Elisir.............moving along....

Chef Enzo Fargione

Amb. Andrew and Carolyn Young honored at MLK,Jr. reception.

by contributor Neshan H. Naltchayan

Opera Ultra Lounge Extravaganza........

Catherine Ommanney Paul Wharton and Omorosa

by contributor Neshan H. Naltchayan

President Bush Looks Back: In His Own Words

by contributor Brendan Kownacki

As DC residents settled down from the excitement of an unexpected and uncommon earthquake that shook up the district earlier in the day, some couldn’t help but recall the last time they felt whole buildings rattle…September 11th, 2001.

In a special advanced premiere of the National Geographic Channel’s upcoming special “George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview”, director Peter Schnall presents an intimate conversation with the former Commander-in-Chief where he lets Bush express in his own words - his thoughts, feelings and perceptions - of the first minutes, hours and days after the infamous attacks. 

Ping Pong- Table tennis for food.

Courtney Cohen Chris Brown Emily Miller

Ping Pong opened their doors in Dupont last week where they served up chicken puffs, spicy nuts, maoduo,  pork and vegetable dumplings, prawn and spinach wraps, along side of Vietnamese rice paper shrimp rolls.  The best part of the evening for Washington Times reporter Emily Miller though was that she got carded.  "The waiter looked at my I.D. and said, really?"

Color me exotic...........

by contributor Neshan H. Naltchayan

Magic Trip............yes, that kind!

In 1964 Ken Kesey, the famed author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," set off on a legendary, LSD-fueled cross-country road trip to the New York World's Fair.

Director Alison Ellwood picks up the journey from there, explaining how she and director Alex Gibney came to make this film with long forgotten footage.

"On our way to Sundance in 2005 with our film, Enron: The smartest Guys in the Room, Alex and I read an article in the New Yorker by Robert Stone.  In the article he mentioned 40 hours of 16mm footage had been shot by Ken and the Pranksters.  It sounded too good to be true!  Sure enough, it was being stored in Ken's barn on the farm.  It was a big restoration project.  We got a grant from Scorcese's Film Foundation and the History Channel and the archive at UCLA began the job.  The film took us 6 years to make.  In reality, it's been in production for 47 years.  People told us we were crazy to take it on.  Perhaps we were!  But it was too good to pass up.  It was both frustrating and fun!"

The Man Panel part II

contributor Brendan Kownacki on the Man Panel: Find out what the Let's Talk Live man panel thinks about "mancations."  Just do it!  http://tbd.ly/qS96gQ

Moving along with Elisir.

The Man Panel answers your tough questions.

contributor Brendan Kownacki weighs in on TBD's "Let's Talk Live" and answers the tough relationship questions.  Tune in here:  http://tbd.ly/qVArow

Looking for a Laugh

 

by contributor Brendan Kownacki

 

Chuckles were abound as Washingtonians anxiously descended onto Riot Act, Penn Quarter’s new cave sized Comedy Theater. Members of the media, locals and a special crop of invitees from the new mobile app Venga flocked to the laugh chamber to add some spice to stereotypically stiff DC culture.

Housing two bars and a giant echoing stage, the comedy club is primed to bring both amateur and professional jokesters into town to entertain crowds. Opening week will feature comedian Charles Fleischer, known best perhaps for being the voice of Roger Rabbit, and Todd Rexx, who has appeared on both The Tonight Show and Def Comedy Jam All Stars.

 

Before there was Fiddler, there was Tevye.

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness  - A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof.

"Throughout his life, Sholem Aleichem lived an extraordinary contradiction. He was at one and the same time, the most popular and successful Jewish writer of his era .....while facing constant financial hardship. It's clear this was partly due to the fact that he was a terrible businessman; (that) he was as bad at business as he was brilliant at writing!  So there’s that. He had a large family to support as well and so sold off the rights to his work to make ends meet and suffered the consequences in the long run. Was there something more than this, something inside him that needed to fail in this way?  It's impossible to know. His own father experienced a terrible financial loss in Sholem Aleichem’s youth. Was he recreating this as an adult? I’m afraid that’s above my pay grade," explained director Joseph Dorman when asked whether his subject was a masochist or an optimist.

Georgetown cupcakes does lemon for Helen Thomas' 91st birthday

Age hasn’t slowed down the indomitable Helen Thomas who just turned 91.  The former White House Correspondent was hosted by Bill and Michelle Cohen at their home where friends gathered to wish her well. 

Prolific author and journalist Myra MacPhearson with Helen Thomas

DELICIOUSNESS IS THE NEW GREEN

FOOD, ART AND SUSTAINABILITY. They all merged at the Textile Museum for a summer installment of Cuisine Contra. Partial proceeds went to DC Greenworks.

Bart Seaver and Philippa Hughes

It's 10 PM. Do you know where your cat is?

Cocktails for a Cause

by contributor Brendan Kownacki

The Arbor: The disturbing life of British playwright Andrea Dunbar

Andrea Dunbar character played by Kate Rutter

Andrea Dunbar died at 29 from a brain hemorrhage exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse after a brief and tumultuous life and a heartbreaking relationship with her daughter Lorraine who was half Pakistani.  In a township like the Buttershaw Estate in Yorkshire - which reeked of racism, poverty and violence - that in itself was the kiss of death for both of them.  Dunbar, however, became an accomplished playwright in spite of or because of her miserable life. Ironically, at the age of 29, her own daughter found herself in prison for manslaughter in the death of her infant son.