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News

New book chronicles 'fiasco' in Iraq from invasion onward

By David Tannenbaum | August 30

"Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq" By Thomas Ricks 512 pages Penguin Group Publishers Paperback: $12.80 at www.barnesandnoble.com One of the many problems with literature written during an ongoing war is that it mainly comes in the form of personal narratives written by somebody who has served in Iraq or in the sanitized language of an armchair general who makes broad observations.

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News

Slip into new semester with new sex columnist

By Pierce Hardcastle | August 30

This is the new sex column, and let's be clear: this will be a SEX column. I know all relationships have an important emotional element, and college is an important transition period in one's life, but seriously, AU kids have a lot of sex. And we definitely have a lot of questions.

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News

Horoscopes

August 30

Leo (July 24-Aug. 23): Blokes, quit the Brit accent! You chaps need to realize that the ladies don't always admire a man who hangs the Union Jack on his dorm walls and chews his fish 'n' chips while bobbing his head to "London Calling." If you drop the act, and your pants, you'll learn to love your sincere American self, and show her the true cockney.

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News

Textile Museum's Klimt exhibit underwhelms

By Kristen Powell | August 30

Walking down S Street near Embassy Row, shouts of "Free Burma!" lure potential visitors toward the Textile Museum. Located next to the embassy of the Union of Myanmar, the impressive exterior of the John Russell Pope-designed building looks promising. Unfortunately, the protesters are likely to be the most exciting part of any trip to this museum.

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News

Summer movies still trickling into theaters as school, fall begin

By Stephen Tringali | August 30

This week's new movie releases can hardly admit to the summer's end. Rob Zombie slasher flicks, irreverent comedy ? la Will Ferrell and "Saw" director concoctions are not the stuff of a new school year. They are the entertainment fare that feeds the lazy summer hours.

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News

Exhibit Calander

August 30

From the Russian American Kids Circus to biting theatrical satire, here are just a few of the many theater and exhibition openings happening in the coming month. Monday, August 27 The Unmentionables Woolly Mammoth Theater Company 641 D St. N.W. Woolly Mammoth's season kicks off with this satire by Bruce Norris.

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News

Deerhunter set to slay Black Cat

By Donny Sheldon | August 30

Just when it seemed like rock 'n' roll had traded in hard drugs for harpsichords, the boundary-bending boys of Deerhunter will play at the Black Cat tonight at 9 p.m. with opening act Clockcleaner. After Deerhunter's original bassist, Justin Bosworth, died of head injuries inflicted during a skateboarding accident in 2004, the band's future looked dismal.

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News

Know your city: Take Washington by storm

August 30

Thursday, Aug. 30 Deerhunter, Clockcleaner at the Black Cat These Atlanta-based soundscape artists are coming up big. Take a chance and spend $10 on a genuine indie rock experience at the Black Cat. Doors open at 9 p.m. for this backstage show. Friday, Aug.

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News

Historic synagogue hosts more than Shabbat

By Hilary Crowe | August 30

Music has always held an exalted position in houses of worship. For some, venues like the Black Cat and the 9:30 club are home to many nontraditional spiritual awakenings. So when representatives of the Live Nation public relations company and the Rock and Roll Hotel came knocking on Sixth and I Historic Synagogue's newly restored temple door, it was not as much of a shock as one might think.

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News

Buzzworthy comfort food delights Dupont diners

By Iliana Imberman Berkowitz | August 30

1310 New Hampshire Ave. N.W. Metro: Dupont Circle (red line) 202-861-1310 www.firefly-dc.com $15 - $25 Nestled between upscale apartment buildings, just blocks from the heart of Dupont Circle, lies Firefly, one of D.C.'s hubs for nouveau cuisine. Firefly, which opened in November 2002, became known around the city for its use of local produce, its simple, yet elegant cocktails, and its position as a low-key, highly accessible neighborhood eatery.

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News

Indie-pop sweetheart emerges from chrysalis as insect troubadour

By Chris DeWitt | August 30

A "Share this Place" (K Records) Sounds like: For people who love Beirut and insects equally. If beetles enjoyed music, if they liked to listen to some tunes while bugging around the sidewalk or kitchen counter, this album would be in top rotation on their little beetlePod.

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News

Film industry ignores journalists, critics in effort to control box office numbers

By Stephen Tringali | August 30

The following article is the first installment in a four-part series on the changing relationship between film critics and the industry at large. Look for the second installment in the Sept. 6 issue. Pauline Kael said to Richard Schickel during one meeting of the New York Society of Film Critics, "Remember how it was in the '60s and '70s when movies were hot, when we were hot? Movies seemed to matter.

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News

Late summer releases to get the semester started

By Jeff Lambert and Josh Kramer | August 30

VHS or Beta "Bring on the Comets" (Astralwerks) Grade: A- Sounds like: A harmless dance-rock record that wants to be a party playlist anchor. The beginning bars of the title track sound like the credits from one of those not-quite Brat Pack movies always aired on Comedy Central.

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News

Review: The Best of Chappelle's Show

By Mike Carusi | August 30

"The Best of Chappelle's Show" Comedy Central Grade: C- Comedian Dave Chappelle hosted "Chappelle's Show" for several years. The show consisted of various comedic sketches and skits. As it rapidly rose through the ratings charts, Chappelle stunned fans by announcing his departure from the show.

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News

Top 10

By Scene Staff | August 30

1: Mary Graydon Center Redesign Honestly, the new MGC is fine - but only if you're waiting for your grandmother to come out of triage. The color scheme of yellow, light blue and maroon could not be more sterile for our burgeoning college spirits. The glass doors of the Tavern almost make us feel like we're entering the dentist's office, and certainly nobody can eat their hearts out there.

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News

Guide To: College Fashion

By Ruben Luong | August 16

Some college students dress better than most people think. "I think fashion and image are both very important in college," said Steve Meyer, a junior in the School of Public Affairs. "How you dress and how you carry yourself can show an aura of confidence or an extreme lack thereof, and dressing well can make all the difference in making a good first impression on someone.

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News

Guide To: Local Bands

By Hilary Crowe | August 16

Sure, AU is a great school; practically a filter-feeder into all those low-ranking, underpaid government jobs some freshmen were probably dreaming of during those 10-minute breaks during five-hour standardized tests. But for others, the dream lives in the bowels of the District, far from the marbled Mall and Capitol's shadows, among the throbbing throng of musty, music fanatics hitting U Street under the stars, governed by a force other than a parent-imposed curfew.

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