The idea here is obviously that demonstrating how to do self-breast exams in a clear and precise manner could help save lives. But of course, it's also the start of the fall sweeps period, so the station is catching some heat for the appearance of showing naked boobs just to get ratings. more ›

The yearly ridiculousness that is the World Naked Bike Ride happened over the weekend, and while the event may have been overshadowed by Pride festivities here in D.C., photographic evidence shows a healthy number of participants still came, um, out for the ride. On the one hand, we appreciate Flickr contributor M.V. Jantzen being able to snag the more or less safe for work image above from the event. On the other, do we have to call BS on all these folks not really being naked? Or should we just be thanking them for covering up? Many more shots, with varying degrees of NSFW-yness, available here. more ›

Via Free Ride, looks like it's time for yet another ill-advised, barely-clothed display in our nation's capital. The D.C. version of World Naked Bike Ride is planned for this Saturday at 4 p.m. more ›

The anti-gay, right wing group Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) will present "raw and unedited" footage shot at this year's Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco at the National Press Club at 1 p.m. tomorrow. AFTAH president Peter LaBarbera specifically targets Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with this conference, urging her "to do the right thing by condemning the public nudity and perversions — and blatant anti-Christian bigotry — that occurred in her... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: The Darjeeling Limited By now, five features into his career, it's likely you already have a strong opinion on Wes Anderson. Despite his tendency to borrow liberally from his own film and literary heroes, from Kubrick to Fitzgerald to the entire French New Wave, a Wes Anderson film feels like a Wes Anderson film from... more ›

>> OK, Joyce Carol Oates really IS going to be at Politics and Prose tonight, where she'll read from and sign copies of her latest novel, The Gravedigger's Daughter. Get there well before the 7 p.m. start time to stake out a seat. >> The Smithsonian Latino center presents From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale, a 55 minute documentary about how the South Bronx' Boricua community makes its own brand of music... more ›

There’s a great Canadian TV show called Slings and Arrows about the backstage sound and fury at a fictitious Shakespeare company. In one memorable episode, the director of a troubled production of MacBeth — and theatrical superstition holds that there can be no other kind — tries to turn things around by making the blowhard actor he’s been forced to cast in the title role perform his first scene with Lady MacBeth in the... more ›

Once upon a time, in a dirty and slightly sticky corner of the motion picture industry, there were films produced purely for the sake of feeding audiences' seemingly endless appetite for gaudy sex and near pornographic violence, often slathered with buckets of unnaturally red viscera and always with a splashy title and equally eye-catching poster. The rise of independent cinema in the 1970s made for an explosion of these low-budget features, and audiences hungry for... more ›

Guy walks into a studio executive's office in Hollywood and says, "I've got a fantastic idea for a movie. Guaranteed blockbuster." The executive leans forward in his chair. "Go on," he says. "OK, so you take Jackass, cross it with It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, set it in an urban environment, put lots of young people in funny clothes while pulling shopping carts around the city like sled dogs and drinking at... more ›

What Jay Hardee's performance as the disturbed teen Alan Strang may lack in authenticity, it makes up for in sheer gutsiness. Hardee is completely out there, whether he is writhing in agony or girlishly taunting his self-absorbed psychologist (Christopher Henley). It's spectacle, for sure, but it's riveting spectacle to watch. The same can be said for most of Washington Shakespeare Company's production of Equus, now being staged in Crystal City. Equus, to be frank, is... more ›

Breaking the law, breaking the law We -ist folks love us some crime, and no misdemeanor is too petty for a post on any of our sites. This week, join us for a rogues' gallery of miscreants major, minor, and alleged. Gothamist gets us started with "Law & Order", muppet style. Oh, you know what isn't a crime? Taking pictures on the MTA. So, why are cops stopping photographers? In other Gotham crime, a... more ›

Even as the stores sport back to school sales (which depress us, even now), summer lingers on your friends the -ists. This week's collection of links provides some of the best, worst, and oddest bits of summer fun. So, bring your laptop up onto the roof, make yourself an umbrella drink or ten, and enjoy this week's choice posts from across the Gothamist network. Torontoist (where it's 75 degrees F as of this writing)... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Ian Buckwalter more ›

FRIDAY: >>Today is Bastille Day, which commemorates the Fête de la Fédération of 1790, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille July 14th, 1789 — basically it's all about sticking it to the man and rising up as a French nation. But as all noble foreign holidays seem to be celebrated in America, we've turned it into an excuse to eat and drink too much. Last year we put together a... more ›

Wonkette is searching frantically for pictures of a naked PETA protest taking place at the Spanish Embassy near Washington Circle. We don't have any, but we do have a report from a faithful DCist correspondent:

There are about ten to fifteen protesters, mostly women, and all wearing underpants of some sort. The ladies are topless, but strategically placed signs and pasties are obscuring most, but not all, of the actual nudity. They're chanting something repeatedly, and there's no sign of actual running. more ›

May sweeps officially began last Thursday night, and, by now, are in the full swing of things. In addition to being treated to the usual stunts networks pull out for the ratings period that determines advertising rates, viewers can also look forward to more salacious than usual local news stories. Local ABC affiliate WJLA kicked off their sweeps stories with an expose on "The Ugly Side of The Picture Perfect Body". On Monday, they broadcast a tear jerker piece on roadside memorials. Tonight, the I-Team starts investigating where your tax dollars are ending up. NBC 4 stepped out on Thursday with a popular and not at all alarmist piece on the Bird Flu. Last night, they asked the critical question, Are Smoothies Really Healthy? We assume WUSA has managed to scare up some sweeps action of its own, but even we can't make it that far up the dial. The best overall broadcast/affiliate network sweeps synergy goes to FOX 5 though, for taking a hint from the hit medical drama "House" and asking Have You Been Diagnosed With A Medical Mystery?"

Every week on the FOX show "House", Dr. Gregory House puts together the pieces of a medical puzzle. His roster of medical cases are the inexplicable ones other doctors can't solve. House and his team of young medical experts work together to find the answers to these diagnostic mysteries and save lives. Have you been diagnosed with a medical mystery? Send us an e-mail and tell us your story.

This post was written by DCist contributor Campbell Roth. more ›

The nudity may surprise you. The masturbation scene could distract you. The casting might throw you. more ›

Ah, Mardi Gras. The annual bacchanal of food, drink, more drink, bared breasts and parades. Can't make the trip to New Orleans this year? Next Tuesday, Feb. 8, a couple of local events will try to recreate some of the spirit of the season here in our own backyard. more ›