I was surprised yesterday when I saw that there was an announcement that the Metblogs network will close down at the end of the month. Right now I am on the remote island of Hatteras, NC enjoying a beach vacation on The Outer Banks.

For those that have see the update bar above me, here’s what I know: after struggling with operational costs the servers that house this vast empire of blogs worldwide has become too costly to maintain. Online revenue has take a hit in recent months and Sean had to make a tough decision.

Since announcing the news there has been an outpouring of support that may save DC Metblogs as well as the Metblogs site all over the world, but right now nothing official has been stated.

As the man in charge of DC Metblogs I can only wait and see what Sean, Jason, and the team out west figure out. It’s been an honor to take the reins of the site for the past year or two and I support everything Sean has done with this network. I think Washington, DC is one of the most blogged about cities in the country and I dare compare it to the likes of NYC and LA.

Right now the outlook looks hopeful but nothing is certain just yet, but what I can assure you is that I will continue to write and blog about my adventures in the Nation’s capital and I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride so far.

I’ll let the ad speak for itself- my apologies if you know the guy looking for a roommate/specimen:

h/t Consumerist

Courtesy Flickr user afagen

In honor of Mother’s Day The Daily Beast (home of an extensive blogger roster including my republican dream girl Meghan McCain,) published a list of the Best and Worst cities for mothers, can you guess where Washington DC ended up in the ranking of the top 200 cities? Try 7th to last- right above LA.

The list took into account mothers per capital; quality of child care, schools, and maternity care; and an all-important metric: per capita searches on Citysearch.com for “Mother’s Day Brunch,” and “Hair Salon.”

That last criteria is where they lost me but take a lot at the DC compared to the top ranked city (Bosie, ID) and see for yourself:

#193, Washington, DC

Moms-per-capita: 186

Child care: 162

Schools: 5 out of 10

Maternity care: 35

Pampering: 48

#1, Boise, ID

Moms-per-capita: 61 out of 200

Child care: 20 out of 200

Schools: 7 out of 10

Maternity care: 63 of out 200

Pampering: 86 out of 200

With cities like Coral Springs, FL and Elk Grove, CA topping the list I wonder if this ranking is skewed towards smaller cities but then again these cities ranked high in child care and pampering. Again I don’t know about that last metric…

Other notable cities on the list: Arlington, VA (#37); Alexandria, VA (#127); Baltimore, MD (#130)- DC what do you think? Is it that bad out there for a mother and family in The District?

We are excited to announce that DC Metblogs has been selected by Destination DC to be featured on their new DC Insider portal which includes local DC news, food, art, fashion, and sports blogs.

Thanks to Destination DC for the honor and be sure to check out DC Insider for your one-stop DC Blog stop.

It’s the mother of all Presential impressions in Funny of Die‘s latest video. An true all-star cast of SNL alumni come together to reprise their past roles lampooning the Presidents of the United States. Amongst some of more current impressions (Fred Armisen as President Obama, Will Farrell as President G.W. Bush, and Darrell Hammond as President Clinton) are some classic blasts from the past (Dana Carvey as President George H.W. Bush, Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter, Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford.) One notable absence is Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan, but Jim Carrey steps in and gives a wonderful performance.

All these comedic greats come together for Main Street Brigade‘s effort for a formation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency which is a bill in congress.

Regardless of the political message the video is hilarious- check it out:

Click the photo to view the video!

I ran across local rapper Eezy Money‘s DC remix of Empire State of Mind called Capital Conscience and I have to admit it’s really catchy- check it out:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKwvpHQYGE8[/youtube]

It’s been a long holiday season for Tiger Woods. Besides managing a scandal involving a growing list of women, yesterday news came out linking Woods’ physician with performance enhancing drugs.

Tiger has been laying low throughout all of this, isolated from the entire world. However there is somebody that wants Tiger to know he is ready to support him- offering both support and a place to crash.

In a recent video from Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, the football star offers Tiger a place at the Cooley mansion, saying that he could bunk with fellow house guest and backup tight end Todd Yoder. Cooley lists things the two could do which includes putting up Christmas lights, making rap videos, and playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour.

“I knew he could just use a friend who has his back and is there for him- and that friend could be me,” says Cooley in his video invitation.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Vx02AMFzs[/youtube]

My friends at MTV shared with me this short clip from the upcoming premiere of The Real World DC. In it cast members welcome Callie with a pretty lame attempt to fool her that she walked up to the wrong house.

Guys I don’t think that’s going to work when she clearly sees the cameramen in the house.

The clips also reveals some early tensions in their political views as Callie reveals her favorite President, but claims to still be “to be like in between.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxTG0YzdMNk[/youtube]

Stay tuned to Metblogs all year round for more sneak peeks at the Real World DC!

Obligatory cast photo on The National Mall.

Just in time for the holidays only a couple of months since The Real World DC cast left The District, MTV has already launched the website for the latest installment of their flagship reality series complete with trailer.

Of course when you are telling “The true story of eight roommates in DC” you need to get an obligatory shot of President Obama and of course that’s the first thing you see in the trailer. Lots of “Real World” obligatories are to come as most of us locals have heard various stories about the drama that’s gone on this summer, and if you haven’t the trailer pretty much covers all the bases. Everything from roommate hookups, relationship cheating, and partying in Dupont Circle can be expected after watching the trailer. It basically looks like what you expect The Real World to be with an occasional politician cameo or DC backdrop for the debauchery.

There is a glimmer of hope that past all the drama and scandal the show could return to it’s roots as a progressive show that tackled big issues. Living in Washington, DC naturally makes you more aware of causes both political and social. The whole, “we’re a generation that can change the world” could mean that the show is less fluff and more substance.

But then again it’s only a matter of months before these kids are fighting other MTV Alumni on The Ruins.

The Real World DC premieres on Wednesday December 30th at 10 PM ET/PT. If you can’t wait til then check out RWDC fanatic Elizabethany and the stalkers fans at Vevmo, who already know way too much about the show and cast.

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.