The Coathangers have always known how to have a good time. Even in their earliest days, when their skills were nascent and they’d play art spaces in Atlanta two or three times a week, they’d make sure that everyone enjoyed themselves by baking cookies for the crowd and throwing themselves into their brash and straightforward songs. Over time, the keyboard melodies have become more jagged and the guitar riffs more complex and Julia Kugel, Candice Jones, Meredith Franco and Stephanie Luke became one of the most reliably must-see live bands.

The Nationals had a somewhat rough weekend in Atlanta, suffering their worst loss of the season on Friday and blowing leads yesterday to drop the series finale. But the swing through the The Big Peach wasn’t a total loss — after all, Saturday’s game produced this priceless image, in which Jayson Werth stands mesmerized by a dude who ran on to the field in a wedding gown.

Though their #1 ranking may be on a technicality, the Washington Mystics snatched the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a thrilling win over the New York Liberty Friday night. In tense fashion, the win wasn’t decisive. The Mystics leaked away a 12-point lead earlier in the game until New York moved ahead 73-74 in the ending minutes. But a final layup by Lindsey Harding with 8.8 seconds left, in a less than…

The Modesto Bee, the hometown newspaper of Chandra Levy, has reported that criminal justice students at Bauder College in Atlanta will be opening their own investigation into the 2001 murder of Levy, which remains unsolved. Bauder offers students credit within its Cold Case Investigative Research Institute for combing through unsolved cases. Students at the school will also investigate the disappearance three years ago of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba. Previous students researched the 1996…

A month ago, the Washington Redskins needed to win out the rest of their season and receive a ton of help from the rest of the NFC in order to make the playoffs. And it needed to start in the short week between a Sunday’s loss to Buffalo and a Thursday night game with Chicago. And then it needed to start after Sean Taylor’s funeral. And then it needed to continue despite losing starting quarterback…

So now you know who we loved locally this year. Here’s our list of the live shows that came through town and left a lasting impression in ’07. Dismemberment Plan Reunion Shows @ Black Cat DCist Ian says: The Plan’s much anticipated reunion to benefit Cal Robbins, the son of Jawbox/Burning Airlines frontman and recording engineer J. Robbins, sold out in under five minutes. So Travis Morrison & co. added a second show. In all…

With point guard Antonio Daniels out for 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee, the Washington Wizards were more than shorthanded going into Saturday night’s game against the visiting Sacramento Kings. Rookie Nick Young started in Daniels’ spot in the back court and scored five of the team’s first seven points, but it was the hot hand of DeShawn Stevenson that led the Wizards to a 92-79 win. Stevenson played over 44 minutes and connected…

Since trading away team leader and expert benchwarmer Brian Sutherby to save money and cure a losing streak, the Caps have chalked up two more uninspired losses to teams from subtropical climatic zones. Last night’s nominal crowd at Verizon Center cheered optimistically when the Caps lobbed soft shots from the blueline into the catching glove of Atlanta’s third-string goalie, Johan Hedberg. They cheered sarcastically when Capitals museum piece Olaf Kolzig stopped easy shots. Some fans…

According to Forbes magazine, the Washington Capitals are the third most worthless team in the National Hockey League. This is a big step up from last year, when they were number one! Of course, being businessmen and not hockey fans, the boys at Forbes have failed to take into account the kinds of younger, developing players that the Caps hold, ready to carry them to success either this year or in the immediate future. If…

MONDAY: Makes Me Wanna Holler and What’s Going On author Nathan McCall will be at the Olsson’s in Penn Quarter to read from his new novel, Them. It might sound more like science-fiction than a Marvin Gaye song, but it’s about the complex relationship that develops between two neighbors in downtown Atlanta. 7 p.m. Robert Kuttner, founder and editor of the American Prospect, will be at Politics and Prose to discuss his new book, The…