Even though it only has over 600,00 hits (great numbers, but it’s no Evolution of Dance) the video, Arlington: The Rap, has made an enormous splash locally for creator Remy Munasifi. The video is only the latest in a series of successful rap videos and has caught the attention of just about every media outlet I can think of. All the blogs have raved about it. His profile has grown to the point he was a hot date commodity and he has earned himself a page on Wikipedia. I wish I had a page on Wikipedia.

So I had the honor to ask him a few questions and learn more about the man behind the video.

Patrick:I laughed, I cried, I begged for more when I ran into Arlington: The Rap. I went over to your site (goremy.com) and I wanted to learn more about you. After reading your bio I was wondering, do you consider yourself a comedian? A musician? A filmmaker?

Remy: I’m not sure. I’d probably go with, “entertainer.” That’s mainly what I’m trying to accomplish–to entertain. Usually through laughter though, sure.

Patrick: So do you have a day job or is your art truly what you work on day in and out?

Remy: I’m a full-time YouTuber. I’m a content partner on the site and have been for a year and a half now, which has been great. YouTube and Google have been very generous and supportive of their partners and do a great job creating and maintaining a great environment for filmmakers who want a home for their video content.

Patrick: One of the reasons Arlington: The Rap is so successful is the local appeal, after I saw it I sent it to all my Arlington/DC friends and I got it sent to me by other locals as well. You’ve been in all the local papers and TV stations, but have you seen any interest coming from outside the immediate local area?

Remy: Somehow some folks outside the area do seem to enjoy it. My chief concern throughout the process of making that video was that it had no widespread appeal–that it would be too geographically specific for folks to understand outside a one-mile radius of my neighborhood. I was surprised so many people enjoyed it locally though, I certainly didn’t expect that.

Patrick: Do you find that you’ve now created a big inside joke for all of us to share? Now when I tell people I live I Clarendon they reply with questions on my collection of brown flip-flops.

Remy: Somebody was telling me they had noticed a slight decline in the brown flip-flop levels around town. I haven’t seen the statistics. I suspect we’ll have to wait for the 2010 census.

Patrick: I’ve watched a number of your other videos and I have to tell you they are all great. Has Arlington: The Rap helped you get your YouTube channel more viewers? In other words, have other people started checking your other stuff now that you broke through with one?

Remy: Thank you for saying so, I appreciate that. I can’t imagine the video hurt anything. It’s the 12th most popular video on the channel, so there are some other videos that folks seem to like more, at least by that measurement.

Patrick: Also I noticed you do a lot of raps, is there anything that makes that your genre of choice? I think it’s funny that you have a lot of Raps yet your favorite iPod artists are mostly country artists.

Remy: After I made my first rap video, “Two Percent Milk,” I got a lot of positive feedback from people who said they really enjoyed it. I had enjoyed making the video, so I decided to make another rap and, two years later, it continues I suppose! Still having fun and I hope folks are still enjoying those videos.

Patrick: So I know you are busy with tons of video projects, what should we expect next from Remy?

Remy: I always have a list of ideas in my head, but it’s always tough to pick the next one to go with. I’ll probably decide in the next week and take it from there. I just hope folks will like it!

This isn’t a drill people. This is for real.

The Real World DC has begun.

Unlike the false alarm earlier this week, The Real World DC cast moved into their new home on S & 20th today followed by not only MTV cameras, but the “Real World Paparazzi Mafia.” Everybody from heavy hitters over at DCist to entertainment blogger elizabethany have been reporting/gawking/stalking the house. Anti-Real World DC has already written on the rude behavior of camera people and some local reactions to a lost cast member.

The Twitter feed of Real World updates is like a car wreck: a sensational scene on your way to work and you can’t help not watching.

Here are some of the Twitpics from luvelizabethany of the DC Cast being real:

courtesy Twitter user luvelizabethany

courtesy Twitter user luvelizabethany

courtesy Twitter user luvelizabethany

Excitement and disgust.

Those are the simultaneous feelings I had when I heard the Real World DC cast had arrived at Regan National Airport.

First I was excited to hear that things are starting up and soon the stories of the debauchery at clubs and bars will keep me entertained all summer long. However when I saw the degree people have become obsessive of it makes me wanna puke.

Read these tweets.

“Jeep and crew just left, door by patio is open. Basement looks nice. No guards, 4 construction workers.”

Are we planning a covert mission here!?!? I can see the next tweet in my head:  “no guards, construction workers gone, Bravo team in position.” I wonder if any other city has had this problem before, are we going to see an episode next year where they have to explain how a mob of fans coordinated a stalk attack through twitter?

Check out #rwdc and #rwdcwatch for even more ridiculous stalkers.

Now I’m excited to have The Real World in DC and to be living in the same place they are filming the show. I will eventually take a walk down to the house to see it and say I was there- but I’m not holding my own stakeout to see people that aren’t even scandalous famous yet.

We live in the same city as The President of the United States, yet we have people stalking a bunch of quarter-life aged adults as they get drunk on basic cable.

Seriously DC calm down, I think I’m going to have more fun watching the show next season if there wasn’t paparazzi like crowds in every shot.

UPDATE (8:04)

Again another reason why we shouldn’t freak out- it appears that today’s news was only a drill. It is now uncertain if the cast is actually here or not- but it looks like it was all a false alarm to me. Today’s rumors and excitement  shows the power of groupthink that Twitter can exacerbate. I mentioned it last week in regards to the Metro Crash, early on there was a lot of mis-information being spread around through Twitter- and this is another reason why  we should all just calm down. Once they are here they are here for six months, we’ll get tired of them sooner than you think.

Thanks to everyone that entered DC Metblogs Rascal Flatts Giveaway. Tonight I drew the winning entry after returning from the Red Sox slaughter by the Nationals. As a Red Sox fan I was sad, but happy to see the Nats get a win against one of the best teams in the AL East.

So who’s the lucky winner? You’ll have to watch the video to find out!

Lastnight a friend and I went to the Twilight Tattoo given by the Third Infantry Division (the “Old Guard”) at Fort McNair in Southwest DC.  Fort McNair itself is nestled along the Potomac just south of the Waterfront Metro stop, and the parade ground in front of the old War College building provided a wonderful setting.  The weather was gorgeous, the soldiering was precise, and the crowd was enthusiastic.  There were lots of students from schools all over the country - we figured the loudest ones were those from Texas.  We learned that 2009 is the Army’s year of the NCO (who knew), “otherwise known as the backbone of the Army,” as the announcer made sure to tell us.  He took special care to introduce all the platoon sergeants taking part in the tattoo - most were Sergeants First Class.  Along with some hokey patriotic songs, we were treated to great demonstrations of skill and talent by the Army Drill Team, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, and the Pershing’s Own Army Band.  But I think that my favorite part of the evening was at the end, when the soldiers were treated like rock stars by the visiting students on school trips.  They were walking up to rope lines and shaking the outstretched hands of nervous middle-schoolers, as if they were Madonna!  It was awesome and really got me in the mood for Fourth of July (which is my favorite day of the year to live in DC).

Since DC is in the middle of its own Military District, there are always lots of things to do and see if you’re interested in military affairs, or pageantry, at all.  There are several units which perform tattoos or sunset parades around town during the summer, and all of the armed forces’ vocal and instrumental groups give concerts all season long; mostly outdoors, and almost all free.  I’ve listed just a few choices below.  Check them out!

• Twilight Tattoo - 3rd I.D., U.S. Army.  Fort McNair, 410 P Street, SW.  Wednesdays, 7 PM.  Free.  (Last tattoo is next Wednesday, July 1!)
• Sunsets with a Soundtrack - West Steps of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.  Free.  Most Fridays at 8 PM.
• U.S. NAVY Band - US Navy Memorial - 701 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., N.W. - TUESDAYS, JUNE 2 - AUGUST 25 AT 8 P.M. Free
• U.S. Navy Band - U.S. CAPITOL (WEST SIDE) MONDAYS, JUNE 1 - AUGUST 31 AT 8 P.M. Free.
• Air Force Summer Concert Series - Wednesday and Friday nights at 8 p.m., from June 3 through Aug. 28 at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va. Free.
• Marine Barracks Washington - Sunset Parade, Iwo Jima Memorial.  Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 2 June - 11 August 200.  Free.
• And finally, the “President’s Own” Marine Band is playing tonight (June 25) at the Sylvan Theatre (Washington Monument) at 8 PM.

I’ve always wanted to check out The International Spy Museum, one of the more popular tourist attractions in DC, however trying to pony up the admission fee and make the 5 PM cutoff time during the week was daunting. Well for thrifty spenders like me, or those looking for a fun and free activity this summer should check out Community Nights at the Spy Museum.

On the last Wednesday of the month, the museum opens itself up for local DC citizens to check out the permanent exhibition at the museum for free! All you have to do is to RSVP for any one of the times which are more friendly for those 9-5′ers to make.

Last night I attended one of these nights with PQ of PQ Nation and we had a great time. The exhibit was very interesting to walk through, something I could actually go again to explore and take in further.

So for a little mystique that won’t steal your wallet, check out the Spy Museum Community Nights!

Well, Virgin Fest is back for another summer.  What with Pimlico’s financial issues, there was deliberation as to whether the Preakness would actually happen, let alone another summer music fest.  However, Virgin have moved the Festival to Merriweather Post Pavilion, and renamed the Festival to “Virgin Mobile Free Fest.”  Yep, tickets this year are free!  You’ll still need to order them in advance, though (UPDATE:  tickets can be gotten via Ticketmaster starting at 10 a.m. EST on Saturday, June 27.  Free, except for those irritating “convenience” charges.).

The lineup for VF is, as usual, impressive (at least to this old fogie).  Headliners Weezer and Blink 182 will be accompanied by Franz Ferdinand, Girl Talk, Jet, Mates of State, Public Enemy, Taking Back Sunday, The Bravery, The Hold Steady, The National, St. Vincent, and Wale.  A Dance Tent will house the likes of Danny Howells, Holy F*ck (uh, that URL is NSFW), Lee Burridge, and Pete Tong.  Gates will open at 11 AM, and the show will last until 10 PM.

Tickets, as I mentioned, are Free.  They don’t seem to be yet available on Ticketmaster, but we’ll keep you posted on the “sale” date.  The Fest is encouraging attendees to donate at least $5 to The RE*Generation to help stem youth homelessness.  You can text “FREEFEST” to “20222″ for a one-time $5 text charge,  or go old-school and donate online.

Get on out there and have fun, you crazy kids!

Rascal Flatts will be making a stop this Saturday at Nissan Pavillion and you can win a chance to not only go to the concert but to meet them here on DC Metblogs!

The band is on their American Living Unstoppable Tour (presented by JCPenney) and JC Penny has been gracious enough to offer me a pair of tickets and a chance to hang out with the band before the show. The winner will also get to chill at the VIP tent which will include plenty of food and beverage.

Free tickets, free food, and a chance to meet multi platinum music group? Sign me up! (Unfortunately I cannot because I run this site.)

So how do you sign up?

All you have to do is send an e-mail do dcmetblogs@gmail.com please include:

• Your full name
• Your full address
• Your telephone number
• Your e-mail address

The only rule is that you have to have a valid photo ID in order to meet the band and get your tickets. And also I will have to exclude the other writing staff at DC Metblogs (sorry Frank!)

I will take all the entries and draw the names on Thursday June 25th at 11:oo PM (or whenever I get back from the Red Sox/Nationals game) the winner will be contacted Friday morning and in bloggy fashion, I’ll draw the winning entry on YouTube and post the video that night.

So what are you waiting for? Tell all your friends to e-mail DC Metblogs and get in the action!

EDIT: Please sent only one e-mail, multiple entries won’t do you any good.

I also had the chance to talk with Facing Ali producer Derik Murray, you can listen to the poorly recorded phone interview here (hey I’m a blogger- not an audio engineer!)

In the interview Murray talks about his past work doing Hockey films, “you’re based in Vancouver, you’re based in Canada and you don’t do Hockey- you don’t get a lot of work.”

He also talks about his relationship with director Peter McCormack and how the two came together to make Facing Ali a reality. Besides McCormack, Murray put together a dedicated crew, “the people I select to work on the project were passionate about and they never left my side… they are passionate about the project to this day,” and tackled the challenge of contacting families and acquiring the archival footage that em compasses the majority of the film. Murray says after SilverDocs, the film will be going to LA and NY and with luck it could reach a wider audience release.

Facing Ali premiered to a sold out crowd at SilverDocs last week, for those that haven’t had a chance to see it can catch it tonight as the festival wraps up.

Facing Ali
Showing at AFI SilverDocs
Monday June 22nd, 8:00 PM
AFI Silver Theater
http://silverdocs.com/

This past week I met Scottish filmmakers Adam Stafford and Peter Gerard. They were excited to have their short The Shutdown, screen earlier at SilverDocs. The piece is described as, “a mesmerizing portrait of the influence of an oil refinery in a Scottish town.” What really interested me was the fact two quarter-lifers were already running a production company making films, so we exchanged some e-mails and here’s a little Q&A I had with the duo:

Patrick: Reading Adam’s Q&A on SilverDocs it looks like you’ve always wanted to be involved and work in film- what led you two to choose this kind of career?
Adam Stafford: To me it’s not a career; there are career film makers, but for me it’s something more than that, it’s a case of finding the truth and the narrative and bringing the two together. It’s a case of pushing the framing of the images to a point of unacceptability. Werner Herzog said you should work as a bouncer at a sex club or a car park attendant to raise money to make films. I work as an operator for the emergency services to raise funds to make mine, and that won’t stop until someone comes along and offers us money for the next project. Until then, I will work and build up my projects from the dirt.

Patrick: You talked to me last night about the unique story and approach of The Shutdown, but what do you hope audiences walk away with after they see your short?

Adam Stafford: With a sense of something that they’ve never seen before: a documentary featuring no people, but with a stunning narrative coupled with a soundtrack of ambient drone and pink smoke.

Patrick: I also commented talked how I was impressed that two young guys like yourself decided to start a production company and push stuff out there- what led you two to decide to form this group of artists? This kind of work isn’t guaranteed to pay at all and I’m sure it’s not the 9-5 job that most people do after college…

Peter Gerard: I started Accidental Media while I was still in high school in Missouri. I moved to Scotland in 2000 and eventually turned Accidental Media into a full-on production company with a focus on documentaries, short films, and innovative shorts. “The Shutdown” is our first collaboration with Adam and we see a lot of potential in developing his talents along with his collaborator, the writer Alan Bissett.

Patrick: What kind of advice would you give a person looking to get into film making but doesn’t exactly know where to start?

Peter Gerard: Always start with a good story, and make sure it’s well told. It’s also essential to create a film with cinematic beauty. There are too many films these days that ignore visual aesthetics, and really that’s what film making is all about.

Adam Stafford: I agree with the above. But I would also recommend just watching films. Don’t sit around reading books about how you should construct a narrative, or how this person did that, or what this person recommends you to do to better yourself as a filmmaker. Watch films by the masters! Go out and experiment and then decide for yourself! Listen to every kind of weird music! Look at art and photography! Read Richard Brautigan, William Burroughs and Flannery O’Conner. You can be as surreal and as experimental as you like, as long as there is an honesty in your vision.