Aside from donating to charity or saving for your child's college fund, the best use of $6.75 is the quarter-chicken platter with fries and salad at Skorpios Maggio's Family Restaurant (affectionately known as Skorpios) in Vienna.  Hot rotisserie chicken, dusted with a lemon peppery spice blend, served to you on a divided plate with thick cut steak fries and a simple lettuce salad covered generously in feta and dressed with oil and vinegar, and a......

>> The Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. this evening on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. >> Washington-area writers Michelle Brafman, Merle Collins, T. Greenwood, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Faye Moskowitz, Barbara Mujica, Jessica Neely, Amy Stolls, Hananah Zaheer, and Christy J. Zink will be at Politics and Prose to read from their contributions to the latest anthology, Electric Grace: Still More Fiction by Washington Area Women.......

Like half-smokes, go-go and taxation without representation, mumbo sauce is something that's uniquely D.C. And suddenly, it's getting bandied about all over the radio. We're not talking about the group Mambo Sauce, who have their own ode to the District. We're talking about DJ Flexx (of WPGC)'s "Chicken Wings & Fried Rice", a song that is — seriously — entirely about mumbo sauce. You can listen to a partial clip here, or tune your radio......

As usual, you said a lot of funny and thought-provoking stuff last week. But like LeVar Burton, don't take our word for it, and read on for Georgetown protests, monkeyrotica running a museum, and GMU fraternities, among other things. ------ monkeyrotica would be an awesome director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine: The disorganized state of the Army Medical Museum is an example of vicious circle funding: hardly anybody visits the place because......

Good morning, Washington. What a difference a day makes, right? Just yesterday we were complaining bitterly about the heat and about when administrative law Judge Roy Pearson would finally be brought before the panel that will decide his fate for a hearing. But both problems have been resolved, as if by magic, while we slumbered. The current temperature outside is 57 degrees in our nation's capital, with an expected high of 66. And Judge......

Download the original attachment Chicagoist is gearing up for this weekend's annual Air & Water Show along the lakefront. In what's becoming an annual tradition around there, staff member Todd McClamroch even got to fly with one of the participants. Chicagoist's decidedly opinionated readership was also appalled that one of their staffers found a popular local brewpub to be a great place to bring a kid. They also think that an unlikely activist for immigration......

Just this week, GQ published their annual "50 Most Powerful People in D.C." list. Populated by the likes of Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Karl Rove and Tim Russert, the list better describes the movers and shakers in "Washington", but not the District. And since we're snobs about local news and happenings, we threw together a little list of the people who really exercise influence in or over the lives of people who live and work......

So who do you turn to if you're an embattled administration facing an unpopular war, bitter criticism both at home and abroad, an exodus of senior staff, and the barrel of a long year's worth of lame ducked-ness? A retired general? Nope. A political mastermind? Nah, that would be too easy. Perhaps a captain of industry? They're too busy starting and running multi-billion dollar foundations. Well, then how about someone who made his name by......

Eating In is coming to you one day early this week to allow you to prepare for your Fourth of July cookout. Plus we know no one is going to be sitting in front of their computers reading blogs tomorrow. We’re sure you can guess what the theme for this edition might be. If you answered “What is Summer Cookout Food” then you are correct! There are a few things to consider when preparing......

Decades later, Ted Neely, original star of the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar, is still playing the title role in the national tour of the show, performed this weekend at Wolf Trap. From the moment he steps on stage, it's clear the man is more than comfortable in the robes he's been donning for years. But his portrayal of Jesus starts off a little subdued, his voice a bit more traditional musical theater than......

FRIDAY: >> The Millennium Stage Conservatory Project concludes this weekend at the Kennedy Center. Promising young musicians from the nation's best conservatories will be giving free concerts in the Terrace Theater: Eastman School of Music (tonight), Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University (Saturday), and Shepherd School of Music, Rice University (Sunday). All concerts begin at 6 p.m. and can also be experienced by live simulcast through the Millennium Stage Web site. >> Garrison Keillor brings......

Good morning, Washington. We pestered you yesterday about your Memorial Day plans. Today, a word of warning: make sure they don't include flip-flops. As FOX5 helpfully warns us, the sandals can lead to sprains, broken bones or even the dreaded Flipflop-Induced Foot Failure Syndrome (aka FIFFS). We had no idea we were in such peril. Bad Day For Bobb: Yesterday the U.S. Senate unanimously approved Mayor Fenty's school takeover plan. Rest assured, we'll have......

MONDAY: Cullen Murphy, the Atlantic’s managing editor, will be at Politics and Prose to talk about his new book Are We Rome? Murphy is of course referring to spreading corruption in Washington, our imperialist tendencies and the outsourcing of government work to private contractors. Personally, we'd rather read a book comparing our government with a different empire, but we won't hold our breath on that one. 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Dancer and award-winning actress Victoria Rowell......

Summer is almost here, and that means it is almost time to roll up the carpets and send the Classical Music Agenda on vacation. So enjoy the music while you can. In particular, this is the last week to take in a performance of the best production from Washington National Opera this season, Janáček's Jenůfa. My review called this opera "essential viewing for anyone who cares about music drama." Performances remain only on Monday (May......

The last 24 hours have proved quite busy for regional concert announcements, and we're happy to say the news isn't about bands skipping DC as they galavant around the country. Earlier this morning the 9:30 Club's Seth Hurwitz announced the newly reformed Police and Smashing Pumpkins, along with the Beastie Boys, as the headliners for this year's Virgin Fest, now to be a two-day event held on August 4th and 5th at Pimlico Race Course......

FRIDAY: >> Baltimore's Fertile Ground return to 9:30 Club for a concert with collaborator Raheem DeVaughn called Let's Do It Again. Also singer Anthony David. 9 p.m., $22. >> Gallery Openings of Note: Maria Friberg opens her show, titled embedded, at Conner Contemporary, reception 6 to 8 p.m. That's embedded #4 at left. Also we checked out a preview of Colby Caldwell's new show, Small Game, at Hemphill Fine Arts on Wednesday, and definitely recommend......

It feels like it's been a while since anyone truly famous has graced our fair city with their presence, but it looks like that drought comes to an end today. According to an email we received yesterday, Matt Damon and Robert DeNiro are in town (actually in Fairfax, Virginia) today taping a special episode of Chris Matthews' Hardball. Before you berate us for not passing this tip on earlier, tickets were only available to Mason......

FRIDAY: >> The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception offers its annual Christmas Concert for Charity tonight. The Basilica's professional choir (featuring our very own DCist Charles!) will perform, followed by the choirs and orchestra of Catholic University. Admission is free, with a free-will donation to benefit the Spanish Catholic Center, a haven for immigrants to the Washington, D.C., area since 1967. The center provides services at locations in Mount Pleasant and......

Brooklyn’s Bishop Allen began this year by embarking on a decidedly outside-the-box strategy—rather than pursue the typical method of writing, recording and marketing an album, they decided to spend the entire year writing songs, and releasing the fruits of their labors each month in the form of quickly assembled EP’s. The year-long series, each EP named after the month of its release, would be available by mail order from their website. Even without great songs,......

Thanks to Dave Hughes' excellent DCRTV for reminding us of the local angle to a national media story: the status of Arlington native Katie Couric's recent ascension to the anchor's chair over at CBS News. Couric grew up in Arlington, attending Yorktown High School (where she was a cheerleader) and UVA before beginning her climb to the top of the TV news industry — a process that included a stint at D.C.'s WRC-TV, NBC4. From......

Good morning, Washington. We hope you're as excited as we are to read about how we're going to have lower heating bills this winter, due to predictions of a mild winter ahead. Hooray! We think we'll put that extra money towards a nice vacation. But hey, errr, wait a minute. Does this mean we're not going to get any full snow days again this year? Noooooo! Increase in Crime on Metro Slowing?: The Examiner reports......

Can the "tale as old as time" survive a Broadway musical makeover? True, the stage version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast has been around for some time, but those who have yet to make the nostalgic pilgrimage can head to Wolf Trap this weekend and answer that question for themselves. Love it or hate it, this is Broadway spectacle at its most elaborate. From lavish costumes to looming sets, the show exudes dollars and......

Good Morning, Washington. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful, if a tad hot, day. Highs should be up around 90, with the humidity and rain we've all been hearing about holding off at least until tomorrow. Initiative for Slots Off Ballot: For those of you who have been waiting for electronic slots to hit D.C., looks like you'll be waiting a bit longer. WTOP tells us that the PAC that has been working......

Local blogger and Condoleezza Rice devotee Princess Sparkle Pony is wondering: Why on earth has the water at the U.S. Navy Memorial turned blue? Indeed, her majesty has turned up photographic evidence of the unnatural hue of the water in the Memorial's fountains. As always, the Pink Pony asks the tough questions: Is it intentional? A prank? One thing is for sure, it now resembles the Ty-D-Bol™ Memorial more than anything. Honey, listen, next time......

Last week, there was ample proof that Washington may be the best city in the world for people who want to hear free concerts of classical music. If anything, there is even more evidence of that predominance this week. Just to list them all is going to take some space. Thank you for your patience. FREE IS GOOD: >> The Conservatory Project returns to the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage this week. From today until next......

When is a race for elected office too crowded? If you live in Ward 3, never. An addition today to the roster of candidates seeking to replace Council-member Kathy Patterson, who is running for council chair, brought the total to seven, among them DDOT spokesman Bill Rice, Sam Brooks, Cathy Wiss, Mary Cheh, Erik Gaull, Robert Gordon and Jonathan Rees. There are even rumors that another three candidates might join the race, leaving a crowd......

DCist certainly picked the right time to catch a GW game at the Charles Smith Center. A few weeks back we picked up one of the last two pairs of tickets available for Saturday's game, the last home appearance for GW's stellar senior class. There was alot at stake on Saturday for GW. The chance to end their conference slate with a perfect record along with yet another chance to quiet the critics that......

If you're slightly overweight and have trouble catching your breath on the way out of the Metro, you should be ashamed of yourself and your slovenly ways. If Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can keep in such fine form, why can't you? Are you jet-setting around the world to put out small diplomatic fires or start bigger ones, all the while keeping toned abs and low body fat? We didn't think so. Fear not, though,......

It was a busy weekend for college hoops in the area. By and large, it was also a successful one. George Washington clinched the regular season Atlantic 10 title, beating Fordham 78-67 at the Smith Center Saturday night. Playing without injured forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, the Colonials won their sixteenth straight game behind 19 points from sophomore guard Maureece Rice. His backcourt mates, Danilo Pinnock (17 points) and Carl Elliott (16 points) also stepped up in......

Can anything make air travel a more pleasant experience? Unless it involves flying First Class and skipping airport security altogether, we're not really sure. But, the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security are sure going to try. The Post reported this morning that Dulles International Airport, along with Houston International, will be part of a pilot program to "present a warmer welcome to foreign visitors who face post-Sept. 11, 2001, security changes."......