FRIDAY:
The snow isn’t supposed to hit until Saturday, but Fox has the perfect excuse to stay in tonight and avoid the hordes descending on Safeway for bread, milk, and toilet paper. Fox is burning off the final four episodes of the brilliant, but tragically low-rated and now cancelled Arrested Development. Fans can start their vigil now, as Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch commenters discuss their favorite episodes. It all starts at 8 p.m. Oh, and if want to check out alternative programming during commercial breaks, we hear there’s something going on in Italy.
>> David Bazan (Pedro The Lion, Headphones), Vic Chesnutt, Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), and Will Johnson (Centro-matic) will share the stage at IOTA for two nights in their recent configuration as the Undertow Orchestra. The project appears to be less of a band and more a means to a tour — the four songwriters apparently will rotate through their respective songs and serve as a back-up band for each other, though they haven’t written any songs together. Still, with this kind of line-up, no doubt the house will be packed. $15, Fri. & Sat., both shows start at 9:30 p.m.
SATURDAY:
>> The Annual National Black History Month Film & Discussion Series will make its stop at Howard University this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with an ambitious line-up of hard hitting films. Selections include the documentaries Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders and Bastards of the Party, and dramatic features like the South African film Tsotsi, which is nominated for an Oscar in the foreign film category. $10 per session or $20 for an all-day pass, at the Cramton Auditorium.
>> Say goodbye to Fusebox as the owners get ready to shut the doors for good. We’ll bring the Kleenex. Closing reception 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
SUNDAY:
>> The weather outside may be frightful, but the colorful gardens inside D.C.’s convention center are a reminder that warmer days are just around the corner. At the 2006 Washington Home and Garden Show, running through Sunday, mere mortals can nurture a serious case of garden envy while picking up some great stuff for the house. Allergy sufferers, enter at your own risk. Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m, Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $10.
>> The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra will present Music of the United States: Trees, Mountains and Canyons at Bishop Ireton High School in Arlington. Or, more specifically, Mysterious Mountain by Alan Hovhannes, The Five Sacred Trees by John Williams, and The Grand Canyon Suite by Ferde Grofe. We always enjoy supporting this great local orchestra, and we enjoy how they keep ticket prices affordable even more. 5 p.m., for only $10.
DCist Amadie Hart contributed to these picks.
