The clouds over D.C. parted for a brief moment Thursday when rumors broke that Bravo had canceled the D.C. installment of The Real Housewives franchise. While California exports such as frozen yogurt and legalized marijuana seem to have taken hold in our city, this is one sprout that never took root. A source close to the show had claimed that the network would not be renewing it for a second season due to low-ratings and general unpopularity. more ›

Apparently, tonight's Linkin Park concert at the Verizon Center has been canceled, as "vocalist Chester Bennington is ill and under doctor's orders to refrain from performing." C'mon, Bennington! What you should have done is taken the stage after making the crowd -- who just saw the lead singer of the opening act be severely burned by pyrotechnics -- stand around anxiously for two-and-a-half hours, then aburptly call off the performance mid-set while complaining of a sore throat and threatening to break up the band, causing a massive riot. Rock stars these days, they just don't know how to do it. more ›

You know that the financial crisis has already caused a lot of damage to the lives of everyday people, as companies go into bankruptcy and people lose their jobs and mortgages. The corresponding cultural damage is beginning appear as well: regional opera companies and symphonies are folding, while others are cutting back their projected seasons for fear of being unable to fill the house. The National Symphony Orchestra was recently able to secure a large financial gift to underwrite hiring Christoph Eschenbach as its new Music Director, but other arts organizations are losing donor pledges left and right. As Anne Midgette and David Montgomery have reported in the Post, one of the casualties is the projected complete performances of Wagner's legendary Ring cycle, planned by Washington National Opera for November 2009. more ›