Photo by Leels FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR: U Street bar Lounge of Three is hosting an all-Wu Tang, all the time happy hour tonight, with $1 rail drinks and margaritas from 5-7, kung-fu movies, DJ Nick the 1da dishing up the Wu. MOVIE: This weekend the Freer Gallery begins its nearly two-month-long Iranian Film Festival. Stop by for tonight’s selection, A Man Who Ate His Cherries, about a man who is forced to divorce his…

Photo by Mr. T in DC ART: The Phillips Collection hosts Phillips After 5 tonight from 5 – 8:30 p.m. Tonight’s special event is a preview of Round House Theatre’s upcoming play, Permanent Collection, about a museum director engaged in a racially charged battle over the display of African sculptures (6:30 p.m.), along with a jazz performance and tours of the Man Ray, African Arts and the Modernist Lens exhibit, which closes this Sunday….

Photo by Kevin H. MUSIC: Local collective Spelling for Bees is back at The Velvet Lounge tonight. $5, 7:30 p.m. Or for an earlier performance, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium stage tonight hosts drummer François Ladrezo, a Guadeloupean musician and activist. Ladrezo’s sound has mixed influences, most notably in Gwoka Music. Free, 6 p.m. MOVIE: Friends of Southeast Library are hosting a new free monthly film series featuring movies about Washington. Tonight’s selection is Mr….

Photo by Biketripper GAMES: The Rock and Roll Hotel opens its newest weekly event, free Monday Ping Pong tables, tonight from 6-10 p.m. Tables are available on a first-come-first-serve basis every Monday in January. Next month, they plan on arranging tournaments. Get some friends together and start practicing now. MOVIES: The Black Cat is hosting a week of movies and drink specials. Each night is curated by the bartender on duty, and tonight it’s…

Photo by anokarina For the procrastinators and cheapskates in the audience, we recommend the following inexpensive New Year’s Eve options: The Fridge is hosting a Great Depression-themed event, dubbed “Party Like it’s 1929.” The cover is only $5, and drinks start at $3. 9 p.m. – 3 a.m.Palace of Wonders is up to their usual tricks with a daredevil show, and their cover is only $20, which includes a midnight “champagne of beers” toast.The…

Photo by Allee574 TV: The Real World D.C. premieres at 10 p.m., and for those planning on following the entire season, we can think of no better spot to watch than the catty confines of Nellie’s, which plans to host screenings every Wednesday night until the bitter end. MUSIC: At Asylum, jazz/pop outfit The Family Hemerlein plays for $6, doors 9 p.m. The Roots are predictably sold-out at the 9:30 Club tonight, but give…

Photo courtesy of ::FiZ:: MUSIC: The Roots are playing sold-out shows tonight and tomorrow at the 9:30 Club. You know what to do. For something free tonight, you can hear some indie music from the talented Clare Burson at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage at 6 p.m. or free choral music from Frederick Chorale at the Botanic Garden from 6 – 8 p.m. And something somewhere in between free and pricey is the Future…

Photo courtesy of primplan HIP HOP: Grammy-winning singer Anthony Hamilton will be at Zanzibar headlining their festivities with a yet-to-be-named special guest. $50-$150, 8 p.m. MUSIC: Comic singer songwriters Rob Tanenbaum and David Fagin will be at Jammin Java performing their two-man show, “Good for the Jews.” 7 p.m., $20. PERFORMANCE: The Santaland Diaries, a one-man comedy show adapted from the book by David Sedaris is at The Warehouse at 8 p.m. Tickets can…

Photo courtesy of D©Bloom MUSIC: Fort Reno veterans, The Max Levine Ensemble, is at the Black Cat, 9pm, $8. Or for large crowds tonight, head to the Kennedy Center for a free sing-along of Handel’s Messiah. Conductor Barry Hemphill leads the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, a 200-voice choir, and the audience for a sing-along. Free tickets are required and can be obtained starting from 6 p.m. before the performance’s start at 8 p.m….

Photo courtesy of foramenglow MOVIE: The Washington Psychtronic Society screens Robo Vampire, “It’s two movies in one: You got your ninjas, hopping zombie vampires, gun-happy drug smugglers, 3rd grade kung-fu, pirated Tangerine Dream music, and a dead cop who comes back from the grave as a robot. This movie is so incredible that there seemed to be no logical ending to it — so someone just turned the camera off!” 8 p.m., free, with…