If this summer taught me something, it is that Washington DC is quickly becoming the place to film movies and television. While DC has always been a setting for films; there’s a lot more television, more specifically reality television, being film in The District. I’m not the only one to think so. Even nearby Baltimore is getting jealous.

So here are some links on the latest going on in the Reality TV scene:

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Your Idea

Real World DC

Those that read me know that I’ve already had a couple of run-ins with the cast and it’s really not that hard to follow them on your own.

• Christopher Wiggins is the man on the beat when it comes to the latest on the cast’s whereabouts. He uses his connections with the DC bar and club scene as well as scouring The Internet and Twitter to provide the latest updates all on one Twitter feed. If you want to become a stalkerazzi this is the must have tool in your arsenal.
• Talking about stalkerazzi, the blogger duo of Elizabethany and Martin are on a mission to become the Real World DC cast’s “BFF.” Follow them on Twitter and read their blogs as they experience the DC Nightlife in an attempt to find The Real World DC cast.
• Elizabethany’s notoriety attracted the attention of Metromix who brought her on to write about her Real World DC experiences. Follow her Metromix material here. Elizabethany will also be the subject of a profile I’m writing up for later this week.
• Washingtonian is also watching the Real World DC news and is making a neat little map of all the locales they visit.
• The Washington City Paper is stalking the stalkers- and created a one-stop shop here.
• Of course not everyone is a fan. The neighbors of the house on 2000 S street have created their own blog: The Anti-Real World DC.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user WorldIslandInfo

Blonde Charity Mafia

After my initial write-up on the show coming to the CW, it looks like the show has been pushed back to air in mid-September. That didn’t stop them from having a preview party on the West Coast. Til then you can learn more news from the fan blog dedicated to the show.

The Real Housewives of D.C.

Nothing new since the announcement that the next installment of the franchise will take place in the Nation’s Capital. The show is still in development with Bravo still trying to pick those lucky rich women housewives. Politico offers their take on who are the female power players that should be chosen.

The Biggest Loser

Even though the show is set on the West Coast, the show recently film a special episode that will take place in DC. The episode will feature the contestants as they complete challenges, explore DC’s landmarks, and dine at some local eateries. Why do I think Ben’s Chili Bowl would not be a wise chose for the diet?

UPDATE: In other reality show news, it looks like Kate Gosselin is moving into Rockville. She’ll be living in a condo in Montgomery County to stay in when it’s not her turn with the kids. Jon has a condo in New York that he’ll be staying in. The kids will remain in PA.

Nevermind.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user lifeinthedistrict

When I first moved into my current place in Clarendon my roommates and I noticed a quaint little house around the corner next to the car dealership.

It was actually a bar called Jay’s Saloon and Grille.

At first the appearance was somewhat run down and somewhere between divey and dicey. We joked about going there and drinking with all the middle aged townies that probably frequent the place. It wasn’t until I organized a roommate happy hour at Jay’s that I found out what I was missing. I’ve already written that this place maybe our McLaren’s.

The Washington Post opens their review with the exact same thoughts I had when I spent that summer night at Jay’s:

I love Jay’s Saloon & Grille so much that I don’t want to tell you about it. I don’t want you to discover it. I don’t want it to be crowded and popular. I really love this bar. I would not write in the first person otherwise.

Now I know exactly what Shayla was thinking. As much as I want to tell everyone what a great place this is, I don’t want too many people to know. What gives Jay’s its charm is the fact that in location and environment, it is truly my neighborhood bar. I love how it always has the right amount of people, so it’s sociable but not too crowded. It’s the perfect place to relax after a tough day at work or a place to start before you head out into Clarendon or DC.

After that initial happy hour, we kept coming back again and again. My roommates were already recognized by the wait staff a week or two since discovery.

The cover of the menu looks like it’s circa 1985: the pages are typewritten with handwritten notes and former items blacked out with marker. But with the retro menu comes the retro prices- which looks like they haven’t been changed since the 90’s. The fare is standard- not bad but not great either, however the cheese fries are a favorite with my house. Jay’s Happy Hour is where the place truly shines $2 domestic bottles and deals on Budweiser and Coors Light drafts: $1.50 for a frosty mug of beer or $7 for a full pitcher. House wines — from the “Wine List” — are $2.95 per glass. It’s one of the best deals around town short of heading over to Recessions.

We typically enjoy drinks in the covered patio section in front of the bar. Astroturf covers the space that is full of plastic lawn furniture, Christmas lights, and if you look carefully- hung oil paintings that gives the place a more southern feel.

Inside there’s a pool table that’s been covered and unused every time I’ve been and a ramp takes you up to a bar and table area where you can find the townies I stereotyped earlier. However the crowd is actually a jovial mix of young professionals, and other people that make up streets around Jay’s- it truly is a neighborhood bar where the mood is low-key and relaxed.

On the weekends the place will get a bit more crowded that usual but I hope that during the week I’ll still be able to walk 100 ft out of my house and into the patio without having to hunt for a table.

Jay’s Saloon has so far been Arlington’s best kept secret.

Jay’s Saloon and Grille
3114 N. 10th St.
Arlington, VA 22201
703-527-3093

Eighteenth Street Lounge courtesy Flickr user dionhinchcliffe

I feel like a reality show extra just thinking about it.

I was a little excited to hear that a new reality show was going to be filmed in The District. Blonde Charity Mafia doesn’t sound like anything lasting more than a season so it would of been nice to see some random rich people frolic around DC for our amusement and ridicule while it lasted. It was also entertaining to hear that Bravo is bringing The Real Housewives franchise here as well, that to me is more of a yawn- BCM is more my age group. But now everyone is buzzing over speculation and confirmation of The Real World DC and all of a sudden it’s exciting to live in DC again. Not that living in the Capital of the United States and center of politics means anything.

While everyone is talking about it, not everybody is a fan of the future season of the show, and could care less. But that alone means something because as Brightest Young Things has written so elegantly, “DC loves to care about not caring about stuff.”

why.i.hate.dc has already made some predictions of what the next six months could hold, I started thinking if I would run into while I’m out enjoying myself.

Now I’m not one of those that are already planning stake-outs around 2000 S street NW, but with all this buzz and news I started thinking what kind of bars and clubs would the cast of The Real World visit. I don’t watch the show but still I tried to put myself into the shoes of a Producer or Location Manager and come up with the best bars for running into The Real World cast.

Even though the house is in Dupont Circle, most bars are probably fair game given that it only takes a short cab ride to get around town. But let’s say they wanted to stay close to home, where would they go? Let’s look at some options:

Bar Around The Corner: The Black Fox Lounge

Located on 1723 Connecticut Avenue, NW, The Black Fox is one of the closest nightspots to The Real World home. Not much else is known about the place, the website sports an, “Opening 2009″ target. What better way to open a brand new place than to get some future D-list MTV stars to hang out there?

Gazuza courtesy of Flickr user M.V. Jantzen

Glam, Yet Chill: Gazuza

Gauzuza maybe more of a dark horse since the atmosphere is more laid back however the look is sleek, modern, and what DP would pass up a crane shot of the cast dining on the Hookah Lounge’s signature patio overlooking Connecticut Ave?

The Neighborhood Hangout: The Front Page & Lucky Bar

Front Page and Lucky Bar are neighborhood favorites for me and others, I can see these two hangouts on nights where a dance club isn’t on the docket. The clientele is young, the places always look packed, and  it’s the perfect place to dish drama from the night before where they went to…

The Dance Club: Eighteenth Street Lounge

It’s may not be the stereotypical dance club in design, but that’s exactly why I think Eighteenth Street has a chance to receive a visit from the housemates. The unique layout and atmosphere will provide a new look for the predictable night ahead: the guys get drunk and hit on beautiful women, the girls get plastered and start a cat-fight (if the guys haven’t started a brawl already.) Plus the relationship between the lounge and music label ESL Music could also help negotiate a, “random visit” one night.

If you were the Producer, where would you send cast on a night out?

Yesterday, a fellow Metblogger Tweeted with a “Red Alert”:  the DC Council had passed the five-cent plastic bag tax!  The Post reported that “The D.C. Council voted unanimously yesterday to assess a 5-cent tax on paper and plastic bags to try to discourage their use, putting the District at the forefront of efforts nationwide to promote reusable shopping bags.”  The tax will apply to food-service providers, grocers, and pharmacies.  Could the District be on track to join San Francisco as the only major city to ban plastic bags outright?

The bag tax is designed to limit pollution in the Anacostia and its tributaries — proceeds will be used for the Anacostia River Cleanup Fund.  Will the city distribute any reusable bags to its residents to get them started?  Businesses who sell reusable bags will qualify for a rebate of one penny on each bag sold (or, of they offer a discount for using the bags, two cents).  Will they subsidize the price of reusable bags for their customers?

I’ve seen reactions to the news ranging from, “Hooray!  Let’s dance with glee,” to “Oh great.  Another tax for District residents.”  Regardless of the means or how one feels about the bag tax, though, I hope we can all agree that we don’t want the Anacostia looking like this any more:

Anacostia River, near Poplar Point

The Council will need to vote again on the measure before it goes to the Mayor for his signature.  What do you think, DC?

Chris Cooley continues to try and out-”WTF!??!” every other sports personality in Washington D.C.  No simple task when your competition includes Agent Zero and Clinton “Southeast Jerome” Portis among others.  His latest effort is a shining example of a great step forward with the release of his new reality (nice of him to visit) show “The Cooley Zone.” 

Yep.  He’s named it “The Cooley Zone” which I’m sure beat out “The Chris Cooley Project”, “Chris Cooley: Uncensored”, “Cooley-Time” and “Meet the Cooleys” as titles for what proves to be the new best DC based reality Internet show ever. 

And Patrick was looking forward to the Blonde Mafia thing!  This here will be the gold!  Doubt me?   Fast Forward to the 45 second mark and listen to Chris (I think) explain why he thinks he’s so popular:

“I think sometimes its cuz I’m the only white dude that touches the football and that’s what you’re given to look up to, so…It’s this face.” 

Wow.  Now if that sort of vain and otherwise uncomfortable statement doesn’t make you cringe with “oooh that guy is full of himself” keep watching.  The bling shots of cars, the house (casually mentioning the square footage) or showing off the “man room” full of pictures of his wife should convince you that he is a providing and devoted husband.  Or that he needs to keep reminding Tanner every time he comes over the house just who is the better brother. 

The crowning moment for me, however, is right at the beginning of the clip.  Watch it again, or flip over to “Kissing Suzy Kolber“ for a second-they got a freeze frame of the not so innocuous picture above the mantle piece.  What is that you ask?  Yup, Chris “I feel like I’m a normal, completely average dude” (2:40) Cooley and his wife have an artistic-style picture of them having sex (or faking sex-whatever).  

Right there.  Just hanging there in the living room-like all us regular dudes do.  In fact, I can’t wait to get married and have my parents over.  Just to show them.  And Grandma.  They’ve been worried saying “you’re 31, when are you going to get married, have sex, take a picture and put it over the fireplace?”  Thankfully, I have Chris Cooley to show me the way.

I’m sure Dallas, Philly and  New York will pay particular attention to the 3:46 mark-as now they know to focus on the left knee next time he’s playing-or just leave a hose running on the ground for a few days creating a waterhole to tackle him.  “F##k you, waterhole” indeed!

Photo courtesy of DC Metromix

Tip of my hat to my blogger friend f.B. for informing me of DC’s new mafia. Blonde Charity Mafia that is.

Everybody is buzzing about the new DC-based CW “Docu-series” that will debut this summer. For those that haven’t watched Laguna Beach, The Hills, or The City; the Docu in Docu-series stands for fake. Fishbowl DC has excerpts of the shooting script.

My thoughts on the show can be summarized with this chat I just had with Meggie Poo:

Me: I’m not going to lie though- I might watch it just so I can make fun of it.
Thus, the show will be a hit. It’s like the Snuggie- it’ll be so bad it’s good!
Meggie Poo: Oh i’m totally gonna watch it, it’s a trainwreck.
Me: I mean, it’s not like we didn’t know we had rich, snooty people here before…BUT NOW they have names and faces and we can hate them directly!

If DCists are something- we are vain about our city, I think a few people will be like me to tune in so we can say, “I’ve been to Third Edition before!” and, “Oh my god I need to friend that person on Late Night Shots now!”

So CW, you have another potential hit on your hands… or another six episode disaster that will go the way of K-Street.

For those that are now interested in the show like I am should read the Blonde Charity Mafia blog for their fix til the show airs.

Antarctica on 12 Jan 08, courtesy of MODIS

Okay, it’s cold. Not quite Antarctica, but I turned a corner this morning and I swear it felt like it.

While it’s too late to take advantage of the Weatherization Assistance Program, here are some quick and dirty tips for staying warmer at home.

• Find the one or two worst leaks and plug them.  The best way to figure out where the cold air is getting in is to do a walk around your house holding a tissue draped over a wire hanger.  You can tack up a blanket or plastic sheet during the cold snap, or roll up a towel against the door gap.
• Optimize the fuel you’re using for heat. In general, you want to use more liquid fuel (natural gas, kerosene) and less electricity (baseboard heaters), and really, wood in the fireplace is not really for heat.  (Though wood is a lot better than storebought wax-and-sawdust logs, which are only for the pretteh.)  Whichever you choose, remember that convection (ie, a fan) can triplify the results.
• Clean the dust of out intake and blower vent louvers.  This is a quick way to make your furnace work less hard.  Also, run a vacuum cleaner over your furnace filter.  Closing doors and covering some vents can also decrease the load on the furnace.
• Put on a sweater.  You know that mom was right.  Put on some warm socks, too.  (I myself have been known to wear fingerless gloves when working on the computer.)

Finally, I recommend making soup — face it, going out to eat over the next few days is going to be traumatic.  A nice pot of hot soup on the stove can warm you inside and out.

Stay warm, DC!

For those who do keep their finger on the world pulse, tomorrow is World Malaria Day (April 25th), sponsored by the World Health Organization. While Spring is here, and the standing water from the heavy rains a few days ago will sure spawn our favorite Summer pest, the mosquito, it’s good to remember, that here, in the US, we’re lucky enough not to have the scourge of malaria, one of the largest killers of people, young and old, worldwide. So, as a reminder, since we do get other mosquito borne illness here, notably the West Nile Virus, if you have standing water pooling on your property, in buckets, plastic sheeting, or other places that seem innocuous, tip it out and drain it. (Remember, D.C. used to be a swamp, so it makes sense…)

On the upside, Senegalese singer, Youssou N’Dour is performing at the World Bank in the atrium at 2pm. I’m not sure if it’s fully open to the public, but you can try, given that it’s supposed to raise awareness…it’d be dumb to restrict access.

I’m sure some of you have come to the conclusion that I like beating up on WaPo. Really, nothing is farther from the truth and overall I have a positive opinion of the paper, particularly compared to the yellow rag that the Miami Herald had become by the time I moved here six years ago.

Unfortunately today I find myself annoyed with one of the sections that normally I find above average – Health. I was a little perturbed that the story on the debate about plastics made no mention of the tremendous impact plastic has had on the safety of health care, but the real offense in the section was about a plastic surgery.

Well, it would have been a story about that if WaPo writer Sandra G. Boodman hasn’t just vomited Newsweek’s original bit of scandal manufacturing back up without a hint of journalistic rigor or effort. The reality of this story – not presented anywhere in the original Newsweek piece or Boodman’s uncredited paraphrasing – is that this is a book published by a vanity press and authored by a Florida plastic surgeon for his own clients. This plastic surgeon actually does some good outreach to the public on plastic surgery, though somehow that link didn’t make it into the story: I guess talking about articles covering sun damage and porta-cath scars doesn’t sell papers.

Personally I think we have some… interesting attitudes about beauty and aging in the US, and it’s a subject that could do with some quality discussion. This isn’t it. If you’re interested in more detail about why this is a non-story, Teresa Neilsen Hayden spells out the situation in great detail here… in a post from about a week ago, which Boodman could probably have found if she’d taken longer than 4 minutes to re-use Newsweek’s story. The meat of the matter:

Big Tent Books … is a vanity press and marketing and fulfillment operation. It pretends it’s separate from another company called Dragonpencil—in theory, Big Tent is a marketing and distribution firm, and Dragonpencil is a publisher—but they’re really a single organization run by Jerry and Samantha Setzer. The two companies have the same address and phone number. Big Tent’s award-winning books get all their awards from Dragonpencil. Dragonpencil’s deluxe publishing package includes marketing and distribution by Big Tent. And if you poke around their sites long enough, you can find the page where they admit it.

Big Tent/Dragonpencil has the usual problem of vanity presses: zero to lousy sales and distribution. They’re a lot better at making books than they are at promoting them. Only a few of their titles are even listed at Amazon, and those are listed badly—half the normal publisher-furnished information is missing. Sales are minimal.

My Beautiful Mommy is not one of the books Big Tent lists on Amazon.

In other words, this story about shilling to children isn’t at all a case where anyone was shilling to chilren. Dr Michael Salzhauer’s book – which includes a surgeon named Dr Michael, in case you were wondering whether he really meant it for his patients – is for people who already have made the decision to have plastic surgery.

Or maybe Newsweek and Boodman think that books written about death for a child’s perspective are promoting kids being accepting of dying?

If you’re really interested in the matter, Oyez.com has put up a transcript and recording of the Supreme Court’s hearing last week in the matter of DC vs. Heller. We’ve heard the chattering class go on and on about what was covered and what they’re certain every justices’ comments mean – why not decide for yourself?

I think it’s some interesting stuff, but then I’m an amateur law nerd. A big part of the government’s case here is that they’re not violating the 2nd amendment because while they’re restricting some arms they’re not restricting all arms.

JUSTICE GINSBURG: It doesn’t means all. It doesn’t mean — “keep,” on your reading, at least if it’s consistent with Miller, keep and bear some arms, but not all arms.

GENERAL CLEMENT: Absolutely, Justice Ginsburg, and just — I mean, to give you a clear example, we would take the position that the kind of plastic guns or guns that are specifically designed to evade metal detectors that are prohibited by Federal law are not “arms” within the meaning of the Second Amendment and are not protected at all.

Other stuff seems a little off the mark and entirely discussed for the sake of trying to clarify some things, but its interesting just how extreme some logical conclusions can be. Like this bit, where the justices question the representative for the people asserting that they have a right to a handgun, when they discuss whether it matters that the whole shebang starts out by stating that the underlying point is a well-regulated militia.

CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS: So a conscientious objector who likes to hunt deer for food, you would say has no rights under the Second Amendment. He is not going to be part of the militia, he is not going to be part of the common defense, but he wants to bear arms.

You would say that he doesn’t have any rights under this amendment?

Interesting stuff, and worth a read and/or listen.