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... more ›

As the air gets chillier and the days get shorter, D.C. residents’ thoughts turn to Halloween and tales of the weird and the macabre – like hearings on congressional page scandals and polls predicting midterm election outcomes. OK, so Washington, D.C., is not the first city to come to mind when you think of horror and suspense. It doesn’t even compare to New Orleans' Gothic backdrops or London’s fog-filled streets and alleyways. But on the silver screen, D.C. has played host to a veritable who's who of madmen and monsters, as well as some fine extraterrestrial mayhem. more ›

A perfect shot for the creepiest month of the year. Flickr use Bog_King brings us this shot of the staircase in Georgetown used in The Exorcist. Can't you just see Father Damien falling to his death? EXIF.
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The 2006 season from Washington National Opera finally opened Saturday night with an opera that I was thrilled to see and hear live, Béla Bartók's A Kékszakállú herceg vára (Duke Bluebeard's Castle, premiered at the Budapest Opera in 1918). The Ambassador of Hungary, András Simonyi — fresh from a hilarious appearance on the Colbert Report — was so happy that he helped host the opening night WNO gala in honor of the 50th anniversary of... more ›

One of those stereotypes about classical music that I would like to explode is that it is the musical equivalent of a dusty museum. Yes, classical musicians often play music from previous centuries, but the performances themselves are very much modern and of our time. What's more is that often classical musicians play new music, and that is an exciting thing to hear. RELATIVELY NEW: >> A favorite local group devoted to contemporary music, the... more ›

The Classical Music Agenda has been missing in action for several weeks now, but there just has not been that much to hear. My weekly recommendations will return at the end of this month, as the September schedule heats up. For now, you will have to content yourselves with the following concerts, few and far between. more ›