Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the alleged Washington madam, has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking that her racketeering and money laundering case be stayed until she gets adequate council counsel. Palfrey’s civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley, says she’s asked for a new public defender in her criminal case, but as of yet hasn’t been provided with a new lawyer. You’ll remember that earlier this month Palfrey, who says she provided “legal sexual and…

Run for your lives, Washington. Rats have taken over our fair city, and there is no hope of escaping their evil, rat-like ways. We shall flee to the suburbs and their clean, plastic, rat-free lifestyle. But wait! Inside Edition, long-time bastion of quality broadcast news, is here to save us. Thank God for Inside Edition’s Rat Patrol. Let me start out by saying that Inside Edition is possibly the greatest news show on television. Not…

After a devastating run of going directly to jail and not getting Boardwalk or Park Place, local music mainstay Monopoli are calling it quits. All punning aside, we were saddened to see this announcement on the band’s MySpace page: Monopoli is over and out! Please join us in celebrating our run at our last four shows every Thursday in March at DC9. A residency at DC9 is no shabby way to send off a band,…

Veteran gossip columnist Michael Musto is in town today promoting his new book, La Dolce Musto, a collection from his columns of the same name (he’ll be at Nage Restaurant from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.). The bespectacled provocateur has spent 20 years at the Village Voice chronicling New York City’s gay life, nightlife and sex life, sometimes in terms that would make Candace Bushnell blush. Along with the tales of club kids, politics and sex…

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of “Friday Night Lights” production to New Mexico. Bostonist was happy they finally found an Anna Nicole Smith connection to their fair city and that an Apple Store was opening up. They were less happy that new rules have been established limiting underage shows and that their Governor is spending…

>> Breaking news from the DCist News Desk Sofa: Anna Nicole Smith has died in Florida. Smith was reportedly found in unconscious in her Hollywood, Fla. hotel room and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Looking back, it’s hard to remember all that made Smith a tabloid celeb but we’re sure we’ll be seeing a Law & Order “ripped from the headlines” reminding us soon. [CNN.com] >> Never let it be said D.C. artists don’t…

Sometimes you need to clean yourself up, get serious, and move in with daddie for a few months before you head to Latin America for a new gig. The District bids Jenna Bush adios. D.C.-based television shows have an elderly audience and DCist has some suggestions to fix that. They’re also throwing Butterstick the panda bear a birthday bash. Yeah, we may have a few issues with our World Cup broadcasters here, but this guy…

Shanghaiist probably knows a little more about China than the Chicago Sun-Times. Giving them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The city does to have a music scene. Don’t even front like they don’t. They also have Dorito bananas and white guys shopping for wives. What they don’t have is any more tolerance for jaywalkers. Bostonist sees Boston and Somerville each whip out their art and face off. A plagiarized novel is the…

There isn’t much to say about this week other than it was Stapptastic. We did, though, catch up with Vegetate, check out Stars at Black Cat, introduce our first Metro Map Mashup, and welcome Anna Nicole Smith to D.C. We covered a labor dispute at WJLA, reviewed Afterwar, interviewed Hera McLeod of “The Amazing Race,” and worked out with Condi. We visited Chawky Frenn’s studio, analyzed the slow-bursting real estate bubble, reported on a…

The weekly Ist wrap-up is written by Seattlest editor Dan Gonsiorowski. DCist helps us make more sense of the world this week. Posts like this concert review are the reason for Scott Stapp. DCist also enumerates the reasons for playing ultimate frisbee, Condi’s tight buns, their love of a local convenience store, and their jealousy of a person in Seattle calling the city. LAist documented graf artist Banksy’s most recent visit to LA in one…