I used to remember when one would have to wake-up early in the morning and wait in line to see the Washington Monument. This past summer I was surprised when my friend LJ told me that you can now book the coveted tickets online. Now another popular Washington attraction is going online. Trying to obtain tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony would mean waiting outside in the cold- now you can vie for a spot amongst the 2,800 seats or 7,000 standing spots available.

Starting today you can register to enter a lottery for the free tickets needed to see the event in person. Registration for the lottery will last until 11:59 PM on Friday November 6th. Just head on down to the event website for more info.

The National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, scheduled for 5 p.m. Dec. 3 on the Ellipse, south of the White House.

Courtesy Flickr user Mrs. Gemstone

I almost forgot there was an election today until I saw a VP walking around with his “I Voted” sticker. Compared to last year when everybody toted stickers it was a complete turn-around in turnout. Today polls opened in Virginia (and a few other states) for election of state officials. In Virginia the big race is the state Gubernatorial battle between Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell. With the election coming on a non-Presidential election day, we could possibly see the colors change this fall: from blue back to red.

The Washington Post reports that the low turnout could help an energized Republican party take back the top seat in Virginia:

Turnout was light, and interviews with voters at several Northern Virginia precincts showed little sign of the blue tide that swept Virginia a year ago, when the state played a pivotal role in the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president. Instead, many voters said they were distressed about the direction the country seemed to be taking under Obama’s leadership, and would vote for Republican candidates in part as a way to slow the pace of change.

I’ve long since lost interest in the local elections in my state, but I do believe in voicing my opinion- and you’ll see me step out of my office this afternoon to cast a vote, because if you don’t vote you can’t complain.

Polls statewide will be open til 7 P.M. today, to find your local polling station click here.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Scorpions and Centaurs

Two weeks ago I had to go on an impromptu business trip, but I was happy in knowing that I was able to book a flight out of Reagan National, my personal airport of choice when it comes to escaping The District.

I’m happy to hear I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Reagan National was recently recognized as the top airport in the Conde Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards. 1,700 business travelers were surveyed for the awards and asked to rate airports according to airport navigation and design to culinary options and amenities. Reagan scored a 52.7 out of 100 which was big enough to top Portland, Oregan airport for the top spot. The airport earned high marks in ease of access (which is why I love it compared to Dulles or BWI) and safety/security (I’d hope the airport closest to DC is safe and secure.)

To me it’s a no brainer, while Reagan isn’t as big as Heathrow, it’s been one of the most convenient airports to get to and fly in/out of. While I can’t always afford to use Reagan, if I had to choose a DC airport- Reagan wins.

In case Patrick’s thinly veiled plea to go see him on Saturday night doesn’t speak to you (or, the far more likely event is that so many of you rush to buy tickets that the show sells out) I’ll throw out another suggestion for Saturday night-The Washington Wizards open their season on Halloween night. 

Maybe its a testament to how scary last year’s basketball season was that the Washington Wizards are opening the Home season on Halloween.  Of course, with the return of Agent Zero Gilbert Arenas to the floor, The Wiz are already 1/19th of the way to matching last years total and are probably “dressing up” for Saturday as the team they used to be-a low seed playoff team and early first round exiter.  Of course, making the playoffs (or just being competitive) will be a huge step up for this team and attendance at basketball games should increase.  They’ve already shown their Western Conference underachieving counter part, the Dallas Mavericks, that they mean business handing them a home opening loss on Wednesday night. 

The Wiz should play a good game Saturday night, and even if they don’t they are encouraging costumes so you’ll be able to hide in shame-unlike certain other franchises that are run as if they are a small Central American dictatorship I could name.

Free Masks, Candy and Schedule Magnets for fans as well as a contest for best costume-which will win you season tickets, so nothing to sneeze at there.  What would be a wining idea for a costume?  I’m thinking a LOT of people will go as a, wait for it, WIZARD so if you go that route make sure yours is killer.  Also, tasteless stuff is probably not going to cut it, even though I’d give you style points, it is a family event. 

My suggestion is to tape a lot of fake money to your shirt and go as the Wizards first round draft choice-CASH.  (If you have a friend, they can be “Cash Considerations.”)

Whatever you do, dont’ be a ceiling fan.  Please.  For me.

Photo courtesy Alex Buckley

A disclosure so the FTC doesn’t go after me: this post is going to be 60% shameless plug.

I’ve spent the last few months stage managing for Kensington Arts Theatre’s production of The Rocky Horror Show. We opened last weekend to some wonderful audiences and this weekend we are pulling all the stops out for Halloween. Tonight we’ll have a performance at 8:00 PM but tomorrow night we’ll be having a special midnight performance for Halloween! What better way to celebrate the holiday than watching the show that’s been a horror cult classic for years.

The Rocky Horror Show tells the tale of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple that are left stranded when their car breaks down in a rain storm, and seek the sheltered at the nearby castle of Frank-N-Furter, a mad scientist who has a devilish plan in store for his new visitors.

For those that are Frankie fans, audience participation will be allowed and encouraged. If you are Rocky Horror virgin, you can find out what all the fuss is about here. Audience members will be free to shout out their favorite callbacks during the show, however keep your rice and pieces of toast at home. Props brought from home won’t be allowed due to safety reasons, however you can purchase all the props you need to shower the theatre with cards for sorrow and cards for pain.

To get complete details on the show check out KAT’s website- and if can’t catch it this weekend it’ll be running til November 14th.

If my shameless plug didn’t convince you to check out Rocky Horror then here’s a couple of other things you can do:

• The International Spy Museum will be holding a Spy Fright today and tomorrow. Besides a haunted Spy at Night event with cocktails, wearing a costume to the museum gets you discounts including 50% admission.  On Saturday the museum is also launching the latest Clue game: CLUE Secrets & Spies.
• The folks at Lindy Promotions are putting on the 10th Annual Nightmare on M Street, and if M Street two years ago means anything, it’ll be quite the show.
• From 6 PM – Midnight on Halloween stop by any Taco Bell for a free Black Jack Taco. No base stealing required.
• Instead of listing every single Saturday night Halloween party in town, just check out what The Washington Post, The Washingtonian, and BarDC have to say.

Come December, you'll see this confessional backdrop all over MTV

Remember this past summer when that crazy group of kids moved into Dupont Circle and caused chaos for DC and MTV? Well as most of us can get back with our lives now that they are gone, we can expect them back on our TV screens soon.

NBC 4 recently talked with Executive Producer Jim Johnston and says the show should premiere around December 30th- just in time to watch reruns while nursing that New Years hangover.

The Washignton Post’s Dan Zak also got the chance to visit the house and the castmates and saw it all from themed bedrooms to coached up message points given by the castmates:

They came. They saw. They got good at Jacuzzi sex. They had the time of their lives, they say, in the $5.7 million mansion at 2000 S St. NW. D.C. is sooo great, they say, so driven and electric. They use “driven” and “electric” often to describe themselves and Washingtonians. There is a faint, stale whiff of prepackaged buzzword, like they’ve been coached to brand the production before it airs Dec. 30.

Zak offers short takes on each of the cast members, reporting that castmate Mike Manning may return to DC, taking a liking to the city after his experience working with the Human Rights Campaign. Zak also notes that in a trite attempt to look “DC” the entire place is covered in eagles:

Bald eagles are everywhere. Eagle statues prop up a glass coffee table with their white, feathery crowns. Bronze and ceramic eagles swoop out from the wall, mid-attack. It’s Norman Bates, with a dash of John Ashcroft.

The related video reveals that cast felt like being on “The Real World” was really hard and difficult. I can imagine what months of drinks, drama, and parties can do to your life. No wonder most end up re-signing with the network for future shows (how long before they end up on The Ruins 2?)

Click the photo below to check out the Washington Post’s look inside The Real World DC House:

WP Video: D.C. cast members of 'The Real World' show off their house

The creator of PostSecret and friend of DC Metblogs Frank Warren has been busy lately.

Besides maintaining one of the web’s most visited blogs and holding numerous live events, he now has a new book out: PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God. For the 5th book he’s been busy doing various radio and television hits, including an appearance on the Today show. All of the buzz is well deserved, as his book debuted at #1 on the New York Times best seller list and still remains there two weeks later.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to chat with him and talk about what he’s been up to.

Since we first corresponded through e-mails back in January, Warren has expanded PostSecret’s online presence from it’s blog and online community with Facebook pages and a Twitter account. “PostSecret has been doing a lot of innovative stuff online- cutting edge stuff in the virtual world, social media,” says Warren and while his Twitter account is less than a year old he already has over 211,300 followers. He’s already become a Twitter pro, using his new iPhone to capture behind the scenes moments of his first national television interview. “I thought it was a cool juxtaposition because if somebody was following me on Twitter they could see it from my perspective then see it live on NBC like everybody else does- it’s like sharing the secrets behind the show.”

Frank has become a fan of Twitter and believes it is at the cusp of changing the way we communicate, “I think it’s a another unique communication tool that allows us to have new kinds of conversation I think eventually  it’s going to look nothing like it does now I think we are just at the beginning of how it evolves into something more significant.” Warren believes that Twitter still needs to work on ways to help users find the most interesting content easier, “Twitter is in desperate need of tools to raise the awareness of those that are sending the most interesting and experimental tweets.” Frank also came up with a new term for the many registered accounts that are relatively inactive:  Zombie Followers.

The idea for Confession on Life, Death, and God originally started as a PostSecret exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Looking at the 300 postcards in the exhibit, Warren noticed how secrets sent into the project have become more spiritual- and it became the theme of his latest book. For the next two years Frank solicited and collected secrets for the book and spent a lot of time selecting and arranging what would be included. Frank shared with me some layouts that stuck out to him, for instance pages 120-127 share a theme with birds and cages (get the book and see if you can find it.) There’s another interesting comparison on page 142 & page 143- but I’ll let you figure that one out. You can see Frank certainly put together this book with a meticulous eye.

After reading the copy of the book he sent to me, I found the book to be as thought-inspiring and insightful as the secrets he posts on the blog or his Twitter account. It is definitely an interesting book to check-out if you are a fan of PostSecret, or if you’ve never even heard of the project.

You can pick-up copies of the book on Amazon, B&N, Borders, or any other fine retailer (except Wal-Mart, where he’s banned- but it isn’t slowing him down.)

Two things disappointed me about the Redskins loss this past Monday:

1. Chris Cooley dyed his hair an extreme shade of blond, perhaps paying homage to Ochocinco.
2. He broken his ankle early in the game and was feared to be out the rest of the season.

Despite the fact Cooley is one of the only bright spots on the disaster that is the Redskins, he’s my fantasy tight end on two of my five fantasy football teams. Good thing that the injury isn’t as bad as it seems, Chris’ brother Tanner reported on The Cooley Zone that Chris will need a few pins but could make, “a speedy recovery.” The post would of been news if Cooley wasn’t scooped by ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter who tweeted that Cooley could be back in 4 weeks.

Tanner tweeted a few hours ago that Chris has completed the operation and is all right (and was kind enough to post a photo)- but it doesn’t answer the question Tanner originally asked, “How do you get scooped on your own injury report?”

I am now convinced that Adam Schefter is just that good.

GWU (wikimedia)

This year’s campusgrotto.com list of the Most Expensive Colleges for 2009-2010 is out, and the leaderboard has changed over previous years. Former Most Expensive College George Washington (2007-08) has “slipped” from the number two to the number three spot with a total cost estimate of $51,730. Close behind at number seven is that other local tuition “powerhouse,” Georgetown.  Other institutions that are at least somewhat close-by on the top 100 list include: Johns Hopkins (6), Richmond (77), Loyola University Maryland (93), and Washington and Lee University (94). The campusgrotto.com list calculates total cost as Tution + Room and Board, but does not include books or fees.

Don’t have a heart attack, applicants; many of these institutions offer pretty generous financial aid packages.  These are still some pretty steep price tags; even the institution at the bottom of the list, Northeastern University, tops $46,000!

Did I miss any other local high-dollar institutions?

If you aren’t listening to Bill Simmons’ B.S. Report podcast, then you don’t know what you are missing.

Sports fans may know him as the ESPN columnist that’s a die-hard Boston sports fan (which appeals to me as a former Bostonian), I know him mainly from his daily podcasts that feature interviews with his friends, fellow writers, and the occasional GM or actor. His experience writing for the Jimmy Kimmel Show has given him a broad background and network that makes his podcasts entertaining for both fans of sports and pop culture.

So you can tell that I was thrilled to hear via Twitter that Simmons will be kicking off his book tour in Washington DC with a midnight signing at ESPN Zone. He’ll be there tonight to release his latest book, The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to The Sports Guy, and he’ll be signing copies that you can purchase or you can bring in your own copies to be signed (he’s already recommended going to Amazon or Wal-Mart to get the best deals.)

So if you want to know where I’ll be tonight, I’ll be the one with the Red Sox cap standing in line downtown- however I have a feeling there’ll be a lot of Boston caps in line, maybe I should wear my Nationals hat instead.

UPDATE: It was great to shake The Sports Guy’s hand and get him to sign my copy of the book with an insult to my Alma Mater (which neighbors his Alma Mater of Holy Cross.) The event was so big that they didn’t have enough books for everyone, and the line rounded the corner and went down three blocks- glad to see DC has a lot of Bill Simmons fans!

Typically known for their highlights of the DC Blogopshere, DCBlogs has recently taken a step away from their typical “Blogs noted” posts to speak out on some local issues.

In An Open Memo to Jim Graham, DCBlogs suggests that the hurdles of obtaining information from the Freedom of Information Act should be lowered, and that it would allow bloggers access to the information needed to keep DC officials accountable:

One way to fight corruption is to reduce the barriers for bloggers to gain access to information. DC’s government must honor all FOIA request[s]. Let’s make this information free, especially to bloggers who plan to use the documents to inform their readers.

An interesting rational for cutting down on the costs of bureaucracy, and the idea of  bloggers as watchdogs isn’t entirely new.

In another recent post, DCBlogs takes aim at corrupt officials again, this time at the treatment of teacher layoffs and corruption within Jim Graham’s staff.

It looks like DCBlogs is speaking out against the job the local government is doing, I thought that I’d take a moment to note the blog for doing so since it is mostly busy noting other people’s works.

The District unveils its new "Wrong Way" sign....

I kept thinking to myself “I really have to lay of the ‘Skins.  Everything you write about them is just terrible.  I’ll wait until they do something right before I post about them again.”

Well after the Warriors of Washington lost the battle of Little FedEx Horn, I’m not sure that day is going to come. Zorn has been relieved of his calling the play duties, Campbell benched-these things are as close to  “positives” as Washington will see for a while.

At this point, I think this youtube video is about as close as I can get to something to be positive about.  Lionel Richie in the background is very relaxing to be honest.  I grieve for you Washington-I suggest you start getting interested in hockey real quick.

Today we got the sad news that Ben Ali, founder of DC institution Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street, passed away Wednesday night of congestive heart failure.   Ben and his wife Virginia opened the restaurant in 1958 and it quickly became a fixture.  Its casual atmosphere and unforgettable chili half-smokes have been a favorite of visiting entertainers, DC luminaries, and everyone else in the city for more than fifty years.  It’s been an attention-getter for decades, and was the only business to remain open through the 1968 riots — and has remained a force in the neighborhood, non-stop, through all the changes U Street has seen over the years.  One thing that hadn’t changed for the past twenty-plus years was the sign behind the counter that read:  “List of Who Eats Free At Ben’s:  Bill Cosby.  No One Else”; that is, until the sign was changed to add the Obama Family (with the notation “but he paid”).

Ben’s has been featured in just about every travelogue related to DC that one can think of!   Recent expansions include the new Nationals Ballpark and Ben’s Next Door.

We at DC Metblogs want to express our heartfelt condolences to the Ali family.  Rest in peace, Ben, and thanks for creating such a great place for us Washingtonians to love.

Ben's on U Street (wikimedia). Thanks for everything!

I took a break from my own hectic theatre schedule to visit my friends at The Arlington Players, who are currently finishing a run of their fall production, Bye Bye Birdie.

I walked into the Thomas Jefferson Theatre last weekend and I felt like I walked into a Silver Diner with songs of the 50’s setting the tone for what was to come. The show makes a timely run in the DC area with a Broadway revival starring John Stamos slated to open in two weeks. The show revolves around songwriter and manager Albert Peterson (Chris Gillespie) and his client, Conrad Birdie (Michael Bigley.) When the pre-Jonas teen heart-throb is drafted in the Army, Peterson hatches up a publicity stunt to have Birdie go out with a bang.

Anne Marie Pinto plays Rosie Alvarez, Peterson’s secretary/love interest who is at odds with Albert’s mother, Mae (Kat Brais.) Kim MacAfee (Jordan Hougham) is the cute and adorable Conrad Birdie fan-club member that is to be kissed by Birdie on his last National television appearance.

The show’s strong points lie in the music. David Rohde leads what I have to admit is the best sounding Orchestra I’ve ever heard in a musical. Anne Marie Pinto and Jordan Hougham have absolutely beautiful voices and were real highlights to me in the show.

Besides great musical performances from the principals, the supporting cast gave entertaining efforts that almost stole every scene. I thought both Melissa Stamps and Kat Brais were very funny in playing the two mothers in the show: Kim’s effervescent mother Doris, or Albert’s thrifty and passive-aggressive mama Mae. My personal gold star goes to Cassandra Hodziewich, who’s ten minute cameo as Gloria Rasputin is absolutely unforgettable.

Amanda Acker designs another impressive set and also puts on the Producer hat for this production. Paired with the costume design of Lory Levitt and Irene Molnar, the resulting palette of colors in the show was pleasing from the first ensemble scene to the final outlines in the shadows.

Musical numbers like “The Telephone Hour” and “Put On A Happy Face” were cute and will be sure to take you back to a familiar time (funny I say that as a kid born in the 80’s.) In today’s world of Hannah Montana and The Jonas Brothers, Bye Bye Birdie tells a story of teenage teeny-boppers of an earlier time but should still resonate with all the trouble show biz brings to young stars today.

Bye Bye Birdie
Closing this weekend: October 2 —4
Thomas Jefferson Community Center
http://www.thearlingtonplayers.org/

Hee-Haw. A seething commentary on the state of the Nats, or are these guys just a couple of Asses having some fun?

Even on the tail end of a 100+ loss season, it is nice to end with a sweep of a division rival complete with walk off grand-slam to send the fans home for the year.  It seems like years (not months) ago that the DC Metblogs crew stopped out to the stadium for opening day-and yet that is just what bad baseball is, a long season.

Over this past year though I’ve come to realize something about at least myself with regards to bad baseball-I’m okay with it.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m really looking forward to good baseball (or at least the .500 baseball we had our first season) finally coming to town-but baseball has really started to take a foothold in this town.  How can I possibly say that when the ratings are awful and the park is nearly (or more than) half empty every home game?  I think the above photo is part of that evidence.

The fact is that, good or bad, the Nationals are part of the landscape in DC now.  The new stadium isn’t ALL that new, the players aren’t all just faceless fill-ins, guys like Zimmerman and Strassburg are intent on committing to play in DC, NATS FAIL took off this year, and two fans decided to dress up like Dunn-key’s for the game.  It’s not great when your team is the joke, but at least people are laughing and not just walking out.  Apathy still reigns with regard to the Nationals and the larger DC community, but I think its fair to say that the hardcore fans are there now.  The people who want to watch baseball, rain or shine, good or bad and are otherwise committed to team are established.  That base is here now, and everyone else is at least aware that there is a team to go see if they want to.  Attendance next year probably still won’t be what everyone wants it to be, but I expect that at times it will spike (When the Opening Day, Strass pitching, etc.) and with a team that will finally, probably start playing better baseball (at least .400 I would guess) my hope is that this team is finally turning around.

And if they don’t-well they are at least a good laugh every now and then.  Something for the casual fan to kvetch about at the water cooler without really knowing what they are talking about (It’s easy to pick up on the fact that the “Nats Stink”), and a great place for the newly committed fan to go and watch a ball game and commiserate with some others that know what the score is.

I imagine later this year we’ll do a full recap of the season and a look forward to the next, but for now I just have a vaguely optimistic feeling about this club based on the appearance of a couple of jack-asses.  Go Nats.