” Without giving away season spoilers, Sarah also starts a band, and several of the characters engage in “weird relationship mix-ups and rematches.”

One element that remains the same in Orange Juice is the rather unusual wardrobe sourcing. The costume budget for the show is “nothing,” says Ghadar, so “we really do have to beg or borrow.” That means hitting up all of her friends’ closets and her own for the clothes they’ve been stashing since 1996.

Ghadar says people are thrilled to be asked for the old dresses and vintage lunchboxes they couldn’t bear to part with when they stopped being cool in the 2000s. “It’s like a very productive episode of hoarders,” she explains. She is personally excited to see Sarah wear what was her favorite necklace as a kid.

“It’s ridiculous little beads in the shape of hearts,” says Ghadar. “Now I get to finally see it get screen time and some love.”

Characters will continue to wear pants more often than is sensible in D.C.’s hot hot summer heat. “One funny thing I remember about being a teenager in the ‘90s in D.C.: I swear we never wore shorts,” says Ghadar. “We were always dressed for Seattle.” She calls the frequent pants-wearing “a funny sort of nod to that time.”

“We were always sweltering.”

Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of Spicy Candy DC.

Style blogs can be a little baffling to the uninitiated. One could easily look at any of the dozen or so blogs that have popped up in D.C. in the last few years and think they were nothing more than a bunch of photos of a girl standing in the street touching her hair for no apparent reason.

(Photo: Spicy Candy DC)

That’s because most style blogs consist primarily of photos of a girl standing in the street touching her hair for no apparent reason. Or leaning against a wall (Mimi + Meg), or posing in an alley (The President Wears Prada), or sitting on some steps (Style Within Reach), or standing on a porch (District of Chic).

Often there is hair touching, hat touching, or sunglasses touching. Occasionally there is leg crossing. Glances are frequently downward.

(Photo: A Lacey Perspective)

Or upward.

(Photo: A Lacey Perspective)

Smiling is frowned upon.

(Photo: Spicy Candy DC)

It’s model-ish behavior, except most of the bloggers aren’t models but 5’3” government employees, captured in five or six shots in the same outfit. The overall effect is more Zoolander than Vogue.

(Photo: Spicy Candy DC)

D.C.’s style bloggers (as opposed to fashion bloggers, who write about fashion in general and items for purchase rather than showcasing their personal style), who have increased in rank and visibility in recent years, are well aware that their photos can come off a little, well, silly to some. They really don’t care.

At first, says Katya Ananieva of Spicy Candy DC, posing in public for photos made her self-conscious. “It’s like, oh my god, am I really taking photos of myself in the middle of the street?” she says. “People are staring.” There was a fear of “people saying, 'What do they think, they’re models or something? Or narcissists?’”

But Ananieva and Spicy Candy DC’s co-author Carla Sanchez aren’t taking pictures for you — they’re taking pictures for future employers.

“If you want to do anything else in this industry, you have to do it,” she says of the self-documentation. Before potential clients hire the women to do any personal styling or consultation, they check their blog for proof that they can actually put together a look. “How are you going to show people they can trust you?” Ananieva says.

Continue Reading

Where art thou? (Flickr/Zugaldia)

Winter weather wimps, be happy. Temperatures are rising to the mid-50's this weekend, and there's much to do around town. The rest of us are left wondering, sadly, WHERE'S THE SNOW?! (Hint: In the photo above.)

FRIDAY

• Ever believed that for everything you do, there's an equal reaction? Return a lost wallet, and somewhere down the line, someone will return something you've lost. Just Moxie presents It's Just Good Karma, a weekend of laughs, tears and an exploration of life and why things happen the way they do at Flashpoint. Featuring improv troupes Subsidized Corn, Jive Turkey, Moxie Mash, The Lodge, The Lodgess, Just Moxie, Guys in Plaid Shirts, and DMG. Various times. $10 online and at the door.

• Photographers Keith Lane and Jenna Crowder present Reverb and Echo: A Haitian Landscape, a collaboration of raw photographs chronicling life in post-earthquake Haiti opens at Studio Gallery. Opening reception, 6 p.m.

• The Religion Thing, follows the story of a D.C.-couple forced to examine their own relationship after a friend announces she's found Jesus and is turning her life around. The comedy, about relationships, love, compromise, and regret, runs at Theater J until Jan. 29.

• Aoife Collins' Tickling the Ivories, a deconstruction and reconstruction of ordinary "cultural paraphernalia" opens at Flashpoint.

• DJ's J Mack and Jason Joseph as ForQuarters Collective at U Street Music Hall. With Sam "The Man" Burns and Juan Zapata. 10 p.m. $10. Free all night for 21+.

• Thomas Frank, author of Pity the Billionaire, explores how current economic times have sparked the growth of the Tea Party and Glenn Beck, speaks at Politics and Prose. 7 p.m.

•  A weekend of 'cerebral' laughs with scientist turned comedian Tim Lee at Atlas Performing Arts Center. 6 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Continue Reading

Beggars & Bandits.

You may have noticed that there aren't a ton of bands passing through D.C. this time of year. Never fear! Say what you want about the disadvantages of living here, but one of the reasons many of us stay here instead of moving to Idaho is our vibrant local music scene. It's forecasted to warm up (a little!) this weekend, so nothing’s holding you back from checking out a few of our area's awesome local bands.

Workers Party

Friday, Jan. 6 at the Black Cat, $5

Here's a nice reminder that the folks who work at the Black Cat (or any bar, really) also have lives and interests besides picking up your empty beer bottles and wiping your vomit off the floor in the bathroom. In fact, many of them also have their own bands! The Black Cat is celebrating its staff's creativity by putting four of those bands-- Mean Season, Booze Riot, the Red Moon Preachers, and Raindeer-- on a bill together. (Who knows who's got mopping duty when the staff is on stage, so go easy on those PBRs, okay?)

Bandits & Beggars

Saturday, Jan. 7 at Jammin' Java, $10 advance / $13 day of show

Bandits & Beggars are a Fairfax-based indie-rock quartet whose biography reads like a LiveJournal entry. (Excerpt: "One day, Josh had an epiphany, nay, a stroke of genius, and said to Brian 'So uh... Wanna write some music or something?'") They've been playing together for less than a year, but they've put together an EP and are celebrating at this Jammin' Java show.

Bike Trip

Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Red Palace, $8

If you like the off-kilter rock of Deerhoof and Animal Collective, then Bike Trip is for you. This D.C. quartet has a small online footprint, but the Internet does tell us that three of the four members sometimes play percussion or sing, and the band has a few recordings available on its BandCamp page.

The Grand Candy & Don Zientara

Sunday, Jan. 8 at the Galaxy Hut, $5

Local group The Grand Candy is as likely to cover Hendrix as the Talking Heads in between their original numbers. Luckily, these guys do it all with their own blend of jazz and blues, making them seem more creative than a generic cover group. Opening this show is the inimitable Don Zientara, whose name is likely printed in most of the albums you own by DC-area bands (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Faith, Rites of Spring, Shudder to Think, Nation of Ulysses, Jawbox, Lungfish, Q and Not U, and do I really need to continue here?).

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.

Continue Reading

Houndstooth.

Fancy news has been rather slow round these parts. Maybe because the fancy people are nursing their Nyquil hangovers. But the Fancy Feast perseveres in scraping up the fanciest bits and pieces of life last week.

FANCY BITS

D.C. Republican socialites: DIVIDED (Reliable Source)

Donald Trump’s son Eric reveals plans for the new Trump Winery in Virginia. Expect a completely remodeled and extensively redone Tasting Room. (Yeas & Nays)

FANCY DWELLINGS

The best before and after chair reupholsterings of 2011. The rumbling over the grammar of “before and after” in the comments section once again confirms the stellar reputation of the Apartment Therapy commentariat as the fanciest in town. Also: They debate the appropriateness of using houndstooth on a replica Eames recliner. Fanciest ever. (Apartment Therapy DC)

A look inside the renovated Hillandale Mansion in Georgetown, home of Isabel de la Cruz Ernst and her extensive art collection. (Capitol File)

My god, this KITCHEN. (DC by Design)

Bowling alleys in homes. (Curbed)

If you’re going to use a high-gloss paint treatment to give your bachelor pad a very masculine and preppy vibe, be sure your walls are perfectly sanded.
And if you’re going to splurge on tiles for the master bath and do custom build-ins instead of dressers, accented with antique hardware, consider spending a little less on your window treatments. You know, because of the economy. (Washingtonian)

D.C.’s only round house nominated for landmark status. (Prince of Petworth)

FANCY FASHION

You too can live the Karl Lagerfeld lifestyle. (Net-A-Porter)

Jason Wu for Target! Jason Wu for Target! February 5! Will the release go more smoothly than the complete fustercluck that was the Missoni line launch? We’re praying for you, Target. And that that blue poplin dress is still standing in our size when the Target doors open in Columbia Heights in February. (T Magazine)

Pastels dominate the runway for spring, and Belle is not amused. (Capitol Hill Style)

Pamela discusses the challenges of swimsuits, including how to shop for one (post-tan, pre-meal) and how to look good in one (go to the gym). Thanks, Pam. (Pamela’s Punch)

FANCY ADVICE
If you’re nervous about introducing your nice boyfriend to your crazy parents, remember that everyone’s family is crazy! Also: You decide your own fate. (Fifty First (J)Dates)

Don’t confuse weepy with contemplative after you’ve become a changed man. (Ask Harry & Louise)

Continue Reading

Penn Camera's 18th Street NW location was closed on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Employees were packing up boxes inside and a sign on its door said, "This location is no longer open for business" and "Thank you for your years of patronage and support." (Photograph by Joshua Yospyn.)

"A dramatic decline in sales performance during the preceding holiday period has precipitated this action," the store's website states. Five locations were closed today.

Continue Reading

People fascinated by dead businessman Steve Jobs have lots of options for learning about his life, his "insanely different" style of thinking, or the secrets of "iLeadership."

If they wanted to learn about his Buddhist awakening in graphic-novel form, though, they were shut out — until now.

Continue Reading

Vitruvian Gallery, the plucky little gallery that debuted last fall with the unique mission of showing only male figurative art, is setting high expectations for its next exhibit.

“We think it’s going to be the most controversial show in D.C. since Robert Mapplethorpe shut down the Corcoran,” says Jack Cox, co-owner of Vitruvian. In fact, Cox believes the show will be “among the most controversial art installations ever mounted in Washington.”

The featured artist, Glenn Fry, has a more tempered view of where his work lands in the timeline of art history. “To me, anymore, everything has already been done, shock-wise,” he says. But even if the Family Research Council won’t be at his door with torches and billy clubs after, Fry does describe his upcoming work as “suggestive” and “a little in your face.” But, he adds, “It’s not vulgur. It’s very erotic.”

Fry, who got a career boost from an appearance on the Real Housewives of D.C., staged photo shoots inspired by male nude photos from the 1960s and ‘70s. He altered 25-30 photos with captions and color treatments, creating “vintage-esque male erotica.”

Cox maintains that this vintage-esque male erotica will set the Washington art world ablaze. “Oh, the street buzz on this already,” he exclaims. “We keep getting calls.” He has no fear of controversy. “I think there will be some cluck cluck, but so what?” he says. “Some people are going to love it. Some people are going to hate it. Some people are going to want it and treasure it. I think there could be a negative response from some people, but not everyone likes the Mona Lisa.”

Fry had long envisioned a show inspired by vintage beefcake magazines and male erotica, but no gallery seemed a good fit to host it. Then Cox walked into his studio and told him about Vitruvian. “And I thought, wow,” says Fry. “This is a perfect match.”

The all-male nude, all-the-time gallery opens the show to the public on January 14. “Maybe we’re making a big mistake,” muses Cox. “Maybe we’re onto something.” He’s taking no chances though: “On this one, I’m hiring security.”

Continue Reading