THIS WEEKEND While huffing and puffing at the gym the other day, we almost flew off the treadmill when we saw a Walmart holiday commercial come on the tube. Really? It's not even Thanksgiving yet! In a Scrooge-styled harrumph, we decided that if we are going to splurge on goodies early, it had better be worth our while.
Well, sugar plums, the Shop Around at the Mansion at Strathmore totally is. An $8 admission — all of which benefits the museum's art and education programs — gets you into the event that features items from the area museum gift shops. Whether it's a replica of a Faberge egg from the Hillwood Museum & Gardens, or a silky scarf from the Textile Museum, there's plenty to stock your stuffing with. Besides, unlike the real museum shops, this event will be tourist free. Now that's a jolly good time!
» Mansion at Strathmore 10701 Rockville Pike; Bethesda, Thu., Nov. 12-Sun., Nov. 15., $8; 301-581-5100, Strathmore.org
Photo courtesy Strathmore
THE EUROPEANS are invading, but don't worry -- they're here only to entertain us.
This year's European Union Film Showcase comes to AFI Silver for almost three weeks of comedies, dramas, documentaries, classics and fresh work from some of the greatest established and upcoming directors in the EU.
Thursday night's kick-off film is Swedish writer-director Lukas Moodysson's English-language "Mammoth," starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams.
Continue Reading "The Euro Increases in Value: EU Film Showcase" »
SINGER AND PIANIST Michael Feinstein has carved himself a unique place in American music. He was among the first artists of the current era to breathe life back into the "Great American Songbook" and re-popularize standards by tunesmiths like Cole Porter, Jule Styne and Irving Berlin. He's also an archivist and worked with the aging Ira Gershwin to organize the family's musical catalog.
Feinstein's newest CD, "The Sinatra Project," finds him in both of these roles, singing a dozen songs originally performed by Frank Sinatra and also unearthing some obscurities. Express caught up with him by telephone before a performance in London.
» EXPRESS: Was there an attempt on the new CD to avoid familiar chestnuts like "My Way" and "I've Got You Under My Skin"?
» FEINSTEIN: Yes. Well, I hate "My Way." Sinatra hated it, too. He quite frequently used four-letter words in his description of that song. "I've Got You Under My Skin" is such a definitive performance and recording that I saw no point in trying to copy that. So instead, I took another Cole Porter song, "Begin the Beguine," which he sang and recorded in the 1940s and interpreted it as if he had done it in the 1950s. People who hear it think that it's a vintage Nelson Riddle chart, but it's not. So, yes, I did want to avoid things that were so closely connected to him there was no leeway for a different interpretation.
"HALLOWEEN ON SCREEN" slithers into AFI Silver once again for a festival of blood-curdling cinema and freaktastic film. This weekend kicks off in style with two horror-comedy cult classics: John Landis' 1981 "American Werewolf in London" (Fri. Oct. 23, 7 p.m.; Sat. Oct. 24, midnight; Tues. Oct. 27, and Thurs. Oct. 29, 9:30 p.m.) and Edgar Wright's 2004 zombie satire "Shaun of the Dead" (Sun. Oct. 25, 8 p.m.; Mon. Oct. 26, 8:45 p.m.). The festival is a little werewolf-centric this year, so fans of the hairy monsters will particularly enjoy the lineup.
» AFI Silver, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; through Nov. 4; 301-495-6700, afi.com/silver. (Silver Spring)
Photo courtesy Rogue Pictures
IT'S A RIOT TO WATCH Fido chomp away at his favorite chew toy. But an apartment littered with rubber hedgehogs and ratty dog beds is likely to land you in the "before" category on one of those HGTV makeover shows. But does adopting a dog, cat or, heck, guinea pig mean you have to surrender your pad to paw print-stamped pillows, fusty carpet scratching posts and metal crates that resemble canine jails?
"There's this desire on the part of home-owners to beautify their spaces, but for many years, the pet-product industry didn't take that into account," says Julia Szabo, pet columnist for the New York Post and author of the new book "Pretty Pet Friendly" ($17, Wiley). But luckily for design-conscious pet lovers, a new generation of chic pet companies has moved to the front of the pack.
Getting your paws on hipper, sleeker puppy beds, cool birdcages and haute cat collars is easier than teaching a dog tricks now, thanks to fresh stock at online outlets, indie boutiques and big-box stores such as Petco and PetSmart. What began with a few high-end designers offering handmade wares with a mod sensibility has evolved into an industry-wide phenomenon -- a growing piece of the $45 billion pet-product pie, according to the American Pet Products Association.
"Carpet-covered monstrosities were not cutting it," says Kate Benjamin, a Phoenix blogger who defies the "crazy cat lady" stereotype on her blog, Moderncat.net, where she emphasizes design-forward products -- from "Jetsons"-esque cat pods by Hepper Home (Hepperhome.com) to sleek cat perches and DIY sheepskin-topped acrylic cubes -- and shows how she incorporates her six felines into her swanky, boutique hotel-ish pad.
Continue Reading "Paw & Order: Accessories for the Modern Pet" »
MIKE DUGAN PULLS NO PUNCHES exploring the darker edges of the male psyche in his show "Men Fake Foreplay," now at Bethesda Theatre. The comedian and Emmy-winning writer wrote for Jay Leno and Dennis Miller before launching his 90-minute monologue filled with funny and philosophical insights. Whether he's trying to figure out why men really cheat or why they don't seem to understand complex communication, Dugan's take on the man-woman thing goes far beyond yuks about leaving the toilet seat up.
» EXPRESS: How did "Men Fake Foreplay" come to be?
» DUGAN: When I was writing for late night, I was making a lot of money, but I wanted to write for my own voice. I mean, how many ways can you call Monica Lewinsky a slut? The more I looked around, the more I realized the world is designed to help men do the right thing, not the easy thing.
» EXPRESS: What is the title saying?
» DUGAN: Yeah, it's not about sex. There are actually two definitions in the dictionary for foreplay: the one about sex, and then there's, "Actions or behaviors that precede an event." I set out to redefine foreplay as all the things a man does.
Continue Reading "Pulling No Punches, Faking Foreplay: Comedian Mike Dugan" »
FEB. 13 IS the best date night of the year. After all, the only other couples you'll run into are people having torrid affairs who have to reserve the 14th for their legit significant other. So, go out on the 13th and do something romantic, even if you're alone.
Remember that time you swore not to think about your ex-boyfriend, but then your dreams were so full of rage that you awoke to find yourself chewing on your pillow? That's what happens when you deny Valentine's Day too vehemently.
This doesn't mean that you have to go see romantic dreck such as "He's Just Not That Into You." The AFI Silver (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; 301-495-6720) is showing "Say Anything," which is not only one of the most romantic movies ever made that avoids cloying sweetness, but it's also a "Breakfast Club"-level '80s classic. If you have the Valentine's Day blues, take a bunch of friends and try not to think about how old you were when this movie came out.
Continue Reading "Night Out: Luckier Valentines Count on the 13th" »
MONDAY: Ah, the Purple Line. Have you still not decided what your stance is on the would-be Metro connector in the 'burbs? Well it's time to stop straddling the issues and asking for the insight of an unbiased third party: Your taste buds.
How? Take advantage of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week, which kicks off Monday and will tantalize your palate through Sunday, Feb. 1. Restaurants such as the oenophile-friendly Grapeseed to the tapas hot-spot Jaleo, will serve up two course-lunches ($12-15) and three-course dinners ($30). Then, just go with your gut instinct.
» Various locations, Mon., Jan. 26-Sun., Feb. 1.
Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post
THE SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR may be a Christian group from South Africa, but you need not be saved to enjoy its music.
"We don't only perform for Christians," said Shimmy Jiyane, assistant music director and choreographer. "You don't have to be a Christian to enjoy our show; you just have to come to our show and enjoy yourself."
After all, South Africans been forced to figure out ways to get along despite the many different ethnicities, religions and cultures that comprise the nation.
"In our country, we have 11 different official languages, and we have 20 to 40 cultures that are different," Jiyane said. "We mostly sing a capella, but we're open to any other kind of culture to bring their culture into our culture."
Continue Reading "Songs of Unity & Love: Soweto Gospel Choir" »
THIS FRIENDLY, folk art-style marmalade cat may appear larger on the page. That's because Natasha Beshenkovsky's sculpture and every other work in Strathmore's 75th Annual International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature is a tiny slice of heaven.
» The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, Bethesda; through Jan. 3; 301-581-5200. (Grosvenor-Strathmore)
Photo courtesy The Mansion at Strathmore
Addison Road