The DC theater community is starting the year off right with...no more productions of A Christmas Carol. Seriously, there's plenty to like in January, from gutsy works to brand-new musicals. The Neo-Futurists (pictured) are back! Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind, which our critic Chris Klimek loved, makes a return engagement at Woolly Mammoth (Jan. 4). Stick 'em up! The American Century Theater gets nostalgic for police dramas with their production of Cops......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Control Live fast, die young. The two most important rules to follow for rock 'n' roll immortality. We suppose having great music probably helps, too. Ian Curtis followed those rules, and enjoys a massive cult following nearly three decades after his death. Maybe "enjoys" is the wrong word. As the years have passed and Joy......

FRIDAY: >> It's raining, and you've got some serious partying to do tomorrow night, so we'd recommend taking in a movie and saving your strength. Don't miss our movie picks for the weekend here, including special Halloween screenings of Nosferatu at the AFI Silver Theater. Also of note tonight, The American City Diner screens Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho at 8:30 p.m. >> If you’re more in the mood for getting your eardrums absolutely destroyed, Japanese metal......

Compiled by DCist Contributors Josh Kramer and Sarah Stonesifer The Eagle - American: >> AU is fine-tuning their free HIV testing program to accommodate students' schedules. They've also switched from an anonymous testing program to a confidential one. The changes aim to bring the school in line with the District government's HIV testing initiative. >> The American University bus drivers were approved by the Undergraduate Senate to have their own union, a debate that had......

It's rare that any of the well-read political blogs based here in Washington take on issues that fit within DCist's mandate to stick mainly to local issues, but when they do, boy howdy, they can really make a mess of things for themselves. The American Prospect's Ezra Klein has already issued a mea culpa for a post he put up late last night on his personal blog, which wondered why there aren't more amenities for......

Music can be just as good in another language — just ask, say, Skid Row fans in Moscow. The same is true for Bonde do Role's shows in the States. The trio from Curitiba in southern Brazil sing mostly in Portuguese, and while the meaning of the lyrics doesn't come across, the band's booming beats, goofy samples, and high energy stage antics (dancing, writhing, humping each other) make for a sweaty, ridiculous time. The group,......

Can't anyone get D.C. right? Today the Post's Reliable Source reports that Nicole Kidman's newest thriller, The Invasion, makes a number of relatively amateur mistakes in trying to use the District as a backdrop, even though a good part of it was filmed here. Among those: - Kidman, who plays a D.C. psychiatrist, buys magazines at one of those big sidewalk newsstand kiosks -- the ones all over New York but not on any corner......

If the results of our poll yesterday are any indication, ordinary people feel pretty strongly that administrative law Judge Roy Pearson is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, and really ought not to be a judge anymore. Finally, the Examiner brings word that Pearson's employer agrees with that sentiment. In a letter to the three-person commission that will decide whether Pearson gets reappointed, District of Columbia Chief Administrative Judge Tyrone T. Butler said Pearson......

Over the course of a year, Washington D.C. plays host to any number of events. Key industry conferences, cultural offerings from the four corners of the globe, and marching axe-grinders willing to protest just about anything. But this year, only one group will make this promise: "Nearly every quadrant of the city will feel the impact of Digestive Disease Week." MmmmmMMMMMmmM, yyEEAH! Are you prepared to FEEL IT, Washington? Because a quartet of medical societies......

FRIDAY: >> At 11 a.m. today or noon tomorrow, grab the kids and a box or twelve of tissues and head down to the National Archives for a screening of An American Tail. Part of their celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, they're sharing the story of Fivel and his cheese-paved streets with the next generation. We can only assume they'll watch it over and over like we did, each time hoping Fivel doesn't go......

MONDAY Richard Preston, fresh off his Daily Show appearance, where he confounded Jon Stewart, brings his unique perspective on some of America's oldest residents, California redwood trees, in The Wild Trees. Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, 7:00 p.m. TUESDAY With the glut of celebrities proclaiming themselves Buddhists, it's sometimes hard to pin down the historical and ethical roots of this ancient religion. Author Lama Surya Das, who the Dalai Lama calls 'The American......

On Sunday, the Post ran a story detailing the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation's announcement that they will spend $150,000 beginning this year to research and develop a new catch phrase for the city. We told you a bit about these plans, including the Tourism Corporation's effort to gather your opinions on the District through their Share Your DC survey, back in January. If you still haven't completed the survey, go ahead and take......

When legislation granting the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives came before the House Judiciary Committee last Thursday, all but two Republicans voted against it. One, Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Ut.), would see his state gain an additional seat, so his support was a given. The second, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), was the surprise. Pence has always been a conservative's conservative, a former leader of the Republican Study Committee (a conservative caucus within......

The Wizards absolutely crushed the Memphis Grizzlies last night at the Verizon Center in the most one-sided NBA game we've witnessed in a while. D.C. exploded to a 45-18 lead in the first quarter, and set a new Verizon Center record by scoring 77 in the first half. Gilbert Arenas took his new Kobe-inspired mantra of "quality shots" seriously, scoring his 31 points on just 13 field goal attempts in 33 minutes. Thanks to injuries......

By DCist Contributor Morgan Hungerford. DC is not a city of sample sales and trunk shows, so when we have one fashion-related event worthy of attendance it is Very Exciting; when we have two it is a Big Deal. And three? Well, you lucky, things, let’s just say you’d better take advantage. Tonight is the Third Thursday MidCity Shopper Social; shop the U Street Corridor and 14th Street for special deals at Junction. Wild Women......

Listen to President George W. Bush on any given day and you'll probably hear that Iraq is a little messy, but nothing that a little elbow grease and Republican determination couldn't handle. Listen to the Post's correspondents and, well, things seem a little less rosy. To date four of the newspaper's writers have produced books on Iraq, none of which Bush will likely be taking down to Crawford anytime soon. Bob Woodward's State of Denial:......

Reader Matthew Yglesias responds to a recent piece we posted on crime in the city. Want to add your own voice to this debate? Email Opinionist. Should the District respond to its high crime rates and current purported "crime emergency" by hiring more cops as several City Council members are proposing? Calm heads like DCist's Martin Austermuhle say no and they have the numbers to prove it. He points out that DC has traditionally had......

In case you had any doubts that Washington is little more than a swamp with marble buildings, venture outside for a quick check on your surroundings. In fact, head to the intersection of 20th and L Streets, NW for a prime example. Much like a swamp, it totally smells like ass. Literal ass. You know that buttered popcorn smell they blow all over theme parks and movie theatres? Imagine that, but with raw sewage; it's......

Another D.C.-based, political show bites the dust. We here at DCist (admittedly, somewhat apathetically) mourn the passing of "Commander In Chief", which will air its last episode tonight on ABC. Born out of The Contender like "The West Wing" was inspired by The American President, "Commander In Chief" followed the battles faced by the first female president, played with class, style and authority by Geena Davis. Capturing a wide audience early in its run and......

FRIDAY: The Mozart Year is almost halfway over — the man's birthday was January 27 — but classical concert programming continues to celebrate it. Opera Lafayette gets in the game tonight and tomorrow (June 2 and 3, 7:30 p.m.) with a concert performance of Mozart's first important opera, Idomeneo, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park. The vocal cast promises to be excellent, including an up-and-coming young singer named Millicent Scarlett, who......

It's one of those great D.C. occasions where out-of-staters turn the city into a melting pot of American tradition. It's for a good cause. It's sure to be a good time. And, it's too bad Stephen Colbert couldn't stay one more weekend in town because it's got the one thing on which he places his highest premium: balls. We speak, naturally, of the upcoming Third Annual Testicle Festival, brought to you by the good people......

With three blogs, Matthew Yglesias is one of the more prolific progressive political bloggers out there. The 24-year-old writer for The American Prospect, who hails from New York City, has also, since he moved to D.C. a few years ago, been dubbed by just about everybody as either a "rising star" or "up-and-coming pundit." Yglesias took time to chat with DCist over email about everything from the D.C. blog scene to Gilbert Arenas.......

On Monday DCist reported on the release of a report by the Commission on Federal Election Reform, whose 87 proposed recommendations for reforming the country's electoral system did not include any mention of the District's long-standing lack of voting rights. We -- being fierce and unwavering advocates for D.C. voting rights -- were obviously a little perplexed. Report on improving elections? No recommendation on granting District residents the right to vote? Huh? So, being the......

Damn D.C., we're all smart. Today, the Post features our city's burgeoning intellectual institutional base, which attracts the smartest folks from every corner of the globe to our "sausage factory for the opinions and ideas of the city's internationalists" where "there can be nearly 200 ... events on a given day ..." Even The New York Times has acknowledged this "egghead quotient," in a piece by Anne E. Kornblut, written around the time the Atlantic......

Spring has finally sprung -- or so it would seem. With weather looking to be above 50 degrees for the rest of the weekend, make sure to get out in the city and take advantage of what it has to offer. Capital Weather reminds us that some area ski destinations, like Whitetail and Liberty, are offering online coupons for 2-for-1 lift tickets if you want to squeeze in one more run. FRIDAY: >> Tonight......

Today will be partly cloudy with highs in the 40s. If you came to our happy hour thanks for stopping by, if not, go see what you missed! If you're a blogger the MeetUp.com D.C. blogger meetup for March is this Wednesday, and with a couple notable RSVP's already promises to be an interesting time. This weekend we took a walk around Second Street NE and reported on the controversy swirling around the FEC and......

Looking for a few good shows? Our music picks for this week follow. TUESDAY: >> The Carlsonics (pictured at right) continue their month-long Tuesday night residency at DC9. Read the DCist review of their performance here. With The American Watercolor Movement & The Heartless Bastards. $6. THURSDAY: >> Noise Against Facism: The Inauguration got you down? You should head over to the Black Cat tonight, where for $12 you can see Mirror/Dash, a duo of......

- With the Election Day a week away and fears of voting machines failing, channel your “Pre-Election Anxiety Disorder” by visiting some election-inspired exhibits at the National Museum of American History. "Vote! The Machinery of Democracy" examines the evolution of voting techniques and includes the ill-fated butterfly ballot from the 2000 Florida presidential election. Stop by their permanent exhibit "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden" to pay homage to our fearless leaders of the executive......

- The American U. Eagle has a longer piece on the closing of Visions Cinema Bistro, which characterizes the cinema's demise as "100% financial" and blames corporate competition:Then, the opening of large chain theaters showing indie films resounded like death knells. Georgetown Loews in November 2002. AFI Silver Theatre in April 2003. Then E Street Cinema last January, bringing Landmark's clout into the downtown pond. Suddenly it was big fish versus small fish. - why.i.hate.dc......