Forget Christmas shopping, paying your bills, reading articulate reviews on your favorite local blog. The Internet is for porn. Such is one of the life lessons the delightful Avenue Q, now playing at the National Theater, provides. The now-famous show is a Sesame Street for the post-college, ennui-ridden 20 or 30-something. This means it teaches us not to spell and know our colors, but instead how to cope with useless liberal arts degrees, commitment-phobic boyfriends... more ›

Outside of Sesame Street and The Cosby Show, there’s only one television program that’s made a substantial impact on me. That show, Yo! MTV Raps, took hip-hop culture from its urban roots and brought it to folks like me living in the nation’s hinterlands. Plus, for those of us pushing or already into our 30s, “Yo!” represents a time when hip-hop music had some semblance of quality and variety. In celebration of a limited edition... more ›

Washington is about to be overrun by film festivals, so get your comedies and dramas, your Hollywood actors and local wannabes, your serious documentaries and hilarious animations starting tonight. Well, not tonight. Tonight you'll be at Unbuckled. But the rest of the weekend is your film reel playground! more ›

FRIDAY: >> The fine folks at the Black Cat are throwing themselves a 13th anniversary party tonight, and bully for them — it can hardly be an argument that the bar and music venue has become a nightlife mainstay for those of us who like our drinks cheap and our juke boxes funky. The convergence of two unlucky symbols (13 and black cats) isn't lost on the staff, who are encouraging you to go ahead... more ›

Though you might not realize it upon entering the poster-decked bar which probably would be right at home next to Don't Tell Mama on Restaurant Row, the tiny back room of the Playbill Café has its very own puppet show going on. These puppets have a weightier task ahead of them than the jovial characters on Sesame Street, or even the dysfunctional lot over on Avenue Q. Puppets, and various other props, are what drive... more ›

Houstonist reports on cross-dressing thieves and undressing educators this week. A Peeping Tom defends himself with a papaya and an outraged onlooker asks Ken Lay, "TATER TOTS OR FRIES?" Also, FEMA wants it's money back. LAist are a bug bunch of geeks. They're Star Trek geeks, David Duchovny geeks and Frank Gehry geeks. During their Cochella preview their readers reveal themselves to be Depeche Mode geeks. Seattlest saw their basketball team preparing to leave for... more ›

Anybody living in the city with a couple of kids knows how hard it is to maintain any sort of indie cred. You can hardly be showing up at the Black Cat every night when little Sam or Sue needs a bottle and a viewing of Sesame Street. more ›

Looking to meet some of your favorite authors, NBA stars, or characters from your favorite PBS kid's shows this weekend? The Library of Congress and first lady (and former librarian) Laura Bush bring the 2004 National Book Festival to the Mall on Saturday. Now in its fourth year, the festival features more than 70 writers from across the literary spectrum. Notables appearing include R.L. Stine, E.L. Konigsburg, Joyce Carol Oates, Clive Cussler, Azar Nafisi, Anna Quindlen, Neal Gaiman, and Ted Kooser. more ›