Jeff Dufour

Farewell

This post is my last under the Yeas & Nays byline. It's been a great ride over the last three years. Thanks to everyone for your tips, quotes and comments. And above all, thanks for reading! Over the next two weeks, two new Yeas & Nays columnists, Nikki Schwab and Tara Palmeri, will be starting. They're going to do great, so please check back and see what they have to report. All the best, Jeff...

Continued...

 

Underwood, Perry lead parade of celebs

Actor and HIV/AIDS activist Blair Underwood was on hand Thursday for the dedication of the new AIDS Healthcare Foundation Clinic that bears his name. “To have the highest rate of HIV and AIDS, it’s almost embarrassing that that’s even happening in our nation’s capital,” he said. Underwood has been an HIV/AIDS activist for almost 25 years. He recently appeared on several billboards in Los Angeles, along with the slogan “Man up.” “People ask me ‘Why did you even get involved in this?’ ” Underwood said. “[My parents] raised us to understand that to whom much is given, much is expected. It’s biblical. I’ve...

Continued...

 

Willingham, Dunn share handshake agreement

At the ESPN Zone Thursday, Nats slugger Josh Willingham explained what’s behind his and Adam Dunn’s new tradition of simply shaking hands after one of them homers. “Everybody always does something crazy” when they hit a home run, Willingham said during a lunchtime Q&A. “Adam and I, being the simple people we are, he just said one time, ‘Give me a handshake.’ So I did, and that’s how it started.” Willingham, in fact, is so modest, he’s not even sure how he got here. When moderator Charlie Slowes asked the crowd which players were involved in the trade that brought Willingham to the Nats, the outfielder quipped, “I...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Rod Boyce apologizes to Sarah Palin

“We made a terrible mistake. ... Mrs. Palin, please accept this apology from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.” -Rod Boyce, managing editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, apologizing to former Gov. Sarah Palin, after his newspaper printed a photo of her on the front page with the caption “A broad in...

Continued...

 

Hope Diamond goes au naturale as its new outfit is prepared

“The Hope Diamond, naked!” exclaimed Jeffrey Post, curator of the National Gem Collection at the Smithsonian. At a Wednesday morning media event, Post unveiled the 45.5-carat blue diamond, unadorned by a setting for the first time in the 50 years it has been on display. And it will stay exactly like that until spring of next year, while its new setting is prepared. Called “Embracing Hope,” the new setting was the winner in an online poll that drew more than 100,000 voters. It’s being prepared by the Harry Winston Diamond Corp., whose founder donated the stone in 1958. The diamond will be placed in its temporary setting — a ribbon of white diamonds...

Continued...

 

Corwin talks animals at National Zoo

Animal Planet star Jeff Corwin was in his natural habitat — the National Zoo — Wednesday morning, as he led local kids through the Amazonia exhibit and discussed endangered amphibians. “We’ve lost 200 species of amphibians in the last two decades,” he said. Corwin also took the opportunity to start a new book series for kids. He leaves Friday for Panama to continue filming for a documentary, but not before he appears at a fundraiser for Defenders of Wildlife here Friday night. Below, Corwin with Patrick Henry, the son of CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry and third-grader at Chevy Chase Elementary...

Continued...

 

Yogi honored for Navy service

Tuesday was a baseball-centric day in the nation’s capital. And no, it had nothing to do with the Washington Nationals. After Tommy Lasorda’s portrait was hung in the National Portrait Gallery in the morning, it was Yogi Berra’s turn at night. The Yankee Hall of Famer was one of three recipients of the Lone Sailor Award, bestowed annually by the Navy Memorial Foundation. Introduced by his three sons, Berra discussed his service in World War II, particularly during the D-Day invasion. “We were the first ones in, 300 yards off Omaha Beach, shooting rockets,” he said. Also honored were Leonard Lauder, former president and chief executive officer of Estee...

Continued...

 

Bidens take in Phedre, Millian takes in baseball

That was Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, taking in the National Theatre of Great Britain’s production of “Phedre” at the Shakespeare Theatre Company on Tuesday night. And R&B artist and actress Christina Milian was spotted in the stands at Tuesday night’s Nationals-Dodgers game, an ugly loss for the Nats....

Continued...

 

Census turns to TV to assist its Hispanic outreach

The U.S. Census Bureau is getting a makeover — in the form of a character on Telemundo’s soap opera “Mas Sabe el Diablo.” “We’re going to do something that I don’t think has ever been done before and that is to outreach to a very important audience of the census in a unique way … that can communicate the importance and the simplicity and the safety of the census in their own words with characters they know and love,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves at a Tuesday morning press conference. Enter “Perla,” a Census worker played by Michelle Vargas, who will show up on screen within the next few episodes of the...

Continued...

 

Hoops coaches press Congress on health

Normally you see college basketball coaches on the sidelines, but yesterday several members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches took center stage urging congress to pass comprehensive health care reform. Coaches vs. Cancer members Mike Brey of Notre Dame, Ed DeChellis of Penn State, Tubby Smith of the University of Minnesota and John Thompson III of Georgetown University spoke as if getting their teams ready for a big game, mixing sobering thoughts of how cancer has affected them with words of encouragement. Brey was the first to jump in with basketball analogies. Talking about how Congress should be moving forward with health reform he said, “Now is not the time to...

Continued...

 

Walsh, Ratzenberger in town

That was John Ratzenberger, “Cliff Clavin” from Cheers, checking into the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill Monday night. Management was nice enough to send him up a bottle of wine. Meanwhile, “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh was spotted at Rasika in Penn Quarter Monday night, dining with his son. Walsh is one of the people behind the Museum of Crime and Punishment up the street from the restaurant. And Mayor Fenty and his wife Michelle checked out the new Bibiana Osteria at 11th and H streets on Saturday night. The couple said their hellos around the dining room before settling into a romantic...

Continued...

 

Lasorda hangs alongside presidents

Tommy Lasorda, the legendary Hall of Fame manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, got a birthday present of a lifetime Tuesday. On the day he turned 82, he had his portrait hung in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. "Tommy is larger than life, and now we're all going to know it," said Dodgers owner Jamie McCourt of the 60-inch-by-50-inch painting. "You've visited 23 countries, made friends in all of them. Sampled the food in all of them, too, I'd imagine," added MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who flew in from Milwaukee for the occasion. "After listening to Jamie and the commissioner, I felt like I died," quipped Lasorda when he took the microphone....

Continued...

 

For former Miss VA, no more hair up there

Former Miss Virginia Tara Wheeler shaved her locks Monday night at Crystal City Sports Pub — part of a promise she made long ago in support of the St. Baldrick's Foundation for kids with cancer. Photos: Mark...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: British Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald

Sir Nigel Sheinwald is the British ambassador to the United States. He replaced David Manning in late 2007. Before assuming the ambassadorship, Sheinwald served for four years as a defense adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and helped to negotiate the release of 15 Royal Navy hostages from Iran. He gave us his Media Mix via e-mail last week. Q: What book are you reading? Re-reading John Updike’s Rabbit novels. Q: What’s the last movie you saw? In the cinema, “Summer Hours” — a French film directed by Olivier Assaya. Q: What’s your favorite TV show? “Head Case,” with Ali Wentworth Q: What’s new on your...

Continued...

 

DeLay: In touch with his feminine side

Unlike his fellow conservative Washingtonian Tucker Carlson, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, acquitted himself well on Monday's season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars." Dancing the cha-cha-cha with two-time champion partner Cheryl Burke, and decked out in a vest trimmed with sequins and animal print, DeLay scored 16 out of 30 points in the first of two dances, finishing in the middle of the pack and drawing praise for his "natural grace" and how he worked the crowd. In the Viennese waltz relay competition, DeLay and Burke came in a disappointing fourth out of four. "I got bigger critics than those judges," he quipped after the...

Continued...

 

Obama tells Letterman: 'I was black before the election'

When David Letterman asked President Obama Wednesday if racism was to blame for the harsh political rhetoric of late, the president deflected the question with this savvy quip: "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election." According to the AP, Letterman responded, "How long have you been a black man?" The president also inserted himself into some banter between Letterman and the audience. Having heard that an audience member brought a heart-shaped potato to the show, Obama told Letterman: "The main reason I'm here? I want to see that heart-shaped potato." The woman then tossed the vegetable to Letterman and let Obama...

Continued...

 

A model of charity

Supermodel Frederique van der Wal signs a painting of her just before the start of ALL ACCESS: Fashion Friday night at Tysons Galleria. Artist Anna Rose Soevik donated the work, among others, for an auction to benefit YouthAIDS, the event's charitable beneficiary. Local artist Mark T. Smith takes to the catwalk with Frederique to model the T-shirts he created to benefit YouthAIDS. Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" makes it work during a fashion show Saturday afternoon. Photos: Zaid...

Continued...

 

Cosby, Matthews break bread at Tosca

That was Bill Cosby dining at Ristorante Tosca on Saturday night, along with "Hardball" host Chris Matthews. The pair enjoyed rockfish, porcini mushroom risotto, Red Cow parmesan cheese and salsa verde....

Continued...

 

Baldwin becoming 'Usual Suspect' at Values Voter Summit

This weekend brought FRC Action's Values Voter Summit back to town — which, of course, means it was time for another appearance by Stephen Baldwin, the "Usual Suspects" star-turned-Christian conservative and foil to his liberal brother Alec. Baldwin spoke Friday along with “Xtreme” radio host Kevin McCullough about bringing faith, God, and religion back into the government. “The American dream is faith," Baldwin said on stage. The American dream is to get back to the faith within ourselves. That allows the spirit of the Lord to [help the government] through us.” Baldwin said that a desire to stand for what he believes in lead him to become...

Continued...

 

Portrait Gallery bleeding Dodger blue

Remember that scene in “Fletch” where Chevy Chase’s character says, “I hate Tommy Lasorda!” as he punches a photo of the great Dodger manager on the wall? Well, Fletch would likely be unwelcome in the National Portrait Gallery come next week, when Lasorda’s portrait is hung. The date: Sept. 22, Lasorda’s 82nd birthday. The life-sized painting, by Everett Raymond Kinstler, will join portraits of Dodgers stars Don Drysdale, Leo Durocher, Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson, among others in the museum. “I have been honored many times in the past, and am appreciative of them all,” said Lasorda in a statement, “but to be included in...

Continued...

 

Fenty, Rhee documentary in the works?

Wednesday evening saw the local premiere of the Sundance Channel's docu-series "Brick City," about gangs and crime fighting in Newark, N.J. But at the pre-screening reception at the National Cable and Telecommunications Association offices, director-producers Marc Levin and Mark Benjamin had their sights on their next project. "We want your superintendent of schools [Michelle Rhee]," Benjamin told Mayor Adrian Fenty. "We want her, we want you. And we're looking for a D.C. policeman." If "Brick City" is any indication, it would mean plenty of screen time for Fenty, because Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a longtime Fenty pal, figures prominently in the...

Continued...

 

JLo and Marc: Talk about a birthday!

Marc Anthony not only celebrated his lifetime achievement award at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) 32nd Annual Awards Gala on Wednesday, but his 41st birthday (hardly a “lifetime”) which featured some very A-list stops, fetes and food. Anthony, along with wife Jennifer Lopez, had a full day supporting several political causes, but somehow managed to make the time to celebrate his big day. Their day in Washington started off meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi to discuss education for Latino youth and college affordability. Later that afternoon, the Latino power couple met with Washington’s top power couple – President Obama and Michelle...

Continued...

 

President Obama (fake) stabs a man

President Obama playfully stabs Tim Morehouse, who won a silver medal in the saber at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The demonstration was part of a White House event to promote Chicago's bid for the 2016 Games. Photo courtesy Tim...

Continued...

 

Bad timing for Serena’s ‘Solid Character’ nomination

In sports, timing is everything. So, too, in sports awards. Tuesday night brought the sixth annual Greater Washington Sports Alliance “Sneakerball” fundraiser to the National Building Museum, and with it the organization’s slate of awards for local sports figures. And wouldn’t you know it, there in the program was Serena Williams, nominated for the “Solid Character” award. (Williams was the Washington Kastles’ marquee player for a portion of their summer season.) Williams, you may recall, was defaulted out of her U.S. Open semifinal match and fined $10,000 for telling a line judge that she felt like “taking this [expletive] ball and...

Continued...

 

Rep. Crowley’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Penn Quarter got its own version of the Cavern Club on Tuesday night as pols and other VIPs turned out for the local release party for the “The Beatles: Rock Band” video game at Gibson Guitar’s Showroom. Taking up the mantle of John, Paul, George and Ringo were Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who did a take of “Come Together,” and Rep. Joe Crowley, D-N.Y., who ran through “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I’m Looking Through You” with Erik Huey of the Entertainment Software Association. “Crowley and I had the harmony thing going,” Huey said. Also on hand: Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., Marsha...

Continued...

 

For trafficked persons, Liu is an ‘Angel’

She kicked butt in “Charlie’s Angels” and “Kill Bill,” but now actress Lucy Liu is looking to take out human trafficking. As a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, Lui was in town Wednesday as the keynote speaker at an anti-trafficking conference hosted by USAID. Liu passionately addressed the mainly women-filled ballroom at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel about the atrocious acts of trafficking young women across the world, including right here in our own backyard. Liu explained how she first learned about this “modern-day slavery” while doing work with UNICEF, but furthered her involvement in the cause when she joined on to star in the MTV...

Continued...

 

Paul Simon back to stump for health care

Paul Simon was back on the Hill on Wednesday to stump for his pet issue: health insurance for kids. “Paul Simon is a man, we’ve learned, that can be very passionate in his words and music,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., before making several bad puns based on Simon’s music and professing his as well as his wife’s love for the singer. Reid said Simon was instrumental in creating the current child health care laws, crediting his passion and way with words. Simon, who is the co-founder of the Children’s Health Fund, said that if he were in Washington to sing about children’s health care, he would sing, “Poor kids can’t...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Mike Pence

"I told him he should have worn a white coat. I was only half kidding. Put a little pocket protector in it and fill it with pens." -House Republican Conference Chair Mike Pence, R-Ind., recalling what he told Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., before Boustany, a physician, gave the GOP response to President Obama's address to Congress last...

Continued...

 

Late night with President Obama

Next Monday night is going to be a late one for President Obama, but not because of presidential matters in Washington, D.C. Instead, Obama will be the sole guest on David Letterman’s “Late Show” — his latest effort to push his health care plan. Obama will make late night show history for the second time this year, becoming the only sitting president to sit on Letterman’s couch in the history of his 16 years as host of the show. And it’s not a first time the men have met — Monday night will mark the sixth time. It took Obama only two months to be the first sitting president to chat it up on late night television, granting Jay Leno the honor of...

Continued...

 

It’s no lie: Rep. Wilson has serious credit card debt

No wonder he’s a little stressed out. Rep. Joe Wilson’s, R-S.C., outburst last week on the house floor during President’s Obama's joint session speech on health care legislation has become the interruption heard around the world this week (Kanye West’s outburst at MTV’s Video Music Awards notwithstanding). But documents filed at the end of last year could point to one explanation — he’s in some major credit card debt. Documents obtained by watchdog group OpenSecrets.org show that the congressman has a minimum credit card debt balance of $30,002 between his American Express credit card and Bank of America credit card. And that’s the...

Continued...

 

Kilmer spotted at Il Mulino

A day after Presidents Obama and Clinton dined at Il Mulino in New York, our own outpost of the Italian eatery had its own VIP for lunch — though, we concede, this one was a little more B-list than A-list. Val Kilmer, the actor-turned-potential candidate for governor of New Mexico, was spotted Tuesday at Il Mulino on Vermont Avenue. Sources say he went largely unrecognized, due mostly to the extra weight he was carrying and his “greasy blond hair.” Like a good aspiring New Mexico pol, Kilmer sported a bolo tie and a cowboy hat....

Continued...

 

Bush: Obama wasn't 'remotely qualified'

The latest tell-all from a Bush administration aide, speechwriter Matt Latimer's long-awaited "Speech-Less," hits stores next week. Byron York teased the book's content on Tuesday, and now GQ is out with the first actual excerpts. In it, President George W. Bush weighs in, according to Latimer's recollections, on several of the players in the 2008 elections, and does so scathingly. After Barack Obama blasted his administration in a speech, Bush spouted off in the West Wing: "This is a dangerous world, and this cat isn't remotely qualified to handle it. This guy has no clue, I promise you." Vice President Joe Biden didn't escape Bush's candid assessment, either....

Continued...

 

Spitzer back at a Washington hotel, this time for econ panel

Apparently Eliot Spitzer thinks he can come to the city where he paid a prostitute to have sex with him, which led to his resignation of the governorship, and no one will talk about it. It seemed that way Monday at the Willard Hotel, where Spitzer sat on an economic panel hosted by the New Republic and clearly hoped to have people remember he is a smart man that can indeed think with what’s in his head, not just what is in his pants. The only mention outside of the issue of the ISE “inflection point” was when he told reporters he has no desire to go back into politics, and he instead will be working in the family business of commercial real estate. While quickly...

Continued...

 

Billy Crystal sups at Proof

And on his 701st Sunday, Billy Crystal was spotted having dinner at Proof, the wine-centric restaurant in Penn Quarter. In town for his one-man show at the National Theatre, “700 Sundays,” the comic and his wife, Janice Goldfinger, shared some Prosecco and sparkling water, eggplant salad and panzanella, hanger steak, duck breast and a side of rapini. And on Monday, Crystal was spotted outside the Willard Hotel, signing autographs for fans. (Photo: Mark...

Continued...

 

Goodbye Real World, enter Real Housewives

As "The Real World: DC" winds down its weeks of taping in the nation's capital, another "Real" show is on the way, as the "Real Housewives of D.C." is set to begin taping locally later this week. A spokeswoman for the Bravo network, which airs the "Real Housewives" series, would not confirm a start date, but we hear from numerous sources familiar with the show that is set to begin filming on Friday. Josh Friedman of the DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development said the show has been in touch with his office, but has yet to file any specific permit applications. Among the stars of the show are McLean socialite/supermom Mary Amons...

Continued...

 

Scion: Dupont Circle's new kid on the block for Asian fusion

If you go Scion 2100 P St. NW 202-833-8899 www.scionrestaurant.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday Prices: Appetizers $4.50 to $8.95; entrees $9.95 to $22.95 Bottom line: A newcomer with great location and an interesting concept, which nevertheless needs to develop some more consistency in the kitchen. Scion, the new eatery that occupies the former Cafe Trope space near Dupont Circle, is a family affair. Sister owners Joanne and Julie Liu cut their teeth in the restaurant business at their parents' restaurant, Jenny's Asian fusion on the Southwest Waterfront. Now, after...

Continued...

 

Perez Hilton tries his best to be political in DC

From blogging to music, gay rights to health care, Perez Hilton certainly is expanding his influence beyond the title of "Queen of all Gossip." Writer of the self-proclaimed "most feared" Web site in Hollywood, blogger Hilton (nee Mario Lavandeira) was in Washington on Saturday night for his latest venture, a music tour. The 9:30 Club hosted Perez and his four independent music acts, which - given the city he was in - Perez used as a forum for his latest political cause, stumping for health care reform. As many will remember, it was Perez's question about gay marriage to then-Miss California Carrie Prejean that stirred up huge controversy. Proving he's focused on...

Continued...

 

Women behind the Hill's power honored for work

Most people don't recognize their names, but 37 of the most powerful women in Washington united Thursday evening for an event in their honor as the Hill's female chiefs of staffs. Held at the the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, which serves as the headquarters of the National Woman's Party, hundreds of women (and some men) fetted the accomplishments of these chiefs of staffs under a tent in the backyard of the historic home on the HIll. "Women make decisions differently than men," said Women's Campaign Forum CEO Sam Bennett, sounding all Sonia Sotomayor-ish....

Continued...

 

Big night out for the Holders

Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife, Dr. Sharon Malone, were spotted having a date night at Teatro Goldoni Saturday. Arriving around 9, Holder started off with a Caesar salad while his wife had the artichoke hearts carpaccio. For their main dish, both opted for the power-spot's signature dish of lobster risotto....

Continued...

 

Diminutive actress tackles hugely important issue

While Capitol Hill was preparing to hear President Obama’s speech on health care, across town actress Christina Ricci was hosting an event concerning an issue that will surely be affected by changes in the medical field. People packed the sleek and modern offices of the strategic communications firm Navigators Global Wednesday night to listen to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) spokeswoman Ricci, who spoke along with Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., about the importance of both physical and mental services for victims of sexual abuse. Harman, who dashed in for a moment before Obama’s speech, read off some statistics she found “appalling and...

Continued...

 

Actress, mother Garner wants to ‘save the children’ with education

Congress is back in session, which means back to celebrity sightings on the Hill. Wednesday brought us actress Jennifer Garner, who as an ambassador for Save the Children was there to introduce the Full Service Community Schools Act. In the Capitol building, she greeted Save the Children Vice President Mark Shriver, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., who kicked off his introduction of the actress like an avid reader of gossip rags. “I know you’re here to see ‘Bennifer.’ I’m not that ‘Ben,’ ” Nelson joked, referring to the uni-name given to Garner and her husband, actor Ben Affleck. “That...

Continued...

 

Reichs gets down to the bare ‘bones’ at discussion

One of the first questions people ask Kathy Reichs is whether or not real bones are used on the set of Fox’s hit series “Bones.” “I don’t think Emily (Deschanel) or David (Boreanaz) would stick around for five seasons if we made them work with real dead bodies,” Reichs said. Reichs is a producer for the show, which is loosely based on her book series about Dr. Temperance Brennan, was in town on Wednesday as a speaker at the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program to discuss her newest book “206 Bones.” There are several differences between “TV Tempe” and “Book Tempe,” as she affectionately calls them, but this...

Continued...

 

50 Cent: You can find him in da non-fiction section

Howard U students flocked to see Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson on campus Wednesday, but it wasn't to hear him rap. The crowd, most back on campus after summer break, were there to hear he and co-author Robert Greene discuss their recent book, “The 50th Law.” Greene started the evening by explaining his and Fiddy's “weird connection,” which became painfully clear throughout the evening as Greene struggled to connect with a crowd that was clearly there to see to see the popular rapper. Jackson had been a fan of Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power – a book that distills takes three thousand years of the history of power down to 48 laws — and in...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Dan Brown

“I’m fascinated by power, especially veiled power. Shadow power. The National Security Agency. The National Reconnaissance Office. Opus Dei. The idea that everything happens for reasons we’re not quite seeing. It reminds me of religion a little. The power that religion has is that you think nothing is random.” — Author Dan Brown, speaking about his long-anticipated, Washington-centric book, “The Lost Symbol,” in this weekend’s issue of Parade...

Continued...

 

‘Arab Trump’ has green on his mind

They call him the "Arab Trump." The only difference is when Sulaiman al Fahim thinks green, he’s not dreaming of money. He already has a long list of titles before him — real estate developer, owner of the Portsmouth soccer club in England’s Premier League, reality show creator, philanthropist and world chess champion — but al Fahim hopes to add green housing entrepreneur to his resume. The American University alumnus is back in Washington this week, meeting with some senior members of Congress — including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — to discuss his plans to provide green sustainability to low- and middle-income families. “You...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: Michael Voltaggio

Michael Voltaggio, a native of Frederick, Md., is one of three contestants on this season’s “Top Chef” with local ties (the others are his brother, Bryan Voltaggio, and Mike Isabella). Continuing our series, we asked Michael for his Media Mix. Q: What book are you reading? “The Big Fat Duck Cookbook” Q: What’s the last movie you saw? “The Hangover” Q: What’s your favorite TV show? “Entourage” Q: What’s new on your iPod? Matisyahu, Citizen Cope, the new Eminem Q: What Web sites do you visit in the morning? mylastbite.wordpress.com, kevineats.com, latimes.com...

Continued...

 

Meghan McCain moves her ‘view’ to TV

Meghan McCain set the record straight Wednesday as a co-host on “The View” –not about her edgy statements on the Republican party or her remarks about the media scrutiny on her – but about her having kids. “Last time I was here I got into trouble,” McCain opened her remarks at the table, referring to her time as co-host last March, when she said she didn’t want to have kids, something that upset her pregnant friends. She Clarified it once and for all, but kept the chances seemingly low, saying she might take the plunge “maybe when I’m 50.” Hey, her dad had her at 46. McCain, who is a columnist for The Daily Beast Web site,...

Continued...

 

Blonde Charity Mafia fixed with a 2010 debut?

The long-awaited reality show “Blonde Charity Mafia” is making you wait even longer. The show, which follows three Georgeotown “alpha gals,” was initially due to air in spring 2009 but got pushed back to an "official" premier date of July 7. But then in early June, it was announced the show was again moving, airing sometime "midseason" with sources at the CW saying mid-October. Now, once again, the show finds itself with an ambiguous premiere date. When Yahoo’s telelvision Web site announced fall lineups last week, it curiously stated that the show “Premieres in 2010 on The CW.” Co-star Katherine Kennedy couldn’t...

Continued...

 

Jennifer Garner: Supermom

Jennifer Garner accompanies Mark Shriver on the Hill Wednesday, as they help to introduce the Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2009. Photos: Mark...

Continued...

 

Springsteen, DeNiro lead list of KenCen honorees

And the envelope, please: this year's Kennedy Center Honorees are Bruce Springsteen, Mel Brooks, Robert DeNiro, jazz pianist Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry. This year's ceremony will take place Dec. 6 at the Kennedy Center, and recorded for broadcast on CBS on Dec. 29. Producing, as he has since he created the Honors 32 years ago, will be George Stevens, Jr. "With his hilarious movies and musicals, Mel Brooks has created comedic gems that will keep us laughing for years to come,” said Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman. “Dave Brubeck's genius has dazzled us for six decades and has helped to define an American art form. Grace Bumbry helped to break...

Continued...

 

Don't let the name fool you: J&G Steakhouse has way more than meat

If you go J&G Steakhouse W Washington D.C. 515 15th St. NW 202-661-2440 jgsteakhousewashingtondc.com Hours: Breakfast -- 7 to 11 a.m. daily; Brunch --Ê11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner -- 5 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday Prices: Appetizers $8 to $19; Entrees $22 to $90 Bottom Line: A gorgeous room in the city's hippest new spot. Despite the name, it's the other items, not the steaks, that are the kitchen's strong suit. When the owners of the new W Hotel on 15th Street announced plans for their flagship restaurant, J&G Steakhouse, earlier this year, Washington's food...

Continued...

 

Marijuana growers may be adversely affected by Obama’s ‘private’ visit

The residents of Martha’s Vineyard are not unfamiliar with high-profile visitors. In fact, most residents of the small New England island are welcoming President Barack Obama and the economic boost his family’s visit is expected to generate. But one cottage industry isn’t so happy about it — the island’s small cadre of marijuana farmers. “The word was that some of the island marijuana growers actually had to get their crops in early,” said Mike Seccombe, a senior writer for the Vineyard Gazette, in an NPR interview Sunday morning. “They thought the helicopters scoping the place out for the president may have had something to do with drug...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: Jen Corey

Crowned Washington’s newest Miss D.C. only a few weeks after graduating from American University, Jen Corey is already in the thick of things here in the District. She took a break from her busy schedule to share with us her current media favorites. Q: What’s the last movie you saw? I just saw “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” Although I thought it was adorable, I felt bad for all the guys that had been dragged there on a date. Q: What’s your favorite TV show? My favorite show is “Cops” and “The Colbert Report.” “Cops” is ALWAYS on some channel. And “The Colbert Report” just reminds me that there is some humor...

Continued...

 

Reality gets real as new home gets built

A reality show filmed this weekend in Washington that followed "real" people in their "real" homes, and we are not talking about "The Real World." "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" surprised one lucky family this weekend with news that would change their lives – a new home. Host Ty Pennington, along with his design team and a slew of cameras, arrived to the Hyattsville home of Nikema and Tamara Tripp on Saturday with the news that they are getting a new home. Hundreds of volunteers – including special guest volunteer, actor and producer Tyler Perry – will work 24 hours a day to finish the home in one week. In addition, The Fishing...

Continued...

 

Beckham draws more excitement on street than on field

For female soccer fans, Washington has been the place of late to spot their favorite footballers. First it was Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. But this weekend the District moved up a notch with a visit from the game’s most famous sex symbol and, arguably, its most famous player — David Beckham. Beckham was at the center of a frenzy of fans and paparazzi from the moment he touched down at Washington Dulles International Airport on Friday for his Los Angeles Galaxy’s weekend game against our own D.C. United. But since for most women it’s mostly his looks, his wife, Victoria (or “Posh”), and his sexy underwear ads that come to mind more so than...

Continued...

 

Hemingway a would-be Soviet spy?

During the 1940s, when Ernest Hemingway was writing as a war correspondent and working on the book that would become “The Old Man and the Sea,” he also was being recruited as a Russian spy by the KGB. So say authors John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, whose recent book, “Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America,” relies on never-before-seen Soviet records transcribed by KGB agent Alexander Vassiliev. “Hemingway met several times with KGB agents,” Klehr said, speaking with Haynes at the International Spy Museum on Thursday. “He agreed to be helpful, but never provided any information, despite several attempts by the KGB.” In the book,...

Continued...

 

Tweens' favorite singers take on Washington

With two young girl’s now living in the White House, it seems as if Washington is being overrun with tween stars. This time, the newest guest to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Wednesday was Disney darling Demi Lovato. The singer spent the afternoon taking a tour of the White House, twittering online that she was “just chillen’ [sic] in the white house,” joking, “ndb [no big deal].” She uploaded a picture from the steps of the Obama family and remarked it was very “surreal.” Lovato was in town to join another teen favorite from a different successful television music factory — “American Idol” runner-up David Archuleta. The two of...

Continued...

 

Politicians fall prey to jokes, not lawsuits from Klayman

You better laugh or he’ll sue. We’re betting that the audience in attendance for lawyer and Judicial Watch founder Larry Klayman’s stand-up comedy act had prepared to laugh at everything he said out of fear of being slapped with a lawsuit. But as it turned out, Washington’s most litigious man had some pretty funny zingers aimed at the town whose residents he once loved to sue. Performing Wednesday night at the Funky Buddha Lounge in Baca Raton, Fla., Klayman took some time to discuss his soon-to-be released book, “Whores: Why and How I Came to Fight the Establishment.” As he explained to a full house, the purpose of the book is not “to...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Barbra Streisand

“It’s interesting that a Paul Newman or Robert Redford wouldn’t get attacked for being interested in politics, the environment. It’s a double standard, but women are changing.” — Barbra Streisand, arguing in the upcoming edition of Parade that women celebrities who speak out on politics are subject to a double...

Continued...

 

Obama turns the White House over to Republicans

There's a car on the White House lawn. What will the neighbors think? Wednesday was NASCAR day at the White House, as President Barack Obama welcomed Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson and several of his competitors to the South Lawn. And Johnson brought along his favorite toy, the No. 48 car. "You know, it is not every day that we have a championship stock car parked out on the South Lawn," said the president. "Fortunately, we got Jimmie to agree not to do any burnouts or tear up my backyard. I also suggested to Jimmie that, in exchange for free parking, he should let me take the 48 out for a few laps. He said that was fine -- but Secret Service didn't think it was...

Continued...

 

Vineyarders playing it cool as Obama visit nears

Although President Barack Obama will be staying in the remote town of Chilmark when he visits Martha’s Vineyard next week, it is the residents of Oak Bluffs — long a summer haven for wealthy African-Americans on the opposite corner of the island — who seem to be most excited. “Oak Bluffs in particular, and the people that summer here, are incredibly excited,” said Gina Patti, a teacher and former assistant principal at Oak Bluffs School. “Every single storefront has an Obama T-shirt or some sign welcoming the first family to Oak Bluffs.” Even her school is prepping for the prez. The school will serve as the filing center for the media next...

Continued...

 

Smithsonian lets public ‘Hope’ for new diamond setting

You will never get to wear it around your neck, but the Smithsonian Museum is allowing you to choose how you would wear the Hope Diamond if you ever got the chance. To mark the fabled gemstone’s fiftieth anniversary in Washington, the Smithsonian is allowing the public to vote online for three new possible settings to display the gem. Commissioned by famed jeweler and donator of the diamond, Harry Winston, the three settings are more artistic and modern designs in platinum and white diamonds. Formed more than a billion years ago and discovered in India, the 45.52 carat deep blue stone will be displayed bare for the first time in the National Museum of Natural History until...

Continued...

 

By the numbers: Health Care

70 The number of specialty doctors that oppose the health-care reform proposals. 0 The percentage of people in the Midwest that “strongly support” the attempts made on health care reform -Numbers released Wednesday by the American Society of Medical Doctors....

Continued...

 

No time for swine, says PETA

People for the Ethical Treament of Animals wheeled out some fake pigs to protest factory farming of pork Wednesday as a conference on swine flu got underway at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. Photos: Andrew Harnik/The...

Continued...

 

Gore hosting gory ‘Basterds’

He’s going from “An Inconvenient Truth” to “Inglourious Basterds.” Yes, Al Gore is supporting Quentin Tarantino’s newest blood-drenched film about a group of Nazi-killers by hosting a premiere of the movie Thursday night in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn. But it’s not totally random: The gory film is produced by Lawrence Bender, the man with whom Gore won an Academy Award with for their work together on the environmental documentary. Bender is the main person responsible for all of Tarantino’s films and is close friend of the director, so clearly he was skilled at going from humans killing humans to humans killing the Earth. In...

Continued...

 

Morgan’s monikers are the talk of Nats’ clubhouse

Like ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, the Nationals’ new centerfielder Nyjer Morgan is a nicknamer. No sooner did he arrive to Washington, following a trade with Pittsburgh earlier this year, that he began dreaming up monikers for his new teammates. And he revealed a few of them in a Q&A at the ESPN Zone on Wednesday: -Willie Harris: “Sweet Ricky Plum” -Ryan Zimmerman: “Peter Franchise” -Elijah Dukes: "Cholly Chirp" -Adam Dunn: “Freddie Physical,” because he “puts a hurtin’ on the ball” I’m still working on a few other guys, though,” he said. His own nickname? That dates back to 2000, when he began...

Continued...

 

Jarrett: Reading turns to solo singing

Oh, say can you … sing? When Senior White House Adviser Valerie Jarrett agreed to participate in the Department of Education’s Read to the Top program, she definitely wasn’t planning on having to sing a solo. But that’s exactly what ended up happening while she read “America Is” to local elementary school students outside the DOE building Tuesday. Jarrett — who was joined by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in reading to the children — kept the simple book exciting but engaging the kids while she read. When Jarrett arrived to one point in the children’s book that has “The Pledge of Allegiance” printed in its...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Jenny Sanford

“Everybody would like to escape sometimes. I’d like somebody 5,000 miles away I could e-mail. It’s not exclusive to men, but I know that isn’t realistic.” - Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, talking about her husband’s infidelities in the September issue of Vogue magazine....

Continued...

 

Top Dems already arriving on Vineyard

President Barack Obama doesn’t arrive for his much-anticipated trip to Martha’s Vineyard until Sunday, but the Democratic glitterati already are arriving to the tony island. President Bill Clinton himself arrived Monday. The Martha’s Vineyard Times reports he took a stroll around the town of Vineyard Haven before playing a round of golf in Oak Bluffs with his Washington pal Vernon Jordan. Yeas & Nays sources on the island said Clinton has left, but they expect him to return later in the week, fueling speculation that his daughter, Chelsea, is planning an ultrasecret wedding there later this month. But so far, the buzz around Vineyard residents in the know has...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Tom DeLay on 'DWTS'

64 Percentage increase in Twitter followers, as of Tuesday afternoon, of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, since ABC announced he’d be competing on “Dancing with the Stars” next month 3,000 Percentage increase of Web traffic that included “Tom DeLay” from Monday to Tuesday 4,000 Approximate number of hits on DeLay’s new Web site, tomdelay.com, between midnight and noon...

Continued...

 

Identity of Obama-Joker artist revealed

When trying to guess the artist responsible for the controversial poster portraying President Barack Obama as the Joker – which began appearing all over the streets of Los Angeles a few weeks back – it’s safe to say that few people would have imagined a liberal Chicago college student. But that is exactly who it turned out to be. As the Los Angeles Times reported Monday, 20-year-old Firas Alkhateeb created the now infamous image while playing around in January with Adobe Photoshop software. Taking an image from an old Time Magazine cover of Obama, Alkhateeb found a program online that allowed an image to be “Jokerized.” After painting the picture of Obama...

Continued...

 

Egyptian President Mubarak: First comes steak, then comes Obama

Bush kept him away, but our red meat has brought him back. Days after telling Charlie Rose that his displeasure with Bush administration is “why I did not visit the United States since the year 2004,” Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was back in America Sunday. But despite his animosity toward Bush, it seems Mubarak’s first meal on American soil was decidedly Texan — a steak dinner. Mubarak and five men were spotted Sunday night at Morton’s Steakhouse in Georgetown shortly after arriving in town for his meeting today President Barack Obama today. The men all enjoyed a juicy steak, but they had to wait to take their first bite until after sunset for...

Continued...

 

Trummer's worth the trip outside the Beltway

If you go Trummer's on Main 7134 Main St. Clifton, Va. 703-266-1623 trummersonmain.com Hours: Dinner -- 5:30 to 11 p.m. Monday-Saturday, lounge open until midnight; Sunday brunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Prices: Appetizers $9 to $20; entrees $19 to $34; tasting menu $62 per person, wine pairings an additional $42 per person Bottom Line: A promising new restaurant in a bucolic corner of Fairfax County. What could bring a couple of hardened veterans of New York restaurant scene to tiny Clifton, Va.? Why, home of course. Victoria Trummer grew up in Clifton, so when she and husband Stefan Trummer decided to leave Manhattan, it was a logical place to go. Nor did it hurt...

Continued...

 

Hot singer, ‘cool’ appearance

Singer Rob Thomas’ event at the Gibson Guitar Lounge started out on a hot note — a throng of girls waited in a small room without air conditioning before going upstairs to see him. Meanwhile, the Matchbox 20 singer tried to cool off from the 90-degree weather with a Corona on the outside patio. A huge billboard of fire advertising “G.I. Joe” loomed appropriately in the background. But once things got started, Thomas quickly cooled things down. After making all the young fans wait a bit longer for a trip to the bathroom, Thomas’ acoustic set was cool and mellow, singing and playing three of his biggest hits. Tommy McFly of Mix 107.3, which sponsored the...

Continued...

 

McMahon to put smackdown on Sen. Dodd?

The chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment is gearing up to challenge Connecticut’s Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd in a battle outside the ring — on the campaign trail. Linda McMahon released a statement on her company’s corporate Web site that confirms “she is considering a run for the United States Senate.” If she does decide to run, “she would step down as CEO and [husband and WWE chairman] Vince McMahon would assume the duties of CEO,” reads the statement. McMahon is no stranger to the political world. In the past two election seasons, she was an important part in her company’s Smackdown Your Vote campaign. Earlier this year,...

Continued...

 

Dancing DeLay: Don't bet against him

By now, everyone with a political pulse knows that former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, will be a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars," when the popular ABC reality show comes back for its new season on Sept. 21. But how should we handicap "The Hammer"? And can he top the showing of another conservative boldfaced name, Tucker Carlson, who famously bombed in his "DWTS" debut? Yes, say members of his longtime inner circle, who say his advantages are three-fold: -Dancing ability: "He's a really good dancer," says Jonathan Grella, a political consultant and former DeLay spokesman. "The first time I saw him my jaw dropped."...

Continued...

 

Walsh: Too 'Private' for politics?

Add the name Kate Walsh to the roster of celebs who may run for office one day. "I think there’s a little part of me that fantasizes about serving in public office," says the "Private Practice" star in the current issue of Capitol File magazine, which hits newsstands today. When pressed on whether she'd ever run for Senate, Walsh replied, "Ha! Maybe Senator Addison Montgomery!" referring to her character on the show. Walsh, who campaigned for President Barack Obama last year, also confessed that she thinks Washington is now sexy: "I think Washington is a very exciting, sexy place... can I say sexy? Yeah, I just decided: sexy. So many of the most...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Poe, Reid are the top talkers

93 Number of times Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, spoke on the House floor this year before Congress adjourned, the most of any member 67 Number of times Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, spoke, the most of any Democrat 117 Number of times Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., spoke from the Senate floor, more than any of his colleagues 96 Number of times Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke, the most of any Republican Data courtesy of...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Mike Ross and Aaron Schock

"I will never vote for a bill to kill old people, period." -Rep. Mike Ross, a Blue Dog Democrat from Arkansas, on CNN's "State of the Union with John King" Sunday “[A]t the White House picnic that I was invited to, Michelle was there, first lady Michelle Obama, with a sleeveless shirt on, and she was looking pretty buff…I actually complimented her on her arms. She's got it together.” -Rep. Aaron Shock, R-Ohio, who's known for his own six-pack abs, recalling to NPR's Peter Sagal Saturday about an exchange with first lady Michelle Obama....

Continued...

 

LeBron: I'd hire Vick

LeBron James is the forgiving type. Or maybe he's just not a dog lover. In an appearance in D.C. on Friday, the NBA star said he's happy that embattled NFL quarterback Michael Vick is getting another chance to play, and that if he could, he'd even be the one to give him that chance. "I was excited to see Michael Vick get resigned," said James, who added that he loved watching Vick play. "If we owned a franchise, I would have signed him right away," he said. King James' comments came during an afternoon-long festival at Kastles Stadium, sponsored by Nike and Lionsgate films, to promote "More than a Game," the documentary about his high school team. The...

Continued...

 

McCotter invokes Beatles in slamming Obama

With the congressional band the Second Amendments now broken up, their guitar player, Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., apparently needed another way to scratch his rock and roll itch. Hence, a column he penned for the Big Hollywood blog, in which he likens President Barack Obama’s health care plan to ... the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” album. Performed by “President Obama’s Lefty Health Club Band,” the track listing for McCotter’s tribute album is as follows: With a Little Help from the Feds, Being for the Benefit of Mr. Marx, Lyndon in the Sky on Steroids, Digging a Hole and the closing medley Good Moaning, Good...

Continued...

 

Town hall-like scene at Dean health care discussion

These days when you say the words, “health care,” you may as well throw in “town hall”, because it seems that no matter where or how you talk about the issue, passionate people will turn out. That was the scene Thursday afternoon at Howard Dean’s discussion on his newest book, “Howard Dean’s Prescription on Real Health Care.” Upon entering Politics and Prose, you were lucky to get a view of the former Democratic presidential nominee as people were packed between the book aisles and an overflow room had a televised Dean. People clapped, booed and even yelled at each other, just like every good town hall we’ve seen of late. When one...

Continued...

 

Celebrity hairstylist’s newest salon already star-studded

He only opened his newest salon a few months, but already Ted Gibson is living up to the “celebrity” part of his “celebrity hairstylist” tag. “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon recently brought her fiery hair to Gibson’s Chevy Chase salon. As have Anne Hathaway, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Tatyana Ali and Lynda Carter, who all traveled up Wisconsin Avenue for a blowout or a trim from the New York City stylist. Gibson’s people tell us all the ladies were in town for events occurring at the White House. Speaking of the White House, another celeb who has some familiarity with 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is actress Rashida Jones. She, too, has...

Continued...

 

Special treatment in the air for Rosie?

“It is 8:22, my plane landed 17 minutes ago,” said Rosie O’Donnell from the 9:30 Club stage Wednesday night, explaining why she was 20 minutes late for her scheduled 8 p.m. “I got out of the car and walked right on stage.” According to O’Donnell, she might not have even made it to her double-billed appearance with Cyndi Lauper, were it not for an accommodating pilot on her Delta Shuttle flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. She told the several hundred fans assembled that she said to the pilot she’d only get on if he promised the flight would land somewhere around 8. “The pilot says, ‘I’ve seen the [True Colors] show...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Michele Bachmann

“With Gov. Palin taking a well-deserved step out of the spotlight, it appears that I may be absorbing even more of the liberals’ scorn.” — Lightning rod Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., begging her supporters in a fundraising letter not to “let them Palinize...

Continued...

 

The Medal of Freedom ceremony in photos

President Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to British physicist Stephen Hawking. Kara Kenendy with Obama. Kennedy accepted the medal on behalf of her father, Sen. Edward Kennedy. Billie Jean King receives the medal. The president struggles a bit to get around the headdress of Joseph Medicine Crow. Sandra Day O'Connor Sidney Poitier Photos (c) Carrie...

Continued...

 

Former Miss DC juggling kids book, dating advice

She’s been a Miss DC and competed for the Miss America crown. She’s been a Hill staffer. She’s the writer of a well-read blog. And now, Kate Michael is adding “author” to her resume. The 2006 Miss DC is finishing up a kids book based on a poem she wrote on “colors and how colors make us feel.” The book is aimed at a third-grade level, and she had third-graders from Bruce Monroe Elementary School in the District draw some of the illustrations for it. And once she gets a few more illustrations from another grammar school, she’ll put the finishing touches on it. She aims to publish it in February. Meanwhile, she’s developing an idea for...

Continued...

 

Ann Hand to close Georgetown shop

Ann Hand, whose patriotic- and campaign-themed pins have made her the jeweler to official Washington for 20-plus years, is shutting down her Georgetown location. “We’re losing our lease at the end of the year,” Hand told Yeas & Nays. “I couldn’t face moving over Christmas and New Year’s, so we’re doing it now. We decided to relocate everything back to our flagship store on MacArthur Boulevard in the Palisades. Plus, we have parking here. That was always a problem in Georgetown.” Hand began making and selling jewelry out of her home in 1988. She opened the Palisades shop in 2001, followed by the Georgetown store in 2005. Hand, the...

Continued...

 

Glover and Weiss: no strangers to lawsuits

GOP lobbyists Juleanna Glover and Jeffrey Weiss have spent more than a year together in court battling during their divorce and current custody battle. But now they can be sure to spend a lot more time together there thanks to not just one, but two cases the one-time social power couple have pending against each other. As Bloomberg reported last week, Global Policy Partners — a firm where Weiss serves as chief operating officer — filed suit Aug. 5 against Glover for “unlawful surveillance” of the company’s computer to “obtain a competitive advantage for [Glover] and her company.” Court documents obtained by Yeas & Nays show Glover filed her...

Continued...

 

Poitier preps for the prez

Actor Sidney Poitier arrives at Dulles on Tuesday in advance of him receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom today. The Oscar winner received the award along with Sen. Edward Kennedy, physicist Stephen Hawking, tennis icon Billie Jean King, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and ten others. Photos: Mark...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: Rob Dibble

Rob Dibble, a 1990 World Series champion with the Cincinnati Reds, served as co-host of “The Best Damn Sports Show Period” and a baseball analyst with ESPN and Fox Sports before becoming the ever-so-colorful color commentator for MASN’s Washington Nationals broadcasts. Q: What’s the last movie you saw? “I Love You Man.” Q: What book are you reading? “Munson: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain” by Marty Appel. Q: What’s your favorite TV show? “The First 48” on A&E. Q: What Web sites do you check first thing in the morning? Dibblebaseball.com to see how my wife’s new clothing line is doing, and then MASNsports....

Continued...

 

Al Qaeda: Think Hannibal Lecter

“Matthew Alexander” (not his real name), a former Air Force interrogator in Iraq, was responsible for the intelligence that led to al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Speaking at a Spy Museum event Monday night, he explained that Abu Khader, the man who gave him Zarqawi, might be familiar to American moviegoers. Khader was “the Hannibal Lecter of al Qaeda,” explained Alexander, who co-wrote the book “How to Break a Terrorist.” “If you can picture Anthony Hopkins, you can picture this guy. He was very smart, he was very manipulative, very intellectual.” And as for himself, Alexander said he “played the male version of Jodie...

Continued...

 

From angel to Joker, Fairey’s art back in headlines

Artist Shepard Fairey, who created the iconic HOPE and CHANGE poster of President Barack Obama’s campaign, is back in the spotlight this week with a new image of the president — and the popping-up of its antithesis. His newest depiction of Obama, appearing on the cover of the Aug. 20 Rolling Stone, shows Obama from more of a profile, his face wrought with determination in Fairey’s signature blue and red style found in the poster that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The presidential seal has been added, creating what appears to be a halolike ring of stars around his head. The headline — “Will he take bold action or compromise too...

Continued...

 

Blago starts Web site, praises his Elvis impersonation

Rod Blagojevich may have kicked out of office months ago, but don’t think for a minute he’s going anywhere. The former Illinois governor has started his own personal Web site to praise his own “history making” achievements, let people know about his public appearances and look for work. Case in point: The first post he has up under his “Rod in the News” section — him singing Elvis. Last Friday, the disgraced politician was paid by a Chicago-based sound production studio to perform the King’s “Treat Me Nice” (although we think “Jailhouse Rock” would have been more appropriate) at a downtown block...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Meghan McCain

“[Michelle] Malkin has the No. 1 book on the New York Times best-seller hardcover nonfiction list, but I have nearly twice as many Twitter followers as she does.” — Meghan McCain, using her Daily Beast column to fire back at columnist Michelle Malkin, who suggested (Meghan) McCain should leave the GOP....

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Obama's Album

352,414 Amazon.com sales rank, as of Monday afternoon, of the CD “Barack Obama: Days of Hope,” a collection of the president’s recorded speeches 0 Number of customer reviews submitted since the disc came out more than a month...

Continued...

 

Vacation-packed August for Obama girls

Talk about a great summer vacation. After kicking off the summer with a trip to Europe, the Obamas are taking the last month before school starts to show their girls more of America. Last weekend, Michelle took Malia and Sasha to Philadelphia to learn about the founding of our country their father serves. The first stop was a visit to Betsy Ross’ house Saturday, with reports saying the youngest Obama had written a school paper on Ross and was eager to see where she sewed the flag. They also visited Independence Hall and Isaiah Zager’s Magic Garden mosaic/maze on South Street. Then this Friday, the whole family is set to fly to Montana. They will visit nearby...

Continued...

 

Cousteau screens Oscar hopeful in D.C.

Environmental activist Philippe Cousteau lent his famous last name to promote a film Friday night that is sure to make his grandfather proud. The grandson of the late Jacques Cousteau held a screening and Q & A discussion Friday night for the documentary “The Cove” — a sad, and at times disturbing, film that follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the dolphin capture trade practiced in Taiji, Japan. But it wasn’t just only Cousteau’s name that led to the sold-out crowd at Landmark’s E Street Theater. “The Cove” has won dozens of film festival awards, is said to be a front-runner for being nominated in...

Continued...

 

Zentan has a lot of style, but the substance needs work

City's latest hot-spot eatery sometimes leaves diners wanting more Zentan, the new restaurant in the Donovan House Hotel, has a bit of a tortured, if short, history. When the boutique hotel opened last year, celebrity chef Todd English (of Olives fame) signed on to develop a pan-Asian restaurant in the space, dubbed Cha. Despite hosting a celebrity-studded party during inauguration weekend, English ultimately pulled out, taking the name Cha with him. Brass from Thompson Hotels, which manages Donovan House, rechristened the space Zentan and tapped Sursur Lee of Shang in New York and the eponymous Lee in Toronto to helm the kitchen. After serving sushi only throughout the spring, Lee...

Continued...

 

Air and Space ‘Sparks’ his interest

That was comic Hal Sparks, taking in the National Air and Space Museum Saturday. The “Queer as Folk” and “Talk Soup” alum was in town to play the Arlington Cinema n’ Drafthouse. Meanwhile, Mos Def knows where to hang his hip-hop hat. The rapper/actor was spotted checking into the new W Hotel over the weekend, in prep for his 9:30 Club show. And Ruben Studdard, in town to play DAR Constitution Hall, was seen strolling around Georgetown Sunday. Photos: Mark...

Continued...

 

Emanuel reads children's book like only he can (curse words excluded)

We can guarantee the children's book “Duck for President” has never been read before in the style Rahm Emanuel showcased for a group of kids Monday as part of the Department of Education's “Read to the Top” program. Seated under some trees outside the department's building, Emanuel kicked off the book about a duck who tries to get off the farm in the hopes of becoming president by asking the kids, “Have you seen the other one? 'Duck Runs for Congress.' It's a good book….I think they have the movie rights for that one.” With every page, Emanuel threw in some jokes about elections and the White House. After reading about how animals lined with...

Continued...

 

Darrell Green: 'Hooked on' Julia Child

Smithsonian exhibits, feature films: Julia Child is all the rage these days. Even among the unlikeliest of people. Take Redskins Hall of Famer Darrell Green, for instance. While cooling his heels at his hotel in Canton, Ohio, this weekend during the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Green found time to check out some reruns of Child on TV. "Sitting in the hotel room watching Julia Child beat up a chicken," he Twittered. And later: "I'm hooked on Julia. Never done anything on the rotisserie but next week you'll be smelling Julia-inspired chicken from my backyard." Other highlights from Green's weekend with football royalty: "Standing out in 85 degree...

Continued...

 

Soccer teams share camaraderie before Sunday match

In keeping with their "friendly" meeting Sunday, D.C. United and Real Madrid kept it friendly Saturday night. Both teams gathered on the rooftop of the W Hotel to let off some steam before playing in the steam Sunday. "I'd say the players' wives were probably more interested in photo taking with the Real Madrid players than the DCU players were," one observer joked. Meanwhile, Larry Stefanki, who coaches tennis star Andy Roddick , had a unique D.C. experience earlier this week. As he told ESPN's Darren Cahill, he went to the National Archives to check out the Declaration of Independence. But just before he arrived, someone pulled this fire alarm and the...

Continued...

 

Obama aides watch themselvs star on big screen

Movie tickets: $12.50. Train ticket from DC to NYC: $220. Seeing yourself on the big screen: priceless. Apparently that was how several Obama aides valued traveling to New York City for the weekend to watch themselves play themselves in the documentary "By The People: The Election of Barack Obama." Although it is set to premiere on HBO this November, speechwriter Jon Favreau and assistant White House press secretary Tommy Vietor were a couple of the aides to make a trip up to the big apple - one city in addition to Los Angeles showing the film for a one-week preview- to see how they looked 10 feet tall. Filmmakers Amy Rice and Alicia Sams' feature the young staffers while...

Continued...

 

Local director tracks down legendary drummer

What is it with Washingtonians and rock docs all of a sudden? First we have Davis Guggenheim, blowing it up this month with “It Might Get Loud,” the guitar-focused film about Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge. Now comes word that local boy Jay Bulger is working on a film that focuses on the drums. Bulger, a 2000 graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, has been an Armani model, boxer, actor, director and writer. But for his latest project, he ventured to Africa to seek out Ginger Baker, the legendary British drummer who played with Eric Clapton in Cream and Blind Faith. “I always thought he was the best drummer in contemporary music,” said Bulger, who now...

Continued...

 

Barry: Vista Hotel will be atop my obit

When asked if where his arrest for drug possession at the Vista Hotel in 1990 might appear in his obituary, D.C. Councilman and former Mayor Marion Barry conceded it could be at the top. “It will probably be at the top if it’s written by other people who don’t know me,” he said. “It’s not the way I should be remembered.” Barry spoke to DC50’s Chris Core for an interview that airs at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. “These other things people read about is just a sliver,” said Barry, referring to the controversy that has dogged him throughout much of his public life. “Out of 50-something years, that’s three days probably. Five...

Continued...

 

Joan Rivers roast boosts D.C.-bred comic

Whitney Cummings is a regular in the comedy clubs of Los Angeles. She’s a fixture on “Chelsea Lately” and has appeared on MTV’s “Punk’d.” She’s been in indie films like “7-10 Split,” “Grizzly Park,” and “Made of Honor” and is one of the brains behind Showtime’s “Live! Nude! Comedy!” But it’s the roast of Joan Rivers on Comedy Central, airing Sunday night, that might launch the local girl into the stratosphere. While she had written for Comedy Central roasts before, this is the first time she was invited to be on camera — with the likes of Don Rickles, Tom Arnold, Robin...

Continued...

 

From children’s health to burgers for her children

Everything is OK in moderation. That seems to be the mentality of first lady Michelle Obama. Although is a strong advocate for the well-being of kids, she lets her daughters pig-out from time to time. Last week, Obama — who has graced the covers of Vogue and O Magazine — went less mainstream, proving her dedication to children’s health issues by posing for the cover of the premiere issue of Children’s Health. Obama posed along alongside 10 children from Washington’s Bancroft school for the magazine that encourages healthy living and increased activity for young kids. (And Yeas & Nays heard those in attendance may have witness a bit of a diva behavior...

Continued...

 

Holtz says he doesn't want to run

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz told an Indiana television station on Wednesday that he doesn't plan to run for Congress. "I'm working for ESPN [as an analyst]. I don't want to run for Congress," Holtz said at a golf outing in Michigan. The comments were reported by WNDU-TV in South Bend, Ind., and later picked up by ESPN.com. "All I'm going to do is fulfill the commitment to ESPN," he said. "I'm prepared for it and then we'll go from there." While not exactly a Sherman-esque statement, Holtz's comments should serve to turn down the volume of the chatter that's resulted this week after a Florida Republican strategist said the former coach might...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Chuck Grassley

“Sur Taxalot is no dragon slayer.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, using “King Arthur” metaphors while debating the health care reform bill on the Senate floor last week, calling the “rising costs of health care a massive fire-breathing debt and deficit...

Continued...

 

Decker staying away, but Foster here to see Haas

There have been no signs yet of Andy Roddick’s new wife (model Brooklyn Decker) around town to watch him play the Legg Mason (we’re still holding out hope). But tennis fans got a little star power Tuesday night, as “90210” actress Sara Foster was on hand to watch her fiance, Tommy Haas. A source told us Foster was “very casual” in spandex running pants, Converse sneakers and a black tank top. Speaking of Roddick, he’s been spotted at the Four Seasons this week. Other stars have hung their hats at the Donovan House on Thomas Circle, including the stars of “American Idol” Season 8, who played at the Verizon Center on Tuesday, and Sheila...

Continued...

 

Prayer group preps ‘Citrus Juice Summit’

The Pray at the Pump Movement, which gained notoriety for their pray-ins at area gas stations, has announced its own take on President Barack Obama’s “Beer Summit.” Claiming the president’s discussion over a beer sends the wrong message, organizers of the “Citrus Juice Summit” will have a “juice toast” in front of the White House today at noon. Rocky Twyman, founder of PAPM, who confirmed he and many people in his movement voted for Obama, said in a release, “we do not want our youth and nation to believe that serious problems such as racial profiling can be solved over a glass of beer.” They also plan to offer prayers that...

Continued...

 

Hilton helps A-listers get to the loo

Sometimes it’s the small changes that make the biggest difference. Out of the $140 million renovations taking place at the Hilton Washington — including a new, 30,000-square-foot meeting room, a remodeled and raised outdoor patio area overlooking the city and a new pool deck — the thing that may most excite women at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner is ... the bathrooms. At a media tour Wednesday morning, Regional Director of Sales and Marketing Steve Passanante said in past years, women had to exit the presidential clearance area to go to the facilities, causing them to wait to pass through security to get back in. But thanks to two additional...

Continued...

 

Sheila E., Gaynor speak out for Plant, Krauss

Grammy-winning disco diva Gloria Gaynor and 1980s pop princess Sheila E. were the latest artists to appear on Capitol Hill on behalf of the Performance Rights Act, which would require radio stations to compensate the artists and musicians whose songs they play. “We believe that being paid for one’s work is a basic American right,” said Sheila E., who’s been nominated for multiple Grammys. Marian Leighton Levy, co-founder of Rounder Records, discussed this year’s multiple-Grammy winners Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The duo’s album, “Raising Sand,” she said, “won a Grammy for Album of the Year while receiving almost NO commercial...

Continued...

 

‘Idol’ finalists paint the town on eve of Verizon show

Six of the “American Idol” Season 8 finalists who were in town for Tuesday night’s show at Verizon Center blew off some steam Monday night at The Source, Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in the Newseum. Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai, Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy and Lil Rounds led an entourage of almost 40 people for dinner. A restaurant spokeswoman says the group feasted on tuna cones, short ribs and “many mojitos.” Desai actually left the formal dining room upstairs to dine on pizzas in the lounge with two female friends. Iraheta, we hear, attracted the most attention, thanks to her little black dress and “sky-high, patent leather Christian...

Continued...

 

Obama's birthday, more fun for everyone else

About 48 years after witnessing Marilyn Monroe famously serenade President John F. Kennedy for his birthday during her first White House assignment, Helen Thomas was on the receiving end Tuesday, serenaded by the president who shares her birthday. President Obama surprised Thomas prior to a press conference Tuesday, bringing the longtime White House journalist a plate of cupcakes from Baked and Wired while leading the press corps in singing “Happy Birthday” for her 89th birthday. And reportedly Obama opted for a Pecan Pie from the same Georgetown bakery for himself to enjoy later. As for the president, he seemed to have done most of his own birthday celebrating this past...

Continued...

 

Obama joins wife on fashion list

We know almost every little detail about first lady Michelle Obama’s style, but now thanks to the addition of President Barack Obama to this year’s Vanity Fair International Best-Dressed list, we get a better look into what is about the man that got him on the same list as his fashionable wife. His “notable purchase” of 2009 that seemingly got him on the magzine's list (sure wasn’t his jean selection) WAS his $1,500 Hart Schaffner Marx suit. He opted for the Chicago tailor’s Gold Trumpeter collection – a two-button, single-vent jacket (complete with a pocket inside that reads “Made Exclusively for Barack Obama”) and cuffed trousers....

Continued...

 

Turner in town, prepping to play Ivins

That was Kathleen Turner spotted at the Bar at Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons on Sunday night. The raspy-voiced leading lady (“Body Heat,” “War of the Roses”) has been in town for a private, one-night development reading at Arena Stage of a new play entitled “Red Hot Patriot.” An Arena Stage spokeswoman tells us the one-woman play is about the late Texas journalist Molly Ivins....

Continued...

 

Gates still bleeds maroon

Robert Gates is going on three years as Secretary of Defense, but he still keeps plenty of ties to his last job as president of Texas A&M University. A recent poster to the Texags.com Web site linked to an AP item about Gates visiting Talil, Iraq, and other posters began to wonder if he still clicks on the site, as he did regularly as president. He soon responded, still using the handle “Ranger 65”: “I do drop in from time to time to keep grounded with the ‘real’ world — as much as Texags is the real world! Not. But I very much did notice the Texas A&M flag flying at Talil in southern Iraq yesterday morning as I drove by. Made me feel very...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: Justin Jones

A native of Rawley Springs, Va., and a D.C. resident, roots rocker Justin Jones fronts Justin Jones & the Driving Rain. He and the band are readying to releae their third disc together. They will appear as part of the bill on the Route 29 Revue Aug. 16 at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Q: What’s your favorite TV show? “True Blood” Q: What’s the last movie you saw? “Revolutionary Road” Q: What book are you reading? “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac Q: What Web sites do you visit in the morning? E-mail is about it for me. Q: What’s new on your iPod? Levon Helm, “Electric Dirt” Conrado Bokoles, Justin Jones, Hunter...

Continued...

 

Please pass (on) the Ketchup

National Harbor's latest addition has a lot of star power, but little substance If you go Ketchup 152 Waterfront St., Oxon Hill, Md. (301) 749-7099 www.dolcegroup.com/ketchup Hours: Lunch -- 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday; Dinner --Ê5 to 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday-Saturday Prices: Appetizers $8 to $15; entrees $18 to $30 Bottom Line: Celebrity owners and a fun concept don't add up to winning food or competent service. Star power doesn't always translate to substance. American moviegoers learn that lesson over and over on the big screen. And now local diners can learn the same lesson on their...

Continued...

 

Roddick: Media tried to make me into Zac Efron

Ah, the phases of celebrity. After 10 years in the spotlight, Andy Roddick feels like he’s endured them all. “I feel like I’m on the defensive quite a bit,” said Roddick at a news conference Monday, when asked about his treatment by the media. “Coming up, I was the young, eager one. Then they tried to turn me into Zac Efron. Then you’re the punk. Then you’re the has-been. All the while, the meat and potatoes of who I am hasn’t changed.” Then Roddick, who plays his first match at the Legg Mason Classic Wednesday, showed a bit of his media savvy as he answered (or deflected) some other questions. Asked how his recent marriage to model...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Sarah and Todd

2:1 Odds, offered by Bookmaker.com, that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, will divorce in 2009....

Continued...

 

Despite tabloid headlines, Diamond packs ‘em in at Arlington club

Where was “Saved by the Bell” alumnus Dustin Diamond this weekend, while all sorts of bad news was breaking about him? Why, in our fair city, of course. Diamond, who played the lovable nerd Screech before going on to make an adult film in recent years, played two sets each on Friday and Saturday night at the All Stars Comedy Club in Arlington. “He sold a lot of tickets,” said Dave Tullis, the owner of the club and a comic himself. “The crowd was 25-35ish.” And as for his material? “He references the show and how people perceive him,” said Tullis, who added that though Diamond was a “little bitter” about the show,...

Continued...

 

Scurry leads soccer stars at opening ceremonies

The Washington Freedom's Briana Scurry, the former U.S. National Team goalkeeper who became the hero of the 1999 Women's World Cup, was one of the guests of honor as D.C. opened the 2009 Street Soccer USA Cup Tournament at Kastles Stadium. Also in the house: Jamaican Ambassador Anthony Johnson, DC United players Clyde Simms and Boyzee Khumalo, Maria Cuomo Cole (wife of designer Kenneth Cole), Kastles owner Mark Ein and Mayor Adrian Fenty, who rolled out the first ball. The top players from the tournament will go on to represent the United States in the Homeless World Cup in Italy next month. And on Saturday, Hudson Bar & Lounge hosted the first annual Sport for Social Change...

Continued...

 

Romer: Summers, Geithner 'do like to talk'

"I do sometimes have to interrupt them because they do both like to talk." -Dr. Christina Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, speaking about her colleagues Larry Summers and Timothy Geithner on CNN's "State of the Union with John King"...

Continued...

 

G.I. Joes: Where's our beer, Barack?

The president has created a monster. After Thursday's "beer summit" with Sgt. James Crowley and Professor Henry Louis Gates, everyone's going to want to sip some suds on the White House lawn. Especially the celebrities who come to town. "I want a beer on the White House lawn!" actor Marlon Wayans told us at a screening of his new film, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," Friday night at Andrews Air Force Base. "Whassup Barack?" he pleaded. "I can have a vodka and tonic; it doesn't have to be a beer." His co-star, Channing Tatum, agreed. He said he told Wayans, who attended Howard University and supported the president’s campaign,...

Continued...

 

Ex-KGB agent gives an espionage how-to

Warning: after you read this post, it will automatically self destruct. OK, not really, and neither will famous KGB spy Oleg Kalugin’s book “Spy Master: My 32 Years in Intelligence and Espionage Against the West,” which he discussed at the International Spy Museum Thursday. The museum’s executive director remarked they’ve run programs like “Sexpionage” and “The History of the Martini” (with a tasting), yet this was the most packed he’d ever seen it. Kalugin was the youngest KGB general in history, was the head of their counterintelligence operations and even went undercover in the United States, posing as a reporter and...

Continued...

 

Chicago celebrated again, this time for sports

Score another one for President hometown. A large group of Olympians, politicians and kids gathered behind the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday to show their support for Chicago being chosen as the Olympic site in 2016 and to inspire kids to find their favorite sport and get fit. Three-time Olympian speedskater Nathaniel Mills yelled, “You ready to roll?” and skated around the park with a large group of kids in tow, practicing the all-important art of passing the baton. Tim Morehouse — silver medal winner in fencing at last summer’s Olympics in Beijing — taught a group of kids swordsmanship with foam sabers. He even took some time to challenge a...

Continued...

 

Ephron’s got something cooking at Smithsonian

There’s an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American History dedicated to the star of her latest film, but don’t presume Nora Ephron knows anything about it. The writer of “Julie & Julia” was in Washington on Wednesday night to donate props from her latest film, which tells the true stories on legendary cook Julia Child and the woman who started a blog about her adventures in attempting to prepare Child’s recipes. And though Child is in her film’s title, Ephron’s connection to the exhibit only came about when adding pieces from the film. When Yeas & Nays spoke to Ephron following her remarks about the new objects to be added to the...

Continued...

 

Happy Hour at the White House

“Mug it out,” “Audacity of Hops” — whatever you liked to call it has come and gone without any of the controversy that kicked it off in the first place. President Barack Obama finally sat down for the much-publicized drink Thursday night with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley and surprise guest Vice President Joe Biden. The men sat at a round, white table and drank from clear glass mugs while snacking on standard bar fare of peanuts and pretzels. Obama and Crowley stuck with their planned beers, a Bud Light for the president and a Blue Moon for the police officer. Gates, however, ended up with a Sam Adams Light...

Continued...

 

Family time for Dave Grohl

That was Foo Fighters front man and Alexandria native Dave Grohl flying into Washington Dulles International Airport on Wednesday with his wife and two kids. A source tells us the rocker was coming into town to see his mom, who still lives in the area. Also spotted: country artist John Rich. Half of the duo Big & Rich and the songwriter behind last year’s pro-John McCain song, “Raisin’ McCain,” Rich dined at the Caucus Room on Wednesday night. Left: Grohl at Dulles (Photo: Mark...

Continued...

 

Kerry: Springsteen was there for me after '04 race

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said after he lost the 2004 presidential race, one of his first visitors was none other than Bruce Springsteen, who supported him on the Vote for Change Tour leading up to the election. As part of a Springsteen profile in the current AARP magazine, Kerry says, "What you might not know is that in the aftermath of that bruising race, when I was pretty bruised myself, long after the crowds had gone away, Bruce was one of the first to visit me, and he brought that guitar I'd listened to on the campaign trail. And you know that guitar he gave me remains my proudest possession of the whole campaign. In good times and bad, he had my back, and that's all the honor...

Continued...

 

McCain birthday an occasion to raise cash

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., turns 73 on Aug. 29, and his wife, Cindy, is already using the occasion to make a pitch for cash. In an e-mail to supporters she sent Tuesday, Mrs. McCain writes: “I hope you’ll join me in celebrating John’s birthday by signing the online birthday card we’ve put together for him. ... After you’ve signed the card, I hope you’ll make a generous contribution to John’s re-election campaign, so he can continue his service to our country. A contribution of $25, $50, $73 (one dollar for each year) or more will be a big help.” She goes on to say, “I know I’m a bit biased, but I believe we need my husband as...

Continued...

 

Water: The Vineyard an upgrade from Lake Michigan?

It’s a good thing President Barack Obama got away from Lake Michigan when he did. The Natural Resources Defense Council released its 2008 study on beach cleanliness Tuesday, naming Lake Michigan — which provides Chicago with its only beaches — as one of the country’s most polluted bodies of water. The group tested water quality (mainly its content of human and animal waste) as well as the beaches’ testing frequency and advisory system. It turns out the rich and powerful really do know where to play, as the beaches in their favorite East Coast vacation spots (Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, the Outer Banks and the Hamptons) all received high ratings on the...

Continued...

 

‘Real World’ cast takes in show at 9:30 Club

And here you thought all they did on “The Real World” was drink and argue. T he cast of “The Real World D.C.” stepped out Tuesday night at the 9:30 Club to take in the show by The Cab and support band My Favorite Highway. Three MTV camera crews followed them around the club as they bopped to the music and scarfed down 9:30’s signature cupcakes. The Cab, out of Las Vegas, even invited one cast member — whom we hear is named “Erica” — up onstage to assist with vocal duties for one song....

Continued...

 

‘Beautiful’ Clinton has a fan in China

Not all members of Asian diplomatic corps have harsh words for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Hot off the heels of a member of the North Korean Foreign Ministry saying “sometimes [Clinton] looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping” comes Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo to make things all right. Clinton, Bingguo and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner joined together Tuesday night for a annual dinner that joins together the senior economic and foreign policy leaders of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies. But things got off-track when the remarks by her counterpart would cause a woman of any age blush. A...

Continued...

 

Kate Gosselin a ‘Plus’ to population in Washington area

With only a few more episodes to film on her TLC reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” Kate Gosselin has made plans to get a place of her own, right here in the Washington area. First reported by RadarOnline, Gosselin is looking to buy a space in The Palladium Condominum building in the wealthy area of Rockville. Apparently the much-publicized, messy and drama-filled separation of Gosselin and her husband, Jon, has reached a boiling point, with Kate deciding she cannot remain near the kids when it is her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s turn to watch their brood in their Pennsylvania home. Jon already has moved into an apartment building on the Upper West Side of...

Continued...

 

Capitol Hill: Animal Planet

Bo Derek was back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to speak out on behalf of animals — something at which she’s becoming quite adept. The model and actress has been an active lobbyist against horse slaughter, but this week her topic was illegal trafficking in wildlife. Testifying before a House Resources subcommittee, she made it clear she was speaking as a board member of WildAid, not as a special envoy to the secretary of state for wildlife trafficking, a position she's held since the last administration. Derek, a well-known Republican, also emphasized “conservation knows no political borders; it is absolutely a bipartisan issue with passionate advocates from both...

Continued...

 

‘Loud’ and proud for Washington

And here director Davis Guggenheim thought he was venturing into an area totally unconnected to Washington. The man responsible for “An Inconvenient Truth” takes a different direction with his newest documentary, “It Might Get Loud,” focusing on the lives of Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, as opposed to dying trees and melting icecaps. As he explained at a screening Monday, Guggenheim hoped to answer the question: “What would happen if one generation smashes up against the next one?” But thanks to a guest at Cleveland Park’s Avalon Theater, the native Washingtonian learned that while filming Page in London, he was in fact connected back to...

Continued...

 

A beer menu for Gates and Crowley

On Thursday, President Barack Obama, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates and Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley will attempt to talk things out over a beer. According to reports, Gates prefers Beck's or Red Stripe, Crowley seems to be a Blue Moon man, and the president likes a Budweiser. But what brand should they drink? We scoured the lists of American beers to find a brew with that perfect message. How about a Democracy Pale Ale by Jefferson State Brewery in California? Or a Populist Porter by Free State Brewing Co. in Kansas? But what about the emotion of the moment? Love Stout by Yards Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania could be just the pour, as could White Buffalo Peace Ale by Crested Butte...

Continued...

 

Rahm does dessert

Sweets before bedtime are OK in the Emanuel household. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and his three kids were spotted Sunday night at Something Sweet, the new dessert shop on upper Wisconsin Avenue owned by Bo and Meghan Blair, the brains behind Smith Point, Rookery and Surfside. And on Monday, a source spotted D.C.’s own Dave Chappelle at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown. We hear he’s been back in town for a few days....

Continued...

 

Millionaire Pitt wants money from the gov

We doubt when President Barack Obama released more than $787 billion in stimulus funds he expected a star who makes about $20 million a movie to tap into its funds. But that’s what Brad Pitt’s The Make It Right Foundation just did. As first reported by Variety, the foundation is applying as “part of a consortium” for federal stimulus funds to build new “green” homes in areas of New Orleans that were decimated by Hurricane Katrina. “The stimulus money would be seed funding for an expansion of Make It Right,” said Trevor Neilson, Pitt’s philanthropic and political adviser, referring to new building projects in Newark, N.J. Some...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Bill Burton

“I have an account that I follow on my personal BlackBerry, but I don’t actually Twitter myself. It’s more to keep track of what Diddy and Perez Hilton are up to all day.” — White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton responding to reports Monday that Twitter was blocked on White House...

Continued...

 

Shaq shoots for a chance to meet Obama and misses

Could America’s biggest basketball star show up 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. unannounced and score a chance to meet with the White House’s biggest basketball star? Apparently not, as Shaquille O’Neal, with hopes of meeting with President Barack Obama, was turned down by Secret Service Sunday. O’Neal — in town to host WWE’s Monday Night Raw at the Verizon Center — posed an impromptu survey last Friday as a guest on D.C. Radio’s “The Mike Wise Show” to gauge his chances of getting in to see the first b-baller. “I got on a nice suit, I’m in D.C. paying a visit, I jump out of a cab in front of the White House, I don’t...

Continued...

 

Cash for clunkers program is car genocide

Our government is officially sponsoring a genocide — of cars. Various congressmen gathered with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood Monday morning to kick off the new buyer incentive program, the Car Allowance Rebate System at the Department of Transportation. The “Cash for Clunkers” program allows people to trade in old cars for a rebate of up to $4,500 to buy a more environmentally friendly car in hopes of boosting the auto industry. LaHood sounded a bit vicious in explaining the process, describing it as essentially a “murdering” of the car. After a deal is made with a car dealership, sodium silicon is poured onto the car, the engine then fogs, and...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Rush Limbaugh

"I have shown you get ratings on radio [by] being positive, respecting the audience, being inspiring and motivational at times, when it’s necessary." -Rush Limbaugh explaining the key to his 21-year longevity on the air with Fox New's Greta Van Susteren Friday night....

Continued...

 

Actress Goodwin shows support for 'little hairy family members'

Ginnifer Goodwin's "Just Not That Into" animal cruelty. That point was clear Saturday night, as Goodwin served as keynote speaker at the Humane Society of the United States' biggest summer soiree, "Taking Action for Animals" held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. "I am absolutely a happier person," PETA's "hottest vegetarian" began her remarks, a comparison to a life that wasn't so animal friendly until she "tragically lost" her dog. "It took me thirty years to have that moment of enlightenment," Goodwin told the organization's President and CEO Wayne Pacelle following her speech. "It was something...

Continued...

 

Asst Treasury Secretary is king of the court

Journalists, pols and other VIPs met in a celebrity tennis showdown Sunday in advance of the Washington Kastles' league championship match -- but it was a lesser-known Washingtonian who dominated. Alan Krueger, assistant secretary for economic policy at Treasury, was the topic of the postgame chatter, thanks to his reliable forehand and fearsome serve. "Sen. [Evan] Bayh played well, but man, Alan Krueger and that serve," exclaimed Fox News' Bret Baier, who partnered with Bayh. "Can we get a drug test on the Treasury guy?" asked Bayh. Only escalating their inter-network rivalry, CNN's Ed Henry, who was also part of the losing side, blamed Baier. "The...

Continued...

 

Tom Joyner treats committee room like radio booth

Tom Joyner can’t seem to stop being a disk jockey. The syndicated radio host came to the Capitol on Wednesday for a hearing on engaging the electorate and just couldn’t seem to shed his radio hosting habits. Although Joyner was the first to speak on the issue of voters’ problems in the last election, he kept his mic on for quite some time after he finished. After some instruction from House Committee on House Administration Chairman Robert Brady, he said sheepishly, “Oh,” as the crowd burst into laughter. He kept saying, “I’m just a DJ,” while explaining his positions, and when he “signed off,” he seemed to forget he was in...

Continued...

 

Wasserman Schultz’s troubled times traversing the Hill

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., learned the hard way that success in the Capitol might not be learning how to skillfully maneuver through the political process, but just being able to get into the building in the first place. After breaking her leg last week during the congressional softball game, which left her hobbling around Capitol Hill on crutches and a scooter, Wasserman Schultz voiced her concern about visitors dealing with similar challenges. “It’s really an issue. … It didn’t even occur to me,” Wasserman Schultz said at a House Committee on Appropriations hearing on the new visitor’s center describing her experiences getting around...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Chris Matthews

“It’s great if you go around midnight.” - Chris Matthews, listing the Lincoln Memorial as one of his favorite date spots from when he used to date “100 years ago,” in an address to Destination D.C. on Thursday. He said he also took dates to “The Exorcist” steps in Georgetown because they were a real...

Continued...

 

Washington Ballet’s Webre prepping for a return to stage

It’s been 16 years since Septime Webre, the artistic director of the Washington Ballet, has taken to the stage as a dancer. “I retired at age 30 with pleasure,” he told Yeas & Nays last week. “And while I love the physicality of dancing, it’s really tough to be a dancer and do anything else.” For Webre, that “anything else” involved becoming a nationally renowned choreographer, director and artistic leader in American dance. But in February, he’s planning on bringing his career full circle as he returns to the stage. “I’m trying to get in shape for the first time in 16 years,” he said. Not that he’s...

Continued...

 

Wounded vet busts out the poker pros

Sgt. Bret Chevalier’s not only a hero. He’s also a heckuva poker player. Chevalier bested 150 other players Tuesday night at a Poker Players Alliance tournament to benefit USO Metro and injured soldiers at Walter Reed. Along the way, he busted Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. As he does every time someone busts him out, Raymer gave Chevalier a signed fossil, as well as a pair of his signature lizard eye sunglasses. Chevalier also outlasted pros Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch and Dennis Phillips, TV host Montel Williams and musician Ivan Neville, who sang the national anthem. Chevalier won two round-trip tickets...

Continued...

 

‘Philanthropist’ creator: I’m bad with titles

Who knew philanthropy could be controversial? Only when it’s on TV, apparently. The Hudson Institute sponsored a panel Tuesday to discuss whether NBC’s new show “The Philanthropist” is really all that philanthropic. Co-creator Tom Fontana called it “a show about a crazy man running around the world trying to do good.” That crazy man is the Richard Branson-esque Teddy Risk, played by James Purefoy. The main complaint? The show’s title. Steve Gunderson, of the Council on Foundations, said there is a fine line between philanthropy and charity, and the show’s title could confuse people. He said he wished it were named “The Good Samaritan....

Continued...

 

Sightings: Gehry: Buildings on the Mall are ‘OK’

Architect and cultural icon Frank Gehry was on Capitol Hill Tuesday night for a meeting of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, which selected him to design the memorial. Staff handed out buttons that read “I Still Like Ike” to the crowd that included Ike’s grandchildren, David and Susan Eisenhower, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. When he took the microphone, Gehry even got off a one-liner about the buildings on the National Mall, where the commission hopes to site its project. “The buildings around it are, in my humble opinion ... OK,” he said. Also spotted: House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., celebrating his 69th birthday...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Jack Morris

“The best hot dogs are not at ballparks.” – Legendary baseball pitcher Jack Morris, at the American Meat Institute’s annual Hot Dog Lunch on Capitol Hill on...

Continued...

 

First grandma feeling 'left out' in new home

The first grandma of the United States is having a hard time letting go of granddaughters Sasha and Malia Obama. “They are at the age where they read and play with each other so Grandma is beginning to feel left out,” Marian Robinson admitted to an audience of young children Wednesday who participated in the Department of Education 's “Read to the Top” program. No doubt the “very big and very beautiful” White House and the girls’ around-the-world trip with their parents doesn’t help getting in that extra bonding time. She shared that the time they do spend together is hardly in front of a television — she allows her granddaughters...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Jack Morris

"The best hot dogs are not at ball parks." - Legendary pitcher Jack Morris at the American Meat Industry's annual hot dog lunch on Capitol Hill Wednesday. As for his preferred dog, Morris said, "Mustard and onions. I'm not a relish guy. I like sauerkraut too, but that's a different kind of...

Continued...

 

House to honor Heisman, oil

What do oil wells and college football legend John Heisman have in common? Titusville, Pa., it turns out. Let us explain. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., has introduced a bill, expected to be approved this week, that would recognize the historical and national significance of the many contributions of John William Heisman to the sport of football. Wait, didn’t Heisman, in whose honor the Heisman Trophy is named, die in 1936? Well, yes. But Thompson’s Western Pennsylvania district is celebrating “Oil 150,” the 150th anniversary of the region producing the world’s first commercial oil well. This occurred in — wait for it — Heisman’s hometown of...

Continued...

 

John Warner: Elder statesman

Former Sen. John Warner, R-Va., testified before his ex-colleagues John Kerry, D-Mass., and Dick Lugar, R-Ind., Tuesday at the Foreign Relations Committee hearing on climate change, and there was nothing but love for the silvery Virginian. Kerry even told the story of the day they met, when Warner presented him with a Silver Star for his time in Vietnam and that he gave Navy men a binnacle. “None of us could ask for a better guide than Sen. Warner’s own words and his life of service,” Kerry said with a smile. In his remarks, Warner said he felt that after hearing their opening statements he could ease back in his chair and not say as much as he initially...

Continued...

 

‘The Bachelor’ Baldwin gets a promotion

He’ll be an admiral before we know it. Yeas & Nays has learned that local resident Andy Baldwin, who starred in “The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman,” has been promoted from lieutenant to lieutenant commander. We caught up with Baldwin before Tuesday night’s Washington Kastles match, where he was bringing a cadre of service members for Military Family Appreciation Night. (The team gave a portion of ticket sales to the Got Your Back Network, which serves military families.) The promotion “happened earlier than expected,” said Baldwin, who just returned from a two-month medical humanitarian aid mission to Central and South America. Yes, he said,...

Continued...

 

Barton: Committees better than condoms

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, doesn’t just oppose the Democrats’ health care bill. He thinks it’s a turnoff. Monday night, as the committee was debating the measure, Barton said, with a nod to Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif.: “I think I have the perect antidote, Mr. Chairman, to teenage pregnancy. Require every teenager to sit through one of these markups. If that doesn’t put you in a nonsexual, noninteractive mood, nothing will.” “I didn’t think it was that funny,” Barton added, after the room exploded into laughter. Teenage abstinence was a theme during the markup, as...

Continued...

 

Aldrin: I peed my pants on the moon

Photo: Carrie Devorah Neil Armstrong may be the first man to walk on the moon but second man Buzz Aldrin also placed first in a different category: first man to pee on the moon. “It’s lonely as hell out there. I peed in my pants,” Aldrin told an audience at the Newseum Monday, the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing. Aldrin also joined other former astronauts from the Apollo missions at NASA’s Headquarters, where they came to a consensus that sending a crew to Mars should be the next big space adventure. “America to Mars is what it ought to be, not America back to the moon,” Aldrin said. Others at the event included Eugene Cernan of...

Continued...

 

Bar-hopping Cooper could get a 'Hangover'

Bradley Cooper sure knows where to hang out when he comes to town. The star of “The Hangover” concluded a USO tour overseas with Hall-of-Fame football coach Don Shula and running back Warrick Dunn, among others, and he was primed to hit the town. After landing at Andrews Air Force Base, Cooper headed to (where else?) Cafe Milano. Then it was off to the rooftop at the W hotel, the new hard-to-get-into hot spot. Finally, he concluded his night at L2 in Georgetown. No word on what his hangover remedy is....

Continued...

 

Gingrich: Book smart

Newt Gingrich sure knows his literature — including his own. The former House speaker took the podium at the Heritage Foundation Monday morning to discuss the need for a more robust national security. Throughout his address, Gingrich, who’s submitted scores of book reviews on Amazon.com, couldn’t resist name-dropping a few titles of his favorite books and movies, two books of which were his. He named Tom Clancy’s novel “Debt of Honor” and the Kurt Russell movie “Executive Decision” to show Sept. 11 wasn’t too difficult to imagine and said there “wasn’t a failure to imagine the possibility, just a failure to adopt public...

Continued...

 

Local chef to be knighted in his native Belgium

We’ll have yet another knight in our midst after Sept. 6 when Bart Vandaele, the chef at Belga Cafe on Capitol Hill, returns from his native Belgium. That weekend, Vandaele will be knighted by La Chevalerie du Fourquet des Brasseurs, or the Knighthood of the Brewers’ Mashstaffs, descendants of Belgium’s ancient brewers’ guild. “I’m very excited,” Vandaele told us last week. “It came as a little bit of a surprise.” “It’s kind of a reward,” he added, noting he’s been to Belgium to visit the breweries multiple times and has been an unabashed promoter of their products here in Washington. Vandaele’s Labor...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers

30 Number of times Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele used the word “experiment,” or a variation of the word, during his address about the Democrats’ health care plan Monday morning at the National Press Club. He even unveiled a new Web site, BarackObamaExperiment.com. 62 Number of signers, as of Monday afternoon, of the “Pledge to Read,” a promise by House Republicans to read the health care bill before voting on it....

Continued...

 

Filmmaker did 'profanity research' on D.C.

Armando Iannucci, the British filmmaker behind the upcoming political satire "In the Loop," said while the project is not a documentary, he was driven to get the details right. And that included some investigation into the language used in Washington's halls of power. "I did a bit of profanity research," Iannucci told Yeas & Nays last week. "They don’t swear in the State Department, but they do in the Pentagon." But for all of his research into Washington for the project — which follows a group of British politicians and staffers as they visit the U.S. in the run-up to war — the film's most notable swearer is a British communications...

Continued...

 

Would-be nominee Estrada ‘excited’ about a Court with Sotomayor

No hard feelings for Miguel Estrada, as he sees another Hispanic about to become the first confirmed to the Supreme Court. George W. Bush nominated Estrada nominated Estrada to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001 — widely viewed as a precursor to a Supreme Court nomination — but Senate Democrats filibustered his confirmation in 2003. Estrada joined a panel at the Heritage Foundation on Friday to discuss the Court’s recently concluded term. Estrada didn’t show any sour grapes, saying that despite the past, he looks forward to the 2009-2010 Supreme Court year, which most likely will include the first Latina justice, Sonia Sotomayor. “I’m...

Continued...

 

Gregory Brothers: Which pol is best 'unintentional singer'?

You know the Gregory Brothers have made it big when they're not just using C-SPAN for raw material, but rather appearing on the political junkies' favorite network. The brothers for the uninitiated, have created a web sensation with their remixed, mashed-up videos of politicians and talking heads, called "Auto Tune in the News." "We had a feeling that if Paris Hilton had a recording contract, then why couldn't our nation's leaders, Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner, have their own recording contracts and pop careers?" asked Evan Gregory, as he appeared on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" on Friday. He explained how he, his wife and his two brothers mine C-SPAN...

Continued...

 

GOP: The message, or the marketing?

Before getting elected, Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., was a marketing professional. So his critique of the Republican Party at an American Spectator lunch on Thursday wasn’t all that surprising. “What was on the package was not inside,” said DeMint, in explaining how the GOP didn’t live up to its promises when it controlled Congress. “The quickest way to kill a bad product is to advertise it.” And as for that product, he conceded that the GOP’s philosophy made for a tougher sell than that of the Democrats. “Democrats are giving away free Twinkies, and the Republicans are trying to sell health food,” he said....

Continued...

 

McCain blames bad grades on ‘immaturity’

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., got grilled by high schoolers Thursday, and he liked it. McCain spoke to the Junior Statesmen, an organization of politically aware high school students, about human rights Thursday morning. However, all he got in return was strict, harsh questions and a mug as a gift. After a long speech about the intentions of the Founding Fathers, our “national character” and a little bit on Iran, McCain opened the stage to questions from his young audience. And boy did he get them. The students questioned him on everything from the state of the Republican Party to Guantanamo Bay and torture to human rights violations in West China. One even asked the senator...

Continued...

 

Nixon: Why do they need to look at the moon again?

Apollo 11 took off 40 years ago Thursday, and official Washington was in full celebration mode. NASA commemorated the event at its headquarters with a discussion called “Apollo: History and Legacy.” The takeaway: 6 percent of Americans still believe the moon landing was staged. Craig Nelson, author of “Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon,” had something to say about that. “My favorite Armstrong quote is: ‘It’s so much easier to go there than to fake it,’" he said. The National Archives did its part as well, screening the grainy 1970 film “Moonwalk One.” They opened the event with a lecture about...

Continued...

 

Preventing DUI: Ladies, it’s up to you

Getting interns to make smart choices around booze isn’t the easiest of tasks. But it becomes easier when you appeal to their romantic natures. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., hosted an event for interns on Capitol Hill on Thursday to encourage the bright young go-getters to “make the right choice” when it comes to drinking alcohol. Roybal-Allard introduced Brandon Silveria, who became permanently disabled after a drunken accident. His story wound up as an episode of the former hit television series “Rescue 911.” Silveria’s father, Tony, also spoke to the audience of interns and labeled them all as type “A” personalities for...

Continued...

 

Keep your congressman out of the cockpit

This should go without saying, but don’t let a congressman fly your plane. That was the lesson from a Capitol Hill event Wednesday, as Reps. Randy Forbes, R-Va., and Bobby Scott, D-Va., partnered to fly a simulated jumbo jet airplane as part of the third annual Capitol Hill Modeling and Simulation Expo. The pair didn’t last more than a few minutes before they crashed and burned — literally. “Never let him fly a plane … we crashed,” Forbes said. The high-tech simulations included demonstrations from medical, defense and engineering fields for industry training purposes to eliminate casual common mistakes. Scott dubbed Forbes the “congressional...

Continued...

 

Chef summit with Jean-Georges

Talk about a tough reservation. Celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, whose JG Steakhouse anchors the dining options at the new W Hotel, hosted some of D.C.’s top toques Monday night for a 10-course feast. Joining Vongerichten were Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s and Beck, Brian McBride of Blue Duck Tavern, Todd and Ellen Gray of Equinox, Ris Lacoste, R.J. Cooper of Vidalia, Scott Drewno of the Source and Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington. Jose Andres joined the group later after celebrating his 40th birthday at Jaleo, even throwing on an apron to cook up a late-night snack alongside Jean-Georges while the chefs drank on the rooftop late into the...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Barbara Boxer

“This debate is about global warming. It’s going to get heated. It’s going to get hot.” — Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairing a hearing of the Environment and Public Works Committee Tuesday...

Continued...

 

Showing a little skin, all for the animals

Vegetarianism never seemed so sexy. Playboy Playmate of the Year Jayde Nicole and Cyber Playmate of the Year Jo Garcia joined People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to host National Veggie Dog Day on Capitol Hill today. The girls stood in fake lettuce bikinis (real lettuce wilts, of course) and handed out free veggie dogs to Hill staffers as a way to counteract the American Meat Institute’s annual Hot Dog Month and their annual National Hot Dog Day, which will take place later this month. There was a line down the street to see the ladies, and the girls took their time handing out dogs, smiling and posing for photos while dishing out compliments (“You could totally be...

Continued...

 

Grisham: ‘I’m not good at being accurate’

Since releasing “Innocent Man” in 2006, best-selling author John Grisham has turned his focus on exposing the perils inherent in the criminal justice system, even penning some nonfiction. But that’s not always easy. Grisham said he can “knock off a novel in six months,” but with nonfiction, “you have to be accurate. And I’m not good at being accurate.” Grisham appeared at the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Wednesday, where the author and the subjects of “Innocent Man” told their tales of being wrongfully convicted of the crimes of murder, rape and robbery. A group of seven men and women of all ages...

Continued...

 

Congressional softball team goes down to defeat in its first game

Not content to let their male colleagues have all the fun in the annual Congressional Baseball Game, the congressional gals on Tuesday night played their first ever softball game. They didn't have enough players to do the whole Republicans vs. Democrats thing like the men, however, so their bipartisan squad took on a team of staff from the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, all to raise money for the Young Survival Coalition. Despite the fact that organizers Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., had the members out at 7 a.m. to...

Continued...

 

'Biggest Loser' contestants show us the 'Proof'

Contestants from the next season of "The Biggest Loser" swooped into Proof restaurant in Penn Quarter on Monday night to prove that they could order off a menu with nutrition in mind. How'd it go? "They had a lot of substitutions on things," said chef Haidar Karoum. "A lot of them wanted to hold the sauce, hold the potato purée, etc., so they steered clear of anything too bad." Sounds like even though trainer Jillian Michaels didn't join them in D.C., they've picked up some advice from she and her fellow fitness pros. Karoum said they stuck mostly to scallops, hangar steak, stuffed chicken and salads. "No foie gras, no sweetbreads, no pork...

Continued...

 

Forget North Korea: Animal rights stirs concern for South

Lately we’ve all been worried about North Korea and its dictator with nuclear power. But now one animal defense group is trying to give us a reason to be concerned about South Korea: its people’s alleged eating habits. Protesters from In Defense of Animals planted themselves outside the Korean Embassy on Tuesday to demonstrate against the torture and butchering of cats and dogs for food in South Korea. They waived posters that asked “Companions or Cuisine?,” flashed peace signs at anyone they saw in the windows of the embassy and pushed pamphlets at anyone who walked by or came out. The group could use some more supporters, however — it was made up of only...

Continued...

 

Obama steals another Fenty staffer

Look no farther than your own (new) backyard. That could be the advice President Barack Obama remembers when nominating people to his administration. In a nod to Mayor Adrian Fenty, Obama successfully got a second person from the D.C. mayor’s office to pack up and move across Pershing Park to the White House as a top official. The Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing Tuesday on the nomination of former City Administrator and Deputy Mayor Daniel Tangherlini to be assistant secretary for financial management and chief financial officer under Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. With family present at the hearing, Tangherlini spoke about his long tradition of public...

Continued...

 

Brad Paisley includes fans at Lincoln Memorial video shoot

Tourists lucky enough to visit the Lincoln Memorial Monday night got quite a surprise, as they found themselves backing Brad Paisley in a new video. The guitar-pickin’ country star, on a short break in his current tour, stopped by the Lincoln Memorial with a film crew in tow late Monday afternoon to film a scene for a new music video. After signing plenty of autographs and posing for numerous pictures, he invited the fans who had hastily assembled around him to be a part of the production, and they gathered behind him as he sang (or at least lip synched). Paisley comes back to the D.C. area next week to play Nissan Pavilion....

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Chuck Grassley

"People always say I have the ability to turn people on." -Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, after a protester interrupted his questioning of Judge Sonia Sotomayor on...

Continued...

 

H Street Country Club a fun, hip addition to Atlas District

If you go H Street Country Club 1335 H St., NE (202) 399-0994 www.thehstreetcountryclub.com Hours: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday; 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday-Saturday Prices: Appetizers $5 to $11; entrees $15 to $22; mini golf fees $7 Bottom Line: The food and service won't win raves, but there's plenty to like about this amusement-oriented H Street cantina. Local entrepreneur Joe Englert almost single-handedly put the Atlas District of H Street NE -- or its nightlife, anyway -- on the map. Already, his holdings include the Argonaut, Granville Moore's, the Rock and Roll Hotel and the Red and the Black. Now, Englert is at it again, with another wholly unique concept...

Continued...

 

Jonas Brothers: baseball pros by day, musicians by night

They’re clearly are passionate about their music — selling out concerts, topping the charts and bringing in bank at the box office. But after catching the Jonas Brothers Monday at a softball game in Virginia, it’s clear they have another intense passion — baseball. To let loose while on the road, the brothers formed the team “Road Dogs,” which takes on locals at various stops along the nationwide tour. Monday marked a stop in Dulles where the boys took on the AOL Allstars — the event host and partners with Marquis Jets that fly the boys — to benefit their charity, Change for the Children. It soon became clear to the hundreds in...

Continued...

 

Nike gives Serena D.C. duds

Wimbledon champ Serena Williams plays her first (and only) home match for the Washington Kastles tonight. And, as she is wont to do, she’ll be making a fashion statement when she takes the court. Kastles owner Mark Ein asked Nike to create a special uniform for Williams. Nike came back with an adaptation of the outfit she wore when she won the Wimbledon doubles title with her sister, Venus. Rather than white, this one will be a mix of blue and red, with shorter sleeves than the three-quarter top she wore in England. “We always want to make sure Serena looks fabulous,” said Nike’s Suzanne Pond, who added that Serena will wear the outfit until the U.S. Open...

Continued...

 

Three area chefs vie for ‘Top Chef’

Bravo is firing up the competition again with its latest season of “Top Chef,” which premieres next month. The D.C. area finds itself dominating the show with three “cheftestants” competing, proof the local culinary scene is on the rise. The sixth season of the hit show will feature a little sibling rivalry with two brothers from Frederick, Md., Michael and Bryan Voltaggio. Though Michael headed for work in Los Angeles, Bryan remains in the area as the chef/owner of VOLT Restaurant, a three-star fine dining restaurant in his hometown. Bryan received his training at the Culinary Institute of America and was an apprentice to famous chef Charlie Palmer. The third...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Lindsey Graham

“Unless you have a complete meltdown, you are going to get confirmed.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Monday in his opening statement at the first day of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings....

Continued...

 

Food documentary makes Congress sick for change

After watching the documentary “Food, Inc.,” you may find yourself like first lady Michelle Obama, planting your own backyard garden. The film on America's corporate food industry, which is currently out in theatres, was specially showing Thursday evening at the Capitol Visitors Center. Given the audiences grossed-out reaction to some scenes, the film clearly sent a message to those on the Hill of needed policy changes. Did you know: - Thanks to antibiotics and pesticides, farmers and grow a chicken in 49 days instead of the natural time of three months? - While being raised, cows stand ankle deep in manure where E. coli evolves, which can wind up in the...

Continued...

 

Numbers: The Real World

7:2 Number of crew to cast members spotted around Washington, D.C. to film “The Real World:...

Continued...

 

Nationals Stadium keeps it national at concert

A new music venue in Washington means one more great spot for Congressman to take advantage of holding great fundraising opportunities. Case in point: Saturday night at Nationals Stadium, which was hosting its first concert since opening in 2008. Reps. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, and John Shimkus, R-Ill., both thought Elton John and Billy Joel were big-ticket items – so they offered access for $2,000 and $1,500, respectively. And the political action committee Leadership for America's Future - with Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. -offered tickets to a night with the representative, the piano man, and the Sir for a couple thousand dollars. After John ran off stage in a fit when his piano...

Continued...

 

Maryland nudists’ record skinny-dip

One way to get yourself into the Guinness Book of World Records in Maryland this past weekend - get naked. That was the plan for about 600 people Saturday, who all simultaneously jumped naked into three area pools in attempt to start a new world record. At exactly 3:00 p.m., 267 people of all ages stripped down in Crownsville, 123 in Davidson and an additional 140 in Baltimore bared it all to participate in a corrdinated in-the-buff jump occuring with other nudist camps in America and Canada for the culmination of Nude Recreation Week. As of Sunday, an estimated 20,000 people opted for their birthday -not swim - suits to set the first record of its kind. That's one way to get a record...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Obama in Africa

"I like this....I think Congress needs one of these horns. That sounds pretty good. Sounds like Louis Armstrong back there." President Barack Obama referring to the trumpet that played before he gave his remarks to the Ghananian president in Accra, Ghana on Saturday....

Continued...

 

Fictional book blends reality at Georgetown eateries

“I see faces here that I have seen here since back in the ’70s,” said Nathan’s owner Carol Joynt as she opened Nathan’s final “Q&A Cafe,” undoubtedly noticing several faces in the crowd who have starring roles in her guest’s newest book, “Mortal Friends.” Many of Georgetown’s ladies who lunch filled the restaurant on one of its final days to hear author Jane Stanton Hitchcock talk about her murder mystery of thinly veiled characters living in the Washington enclave. Joynt was hard-pressed to uncover who was who in the book, suggesting that the book’s character Carmen Appleton is event planner Carolyn Peachey...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: John Boehner

“It’s nice having many of you further away from me.” — House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, at his daily briefing that took place for the first time Thursday in the much larger briefing room at the Capitol Visitors Center....

Continued...

 

After helping Obama to White House, Wilco gets a tour

If anyone wondered why alt-country band Wilco was at the White House on Thursday, let us count the ways. Hailing from the same hometown as President Barack Obama, the Chicagoans who make up Wilco are longtime supporters. The bandmates met the then-senator in 2005 when he introduced them onstage at the 20th anniversary Farm Aid concert. They again appeared together the next year on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” when O’Brien broadcast live from the Windy City. In 2007, they were the headlining act for the “Change Rocks” fundraiser that benefited the Obama campaign. White House spokesman Josh Earnest confirmed to us the bandmates and some of their...

Continued...

 

A new kind of 'W'

A cross section of Washington stopped by 15th and E streets on Wednesday night, as the W Hotel officially opened its doors. Spotted hanging out at the P.O.V. Bar on the rooftop: Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau; Air America host Ana Marie Cox; Yosi Sargent of the National Endowment for the Arts; White House staffers Jon Favreau, David Washington and James Greenspun; local R&B singer Mya; former House Majority Leader Dick Armey; Channel 4 sports reporter Lindsay Czarniak; and Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who's overseeing the hotel's cuisine. One White House staffer was overheard saying that the best part about the W is that they can come over without ever really stepping outdoors —...

Continued...

 

Oliver gives pols humor envy

Everyone wants to be John Oliver, but all John Oliver wants is to stay in the U.S. with Jon Stewart. Oliver, joined by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Bill Clinton, spoke at the Campus Progress National Convention Wednesday night, and all the “big ticket” names were jealous of his humor. Oliver opened the show by saying that he hopes to stay on “The Daily Show” as long as they — and immigration services — will allow. He said he thought his time was up in three days and that he’s applying for a green card so he doesn’t get carted away. He also touched on the topic of his boss, Stewart, when asked if there were any quirks...

Continued...

 

Numbers: Martin's Tavern

15, 35 and 80 The price, in cents, of french fries, clam chowder and meat loaf, respectively, at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown on Tuesday night, where the famous restaurant celebrated its 75th anniversary by offering the menu from the year it opened, 1934....

Continued...

 

Reciprocal love between Franken, the working class

Only one day in office and already Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is getting special treatment — special treatment from special interests groups. Labor union AFL-CIO was the first group to cozy up to the new senator, hosting a party in his honor Tuesday evening at the union’s headquarters, only steps from the White House. And it soon became clear Franken is ready to give the love right back. He told the crowd of AFL-CIO and Working America supporters — who were joined by his new colleagues, fellow Minnesotan Amy Klobuchar and Jon Tester of Montana — that his long-debated election win was because of them. “It’s completely accurate to say that I...

Continued...

 

Waxman: Back in health, back on the Hill

Before he can tackle health care reform, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., has to convince everyone that he himself is healthy. Waxman fainted in his Los Angeles district office a week ago, and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for tests. But back from the Independence Day recess this week, Waxman assured a breakfast crowd he was OK. “I’m healthy and ready to go into health care reform,” Waxman said at a breakfast hosted Wednesday by the National Journal Group. He also got some plugs in for his new book, “The Waxman Report,” which is based on his 35 years in the House. “There are a lot of things that Congress does that nobody pays attention...

Continued...

 

Summers drops the ball

White House National Economic Council Director Larry Summers knows a thing or two about tennis. Back in 2003, he told the Harvard Crimson he was on a "low-carb, high-tennis" diet, and he's been known to throw down on court with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Let's hope his racket is better than his hands. During Monday's World TeamTennis matches, a ball went up into the stands and right at Summers — who promptly fumbled it. Also spotted in the crowd: Mayor Adrian Fenty and his wife, Michelle, Redskin legend Darrell Green, the Wizards' Caron Butler and Javaris Crittenton and the recently traded Oleksiy Pecherov, DC Deputy Mayor Valerie Santos, former Senator (and...

Continued...

 

Phife Dawg begins ‘Quest’ for health care

That was Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor of A Tribe Called Quest appearing Wednesday at a health care forum at the Service Employees International Union headquarters. Taylor spoke about J Dilla, a rising hip-hop producer whose life was cut short by lupus. “Normally, I found it kind of odd being apart of things like this.” Taylor said at the "Health Care Remix" discussion. He also spoke about his own struggle with diabetes and kidney trouble. In 1999, Taylor found out that his kidneys were severely damaged and eventually had to go on dialysis. “It was rough,” Taylor said as he explained how his conditions worsened in 2006. Fortunately,...

Continued...

 

Allen goes deep with a new tome about ... football

When he was governor and then senator from Virginia, George Allen grew notorious for employing one rhetorical device over and over: the sports analogy. It seemed like a rare speech from the former University of Virginia quarterback and son of Redskins coach George Herbert Allen that didn’t refer to “pushing the ball over the goal line” or some similar construction. He even threw a ceremonial final football during his concession speech after losing to Sen. Jim Webb in 2006. Well, Regnery Publishing announced Tuesday that Allen has signed a contract for a book, due out in 2010. And why not write what you know, right, Senator? The book’s title says it all: “The...

Continued...

 

Hatch takes on college football

Nearly six months into the 111th Congress, senators finally are addressing the real issues — like the postseason system in college football. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, held a hearing Tuesday on that very matter, continuing a long congressional tradition of members making like sports commissioners. Why is Hatch so exercised about the Bowl Championship Series system? Because his beloved Utah Utes, despite being the country’s only undefeated team in 2008, were denied a chance to play for the championship. In his opening statement at the hearing, which explored the antitrust implications of the BCS system, Hatch said, “Clearly, the BCS bowl games exist in a category all...

Continued...

 

EPA agrees with Inhofe’s global warming claim

The senator who once called global warming the “greatest hoax perpetrated on the American people” just got a bit of a boost, and by a member of President Barack Obama’s administration, no less. Ranking member Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., got just the ammunition he’ll need to fight the Markey-Waxman bill at Tuesday’s Senate hearing — the first one following the House’s successful passage of the energy bill — when Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, agreed with the Republican’s claim that the United States alone could not affect the levels of carbon dioxide, even if the bill passed in the...

Continued...

 

Running leads actor Edwards to Africa

Who would have thought running a marathon in Chicago would lead you to a starting line in Africa donating shoes? That’s where former “ER” actor Anthony Edwards found himself, beginning a new chapter of his life as the first chairman for Shoe4Africa, an organization promoting empowerment through sports and education, centered on receiving donations of running shoes. Edwards was in Crystal City on Tuesday speaking on a panel as part of InterAction Forum 2009. “That’s it. That’s what I want to spend my time doing,” said “Goose,” recalling how he responded when he heard how the simple act of donating shoes can change a person’s...

Continued...

 

Fans mourn Rep. Lee's rambling speech at Michael's memorial

After his comments disparaging Michael Jackson, fans of the “King of Pop” are looking to silence Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y. But the same seems to be true of those praising him, as Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s dedication at Jackson's memorial service Tuesday apparently showed. The Houston Democrat appeared in Los Angeles on Tuesday to present the Jackson family HR 600 — a bill she and Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., introduced to honor the singer’s contribution to the arts and humanitarian efforts. Problem was, she treated the stage in the Staples Center as she would the House floor. She took up more time speaking than others there who knew the singer more personally,...

Continued...

 

Fenty swings — and sometimes misses — as Kastles open stadium

When you’re an athletic mayor, everyone’s always asking you to take a couple swings. So it was again Monday for Mayor Adrian Fenty, as the Washington Kastles kicked off the World TeamTennis season with their first practice, a stadium dedication and youth clinic. “This is just so great for Washington, D.C.,” he told the crowd, before being handed a racket to participate in the kids’ clinic. Although undeniably fit, Fenty had a little trouble hitting the ball, as he whiffed a few. (Maybe it was the shirt, tie and dress shoes he had on?) Fresh off the plane from Wimbledon were Kastles players Leander Paes, an eight-time Grand Slam doubles champion, and Rennae...

Continued...

 

PETA seeks rights to Jakco's tune about rat

Somehow PETA is able to take any sort of event and spin it into a plea for kindness to animals. Michael Jackson’s death is no exception. PETA is currently seeking the rights not to Jackson’s “Beat It” (an ode to kicking your meat habit?) or “Bad” (to educate about the horrors of animal torture?), but to “Ben,” one of Jackson’s lesser-known songs from 1972, about a boy and his pet rat. In a release sent out last week, the organization states that the song by the recently deceased King of Pop, whose memorial is taking place today in Los Angeles, is a “moving testament to the power of empathy for animals” and believes...

Continued...

 

Blue Ridge is a rustic throwback to days of old

If you go Blue Ridge 2340 Wisconsin Ave. NW (202) 333-4004 www.blueridgerestaurant.com Hours: Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner -- 5 to 10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 5 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday Prices: Snacks and appetizers $3-11; entrees $10-21. Bottom Line: An appealing throwback concept makes this unlike perhaps any other restaurant in the city, but the kitchen must gain some consistency. As the recession has lengthened and deepened, local restaurants -- especially new ones -- have reacted. At any number of new eateries, price points have come down; concepts are more casual. But Blue Ridge in Glover Park is something else...

Continued...

 

Legendary G'Town watering hole to close Sunday

Last week, Carol Joynt, the proprietor of Nathans restaurant, sent out an invitation asking her friends to join her at the Georgetown institution to celebrate her birthday this coming Sunday. But now, that occasion will be more bitter than sweet, as she's announced that Sunday will be Nathans' last day in business. "After 40 years of serving millions of happy and loyal customers, and opening its doors 365 days of every year, Nathans will close at last call on Sunday, July 12," Joynt wrote in an email to friends and supporters on Monday. "We hope over the next week you will find the time to come in and enjoy a last drink and meal with us. We wish we could give it away, but...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Cool Obama

"You are very, very famous as a very cool man." -A Russian television journalist, interviewing President Barack Obama before he left for Russia this weekend...

Continued...

 

Sightings: Braves and Real World

Fans turn out at Braves' hotel The Atlanta Braves stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City for their Fourth of July weekend series against the Nationals and their fans knew it. Sources tell us a couple dozen Braves fans had staked out some ground in front of the hotel. Police were called, after which the Friends of Chipper, et al, were allowed to stay on the sidewalk, but had to remain off of hotel property. And speaking of attracting attention, the cast of "Real World D.C." has been here only a few days and is already receiving plenty of it. They were spotted with camera crews in tow drinking at Chi Cha lounge Thursday night on U Street and Lucky Bar near Dupont Circle on...

Continued...

 

White House celebrates nation, Malia’s birthday

Her sister may have been spoiled a bit for her 8th birthday, spending the day in London with the cast of the “Harry Potter” movies, but Malia Obama got to spend her 11th under the sky of a hundred fireworks. Malia Obama was fetted Saturday night in addition to the county’s independence, born 11 years ago the same day as the nation did 233 years back. President Barack Obama told the crowd at the Independence Day party on the South Lawn how the day holds a special significance to their family and recalled that when Malia was little her use to tell her the fireworks each year were for her. “I’m not sure she buys that [any more],” he joked about his...

Continued...

 

Obama goes to Disney World, will stay forever

While Sarah Palin quit Alaska, President Barack Obama escaped to Walt Disney World. Or at least his futuristic animatronic, and somewhat creepy, twin did. The Florida amusement park unveiled on July 4th the newest addition to the “Hall of Presidents” exhibit– an Obama robot. The robot appears onstage with 42 other presidents and, naturally, is featured standing next to his highly publicized hero, President Abraham Lincoln. The “imagineers” at Disney stated they studied hours of campaign film and his speeches at the convention and inauguration to master all his subtle mannerisms and facial expressions. Obama even got involved first-hand, recording a...

Continued...

 

Saylor hosts a July Fourth spring break

For most people, the Fourth of July marks a day of simple pleasure — backyard barbecues, family picnics and fireworks on the Mall. For others, well, it can be a debaucherous afternoon spent at a million-dollar penthouse on the Potomac getting hosed down with dozens of other twentysomethings. That’s what MicroStrategy Chief Executive Officer and billionaire Michael Saylor has in mind, hosting a “Red, White and Blue Beach Bash” Saturday at two top-floor apartments on Washington Harbor. But the party seems to owe more to college spring break than to the founding of our country, or so depicts an e-mail sent Wednesday in response to the “dozens of questions...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Fourth of July

$193 million The value of fireworks imported in 2008 from China, our leading fireworks importer $3 million The dollar value of American flags imported in 2008 from China, our leading flag importer 24 million The number of cases of beer sold at supermarkets across the country during the July 4 holiday period in 2008. Very little of that was from...

Continued...

 

Independence Day arcana

Independence Day arcana Members of Congress don’t just get a long weekend this year. They get a whole long week, thanks to the congressional recess. So we canvassed the Hill and asked how they’ll be spending their time Saturday as America celebrates its 233rd birthday. The most common Independence Day activity of the enterprising elected official? Parades. Nearly every House member we spoke with will be marching in some parade or other. Our favorite? The annual Ancients and Horribles Parade in Chepachet, R.I., where Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will march. (The name stems from Rhode Islanders making fun of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts,...

Continued...

 

Patio perfect: Open-air dining in the D.C. area

These days, it seems like almost every new restaurant has some type of outdoor dining option, be it a patio, sidewalk cafe or terrace. Why? “Claustrophobia due to increased working hours is nicely alleviated by dining and imbibing al fresco,” said Lynne Breaux, president of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. She also cited the effect of the new rash of anti-smoking laws. And it’s not just about a competitive advantage. It’s a great enticement for diners to stop in. “It’s the best signage a restaurant can have,” Breaux said. Where to go al fresco Potenza » 202-638-4444 » 15th and H streets NW, D.C. »...

Continued...

 

Sightings: Bedingfield has some Art with her Soul

Natasha Bedingfield, one of the singers performing at Saturday's "A Capitol Fourth" concert on the Mall, landed in town on Thursday. The British chanteuse had lunch at Art and Soul with her sister. She was wearing a low-cut, V-neck black dress with a gold fringe necklace and sunglasses on her head, she asked to be seated by the window and dined on a crabcake appetizer and rockfish with Chesapeake jumbalaya. And the cast members of "Real World D.C." officially moved in today. Their first stop in their new city: the liquor store....

Continued...

 

Bar fight won’t affect Kournikova’s tennis

Anna Kournikova always seems to make things interesting before she arrives in D.C. As reported by the New York Post, the tennis star got into a fracas Saturday night in Las Vegas after a woman threw a drink at her. After attending a table tennis tournament, Kournikova & Co. were partying at the Lavo nightclub, when the offending drink was tossed. Kournikova began shoving the woman, according to the Post, resulting in a “big fight,” and leaving some scratch marks on the blond bombshell. Kournikova is set to play for the St. Louis Aces against the Washington Kastles here July 8. A spokeswoman for the Kastles says the World Team Tennis League says she’s fine and...

Continued...

 

God to ‘Joe the Plumber’: Stick to your day job

Maybe there is a God. That’s sure to be in the minds of some people after hearing from Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — aka “Joe the Plumber” — that he does not intend to run for public office. “You know, I talked to God about that and He was like, ‘No,’ ” Wurzelbacher said in a new interview with WorldNetDaily this week about his intentions to become a politician. Last year at the height of his fame following his starring role in the presidential debates, the former plumber said “[he]’d be up for [running].” There was even a “Draft Joe the Plumber” Web site started by some fans. But alas, Wurzelbacher...

Continued...

 

Obama heads to St. Louis stadium for first pitch

He didn’t pick his hometown team the Chicago White Sox nor his new home’s team the Washington Nationals. President Barack Obama has opted to head to St. Louis to throw his first ever opening pitch as president. Obama will take to the Cardinals’ mound July 14 to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. With his dedication to community service it’s not completely random for him to pick this game as his first throw. MLB, along with People Magazine, has implemented an “All-Stars Among Us” program that “recognizes individuals serving their communities in extraordinary ways.” Obama will be the fourth...

Continued...

 

With Tiger, Boehner tries to keep bogeys at bay

How well can you prepare for a round of golf with Tiger Woods if you're the minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives? Not that well, to hear Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, tell it. Boehner played in Wednesday's AT&T National Pro-Am with Woods and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Normally one of Congress's top talents on the links, Boehner struggled a bit, even from an easier set of tees than Woods and Romo played. "I played yesterday in L.A.," Boehner told us from the 6th tee — his only round this week in preparation. "Too much to do." He said after "two years of back problems and sciatic nerve problems," he's back down to a 9...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Megan McCain

“I want Hilary Duff to play me. I think she’s really hot — hotter than me — but I’d still want her to play me.” — Sen. John McCain’s daughter, Meghan, to the New York Daily News Monday night about who she would like to play her in a movie version of her still-unreleased book....

Continued...

 

New book tells stories of the higher-ups getting high

Ah, the 70s. Stagflation, disco and presidential aides getting high with Hunter S. Thompson. That and many other drug-induced escapades fill the pages of “This Is Your Country on Drugs," the new history by journalist’s Ryan Grim. Case in point: President Jimmy Carter and the drug advisors he surrounded himself with during the late 70s. Grim, reading a chapter at Busboys and Poets on Monday night, told the story of how Keith Stroup, a pro-pot lobbyist and founder of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws devised Carter's on marijuana policy over a joint. Turns out, according to Grim, Carter's speechwriter Griffin Smith was a friend of the green herb and...

Continued...

 

Jodie Foster: Not a vegetarian

Proving that celebs will, in fact, come to town while Congress is out of session, Jodie Foster was spotted having lunch at The Source on Tuesday. No vegetarian, the Academy Award winner dined on the Kobe beef burger. Following lunch with a female friend and two children, the group didn't travel far - they spent their afternoon at the Newseum. Sources say they spent at least two hours checking out the museum, spending a lot of time at the Berlin Wall exhibit. Also in town is singer/actress Jessica Simpson. Simpson is here to watch her beau, Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo, play today with Tiger Wood in the Pro-Am group of Woods' AT&T National Tournament at Congressional Country...

Continued...

 

Jim Moran: Paper or plastic?

Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., took an hourlong stint bagging groceries at a Safeway in Alexandria Tuesday afternoon. No, he isn't trying to earn a few extra quid; his efforts were part of Safeway’s annual prostate cancer fundraising and awareness campaign. Moran was on hand to raise awareness and encourage giving. Courtesy...

Continued...

 

Overheard at the Aspen Ideas Festival Tuesday

"I'm Sandy O'Connor. I'm just an unemployed cowgirl." -former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor "Speaking of things going on in Congress, if the vote had gone the other way on Friday, I would be here in sack cloth and ashes." -White House Science Advisor John Holdren “Remember the 1990s, when the mere mention of Dan Quayle brought mirth and joy to the conversation? … Like a fine wine, Dan Quayle has no shelf life.” -- Atlantic Media President David Bradley “In 1999, I thought, ‘I’m going to be dead soon, why not tell the truth? ... Of course the joke is: I’m not dead.’” -The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan “There...

Continued...

 

Palin: Are there any friends left?

Writing in this month’s Vanity Fair, Todd Purdum catalogs just how rapidly Sarah Palin has burned through friends and confidantes. Walter Hickel, the former Alaska governor who chaired Palin’s gubernatorial campaign in 2006, told Purdum, “I don’t give a damn what she does.” And John Bitney, a junior-high school friend and former legislative liaison for Palin, said, “I find it’s frustrating dealing with Sarah, because it seems we’re always dealing with emotional crap, and we never seem to be able to focus on the business at hand. Check my feet for horseshoes if I have to sit there and listen to another talk show.” Purdum also...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Chinese food

4 Number of area Chinese restaurants to make it into the “Top 100 Chinese Restaurants” in the USA Dining Guide 2009. 0 Number of those restaurants located in D.C.’s Chinatown. (All, in fact, are in the Virginia...

Continued...

 

Harvard Class of ’91 sticks together

It certainly doesn’t hurt to be a member of the Harvard Law Class of ’91 these days. That, after all, is President Barack Obama’s graduating class. Let’s back up a bit. The job of D.C.’s Judicial Nomination Commission is to suggest candidates for open judicial vacancies in the city. The president typically chooses from the commission’s list. This spring, when the commission recommended three candidates to fill the Superior Court vacancy created by the retirement of Rafael Diaz. Ultimately, the commission settled on Jeffrey Gutman, Sharon Larkin and Elizabeth Shapiro. Earlier this month, however, Obama nominated Stuart Nash, an associate deputy...

Continued...

 

Cedar a delicious hideaway in Penn Quarter

If you go Cedar Restaurant 822 E St., NW (202) 637-0012 www.cedardc.com Hours: Lunch -- 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Dinner -- 5:30 to 10 p.m. daily; Weekend -- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday; bar open until 1:30 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday Prices: Dinner appetizers $8 to $12; entrees $20 to $28 Bottom Line: A quiet little subterranean space, this newcomer endeavors to offer a "field and stream" feel. The new Cedar in Penn Quarter is a departure for nearly everyone involved. The chef, Andrew Kitko, most recently cooked at the expansive Redwood in Bethesda, and has now landed at this far more...

Continued...

 

Book deal claims Edwards sex tape, remarriage

Despite the fact that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., have recently been caught in extramarital affairs, John Edwards has still not escaped the media’s attention. Former Edwards aide Andrew Young just inked a deal with St. Martin’s Press for a new tell-all book that makes a variety of shocking claims, most notably of an alleged sex tape between the former presidential candidate and Rielle Hunter, his former mistress and mother of a child alleged to be his. According to the New York Daily News, Young’s book proposal tells the story about what happened to him after famously taking the fall as being the father of Hunter’s daughter...

Continued...

 

Owen Wilson does Gene Kelly

In one of their final scenes in Washingto for "How Do You Know?", Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon shield themselves from some fake rain during filming Friday in Georgetown. Photo: Brandon...

Continued...

 

Tailor: Power brokers moving to a more ‘Obama-like’ fit

First lady Michelle Obama isn’t the only one in the White House changing the world of fashion — her husband, President Barack Obama, is slowly influencing similar changes for men. Anthony Asaf has been tailoring for the high-powered, high-profile men in Washington for years, coming in from Hong Kong to create bespoke suits, shirts and ties. We caught up with the tailor last week while in town for his thrice-yearly visits. “Yes, changes are being seen” around town, he said. Asaf said that though the classic colors of black, gray and blue remain, his clients — who require anonymity, but include committee chairmen in Congress, ambassadors and lobbyists...

Continued...

 

Hodgman bests Obama online

John Hodgman’s routine at the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association dinner last weekend got mixed reviews from the Washington elite — but not by YouTube viewers. As of Sunday afternoon, Hodgman’s standup bit from the weekend prior had garnered 380,884 hits on the video-sharing site. Contrast that to President Barack Obama’s remarks, which had earned less than half of that, at 153,115. In fact, Hodgman’s performance topped Obama’s remarks at May’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (302,349 hits) and Wanda Sykes’ standup routine there as well (190,674). Perhaps those “nerds” that he professed...

Continued...

 

Archives lecture focuses on ‘gender-bending’ soldiers

Chopping off their hair, changing their names and dressing like men — that’s how some 250 women managed to fight in the Civil War. The National Archives’ Christine Blackerby spoke about one of these courageous women Friday at a lecture on the stories behind the documents of Congress. An application for a Discharged Soldier for Arrears of Pay from March 24, 1882, marked one of the “gender-bending soldiers,” Pvt. Franklin Thompson, aka Sarah Emma Edmonds. Disguised as a man, Edmonds joined the Union Army at 19 years old because it allowed her more economic, legal and social opportunities. In April of 1865, Edmonds came down with malaria and fled the army to...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers:Luau

84, 650, 600 — Pounds of macadamia nuts, pork and red snapper, respectively, prepared for Thursday night’s luau-themed picnic for Congress at the White House....

Continued...

 

Actresses demand no more junk in health care, schools

In keeping with her role as a nurse in Showtime’s new series “Nurse Jackie,” Edie Falco came to Capitol Hill on Thursday to advocate for the issue du jour, health care reform. With the sun beating down on thousands of supporters of Health Care for America, Falco shared her story of hardship with the health care system. “I’m here because I’ve traveled through the health care system and there are holes.” Falco said heatedly, sounding like the tough wife she played on “The Sopranos.” While staying in Washington, Falco was spotted eating dinner at Poste Moderne Brasserie in the Hotel Monaco on Wednesday night. And the day before, two...

Continued...

 

Rooney: He better get used to rubgy

Which is better: Winning the Super Bowl or having President Obama nominate you to be ambassador to Ireland? This question stumped Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Daniel Rooney as he responded, “I don’t think I could answer that.” Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Rooney said he would respectfully sever ties with the football team if the Senate confirmed his nomination. Same goes with Sen. Edward Kaufman, D-Del., who as chair opened saying he was grew up in Philadelphia making him a “lifelong Eagles fan,” but admitted that wouldn’t hold him back from acknowledging the accolades of Rooney’s team. “I will not...

Continued...

 

Kasten: There are no new insults

During an address to the National Press Club on Thursday, Nationals President Stan Kasten kept returning to the parallels he sees between how he helped to build the successful Atlanta Braves teams of the '90s, and how he's trying to build the Nats presently. And the similarities aren't all just on the field, either. "One thing I've learned is they've invented no new insults," Kasten said, referring to the media and disgruntled fans. "I've heard it all before. ... I'm currently in my village idiot phase in Washington." Kasten was also preparing for a bittersweet moment at Thursday night's game against the Red Sox. That's when John Smoltz -- the future Hall of Famer...

Continued...

 

Even as a 'dirtbag,' he's Pure and easy

James Purefoy, the English actor whom American audiences got to know as Marc Antony in HBO's "Rome," was at the Landmark E Street Cinema Wednesday with a gaggle of NBC execs for the world premiere of his new prime time series "The Philanthropist." His billionaire character spends the show running around, all Richard Branson-like, doing good deeds in third world countries. But at the after-party at CoCo Sala, one fan focused on his character's other tendencies. "You're all about the ladies," she told him. "You're kind of a dirtbag." Afterward, Purefoy and company ate at the Old Ebbitt Grille, while they watched the premiere on NBC, thanks to the...

Continued...

 

Celeb activism beats frivolity, selfishness

Actresses Kristen Bell and AnnaLynne McCord showed their humanitarian colors when they came to Washington on Tuesday for the How It Ends lobby day, which partnered with Invisible Children, Resolve Uganda and the Enough Project. The mission of the day: Persuade Congress to take action and work to end a 23-year-old war in Uganda that results in children being forced into the roles of sex slaves and soldiers. Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) said working with Invisible Children makes her feel less jaded. “Sometimes I feel very frivolous about my career in general, and I don’t often feel like I have a purpose,” she said. She got involved after her...

Continued...

 

Nick Jonas: Pop star today, president in 2040

Don’t be surprised if you see Nick Jonas’ name on the ballot in 2040 — that’s the year he’s planning to run for president. Yes, the youngest member of the Jonas Brothers is still too young to vote, but he already has his sights set on the highest office in the nation. “It feels good, it feels right,” Jonas told Yeas & Nays about his time in Washington, specially referencing his trip Tuesday to the White House where he met with President Barack Obama. Jonas’ official merchandise Web site sells bumper stickers that read “Jonas 2040,” and he told us that he spends a lot of time reading up on the presidents....

Continued...

 

Hollywood is still here

No, they haven’t left yet. In fact, the cast of “How Do You Know?” is fast making our city their own. Reese Witherspoon (who stars in the romantic flick) and Jake Gyllenhaal (who’s along for the ride with Witherspoon), were spotted Tuesday evening at the Potenza bar, sitting close to each other while they watched the Nationals game. Dressed supercasually, the pair drank Rosa Regale while enjoying the Margherita pizza. They later went over to the Potenza wine shop where they purchased a half case of wine. (Witherspoon’s fellow star, Jack Nicholson, picked up a to-go version of the same pizza Saturday. After all, if you can’t trust Jack with a food...

Continued...

 

Red Sox movie gains some Nationals fans

The timing of Monday night’s premiere of “The Lost Son of Havana” could not have been more perfect. The day before Nationals fans filled the stadium Tuesday night for a historic game against the Boston Red Sox — the first time they’ve played a regular-season game since 1971 — viewers got to watch a film about the star pitcher of those ’71 Sox, Luis Tiant. Tiant is the focus of the newest documentary from Bobby Farrelly, one half of the Farrelly brothers. Best known for “Dumb & Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary,” Farrelly took a new route in his newest film, following the heartwrenching story of the...

Continued...

 

Stacy Keach: From Nixon to Lear

Stacy Keach sure loves playing those controversial heads of state. Monday marked opening night for his run as King Lear at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Artistic Director Michael Kahn noted the legendary actor had to take a hiatus from playing Richard Nixon in the highly successful touring production of “Frost/Nixon” so he could come to Washington and play Lear. It’s not the first favor he’s ever done for the theater, Kahn added. Back in 1990, Kahn asked Keach to play Richard III when its plays were still staged at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Keach agreed, and “it really put the Shakespeare Theatre on the map,” Kahn said. Kahn remembers...

Continued...

 

Andres draws more inspiration from National Gallery

“What does a chef have to do with an art exhibition?” asked D.C.’s own celebrity chef Jose Andres at the National Gallery of Art’s preview of its newest exhibit, The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain. Well, this TV chef has a lot to do with the National Gallery of Art. With the gallery’s opening of two Spanish exhibits this summer, Andres created a menu for its Garden Cafe España, exclusive to the National Gallery of Art. But his connection runs even deeper. While visiting the gallery years ago, a painting by John Singer Sargent, “El Jaleo,” depicting southern Spain, inspired Andres to name his first restaurant...

Continued...

 

Nick Jonas: typical teen in Georgetown

Spotted in Georgetown: Nick Jonas of The Jonas Brothers, doing some shopping Tuesday afternoon. After stopping into Barneys CO-OP and Rugby — and being mobbed on one corner by young fans — the youngest brother got some pizza at Pizzeria Uno on M Street. This would be his last free time while here in town. Jonas took a White House tour and met with President Barack Obama for a few minutes, before heading up to Capitol Hill. There, he took a Capitol tour along with Mary Tyler Moore, and met with Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., to discuss juvenile diabetes (he suffers from the disease). Jonas, Moore and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard are set to testify on diabetes at a Capitol Hill...

Continued...

 

Day off from filming, but not from sightings

Even more “How Do You Know?” sightings early this week, occurring on what seems to be a break from filming the James L. Brooks rom-com. Physical activity was the apparent choice of two of the cast members. While Reese Witherspoon and beau Jake Gyllenhaal opted for a jog around Georgetown on Monday, Owen Wilson was spotted biking down N Street toward the Georgetown University Campus. Later that evening, Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal — along with co-star Paul Rudd — took a private tour of Ford’s Theatre. Following their visit to the site of Lincoln’s assassination, they all walked around the corner for a dinner at Oyamel. Jack Nicholson and other crew...

Continued...

 

FBI’s X-rated investigation of “Deep Throat”

We all know the FBI was on to “Deep Throat,” though it turns out that was true in more ways than one. Papers recently released to The Associated Press show that while "Deep Throat" the informant was helping to bring down Richard Nixon, the bureau was leading a full-fledged investigation into the notorious 1972 porn film of the same name. According to the 498 pages from director Gerard Damiano’s file – released after his death in October of last year — agents of the highest level in the FBI were on the case. Agents were sent out all across the U.S. to seize copies of the X-rated film in an attempt to have the movie banned. They analyzed negatives...

Continued...

 

Rumsfeld: Tears for his father

Well it’s true; Donald Rumsfeld does have a soft side. Bradley Graham’s biography “By His Own Rules,” released this week, contrasts Rumsfeld’s infamous habit of being one to “interrupt, berate and nitpick” his employees with a more sensitive side. Graham tells the story of Rumsfeld’s aborted interview by CNN correspondent Barbara Starr in the aftermath of Ronald Reagan’s death. Rumsfeld confessed to Starr his father had died of Alzheimer’s, the same disease Reagan had suffered from. Rumsfeld agreed to discuss it on camera, but he broke down only a few sentences into the interview and, tears in his eyes, asked for cameras to be...

Continued...

 

Tiki Barber picks books over football for today’s kids

One way to get kids to read? Have an NFL player to tell them to. An even better way? Have them read a book written by one. But by far the best? Get two-in-one with Tiki Barber. That was the idea behind Monday’s National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Conference at the Washington Convention Center. Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber addressed teachers, administrators and students on the importance of getting kids to read. Barber, who is the author of five children’s books, focused his talk on the success of Harlem Village Academy. As the top public school in New York, the academy should act as a model for President Barack Obama’s vision on public...

Continued...

 

National Archives: bigger and better on screen

From the Miss National Archives contest in the 1960s to the filming of Nicolas Cage’s “National Treasure,” the National Archives’ Rick Blondo attempted to unpack some of the building’s history in a lecture Friday. But top of mind for the audience was the movies. Turns out, Blondo said, when Nicolas Cage came to D.C. to film “National Treasure,” the Archives would not permit filming inside the building. So Cage took to walking its halls in order to familiarize himself with the layout. Not sure how much good that did. Blondo joked that, in portraying extra statues and rooms, “National Treasure” depicted the building to be much bigger...

Continued...

 

Reese and Jake: Lovebirds in Georgetown

What's better than one celebrity in Georgetown? Two celebrities in Georgetown, holding hands to boot. Witness Hollywood lovebirds Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, taking a stroll on Monday morning. Jake arrived this weekend to be with his love interest, currently shooting "How Do You Know?" around town. Also spotted in Georgetown on Monday: her co-star, Owen Wilson, riding his bike. Photos: Gene...

Continued...

 

Reese and Rudd, back on set

Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon, filming Saturday outside the Bowen building on 15th Street. Photos: Gene...

Continued...

 

Barry: Bigger than LeBron?

The Silverdocs Film Festival opened in Silver Spring last Monday to overflow crowds, thanks to the presence of LeBron James. On Saturday night, the festival closed to even bigger throngs, thanks to ... Marion Barry. Saturday was the premiere of "The Nine Lives of Marion Barry," and you just knew the Ward 8 Councilman and "Mayor for Life" would be in attendance. By our approximation, the ticket-holders' line stretched began forming more than an hour before the movie, and grew to some 270 feet. The standby line, for those without tickets, itself stretrched about 150 feet. Hundreds were turned away, more than came to see LeBron. Also, added a Silverdocs spokeswoman,...

Continued...

 

Rogers: Crashers now welcome at White House

The Obama White House is such a popular destination, said Social Secretary Desirée Rogers, that keeping the crashers out of parties is a losing battle. At events, said Rogers, "We've decided to put in [an extra row or table] in the back for people who we've said no to, but they show up anyway." "We give up," she added jokingly. Rogers was the guest of honor at the Creative Coalition's annual meeting in New York on Thursday night, and in an interview with actress Dana Delany, she opened up about her job and life at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. She said she and her staff have organized more than 150 events so far, although she admitted that the emphasis has not...

Continued...

 

Jack Nicholson joins the cast in Washington

Add Jack Nicholson to the Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd sightings we can expect over the next few weeks – he has officially joined the cast of James L. Brooks' newest film. Nicholson was spotted Friday afternoon filming outside La Tomate restaurant on Connecticut Ave. just off Dupont Circle. He will play the father to Rudd's character. The actor and the director were golden (in the version of a little man named Oscar) with their teaming on "As Good as It Gets" and "Terms of Endearment," so sounds to us like this movie is shaping up to be a hit! (Photo: Mark Wilkins) Jack Nicholson showing "No Fear" Friday night as he leaves...

Continued...

 

Members start a spirited new caucus

The days of tipsy congressmen staggering around the House floor during late-night votes may be over, but members still love their whiskey. Reps. John Yarmuth and Brett Guthrie, both of Kentucky, announced Wednesday they would be chairmen of the newly formed Congressional Bourbon Caucus. The mission of the caucus is to maintain and strengthen the bourbon industry in the United States and educate other members on the issues affecting the industry. According to a news release, the industry is extremely important to the state of its two founding members, as more than 95 percent of the world’s bourbon is distilled and aged in Kentucky and liquor provides for more than $3 billion of the...

Continued...

 

Star power at Meek fundraiser

Locally bred actor Jeffrey Wright (“Casino Royale,” “Cadillac Records,” “W.”) came back home Wednesday night to dip his toes in our city’s industry — politics. Wright was the guest of honor at a fundraiser for Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., who’s running for Senate in 2010. Held at the Northeast home of Yebbie Watkins, chief of staff to House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, one attendee said “it was the rare fundraiser that actually went on for hours after it ended — truly nobody wanted to leave.” Wright even observed that it was more successful than one of his first early events in New York for President Barack Obama. Hmm,...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Sen. John Ensign

"Marriage is the cornerstone on which our society was founded. For those who say that the Constitution is so sacred that we cannot or should not adopt the Federal Marriage Amendment, I would simply point out that marriage, and the sanctity of that institution, predates the American Constitution and the founding of our nation.” -Self-admitted adulterer Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., debating the Federal Marriage Amendment on July 13, 2004. How soon he forgets! Shame,...

Continued...

 

Getting Hitched: Taking the (cup)cake

Reasonable and trendy, cupcakes are taking the wedding world by storm The cupcake craze has spawned a slew of cupcake-specific bakeries in the Washington area, cupcake cookbooks, even a cupcake bake-off on the Food Network. And weddings aren’t immune from the trend. “Weddings are definitely about the next thing,” said David Guas, an award-winning local pastry chef and consultant whose new Arlington store, Bayou Bakery, opens in early July. “Caterers are looking at ways to do things differently, getting away from cakes on tiers.” Guas says the cupcake phenomenon can be traced in part to a perception that they’re smaller and thus more diet-friendly...

Continued...

 

Angelina Jolie isn’t just a pretty face for an ugly reality

A broken elbow kept Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from attending, a “bad hair day” was the joke about why emcee Anderson Cooper was replaced last minute by NBC’s Ann Curry, but we bet it didn’t matter to most in attendance at the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) event Thursday – the clear star of the panel was actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie. Jolie, who has been working on helping displaced refugees since 2001, moved the crowd with her emotional speech at the National Geographic Museum in honor of World Refugee Day, serving as a model for other celeb-activists “I am here today to talk about millions of...

Continued...

 

Even in Mudville, there's no joy for the GOP

It definitely is the year of the Democrats. The 48th Annual Roll Call Congressional baseball game had a something of a surprise ending at Nationals Park last night, with the Democrats beating the Republicans for the first time in eight years, 15-10. Youth was served by the Dems, who were also the beneficiaries of a larger talent pool than in recent years, thanks to two consecutive romps at the ballot box. For evidence, look no further than Rep. John Boccieri, D-Ohio, who just wouldn’t stop stealing bases and sliding on his stomach. Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a stop in to watch the game behind home plate, posed for pictures and signed autographs. The game is a standing bipartisan...

Continued...

 

Reese's Wednesday stroll

Reese Witherspoon by the National Archives on Wednesday, shooting another scene for her new movie, which is now officially being referred to as "How Do You...

Continued...

 

Dawes lobbies for women, but won't comment on her man

Olympic Gold Medalist and area resident Dominique Dawes was on the Hill Tuesday to push for a cause near and dear to her: equal athletic opportunities for high school girls. Dawes appeared alongside Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., who introduced the High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2009. That legislation would require high schools to report basic data, including the numbers of females and males participating in student athletic. One topic that was off-limits, however: the status of her relationship with another local celeb, Andy Baldwin, the star of "The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman." As you my remember, we spotted the two of them getting close to one another at...

Continued...

 

Plain White Ts love our subs, Fahey gets 'Lost'

President Barack Obama may crave Ben's Chilli Bowl, but for his fellow Chicagoans, The Plain White T's, it's all about Potbelly sandwiches. Playing at what could be Washington's most intimate music venue, the Gibson Guitar loft in Chinatown, the T's (they of "Hey There Delilah" fame) munched on pork belly sliders from Commonwealth restaurant before an acoustic show hosted by MIX 107.3 personality Tommy McFly. But they admitted to Yeas & Nays that beyond the politics and the monuments this city's top offering has to be the Potbelly sandwich. "We love the 9:30 Club and we love Potbellys," Tom Higgenson told us of their stops in town. Oh and of course President...

Continued...

 

Julianne asks for ‘Moore’ preparedness with kids

Julianne Moore wants to save your children from the next natural or manmade disaster. No, she has not been tapped as a superhero for her next role, but has joined on as the U.S. Artist Ambassador for Save the Children. Moore came to Washington to speak about the organization’s latest report that exposes the fact that “only seven states are prepared to protect children” were a disaster to occur, and as a mother of two children, she was able to discuss firsthand her experience as a New York parent during the Sept. 11 attacks. Speaking with Mark Shriver at the Mazique Parent Child Center on 13th Street Wednesday morning, Moore suggested that kids wear laminated emergency...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Sonia Sotomayor

“I’m a bear in a courtroom.” -Judge Sonia Sotomayor, in a 1993 speech released by the Senate Judiciary...

Continued...

 

Reese's run

On the National Mall Tuesday, Reese Witherspoon breaks a sweat as she films a scene from her new movie, the as-yet-untitled romantic comedy with Owen Wilson. (Photo: Gene...

Continued...

 

Michelle Obama awarded by fashion elites

The first lady of fashion didn’t get that name for nothing, but now she can boast an award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America to any doubters. Michelle Obama was given the Board of Directors’ Special Tribute on Monday night at the annual who’s-who in the fashion world gala at Lincoln Center in New York. For those unfamiliar with the event — marking it as a true honor for the fashion-forward first lady — celebs such as Blake Lively, Ashley Olsen, Claire Danes and Heidi Klum all took a backseat to honor top designers like Marc Jacobs and Rodante. And although Obama was unable to attend the event, her presence was felt. Not only did a taped...

Continued...

 

A red carpet for King James

"A festival, like a basketball team, is never the work of one person," said Sky Sitney, artistic director of the Silverdocs Film Festival, as she opened the weeklong event on Monday night. True, but one person can make both of those things a whole lot bigger. That's why flashbulbs popped, red carpets rolled out, a band marched and police closed off streets in downtown Silver Spring, largely due to the presence of one man: LeBron James, whose high school team was the subject of the festival's opening film, "More Than a Game" (he also ended up executive producing it). And afterwards, he and his former teammates took to the stage for a Q&A with NPR's Michele...

Continued...

 

Sen. Gillibrand asks Dartmouth alums for funds

Be true to your school. That’s the motto Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., hopes will work on her Dartmouth classmates this upcoming weekend at the 20th anniversary for the class of 1989. She’s hosting a fundraiser. The appointed senator is sending out e-mails to her classmates in the weeks leading up to the reunion asking them to join her at a party in Hanover for $125 per head. Despite that she’s running for office in New York while campaigning in New Hampshire, we’re sure there are some alumni who love to brag about being classmates with a U.S. senator....

Continued...

 

Jarrett adviser to ‘cool’ Obama

Take it from his adviser: President Barack Obama is officially a “cool guy.” And as senior adviser to the president, Valerie Jarrett should know. Jarrett welcomed “many great women and a few great men” to the National Partnership for Women and Families luncheon at the Hilton Washington Monday, where she was honored for her work with improving the lives of women. However, most of her short speech was dedicated to one man — the president. She claimed after growing up with a single mother, marrying a strong woman and having two daughters, Obama knows what he is doing around women. She then told of an encounter Obama had with a woman in Green Bay, Wis. and how...

Continued...

 

It's a surprise for Hoyer's 70th

Local congressman and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., turned 70 on Sunday, so his staff threw him an early birthday party in his Capitol office on Friday. We hear that a group of reporters followed Hoyer up to the back door of his office after the final series of floor votes. And once the door was closed, they heard Hoyer's staff erupt with a "surprise!" The only legislator who outranks Hoyer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, follows Hoyer into her eighth decade in March of next year....

Continued...

 

McCain’s new ride

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has chosen a new set of wheels. “Time to get a new car — decided on the Ford Fusion Hybrid,” the 2008 Republican presidential nominee Twittered Monday. A source close to the senator said he “believes Ford Motor Co. is doing some remarkable things in the ever-changing energy environment. ... McCain took the Fusion for a test drive and was sold from the start — especially when he found out it gets 700 miles per tank.” By our count, McCain’s choice allows him to check off three boxes: - Green? Check. - Domestic? Check. - Frugal in a time of economic peril? Check. (The car, which retails for about $27,000 base,...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Orrin Hatch and Mike Pence

"Don't you believe that B.S." -Normally mild-mannered Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, at the Utah Republican Convention on Saturday, "after some delegates applauded as a way of blaming national Republicans, himself included, for the deficit and other problems of the Bush years." (Source: Deseret News) "The government competes in the private sector the way an alligator competes with a duck." -Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., going all zoological on us Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union with John...

Continued...

 

Sen. Olympia Snowe thinks gluten-free is top dog

For anyone concerned their dog just isn’t eating enough gluten-free food, Sen. Olympia Snow has the answer. Snowe took her time in Senate Wednesday to commend Barkwheats Dog Biscuits – a business run in her home state that focuses on selling all-natural dog biscuits. She explained that the biscuits are made in two varieties, with sea vegetables and chamomile or ginger and parsley (to get rid of that nasty doggy breath.) She was also happy to announce that they provide a gluten-free option for dog-owners. Good thing she mentioned that these biscuits were “one of a kind.”...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: This week in Congress

"These dinky cars are too small for people like me. The government is going to force us to drive small, battery-powered unsfae vehicles but they will be cute. -Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, speaking last week on fuel-efficient cars. "Too often we should be careful about being cute here on the House floor. So cute means the reference with regard to lettuce...Do you realize if you were to take that lettuce, dry it, and roll it and smoke it...Do you realize that you are going to end up with the same problems than if you were smoking tobacco. It's not the nicotine that kills. It's the smoke that kills." -Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Illl., on the floor Friday morning debating...

Continued...

 

Moore's (or YouTube's) latest film stunts

Michael Moore is up to his latest stunts, surprising unsuspecting movie go-ers (and some pre-alerted media) in Washington Friday night with an unusual sneak peak to his latest film on the financial bailout. But Yeas & Nays wonders if the renegade documentarian is losing his revolutionary edge, getting beaten out by the creative minds posting to YouTube. Friday night, movie-goers in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and here at Loews Georgetown were surprised to see the lights in the theater come on right before the start of their feature film. They had Moore to thank, who came on the screen asking them to “join [him] in helping our fellow Americans” and donate to “save...

Continued...

 

Wilson stops by weed party, natch

He looks the part of the quintessential California surfer, he’s got the saying “dude” down to an art form in every film and he’s best buds with hemp-loving Woody Harrelson. So who more appropriate than actor Owen Wilson to stumble into a book party for “Weed Man: The Remarkable Journey of Jimmy Divine”? Wilson wandered past Tackle Box in Georgetown on Wednesday night, where friends were feting columnist-turned-radio-host John McCaslin for his new book on a legendary dope dealer. Wilson noticed the books displayed in the window (the dust covers of which just happen to be made from rolling paper) and strolled right in, clearly intrigued. Inside, he...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Gen. James Conway

"I would look a mother in the eye and say, 'Don't worry. The safest place in the world is inside a battalion of Marines.'" -Gen. James Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, when asked at the National Press Club on Thursday what he would tell the mother of an 18-year-old who wanted to...

Continued...

 

Turiaf: Doctors more nerve-racking than playoffs

“I feel more comfortable chasing the basketball than talking to hundreds of physicians,” said Golden State Warriors forward Ronny Turiaf, after addressing the American Society of Echocardiography on Tuesday. “I was a little nervous,” he told us by phone afterward. “I was able to shake off my nervousness and open up to them.” Turiaf, who’s also a member of the French national basketball team, was on hand to discuss the open-heart surgery he endured after being drafted out of Gonzaga University by the Los Angeles Lakers. “I was in the best shape of my life,” he said. Nevertheless, a physical revealed an enlarged aortic root. After six...

Continued...

 

Bachmann: Taking on water

In discussing the growing national debt in a late-night special order speech on Tuesday, the always entertaining Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., declared that the president's plan is the "kind of plan we could have watched last weekend on TNT." How's that? Well, explained Bachmann, she was watching the movie "Titanic" last weekend with her family. And boy, she thought, was it ever an apt analogy for the president's economic policy. "As the ice ripped that hole in the Titanic, water started being taken on, and the engineer came out and brought the blueprint blueprint of the Titanic," Bachmann said. "Water came into the first chamber, spilled onto the...

Continued...

 

Redford joins Jolie, Wilson in town

Spotted: Owen Wilson at the bar at Bourbon Steak in the Four Seasons on Monday night. He didn’t last long there, however: After being approached by one too many fans, he got management to move him into the dining room. Wilson is spending time in town to film his as-yet-untitled baseball-themed romantic comedy with Reese Witherspoon. Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie (with hubby Brad Pitt in tow) and Liev Schreiber are back in town for more filming of the spy thriller “Salt.” Cast and crew have been spending time at DAR Constitution Hall this week. Not too far away, Angie’s father, Jon Voight, was spotted at the Willard Hotel on Tuesday morning, after calling President...

Continued...

 

Union draws on life experience with testimony

It is common for celebrities to visit the Hill to testify on issues they care about, but rarer to hear ones speak on experiences they personally suffered. That was the case with actress Gabrielle Union, who, as a rape victim, testified Wednesday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the importance of the Violence Against Women Act. “When I was 19, I had a summer job,” she said, and “one night during the course of a robbery a man raped me.” Sounding like a fictional character from one of her many films, Union explained how she picked up his gun and attempted her “best ‘Starsky and Hutch,’ fell on [her] back popped the clip in and...

Continued...

 

O'Rourke: We owe our existence to the back seat

“Most people owe their very existence to the car, or at least to its back seat,” satirical writer P.J. O’Rourke began his discussion at Cato on Tuesday, where he argued that lawmakers are destroying the American car — and the fantasy it creates — as we know it. “There was no premarital sex in America before the invention of the internal combustion engine,” O’Rourke continued. “You couldn’t sneak a girl into the rec room of your house because your mom and dad were unable to commute so they were home all day working on the farm.” Although he spoke with his characteristically amusing style, one that lands him in the top...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: DeAnna Pappas

“Bachelorette” DeAnna Pappas was in town June, and as the new co-host of “Get Married" she hosted a “Pre-Wedding” wedding party event at Bloomingdale’s in Chevy Chase. Q: What’s the last movie you saw? “17 Again.” It was really cute! Q: What book are you reading? “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer. I am in love with Edward. Q: What Web sites do you visit every morning? Mine, deanna-pappas.com; Perez Hilton; and Twitter. Q: What’s your favorite TV show? “Friends” and “Sex and the City.” Q: What’s new on your iPod? Gavin DeGraw’s new album. (Courtesy...

Continued...

 

By the Numbers: Beyoncé

3 Number of publicized political fundraisers, so far, scheduled to take place at the Beyoncé concert at Verizon Center June 24 $2,500 The top price per ticket, as charged by Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., and G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C. Source: Sunlight...

Continued...

 

'Real World D.C.': MTV makes it official

After weeks of speculation, MTV made it official this afternoon: "The Real World" is filming its 23rd season in Washington this summer. The show will premiere in 2010, after the current season of "Real World: Cancun" fades into memory. Eight young adults will move into a house at 20th and S streets near Dupont Circle, which is currently under construction, as it is transformed into a 24-hour TV set. In recent days, photos of the construction have been posted on several local blogs and Web sites. "The charged atmosphere of Washington D.C., the center of our country's social and political change, will provide an electric setting for this next season of ‘The...

Continued...

 

Willard Scott relives his crazy times at Martin’s 75th

He’s got a few years to go before announcing his own hundredth birthday on a jar of Smucker’s jam, but Washington media staple and NBC weatherman Willard Scott still has plenty of stories about his times at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown. Scott showed up on a rare night out Tuesday to celebrate the local pub’s 75th anniversary, and being that the spot is as old as he is, we were sure to get some juicy tidbits on the place. Instead, we learned more about his own salacious times at the spot he dubbed the place where people “got engaged and got lucky.” So did he know from experience? “I got lucky here with a bartender once,” Scott confessed,...

Continued...

 

McAuliffe follows Obama into Hell (Burger)

Call it the Obama effect: Where the president dines, other Democrats will follow. Last month, you may remember, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden paid a surprise visit to Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington to curb their burger craving. On Virginia’s election day Tuesday, gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe followed suit, hoping that some of the Obama-Biden luck would rub off. Arriving around noon with his family and staff, McAuliffe found a line of diners going out the door. While his wife and campaign manager stood in line and ordered burgers, McAuliffe made the rounds, talking to each diner in the restaurant and urging them to come out and vote...

Continued...

 

White House no, State Dept. yes

Is the red carpet for celebs being rolled up at the White House? This week, another slew of bold-facers — Russell Simmons, Terrence Howard, David Archuleta, Gabrielle Union — has arrived in D.C., this time to support an organization called Children Uniting Nations. But, they said, there was no White House tour on the agenda. We caught up with them at a private dinner at Teatro Goldoni on Monday night, on the eve of Tuesday’s news conferences, panel discussions and a State Department dinner for the organization’s luminaries. The common belief was now that President Barack Obama was where they wanted him, it was back to the issues. “I saw Barack more as a...

Continued...

 

Donovan mingles with locals in movie shoot

With film crews buzzing around downtown D.C. on a regular basis these days, Alexandria got in on the action this weekend, hosting two days’ worth of filming for a new political satire. Starting at 6 a.m., cast and crew filmed all day Saturday at the offices of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, partner Craig Shirley tells us. On the scene were the film’s star, Tate Donovan from “Damages,” and director Dave Fraunces, who portrayed RFK in “Bobby.” Then Sunday, Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria took center stage for a “power lunch” scene featuring Kip Purdue ("Remember the Titans"). Shirley and his wife, Zorine, acted as...

Continued...

 

Dupont home fixing up for ‘Real World’?

The reality show that started it all is allegedly going to become the umpteenth reality show to film in D.C. Last week, reports came out that MTV’s “The Real World” has tapped Washington as its next neighborhood to house seven strangers, while the network documents their every move. No confirmation yet from MTV, and Bunim & Murray producer Jim Johnston told us he knew no information on it and was only working on their next season in Cancun, but the busy activity around 2000 S St. NW near Dupont Circle makes it seem very likely. Seen parked outside the large three-story brick home are several white work vans and a police squad car — the only cars allowed to...

Continued...

 

Simon tries to keep his ‘pottymouth’ in check

David Simon, the Baltimore Sun reporter-turned-writer of “Homicide” and “The Wire,” has found a home on cable in the HBO network. Which is fine with him, because as he conceded at an appearance at the National Press Club on Monday, he has trouble keeping the four-letter words out of his speech or his scripts. Discussing the future of journalism, Simon nearly let a colorful word or two slip early on, before catching himself. “I’m on C-SPAN,” he reasoned. “It’s cable, but it’s not my cable.” But his restraint didn’t last long. Only a few minutes later, he let the word “a*****e” slip out while he discussed...

Continued...

 

Don’t judge judge by cast: There’s no stopping her

A fractured ankle, a plane flight, a hospital visit and meetings with six senators all before the day’s over? That was Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s Monday, which started with her tripping and fracturing her ankle at New York’s La Guardia Airport en route to Washington to make her scheduled appointments on the Hill. And apparently she didn’t let the pain stop her from boarding the plane — she didn’t seek medical attention until landing in the District. After spending “less than two hours” at George Washington University hospital, the Supreme Court nominee was released with a “small fracture in her right ankle,” per a White House...

Continued...

 

Pro athletes take over the town

Professional athletes showcased their skills on the basketball court Saturday night at Trinity University for local disc jockey Big Tigger’s 8th Annual Celebrity Classic. The all-star charity game was the highlight of a three-day event to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The teams were evenly matched, with coaches Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards and Roger Mason, a Maryland native who left the Wizards for the San Antonio Spurs in 2008, facing off. Another Wizard, Andre Blatche, joined the game. Washington, D.C.,’s own Shawne Merriman, a linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, proved his athletic abilities extend beyond football. Other DJs from WPGC went...

Continued...

 

Post colleagues share underwear

What was everyone sure to be talking about Sunday morning following a long night at Washington Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles’ summer bash? Had to be the Post wiseguy Dana Milbank running around with a pair of tighty-whities over his jeans while waving a pair overhead on the dance floor. But even better is where said briefs came from — Toles’ own bedroom! Milbank apparently ran upstairs and raided the Pulitzer Prize-winning drawer’s drawers drawer. Toles said this was a common practice of his colleague, telling us that last year Milbank stole every single pair of his underwear and “draped them all over [his] office” a week later. Let’s...

Continued...

 

Reality can wait: ‘Blonde’ roots starting to show?

The D.C.-based reality show “Blonde Charity Mafia” has been pushed back from its originally scheduled debut. The show, which follows three young Georgetown socialites, was set to air July 7, but the CW network announced Friday it would instead debut on an unknown date in the fall. Some media outlets cite the move as a “promotion,” but the long history of the yet-to-air show seems to cast doubt on that idea. One network source told us in May that the show was “terrible.” Other industry insiders told us they were puzzled why they would need to cook up a marketing campaign if the pilot was so good. “If it’s so good, why do they need a...

Continued...

 

Four parties for Folkman as show debuts

Local chef Teddy Folkman shared the love on Sunday night, holding four simultaneous viewing parties for the debut of "The Next Food Network Star," on which he is a contestant. Folkman's peeps partied at Capitol Lounge, where he just took over as executive chef, the Argonaut in Northeast, Enology in Northwest and his own favorite watering hole, the Reynolds Street Bar & Grill in Alexandria. "The experience was amazing," Folkman told us last week. "A lot of kids dream of Disney World; I dream of going to the Food Network studios." His favorite moment? Meeting "Iron Chef" star Morimoto. "Any guy who wears pajamas 24/7 has got to be a fun...

Continued...

 

Cap. Hill experts handicap Belmont Stakes

When members of Congress and Hill staffers need advice on horse racing, there are two people they turn to: Amy Steinmann, a Republican staffer for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Christian Fjeld, a Democrat who’s in the process of moving from the House Commerce Committee to the Senate Commerce Committee. Experts on a sport that’s no longer top of mind for many Americans — save for three weekends each spring — Steinmann and Fjeld are known for sending out detailed handicapping sheets for each of the Triple Crown races, giving their less-obsessed colleagues a chance to make a winning bet. Steinmann and Fjeld approach the ponies from two...

Continued...

 

Sonia Sotomayor: By the Numbers

9 Days it took Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor to complete the Senate Judiciary Committee’s questionnaire — the “swiftest questionnaire completion in recent history,” according to the White House 13, 15, 30 Days it took Justices John Roberts, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Samuel Alito, respectively, to complete their...

Continued...

 

Conservatives: All about the empathy

"I assume I'm getting this award for a long career of empathy." That's how Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol accepted his award at the Bradley Prizes on Wednesday night, needling the administration in the process. Another of the awards, bestowed annually by the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation, went to the leaders and founders of the conservative Federalist Society. And emcee George Will was properly attired. Will chose his Federalist Society tie, emblazoned with the bust of James Madison, for the occasion. "When I wear this tie on TV it is a signal to sleeper cells ... to rise in defense of the Constitution," he said. Also receiving the prizes: Historian Sir...

Continued...

 

Wilson, Witherspoon, Rudd will call Adams Morgan home

Surprise No. 1: A-listers Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd are coming to town later this month, but they won't be lobbying; they'll actually be working. Surprise No. 2: They won't be filming chase scenes along Pennsylvania Avenue, but rather witty dialogue and romantic intrigue in ... Adams Morgan. The three actors star in a new romantic comedy by James L. Brooks that remains officially untitled, although reports have referred to its working title, "How Do You Know?" As we reported on Tuesday, Wilson will play a Nationals relief pitcher who competes with Rudd for the affections of Witherspoon. Monday afternoon saw about 200 locals get picked as extras at a...

Continued...

 

Nancy Reagan enshrines her husband in the Capitol

Some conservatives may argue there aren’t enough Republicans on the Hill. Well, they can rejoice in now having another Republican permanently in the Rotunda — albeit one made of bronze. Partisanship was not on anyone’s mind as former first lady Nancy Reagan unveiled the Capitol’s newest statue — that of President Ronald Reagan. Joining Mrs. Reagan in the place her husband was both sworn in to begin his second term and where he laid in state after his death were Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; former California Gov. Pete...

Continued...

 

Free Botox an upside to job loss?

One company is going to the extreme to fix the frowns of the newly unemployed — free Botox injections. In exchange for your pink slip, D.C.-based medical group Reveal will fill in your worry lines, crow’s feet or furrows for free to the first 50 people at its Pentagon City location Friday. Along with proof of termination, Reveal is also asking you to bring a resume to give to recruiters they’ll have on site. Though we’re not sure how great an interview you’d give immediately following a Botox procedure (think watery eyes, zero facial expression). So why, exactly, is Reveal doing this? The company says that looking good and a job interview go hand in...

Continued...

 

Media Mix: Korto Momolu

“Project Runway’s” season five finalist Korto Momolu was in town last weekend as a judge at the African Designer and Models Competition. She is a frequent visitor to the area and sees D.C. as the newest fashion capital. Q: What’s the last movie you saw? “Miracle at St. Anna.” It’s a Spike Lee joint. Pretty good but so sad. Q: What book are you reading? “The Other Side of Midnight” by Sidney Sheldon for the umpteenth time. Q: What Web sites do you visit every morning? AOL, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, kortomomolu.com, then I Google myself to see what people are saying. Q: What’s your favorite TV show? I love “Law and Order:...

Continued...

 

Funniest Fed coming back for more laughs

They crack wise, they spend the taxpayers’ money and this September they’ll compete again for the title of Funniest Fed. The five-week contest among federal employees who fancy themselves funny will return to the Arlington Cinema n’ Drafthouse this fall, after a successful debut in 2007. Founder Naomi Johnson says 34 applicants already have signed on, and she said she hoped this year’s contest would be even more popular than the first. In 2007, comedy veteran and Federal Aviation Administration engineer Freddi Vernell took first prize. Her success led to numerous local media appearances, a holiday segment for BET and a finals appearance in the Black Bay Area...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Salvador Dali

“Artiste, Painter. ... Business indefinite.” — Legendary “artiste” Salvador Dali, describing his business in government immigration records that are being released to the National Archives this year. When asked on another document in 1951 if he was a member of any political group, Dali replied: “I belong to the artistic union for theatrical decorations. This is a professional union, not a political one.” Dali’s files, which were on display at an Archives ceremony Wednesday, are among hundreds of thousands that will be transferred later this year....

Continued...

 

Pelosi gives the talk, but doesn’t give a suit

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously loves her Armani suits, but so much so that she can’t even donate one to charity? Apparently so, as her staffers said before her arrival at the Sixth Annual Capitol PurSuit Drive Tuesday morning. The clothing drive that collects suits for low-income men and women has gathered almost 50,000 pieces since it began, but this year they weren’t able to count on Pelosi. Pelosi remarked at the event in the Rayburn House Office Building, stating “it is the example of giving that produces even more giving.” But as her staffers told us before she arrived, “She did [donate] last year but not this year ... but our office donated...

Continued...

 

Glover’s talk turns to Tenenbaums

Actor Danny Glover came to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Tuesday to discuss epilepsy, but his remarks soon turned to one of his most beloved roles — that of “Henry Sherman” in “The Royal Tenenbaums.” In his comments, Glover said he was initially reluctant to play the Tenenbaum family accountant, but director Wes Anderson kept harping on him to do it. Glover said he still wasn’t sold until he went to the United Nations to introduce former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Afterward, Anderson told him that his persona on the dais was exactly what he was looking for in the film, and Glover finally agreed. Afterward, Glover told us...

Continued...

 

Playboy gives Georgetown props for hookups

As if the people that went to Smith Point weren’t already high enough on themselves, Playboy has only added fuel to their “turbo” attitudes — its online city guide lists the uber-preppy Georgetown bar as the best “D.C. Hookup Spot.” A place to find "girls in J. Crew dresses dancing on the tables" is how the magazine describes the post-college favorite on Wisconsin Avenue (or, as its loyalists might claim, O Street, thanks to its side entrance). Once frequented by the Bush twins, the "list only" establishment has become so in name only, letting all in for a mere $5. Nevertheless, it may be a good spot for all you men out there to...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nancy Reagan

"People are writing California off. They are talking about the end of the California dream." -California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, not California dreamin' as he addressed the state legislature on Tuesday "Oh, you're a lefty!" -former first lady Nancy Reagan to President Barack Obama Tuesday. She wasn't referring to his politics, but rather the hand he wrote with as he signed into law the bill providing for an official commemoration of President Reagan's 100th birthday in 2011....

Continued...

 

Exclusive: Nancy Reagan to dine with Michelle Obama Wednesday

9:57 am: UPDATE - It has been confirmed to Yeas & Nays this morning that the two have worked out their scheduling and will meet during Reagan's visit. Per the White House Press Office, Michelle Obama will welcome the former first lady for lunch Wednesday at the White House. This will be the Michelle's first official White House lunch with any prior first lady. (Earlier story below) Former first lady Nancy Reagan is due to arrive in Washington for the unveiling of a statue of her husband, President Ronald Reagan, on Wednesday night in the Capitol, but this will not be her only stop here this month — meeting Michelle Obama is on her agenda. The White House Press Office...

Continued...

 

Will Naughty by Nature make for a ‘naughty’ family fair?

With the start of summer comes the start of county fair season, but this year’s Fairfax Country fair is spicing things up, and we’re not talking about the food. Old-school rap group Naughty by Nature will be one of the acts at this summer’s Celebrate Fairfax!, performing Saturday night with Tone Loc and Sugar Hill Gang. And even though it was told it has to self-censor, we wonder just how Ferris-wheel-riding-balloon-holding-kid-friendly the rap group can make its songs that talk about sex, drugs and violence. Take its most famous song “O.P.P.,” for instance. How will the group sing about “getting down” with “Other People’s...

Continued...

 

Boozy bus gives interns another reason to imbibe

Summer interns already have arrived on Capitol Hill, and one bar is giving them just the thing they need: Another excuse to drink. Gin & Tonic, the preppy hangout in Glover Park, has announced “Intern Initiation Tuesdays.” Beginning tonight, the bar will run a complementary bus from the Hill to its front door for anyone with an intern badge. Of course, as most interns are in college, many haven’t reached legal drinking age yet. Not to worry, says G&T spokeswoman Jessica Gibson — they’ll be carded before the bus ride and again at the door. And once they get in, they’re on their own. As the slogan for the promotion reads: “We’ll get...

Continued...

 

Sightings: Duvall, G n’ R

Actor Robert Duvall, who makes his home in The Plains, Va., was spotted at Morton’s in the Reston Town Center during lunch Friday. He orderd a bone-in ribeye steak and took some pictures with staff and guests. On Monday, Guns & Roses guitar player Gilby Clarke came to Merriweather Post Pavilion as the venue unveiled its improvements. Clarke signed the GNR pinball game in the new Music Pinball Hall of Fame, which contains machines themed with the Rolling Stones, Kiss, Dolly Parton and other entertainers. Proceeds will go to the National Pinball Museum. Gilby Clarke at Merriweather Post Pavilion (Courtesy...

Continued...

 

Nats Park holds movie tryouts

Nationals Park got its first look at the movie business Monday afternoon as the stadium hosted a casting call for extras in the upcoming Reese Witherspoon/Owen Wilson flick, “How Do You Know?” In the film, Wilson plays a Nats reliever who competes with Paul Rudd for Witherspoon's affections. Season ticket holders had first crack at Monday’s open call, and they may get a shot at screen time later this month. NBC 4 reports that filming at the park will take place in two weeks. Meanwhile back in Los Angeles, Witherspoon has been playing softball with a trainer to prep for her upcoming role. And it sounds like she will be putting those new skills to use. A casting call for...

Continued...

 

No 'Housewives' in sight to celebrate NYC socialite's newest novel

With all the talk of the impending "Real Housewives of D.C.," it was only fitting that some of Washington's notable women came to Nanette Lepore in Chevy Chase on Thursday to fete a new novel about a lady who no longer lunches. The book party for New York socialite Jill Kargman’s newest novel, "The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund," brought out some women the Bravo network would drool over getting on their show, such as party hostess Amy Baier (wife of FOX News 's Bret Baier), and co-hosts Sharon Bradley and Ashley Taylor. Those who weren't packed into the dressing rooms were making a beeline toward the white tufted leather couch where Kargman was holding court and signing...

Continued...

 

'Au Revoir', Obama, Bonjour Pee-wee?

Sorry Obama, but indie pop band and children of the eighties – Au Revoir Simone– pick Pee-wee Herman over the president. The electronic threesome of lovely femmes from Brooklyn were in town for a Saturday night show at Washington's own hipster enclave, The Rock and Roll Hotel on H Street NE. But where'd they spend their day? The White House, where dreams of meeting Obama were only matched by the star of the film to which their band's name plays homage, Tim Burton's "Pee-wee's Big Adventure." "While we were there we thought, 'The only thing better than a picture with Obama would be a picture with Pee-wee," member Erika Forster jokingly recounted to Yeas...

Continued...

 

Sparks as Cinderella

Jordin Sparks, the 2007 "American Idol" winner, entertained the crowd Saturday night at the 4th Annual Cinderella Ball, a prom night for teens with with disabilities. Sparks flew into Dulles from Germany with her brother. And former Sen. Pete Domenici is still around and about. The New Mexico Republican, clad in a cowboy hat, was spotted at the Hains Point driving range this weekend, watching intently as his young companion (his grandson, says our source) banged a bucket of balls....

Continued...

 

Irish Biden receives Italian foundation’s highest award

It was a night of all things Italian – prosciutto and parmesan offerings from D.C.’s top Italian restaurants, a silent auction featuring trips to Rome, the Italian pledge of alliance, generations of Italian families and – Joe Biden? Yes, the vice president was the odd-man out Thursday night as the recipient of this year’s Sons of Italy Foundation award. And it didn’t go unnoticed by anyone in attendance at the annual gala that the pasty white-haired Irish-American was a bit out of place amongst the sea of dark Italians. The emcee of the evening – Emmy-award winning actor Joe Montegna – started the night of jokes about Biden’s...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy

“I generally feel that show business people, unless they really make themselves learned in an aspect of government, ought to be cautious about using their visibility to sway people.” - actor/director Ron Howard, in AARP The Magazine, discussing why he’s wary about mixing show business and...

Continued...

 

Norwegian Embassy makes it metal

You can’t say the Norwegian Embassy doesn’t take seriously its commitment to supporting the country’s art. Even when that art happens to be death metal. On Wednesday night, the Norwegian death metal band Enslaved played the 9:30 Club, its first show in D.C. (Sample lyrics, for the uninitiated: “As we emerged/From darker dungeons/Splendor of yellow hells/Expanded swollen eyes.”) And, to the crowd’s surprise and delight, there were a group of embassy staffers in the VIP section, getting a shout-out from front man Grutle Kjellson. Anne Myklebust, a cultural adviser at the embassy, said she and four of her colleagues went to see the show. But that...

Continued...

 

Mary Tyler Moore dishes on more than diabetes

She played one on television, but Thursday it was Mary Tyler Moore’s chance to address real-life journalists at the National Press Club. And given the fact her show debuted three months before the club even started to admit women, seems like she finally “[made] it after all.” Moore was in town on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to discuss her own personal 40-year struggle with the disease — one that she kept secret until the foundation asked her to be its international chairwoman. “It was my best-kept secret, to now my lifelong crusade,” Moore remarked about how thankful she was to finally have publicly acknowledged her battle...

Continued...

 

Polo impresario under fire for 'allegedly charitable' charity

The Commonwealth of Virginia has formally warned the public that a charity affiliated with two high-society polo events may not be a charity at all. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that the Journey for the Cure Foundation, based in Hume, Va., "has solicited contributions ... for allegedly charitable purposes," but because it has not properly registered with the state, "contributors are cautioned that their contributions to such organization may be used for non-charitable purposes." As first reported by the Fauquier Times-Democrat, Tareq Salahi is on the foundation's board of directors. He and his wife, Michaele, run the annual...

Continued...

 

Speakeasy

“It is good to be back in Vegas. I was telling people, I am back in Caesars. That was the hotel where we stayed at when we were campaigning here in Nevada. I thought I had a pretty nice room. But now that I’m president, they upgraded me. I got the upgrade. And it’s a really nice room now. Man.” — President Barack Obama explaining one of the perks of being president at a fundraiser Tuesday for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev....

Continued...

 

9:30 Club lets Cake fans eat their cake

We bet you can’t guess the latest place joining the cupcake trend, as the treat seems much more pop princess than rock star. But the 9:30 Club has found a way to combine rocking out and pigging out. The club will debut the sugary confections at this weekend’s two-night stand by ... wait for it ... Cake! All Cake ticket holders will receive a complimentary Devil’s Food chocolate cupcake filled with vanilla butter cream with a 9:30 Club logo this weekend. A club spokeswoman says they’ve been working with Alexandria’s Buzz Bakery for one year on the getting the taste just right. No doubt cupcakes — now a permanent menu item even when Cake’s not...

Continued...

 

Building no longer ‘marked’ with beast’s number

In this tough economy, could one company want to take any chances with an old superstition? Seems that way. The office building located at 666 11th St. NW is switching its address to 1100 G St. NW after months of having several of its suites go unsold. So are they hoping that a new address will attract more tenants that may have been turned off by having to design their company’s stationary and sign their work e-mails with the “number of the beast”? Not true, says the downtown building’s owners. “There’s nothing that traumatic with the name change,” said Karen Widmeyer, director of communications for J Street Co. “There’s no...

Continued...

 

Is ‘The Bachelor’ off the market?

Many saw them Monday atop the Lions Club Float in the National Memorial Day Parade, but it seems like Navy Lt. and “Bachelor” star Andy Baldwin and Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes may be getting down. Spotted Thursday night in a back corner booth at Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown, the two were clearly enjoying each other’s company — Baldwin squeezed next to Dawes on the same side of the booth, arm flung around her neck. Calling it a night around 11:30 p.m., the two then left together in Dawes’ black Lexus sport utility vehicle. Appearing on behalf of the Lions Club wasn’t their first joint celebrity appearance. On May 18, the two led kids in...

Continued...

 

Youngest GOPer dismissive of Steele’s strategy

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has made reaching out to young voters and minorities a cornerstone of his strategy for the GOP. But Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., the youngest member of Congress and the Republicans’ most recognizable rookie, isn’t so