Chaos, hostility, and murder. The three items that Werner Herzog believes are the common denominators of the universe, according to the narration of his 2005 documentary, Grizzly Man. And the subject of his own obsession, expressed again and again in the choking jungles and obsessives heroes of his films. In Rescue Dawn, Herzog stabs at yet another heart of darkness, another soul driven to desperation in pursuit of a seemingly impossible goal. In this case,... more ›

MONDAY At Chapters, they’re mad for mystery writers on Mondays in March, and for alliteration at all other times. Today, they have a fine guest: Laura Lippman, who’ll be reading from her latest, What the Dead Know. 445 11th Street, NW, 1 p.m. TUESDAY Tom Bissell and his father, an ex-Marine who served in the Vietnam War, travel back to Vietnam on a journey that retraces both national and personal history. He’ll be in town... more ›

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund announced yesterday that their proposed Visitor Center received the final go-ahead from the National Capitol Planning Commission, which oversees the approval and design of monuments and memorials in D.C. The privately funded, $100 million complex will supplement Maya Lin’s 1982 Memorial Wall, with exhibits and programs to tell the story of the Vietnam War and commemorate the soldiers who fought it. The Visitor Center will be built just west of the Wall in the area between it and the Lincoln Memorial; however, NCPC requires that it be completely buried and hidden from view, in order to preserve the openness and visual order of the Mall. The Polshek Partnership, architect of the Clinton Library and the Newseum/Freedom Forum, was selected in 2004 to design the Center. more ›

Appearing this afternoon at a Pentagon near you, Gary Sinise will be performing with the Lt. Dan Band as part of the America Supports You program, a “nationwide initiative to showcase and communicate Americans’ support of the Armed Forces,” according to Reuters. We at DCist wish we were joking with the band name, but it really is called the Lt. Dan Band. For those of you not familiar with Lt. Dan, he was Forrest Gump’s alcoholic, paraplegic pal who later made peace with the Vietnam War and his injuries. With our newfound knowledge of the Lt. Dan Band, we wonder if other bands could pop up with names inspired by supporting characters in Robert Zemeckis films. The George McFly Experience? Could be big for Crispin Glover. Or what about Baby Herman's Hermits? Anyway, it sounds like this performance might be closed off to the public (it's in the Pentagon Courtyard). But don’t fear, we’ll let you know as soon as tickets for the 9:30 Club show go on sale (password = CSI:NY). more ›