You’ve probably noticed it even if you aren’t conscious of it directly.  Iron Man (on DVD as of yesterday) was the biggest movie of the year by far (edit: at the time).  Then The Dark Knight came along (edit:  which then become the biggest movie of the year).  In between Hellboy II and Wanted both came out and this book Watchmen on the best seller’s table at Borders.  Make no doubt about it my friend-comics are coming out of the long boxes in our basements and into the mainstream-so you better get hip and quick.

In your quest for comic book literacy there is only one thing better than going to your local shop and asking for a copy of Sandman or Maus:  Discovering the next great episode of graphic literature of course!  The place to do that just happens to be in our own backyard of Bethesda at the Small Press Expo.  This Saturday and Sunday the best and brightest of the comics newest and/or Indie talents will be on hand to sell you comics and sign your stuff.  I’ve gone to SPX a few times over my six year stay here and it is a great event for fans and non-fans alike.  Very often creators are happy to just talk with you for a while, sign books that you buy and give you deals if you buy a few (hey these guys are out there making a name for themselves!).  Also a great way to disabuse yourself of the notions that “comics are for kids” and “comics are all about super-heroes.”  They aren’t-and nowhere is that better done than in the small press. 

I’ll be there Saturday (super-geek that I am) so be on the lookout…for a bunch of people more famous, creative and important than I am that is!  You’ll almost certainly walk away with something you’ll enjoy reading and might even have a “Oh her? Yeah I met her back at SPX 2008” story to go with it some day!

Beer-That is all you need to know

If comics are not your speed (or even if they are-Saturday is a long day) The Commonwealth (particularly Shirlington) will play host to “Oktoberfest” hosted by Cap City.  After I’ve loaded up on comic books I plan on heading back across the river to get…well…loaded.  Responsibly of course!  For a mere $25 you’ll have access to over 30 local breweries and their 4 oz beer samples.  That’s 120 oz of beer for $25 (if you only go to each tent once that is!) also known as a deal.  If you don’t drink the event is free and there will be music and food available for all-so it might be worth stopping by anyway. 

I again will be there and will eventually be the guy either sitting down reading comic books trying not to spill beer on them OR the guy getting into a loud angry discussion about which of Earth’s Green Lanterns was actually the coolest. 

Author’s note:  If you do decide to go to both places you might want to do comics first only because impulse shopping goes up when you’ve been drinking and it’s much safer (and far more legal) to drive having bought too many comics then it is to drive having drank too many beers.

The After Hours blog over at The Washingtonian just updated their list of bars where fans of different NFL teams meet. I didn’t know 18th Amendment was the place to see the Panthers or Pour House was the place to watch the Steelers. As a native Bostonian I wish I found this list earlier! I was wondering what would be a good bar to watch the Patriots season opener (and Tom Brady’s season closer.)

I ended up going over to Buffalo Billiards in Dupont Circle- which ended up being a great place to go. They had all the games up on the numerous screens across the bar and the crowds were manageable. I sure do enjoy watching my favorite team with others but I also enjoy being able to find a table relatively easy. However the service was terribly slow.

Chances are your favorite sports bar will carry the game you want to see- but it’s always fun to watch it with fans of your favorite team. And if you are a local Redskins fan? Check out The Junkies and watch the game wherever they are doing their weekly “Unauthorized Pregame Show”.

DCist reminds me that Screen on the Green has begun!  Yesterday kicked off the 2008 run with the first Bond film, Dr. No.  Sadly, I missed the opportunity to follow Bond to the Caribbean and beyond, because I was sick as a dog yesterday.  By the time the show started, I was in bed.  Oh well.  Here’s the rest of the lineup:July 14 – Dr. No (1962)
July 21 – The Candidate (1972)
July 28 – Arsenic and Old Lace(1944)
August 4 – The Apartment (1960)
August 11 – Superman (1978)

Next week, you’ll note, is The Candidate, this year’s obligatory choice for the movie that’s political and/or set in DC.

Oh, but don’t think that Screen on the Green is your only choice, my friends.  No, no.  You’ll definitely spot me at Cinema Del Ray this week, for one of my favorites:  The Princess Bride, at 7PM Saturday.  And there’s still more:  The Bond festival continues.  (I’ll be the one dancing to the main titles for A View To A Kill.  Yeah, yeah, the movie stinks.  But hey, that’s my favorite Duran Duran song.  You wanna make something of it?)  Check this list to find the film(s) for you.

And if you don’t want to head outdoors, there’s always the AFI’s 80s fest (I heart Jake Ryan) or the National Theatre’s Bette Davis fest.  (Damn!  I already missed Dark Victory?  But, but, next to King’s Row, that’s Reagan‘s best work!  Good thing I haven’t missed All About Eve yet.)

What’s your favorite summer activity?

Photo by flickr user bossco, under a Creative Commons license.

Dearest Residents of Washington DC,

Hey there. What’s up?

I’m Sean. I’m not actually in Washington DC right now, but I was born in there. True story. It was awesome. Also, you guys have super cool train stations. But you knew that already I’m sure. You also may or may not know, and more importantly may or may not care, but I’m one of the dudes behind this Metblogs thing. We make local blogs and stuff. Blogging in general, and about local issues specifically is a soul sucking, thankless, monotonous, time eating profession that makes no money. But it’s awesome and we love it. Actually it’s all we know how to do, so we just keep doing it. Can you guess why I’m posting something here? Go ahead and try. Come on, there are no stupid answers, only stupid questions. Give up yet?

That’s a shame, you should never give up.

Well, if by chance you happened to read the last buncha posts here you know that many of the writers of this fine site have walked away to start their own site which is called We Love DC and can be found at the web address www.welovedc.com. Didja get that? Let me link it again just to be safe: We Love DC, We Love DC, We Love DC, We Love DC, We Love DC, We Love DC. I forgot if any of them mentioned it so I figured it was worth a plug or two. Anyway, we here at corporate overlord headquarters would like to officially welcome them to the soul sucking, thankless, monotonous, time eating world of blog publishing that makes no money. It’s awesome. Really. I promise. Cross my heart. So yeah, you should check that out, it’s over at We Love DC.

On a completely unrelated note, we seem to suddenly have some soul sucking, thankless, monotonous, time eating blogging positions that pay no money open right here at DC Metblogs. Have I made this sound awesome enough yet. Have I mentioned it’s awesome? Because if not I should do that. Additionally we’re about as hands off as it gets here. We ask that if you write something for the site it somehow relates to DC, but otherwise you can do whatever the hell you want. I guess I should also mention we’ve got a bunch of readers from all around the world who might check out your stuff too which is kinda cool. If you are into that. Or not. Whatever. I guess that assuming you don’t suck, because if you suck they won’t read your stuff no matter what. Anyway, I know I’m quite the salesman and by now you must be scratching at your computer screen trying to physically claw your way into this site, but trust me, that won’t work. What will work is if you post a comment and let me know you’d like to give this a try. Then I can hook it up for you. That’s right, I’ll hook it up for you. Because you are that important.

Smooches. From me, to you.

PS – We Love DC!

As we were coming home from the Lewis Black show on Friday night, this was the ad on the Orange Line train back to Clarendon. I appreciate that being vegan will allow you to play with chickens, or something. Those folks I know who participate in farmers’ markets and CSA will frequently be able to go observe the chickens in their habitat.

So, I’m not sure that going vegan will really help the chickens anymore than, say, buying your eggs and chicken from a local farm who treat their chickens right.

But really, this whole entry is an excuse for the headline. Put your alternate headlines in the comments.

Stroke that cock, Vegan! — Originally uploaded by tbridge

This video doesn’t make the day any warmer, but at least we can remember what warm sunshine is like. It’s on the way, for sure, but in the meantime, enjoy this video shot at Meridian Hill Park by Giganova. This is the type of thing that makes DC great.

[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/980003[/vimeo]

I was fortunate enough this evening to get to go see the Newseum as it nears completion. When I tell you it’s nearing completion, you should read it this way: if you have family working on the Newseum, leave them a note telling them you love them and make some plans to do something together… on April 12th, the day after they’ve opened. Because between now and then they are going to be busy.

While they’ve got lots left to do, the space is beautiful. The picture above is from the front page gallery on the top floor. To the left you can see only a portion of the glass cases that line the wall, containing one newspaper front page from one paper in each state – plus the District of Columbia. Jack Hurley was kind enough to chat with us at length, and we talked at one point about the newspapers. When they first opened in their old space across the river they’d sometimes be short of enough front pages to fill the display cases and would have to run out and buy some to scan and put up.

Now they get 500 on a slow day, typically the weekends. During the week the number can exceed 600.

Not at all visible in my picture is the amazing view from the full-length balcony off to the right. At 555 Pennsylvania, the Newseum is just down and up the mall from the Capitol with a southernly view from the balcony. Immediately right next door is the Canadian Embassy, which my darling girlfriend said used to be the best view in DC. Mr Hurley stated that the Newseum has the best public view now, and he said it in a tone that would brook no argument. Which was completely unnecessary, since neither of us were inclined to disagree.

I’ve got more pictures to upload and share with you tomorrow, but the capsule review is this: it looks beautiful and the exhibits are interesting and well done. The place is spacious and it’s going to need to be: this is a museum that’s going to bring people in and keep them there. Put it on your short list of places to visit.

Anybody who has picked up today’s Washington City Paper has probably seen the ballot for “Best of D.C.: Celebrating the Classics 2008”. They are getting in the game with The Washington Post and The Washingtonian, asking readers to vote on what places, things, and cute bartenders make life in DC special and fun.

This has inspired me to finally launch a new series here that I have been mulling for some time.

Here is how this will work: I will take on the challenge of finding the “best in DC” – one thing at a time. Be it cupcakes, shoe stores, or dj nights, I will solicit recommendations of competitors, do some research, and then go try out those which claim to vie for title of “best”.

In other words – one girl’s highly subjective search to sift through mediocrity and mass-name-recognition (is Potbelly really the best sandwich place in town as it is consistently voted – or just the only one that a majority of the voters have been to?) to bring you what I think are the best bets around.

For this to work, I will need a lot of input from you. I want you to send me on missions that you want to read about. In the comments below, I would love to see suggestions of things you want me to review for you! I also need your suggestions of where to go. Do you think you know about the best beer selection in town? Let me know! Hopefully, other people will have different ideas, and I will try to put them all to the test.

One stipulation: I am not finding out the best fetish club. If you want to know, you will have to wait for the City Paper’s results. (Also, I reserve the right not to be sent on any missions I consider immoral or generally icky. You know.)

Also, we are going to need to think of a name. I thought about calling it “The Decider”, but that seems pretty dated at this point…

photo by erin m on flickr

When the guys at DC Comedy 4 Now invited me out to see their bi-monthly “Top Shelf” show at Solly’s U St. Tavern, I was skeptical. The idea is that all the comedians dress up in suits or dresses to do their bits. Being unable to imagine wanting to do my set in a skirt, I wasn’t sure how it would go. Could Larry Poon be the same without his track suit? Does Hampton even own a suit? (Answer: Yes, and it makes him look even younger, if that’s possible.)

It wasn’t until I actually arrived at Solly’s upstairs room that it all started to make sense- the wobbly tables, the assorted debris against the back wall of the stage, Nick Turner’s insistence on drinking his PBR out of a snifter… Clearly there was more irony here than I had previously been aware of.

I had a great time at the show- Kojo Mante’s diatribe against comparing things to crack had me in tears, and Justin Schlegel’s insistence, yelled out the window to passerby, that driving a Vespa makes you gay (delivered while wearing a cherry-red blazer, no less) is probably my favorite pot-and-kettle joke to date.

You can catch the next Top Shelf at Solly’s on February 19th, and the cover is only $5! So cheap! But if you’re still looking for something to do for your comedy-lovin’ sweetie around Valentine’s Day, the DC Comedy 4 Now crew will be hosting “Romantic Comedy” this Saturday in the DC Improv’s Comedy Lounge. Get your tickets in advance, their last show sold out.

It’s that time of year again, DC. The time when your team isn’t playing in the Super Bowl. Let’s face it, if you’re a Redskins fan (not) like me, it’s been a loooooong time since your team has been anywhere near the Lombardi Trophy. But don’t let that trivial fact spoil your fun because we all know the best part of watching the Super Bowl is the commercials and the halftime wardrobe malfunctions.

So where’s the best sports bar to watch the Big Game in DC?

Photo by fanaticssportscentral