Out and About: Weekend Picks
FRIDAY
COMEDY: What will Tom Green put his bum on tonight? Find out at D.C. Improv (1140 Connecticut Avenue NW), where he'll be performing stand-up at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 with a 2 food/drink item minimum order per person.
MOVIES: Check out six Latino films that are part of The Maya Indie Film Festival playing at E Street Cinema (555 11th Street NW) tonight through August 5th. Tonight, catch Tropico de Sangre starring Michelle Rodriguez at 5:15 p.m., Backyard featuring Ana de la Reguera (of Nacho Libre fame) at 7:30 p.m., and Chamaco with Martin Sheen at 9:45 p.m. Two other films (Solo Queiro Caminar and In Therapy) play earlier in the day and later in the week). $7 each film, or $42 for a week-long pass.
>> Dumb and Dumber is on the schedule tonight for the Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival at Gateway Park (base of Key Bridge, 1300 Lee Highway, Arlington). 8 p.m. Free.
>> Bethesda Outdoor Movies presents their second to last film: The Blind Side, showcasing Sandra Bullock's Oscar-winning performance. In Woodmont Triangle (corner of Norfolk and Auburn Avenues), 9 p.m. Free.
TV: The Discovery Channel celebrates Shark Week with a outdoor screening of Ultimate Air Jaws in Veterans Plaza (850 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring). 8:30 p.m., free.
MUSIC: Enjoy that Bhangra beat with the U.S. Department of Bhangra and DJ Beta-G, who's spinning Indian music at the Black Cat (1811 14th Street NW) tonight, 9:30 p.m. $5.
>> The Velvet Lounge (915 U Street NW) offers up performances by The Shirks (***), The Ladies, Maybe Baby, Social Problems, Electrocutions, and Young and High. 8:00 p.m., $10 for one night, or $16 for both tonight and Saturday's shows.
>> Bomba Estero and two members of Thievery Corporation (King Changó and Natalia Clavier) hit the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H Street NE). 10 p.m., $18/$20.
>> Iota (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington) brings in Thriving Ivory and Ponderosa. 9:00 p.m., $15.
SATURDAY
KARAOKE: Brightest Young Things is hosting a summer camp karaoke pool party at the Capitol Skyline Hotel (10 Eye Street SW). Noon to 8 p.m., $15.
STARS: Head over to the David M. Brown Planetarium in Arlington (1426 North Quincy Street) for Night at the Planetarium. Presentations (like "Solar System Tour" and "Our Place in Space") occur every hour, and telescopes will be available out on the lawn for real-live stargazing. The event is also a fundraiser to try and keep the planetarium from closing down, so a $5 per person or $10 per family donation is requested. 4 to 9:30 p.m.
FESTIVAL: Find "music, cultural performances, food, fashion, handicrafts" and more at the Seventh Annual Asian Festival, which focuses this year on the Philippines. Lake Newport Tennis Facility (11452 Baron Cameron Avenue, Reston). 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. Free.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Learn how to take better photographs in museums from E. David Luria of Washington Photo Safari at the Corcoran Gallery of Art (500 17th Street NW). There will be a focus on 18th through 20th century American and European paintings, sculpture, and architecture at the event. 2-4:30 p.m., $20.
BOOKS: Scourge of an Agnostic God is a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic thriller set in and around D.C. Check it out at a book launch at Continental Modern Pool Lounge (1911 N. Fort Myer Dr., Arlington). 6-8 p.m.
MOVIES: Bethesda Outdoor Movies (corner of Norfolk and Auburn Avenues) concludes tonight with Chicago. 9 p.m. Free.
>> "Here's looking at you kid." Catch dinner and a free movie, specifically Casablanca, at the American City Diner (5532 Connecticut Avenue NW). 8:30 p.m.
BENEFIT: Eatonville Restaurant (2121 14th Street NW) presents "Broken Gulf: A Benefit for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade," featuring poetry, food, live music, and a raffle. $4 p.m. $10 donation.
FOOD & DRINK: Travel south on a quest for beer on the BURP Brew Ridge Trail Bus Trip. This bus ride takes you from West Falls Church Metro Station to Charlottesville, where you'll stop for tours and tastes at Devils Backbone Brewpub, Blue Mountain Brewery & Hop Farm, Albermarle CiderWorks, and Starr Hill and South Street Breweries. This is an all-day event lasting from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The $50 price includes bus ride, cidery tasting, and some breakfast (juice, coffee, bagels, donuts). It does not include lunch, dinner, or other tasting costs.
MUSIC: Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory, Kadawatha, and Paramore come to the Merriweather Post Pavilion as part of the Honda Civic Tour. 5 p.m. $36 pavilion/$21 lawn.
>> It's the second night of Windian Records bands at the Velvet Lounge (915 U Street NW) with The Points (see our interview from a few years ago), Two Tears, New Rock Church of Fire (***), and The Cheniers. 8:00 p.m., $10, or $16 if you go on both Friday and Saturday.
>> Pay tribute to Jerry Garcia tonight with The U-Liners at Iota (2832 Wilson Blvd, Arlington). 9:00 p.m., $15.
>> Sidewalk Driver and Möbius Strip play at Comet Ping Pong (5037 Connecticut Avenue NW), 10:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
DANCE: Last time we mentioned innovative musicians Bluebrain (***) they had put the Natural History Museum to music. This time, they're taking things outside. Be part of their newest collaboration this Sunday by downloading their MP3, heading to the southeast corner of Meridian Hill Park at 2 p.m., and counting down for the Pink Line Project show "RESTRICTION." As you listen to Bluebrain's music on your favorite portable music device, dance group Urban Artistry will perform sychronized movements. Catch a sneak preview here.
FOOD & DRINK: Pig out on selections from the soon-to-arrive Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine (PORC) food truck at a free tasting at Duffy's Pub (2106 Vermont Avenue NW). Taste samples of PORC's Smoked Brisket, Pulled Pork, Housemade BLTs, and The Best Damn Veggie Burger. 5-8:30 p.m.
MUSIC: See Greta of Gold Motel (formerly of The Hush Sound), Tennis System, Matthew Hemerlein, and DJ KnoxBox at U Street Music Hall (1115 U Street NW) in a performance benefiting the Stone and Holt Weeks Foundation in cooperation with the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. 8:00 p.m., $20.
>> Stop by the Black Cat Backstage (1811 14th Street NW) for An Evening with Andrius Mamontovas. 8:00 p.m., $30.
>> Power Pirate, The Neon Rush, and Ivy Rose hit DC9 (1940 9th Street NW) 7:30 p.m., $8.
>> Frazey Ford (of the Be Good Tanyas) and Stripmall Ballads play Iota (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). 8:00 p.m., $15.