THERE ARE a lot of photos of President-elect Barack Obama out there. And we're not just talking the official press-conference variety. Run a quick image search on Google and you'll find everything from a digitally remastered rendition of our future prez in a superhero costume to his pensive gaze on the side of a shoe. It's no surprise, really. Such photo exposure goes hand-in-hand with being commander-in-chief.
Just ask Abe Lincoln.
As one of the first presidents whose entire tenure was captured in the early variations of photographs, the rail-splitter understood the importance of maintaining a presence in the public eye through pictures. Don't believe us? Head to the National Portrait Gallery to see "The Mask of Lincoln," an exhibit featuring evolving depictions of Honest Abe over the years. In these days of zoom lenses and high-speed shutters, Obama's got it easy.
» National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW; through July 5, free; 202-633-8300. (Gallery Place-Chinatown)
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress
NOBODY'S JUDGING YOU. Maybe you just didn't want to travel. Maybe you can't stand your extended family. Maybe your demonic boss is making you work the day after Thanksgiving.
For whatever reason, you're stuck in D.C. by yourself on Thanksgiving, but roasting a turkey for one is out of the question. They don't even make turkeys that small. You'd have to roast a quail or a sparrow or something. But tradition is important, even if you can't be with your family on Thanksgiving.
Never fear. D.C.'s restaurants, perhaps taking advantage of the massive number of people here who are married to their jobs, are serving up Thanksgiving meals at all price points. Here are a few of your options — but make reservations, or you could be waiting till December for your food.
Continue Reading "Not Home for the Holidays: Thanksgiving in D.C." »
HOW DOES SHE DO IT? Those legs for days, those powerful pipes ... Tina Turner's been around for a while, but she's definitely still on top of her game. She hasn't recorded much new material lately, just a greatest hits album including rare live recordings and two new tracks. But with about a million studio albums, live albums, and compilations under her belt, what does another one really matter? We're just glad to see she's got her groove back.
Her "One Last Time" concert in 2001 was supposed to be...well, the one last time she took the stage. But apparently going back to Nutbush, Tennessee, to be Anna Mae Bullock again just wasn't the retired life Tina wanted to lead. See her back in action when her tour stops at the Verizon Center this weekend.
» Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW; Sun., Nov. 23 and Mon., Nov. 24, 7 p.m., $59.50-$153; 202-397-7328. (Gallery Place)
Written by Express' Kelsey Parrish
Photo courtesy of Business Wire
WHAT'S SO FUNNY about a play centered around a fish tank? Well, throw in an apocalyptic marine biologist and a female journalism student and things get a little more interesting.
Will "intense significant coupling" lead to a big boom or will fish coupling cycles predict doom? Peter Nachtrieb's "Boom" brings the boy-meets-girl plot into a modern, witty and wacky show that will have you laughing and feeling fine, even if it's the end of the world as we know it.
» Woolly Mammoth, 641 D St. NW; through Dec. 7, $26-$60; 202-393-3939. (Gallery Place, Archives)
Written by Express' Hannah Kim
Photo by Stan Barouh
ONCE UPON A TIME, there was a woman named Sarah Brightman, who married a so-so composer and brilliant businessman named Andrew Lloyd Webber. And he wrote her the strangest musical ever — weirder, even, than the one set in the Austrian resort hotel during a nuclear disaster.
The musical was called "The Phantom of the Opera," and it was accompanied by insane, Cleopatra-themed music videos, and it made Sarah Brightman the kind of star who gives concerts of Broadway and opera songs at the Verizon Center. And that's how that story goes.
» Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW; Wed., Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m., $55-$225; 202-397-7328. (Gallery Place)
Photo by Rich Lipski
THE MEMBERS OF AC/DC are medical miracles. Any other people who had been banging their heads like that since 1973 would surely have shaken their brains loose by now. Instead, they're still going strong.
It is possible that if you first saw AC/DC when you were young, carefree and intoxicated, their concert this weekend will bring you back to that time, sweeping you along on a wave of nostalgia. Or it might just make you feel massively old. One thing is certain: they will shake you all night long.
[UPDATE: Read our take on the concert here].
» Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW; Sat., Nov. 15, 8 p.m., $92.50; 202-397-7328. (Gallery Place)
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
IN THE DRY CREEK VALLEY of Sonoma, Calif., a family-owned vineyard crafts wine that tastes like the place it comes from. Quivira Vineyards & Winery practices biodynamic farming, a self-sustaining agricultural system that avoids external additions. The goal is to recycle everything from the land back into the earth. Instead of fertilizer, for instance, Quivira uses compost made from winery residue.
Biodynamics goes beyond sustainable viticulture, though, and enters a spiritual realm many regard with skepticism. Vineyards like Quivira follow astrological patterns, which they say improve vine health.
Sommelier Kat Bangs became fascinated by Quivira's philosophy during her last trip to Sonoma. Bangs will soon take over for Derek Brown as the wine expert at Komi, which features many sustainable wines, including Quivira's Savignon Blanc. "From the wine taster's perspective, it's very different because you're tasting what's coming from that plot of land, not chemicals," she said of this variety.
Continue Reading "Popping the Myth: Drink in Eco-Friendly Vino" »
DIRECTOR GINI RETICKER went to a softball game and ended up making a movie.
The unlikely result is "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," a documentary about a group of Liberian women who demanded peace during a decades-long civil war.
"I ran into [producer] Abby Disney at our daughters' softball game," Reticker says, "She had gone to Liberia and heard everyone talking about the women there and their stories. Since Abby knew I made films that largely focused on women's issues, she asked me to do it."
"Pray the Devil Back to Hell" tracks a small group of Christian and Muslim women who stood up to former president Charles Taylor, a corrupt and violent leader. When peace talks between Taylor and rebel warlords failed, the women staged a sit-in, declaring that they would not leave until a compromise was reached.
"I was nervous about making the film," Reticker says, "I heard a lot about what went on in West Africa, with war and blood diamonds, and when you make a documentary you have to live with the material. But then I met Leymah [Gbowee], and that locked the deal, since she is just an incredible inspiration."
Continue Reading "Sitting in to Stand Up: 'Pray the Devil Back to Hell'" »
THE IN GETS a look from the outside with the D.C.-themed new issue of the Chicago-based art and culture magazine, Stop Smiling. On Thursday, the issue gets a release party at Civilian Arts Project featuring live DJ sets and a chance to rub shoulders with the magazine's two cover-story subjects: "The Wire" actor Anwan Glover and writer/producer George Pelecanos.
» Civilian Art Projects, 406 7th St. NW; Thu., Nov. 13, 7 p.m., $5; 202-347-0022. (Gallery Place)
Written by Express' Nathan Martin
YOU MIGHT NEED 3-D glasses to watch Batman at the IMAX but none are needed to see Nicole Lenzi's 3-D drawings in "Stop N Go."
In her latest exhibit, Lenzi brings drawings to a new level when she uses tape, tiles, molding and light to draw in 3-D. Lenzi will create improvisational installations on the gallery floor as sharp corners intersect with curved edges and changing lighting conditions bring contrasts between darkness and light.
» Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW; through Nov. 22, $15; 202-315-1305. (Gallery Place-Chinatown)
Written by Hannah Kim/Express
Photo courtesy of Nicole Lenzi
Addison Road
