Blogger, itinerant rock critic, and former NPR Arts Editor Bill Wyman had a fine piece in yesterday’s Washington Post introducing the Moby Quotient, the formula he and, uh, “hyperbolic geometry” expert Jim Anderson have devised for quantifying exactly how egregiously a given artist has sold out when they license one of their songs to an advertiser. (Moby, in case you don’t know, won the dubious honor of having this formula named after him for his... more ›

No matter how you feel about a city known for its hippie culture or holier-than-thou aging baby boomers, you sort of have to love Takoma Park, Md. Commonly referred to as "The People's Republic of Takoma Park" or "The Berkeley of the East", the commuter suburb right on the border of the District is not only charmingly beautiful, but the people who live there wear their political proclivities on their collective sleeves so seriously they... more ›

Unlike its cinema, music, dance, and literature, India's dramatic arts have made very few inroads in garnering any international exposure. So it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Jana Natya Manch (The People's Theater Forum), or JANAM, one of India's most active street theater groups, would be stopping in DC for a week as part of its U.S. tour. more ›

MONDAY Okay. This is kind of a no-brainer. Norman Mailer will be discussing his latest, The Castle in the Forest, with author Alan Cheuse. Wesley United Methodist Church, 5312 Connecticut Avenue, 7 p.m. Two tickets with the purchase of the book at Politics and Prose or $12/ticket. Call (202) 364-1919 for more information. TUESDAY Are you a fan of actors from television show M*A*S*H-turned authors but are just sick at the sight of Alan Alda?... more ›

August is notoriously a dead month for theatregoers. Truth be told, we're glad to take a breather after wearing ourselves out during the first Capital Fringe Festival. But we still can't wait until September, which marks the start of so many companies' seasons. In the meantime, there are a few shows to tide you over. 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 ›

July would be a dead time for theatergoers, if not for festivals. Thanks to them, we'll have more than enough to keep us in our cushioned seats (or fold-up chairs, depending on the venue) this month. Most noteworthy is the Capital Fringe Festival. The lineup, which we told you about earlier, features everything from out-of-town productions to local theatre groups. There are cabarets. There are fire-eaters. There's a One Man Star Wars Trilogy. In other... more ›