1. 'Shaun of the Dead'
The British Rom-Com-Zom (Romantic Comedy ... with Zombies) opens this Friday and is the funniest horror comedy since "Army of Darkness." The genre-mixing "Shaun," already a hit in the U.K., provides plenty of blood, guts and laughs, and has the endorsement of "Night of the Living Dead" filmmaker George Romero and gore guru Peter Jackson. It opens this Friday; see the review in the The Eagle this Thursday.
2. Phil Elvrum
Phil Elvrum, former workhorse for the Microphones, is playing a show at the blissfully tiny Warehouse Next Door (1021 7th St. NW) on Wednesday. If one were to choose to attend this gathering, one would be regaled in sweet, tender guitar-playing and the kind, gentle voice of this Pacific Northwest demigod. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. Calvin Johnson will also attend, as will the wonderful French-Canadian singer Woelv.
3. 'Reno 911!'
It won zero Emmys last night because it was not nominated for any. Hey, it's the Academy of Television "Arts" and Sciences' loss. Comedy Central's sublime spoof of COPS transcends spoofdom with its zany, hysterically realized characters and improvised dialogue. Though it's hard to single out one of the seven principles, thank goodness for Kerri Kenney as Deputy Trudy Wiegel. Never has stiff, homely sociopathy been so sexy. Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m.
4. Yirasai Sushi & Cafe
This awesome sushi restaurant is located just a few feet down the street from Park Bethesda, so it makes for a convenient dining experience. Everything on the menu is cheap, but the restaurant's specials offer the best deals. Try the Sushi Combo for $13.95, which comes with miso soup, salad, a tuna roll and eight pieces of sushi. 5110 Ridgefield Rd., Bethesda.
5. Downtown Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Md., may be on the other side of the Red Line-and until recently, it belonged there-but its newly renovated downtown area is worth visiting. Under the name "Silver Sprung" (those developers sure are clever), the area has acquired Borders, Whole Foods and numerous restaurants like Potbelly and Lebanese Taverna. But the best addition is an enormous fountain that spews out of the sidewalk in the center of the square, allowing naked children (and drunken college students) to run through it.
