From E! Online:

After proving her mastery of the spoken word as the protagonist of The Hills, Lauren Conrad is staking her claim on the written word, signing a three-book deal with HarperCollins based on her Hollywood experiences—presumably, the minutiae not already chronicled on TV.

Gah.

The very special guests promised in last week's teaser turn out to be the eliminated designers. They will team up with the still standing to create avant-garde looks based on the astrological sign of one member of the team. Terri acts as if the ousted scissor-monkeys are incredibly rude to thrust their presences back into the workroom. I'm sure Keith "Sulky McBitterpants" was thrilled to be back.

Weirdly, they're all either Sagitarius, Aquarius or Libra. It's telling, if you believe in this tripe, that the ousted designers are the wild cards — a stray Cancer (Kelly), Stella, Emily and Wesley are Scorpios, Jennifer's a Taurus (which is kind of funny), Keith a Leo. The one anomaly among the remaining designers is the sore thumb, Straight Joe, who is not only an Aries but an utter meatball about this challenge which, like every other challenge, like the view outside his window, the current CBS prime-time lineup and his morning bagel is a threat to his hard-won heterosexuality. Hang on to it, Joe! It can slip from your grasp at any moment!

Tim Gunn hands the teams a fake-ass "dossier" containing the common mythologies of each sign and leaves the teams to disintegrate into puddles of passive-aggressiveness and chiffon. Man, these people do not work well with others. The drag queen episode has less drama.

Soon after Gray Matter made the "Take It Back" EP, guitarist Mark Haggerty decided to leave the band for college. The group played one last show in the spring of 1986 with its original lineup on the roof of Food for the Thought, at the restaurant's original Dupont Circle location. The roof was also a popular hangout for the band, so some of these shots are from other times spent there. Most of these photos are by Bert Queiroz. Please add any extra information you have about the photos or the concert in the comments.

A rare collection of Gray Matter photos, courtesy of the band. They couldn't remember the names of all the photographers, so if you're one of the people who took these shots, please leave a comment so we can give you proper credit.

A vintage collection of Gray Matter show flyers, courtesy bassist Steve Niles and scanned by singer-guitarist Geoff Turner. The new Gray Matter / Black Cat anniversary poster is by Clarke Lauderdale.

Don your red, yellow and green and gear up to make a day of it — whenever you're not dancing furiously, you can peruse vendor's booths or pause for a beverage.

» Crossroads Entertainment Complex, 4103 Baltimore Ave., Bladensburg; Sun., doors at noon, music at 2 p.m., $40-$50; 202-397-7328.

» Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW; Fri., Sept. 12, 7 p.m., free; 202-364-1919. (Van Ness)

Whether in your mind the 9/11 attacks were planned by the government or Osama bin Laden or even aliens, remember to be kind to people today, and every day. If 9/11 left a positive legacy, it's that we remembered to see each other as human beings again. We're going to be stuck with long lines at airport security forever, so let's try to hold onto the good things too.

» Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW; Thurs., Sept. 11, 6 p.m., $5 suggested donation supporting the D.C. 9/11 Education fund; 202-387-7638. (U St.-Cardozo)

Photo courtesy Alex Jones

» The Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe St., Alexandria; opens Sat., through Nov. 15, free; 703-838-4554.

Photo courtesy of the Alexandria Black History Museum

As Goddard Space Flight Center prepares for its busiest year yet, it invites the public to learn more about its projects, employees, advancements in technology and its dedication to green science. Along with all this knowledge, food and entertainment will also be available.

» NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt; Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m., free, photo identification required. 301-286-6397. (Greenbelt)

Photo courtesy of NASA

Well, maybe not, but the Kennedy Center Open House does have a whole lot of free performances this Saturday, from the Suzanne Farrell Ballet (seriously, don't miss it) to an R&B singer named Algebra (which is awesome).

» Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW, Sat., Sept. 13, 12 p.m.-8 p.m., free; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom)

SIGH — association people. You know, those people who sit on the various food or dish councils have to keep themselves in business somehow. Where else could National Mushroom Month have come from? But wait — these mycological marvels may really deserve a celebration.

Ferial Welsh — aka "The Mushroom Lady" — can tell you about mushrooms. And if your experience is limited to sliced button 'shrooms on pizza, thank your lucky stars you've got almost a full month left for your mushroom re-education.

At Welsh's farmer's market stalls in Penn Quarter, Dupont, Del Rey and Arlington, white buttons and criminis take up a tiny corner of table real estate. The rest of the stall is filled with boxes of colorful knobs, twisty ear-shaped fungi, and big hunks of something that looks like it was ripped straight off the side of a tree. Inhale, and your nostrils fill with the scent of ... actually, they smell exactly like dirt, but in a good way. It's not a smell Americans are used to.

PUT 'EM AWAY
GRAPE INVESTMENTS
Wine as an investment has gained popularity in the last few years — perhaps because investment-grade wines have beaten the stock market for three years running.

Even if you can't drop megabucks on a cask of Bordeaux, Taste DC's surprisingly affordable "Wine Investing 101" class provides insight about a completely different world from that of the average wine drinker.

While you're working your brain, work your palate, too — bread, cheese, and a few wines will be served. The best part of wine investing is decidedly lowbrow: Unlike with a mutual fund, you can drink your failed investments.

» Embassy Row Hilton, 2015 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Sept. 17, 7 p.m., $65, reservations at tastedc.com.

MARLOWE PARKER was locked up in Angola Prison when the hurricanes came. His family was out there in the wind and water, and his only connection was the TV. So he painted from it.

Skylar Fein had moved to New Orleans six weeks before the hurricanes. After they let him back in, he gathered wooden debris from the streets; soon, he was making art in his backyard amid the devastation.

Photographer Aubrey Edwards was in New York when they hit. She came down as soon as she could, making portraits for impacted families "or anyone who needed a break from the rebuilding." She was soon working with the Kid Camera Project, a group providing therapy by giving Katrina-scarred children cameras — and creative outlets.

Now, Edwards is curating "Way Down in New Orleans," an art show about Katrina and Rita at Civilian Art. Including the work of Fein, Parker and 30-odd others, the show brings a comprehensive view of the hurricanes' devastation to D.C.

THERE'S MORE TO singing old-time Appalachian ballads than just learning a tune and grabbing a song sheet. The essence of that ancient mountain feel is tone.

"A lot of people talk about it as going through the nose, making a really nasal sound," says Elizabeth LaPrelle. "I think of it as sort of a forced sound, which is how you get the breaks and the ornamentation. There's a tension to that.

"And I try to be pretty loud."

Though not yet 21, LaPrelle has already made a big noise in the folk world. When she graduates from William & Mary next spring, she'll probably hit the road, but this weekend, there's no waiting. She performs Sunday at the Takoma Park Folk Festival, where her mother, Sandy, will lend harmonies on several selections. On Saturday night, the LaPrelles play a house concert in Wheaton.