August 2011 Archives

Formed 26 years ago, Erasure helped pioneer the sound of electronica and dance music that is once again ruling today's pop charts. With a sense of both optimism and longing -- in terms of music and lyrics -- the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke's patented style has been the soundtrack to coming out, or even just growing up, to many. The band will release its 14th studio album, Tomorrow's World, next month. Known for its elaborate stage shows, the band stops for two nights at the 9:30 Club next week to preview the sweet new material, as well as indulge its devoted fans with any number of indelible hits from its repertoire, including "A Little Respect," "Chains of Love," "Oh L'Amour," "Love To Hate You" and "Always." And the crowd lived in harmony, harmony, oh love. Erasure performs Tuesday, Sept. 6, and Wednesday, Sept. 7. Doors at 7 p.m. at Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $45. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

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The guitarist for hardcore rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, Tom Morello has toned things down considerably with his new acoustic solo act the Nightwatchman. Hear his softer side on Friday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $25. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

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The Black Cat celebrates 18 years of business with performances by a slew of local bands, including the Max Levine Ensemble, Garland of Hours, Booze Riot, Paindeer and Dirty Wars. This Friday, Sept. 2. Doors at 8 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $5. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.

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After success in their native Ireland with the boy band Mytown, guitarist Marc Sheehan and vocalist Danny O'Donoghue started The Script, a "Celtic soul" trio, including drummer Glen Power. The sound is a mix of R&B and pop/rock. Thursday, Sept. 1. Doors at 6:30 p.m. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW. Tickets are $37.50. Call 202-628-1776 or visit dar.org/conthall.

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Stevie Nicks tours in support of her first album in 10 years, 30 years after the former Fleetwood Mac member's solo debut. Even if it's not right out of your dreams, there's much to like about In Your Dreams: It's a solid set that any longtime fan will enjoy, especially if they give it time and can accept the toll that time and a hard life takes on a voice. And this voice is one of the most recognizable in all of pop music: a gritty, growly alto that takes no prisoners, as stark and searing as her image. Saturday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Drive, Bristow, Va. Tickets are $26 to $181. Call 703-754-6400 or visit livenation.com.

To celebrate, we're giving away a pair of second row seats to the show. Enter below by tomorrow, Aug. 31, at noon for a chance to win.

Your chills will be multiplyin' this weekend -- if you're a fan of Grease, that is, the movie and the musical. You can see two different screenings of the 1978 movie starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta: A standard showing to conclude Atlas's Movie Musicals series, and a new "Sing-A-Long" 35mm print at the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre. And a production of the musical that started it all has been extended through this weekend at Olney Theatre Center. Ah, young love in the summertime. Grease screens Friday, Sept. 2, at 8 p.m. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are free, except for a $2 booking fee. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org for a full schedule. The Grease Sing-A-Long is Friday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 3, at 2:30 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 4, at 5 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $11 general admission. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/Silver. And the musical Grease runs to this Sunday, Sept. 4, at Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md. Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.

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The Shakespeare Theatre Company presents this year's 21th annual "Free for All" production, Julius Caesar. David Paul directs. Now to Sept. 4. Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are free, distributed through an online lottery system, held daily. Call 202- 608-6350 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

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The Atlas Performing Arts Center and Metro Weekly team up to present a gay, summer-long film series based on the magazine's list of "Gay Films Everyone Should See." The series is in its last two weeks. Tonight, Aug. 25, they're screening the 2009 documentary Outrage, which traces the history of outing homophobic politicians. The film earned an Emmy nomination though it was strangely slighted altogether by GLAAD. Next Thursday, Sept. 1, brings the final film, Ang Lee's 2005 adaptation of Annie Proulx's short story Brokeback Mountain. While unleashing a torrent of "I wish I could quit you" gay-cowboy jokes on a tittering nation, all the jokes in the world were unable to lessen the impact of the final images of lost love and loneliness. And yet as much as Brokeback Mountain was about the love of two men, it was about the destruction that the closet wreaks on everyone it touches -- gay and straight. Thursday nights at 8 p.m., through Sept. 4. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are free, except for a $2 booking fee. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org for a full schedule.

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Last year saw "Hometown Girl" Mary Chapin Carpenter return to Wolf Trap for the first time in five years, and for the first time since recovering from a "serious medical issue that necessitated significant rest." This year, she'll return -- with special guest, legendary folk-rocker Loudon Wainwright III (dad to Rufus). And the concert's on a Saturday night, no less. It can't get much better. Saturday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $42. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

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If you haven't seen the new video in which OK Go performs the theme from The Muppets Show, take a few well-deserved moments out of your day and prepare to be vastly entertained. Make sure to watch it to the very end....

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Denyce Graves, Stephanie Blythe, Robert Orth, Carl Tanner and Matt Boehler are just some of the Wolf Trap Opera Company alumni who will return for a 40th anniversary concert dubbed "Opera's Greatest Hits." Stephen Lord conducts the stars and a 70-piece orchestra in performances of signature arias by Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Donizetti, Rossini and more. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $20 to $55. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

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Started among friends from high school, Maroon 5 has spent 11 years in the spotlight, but 2011 will go down as the year its pinup frontman Adam Levine has become a true superstar on his own, thanks to his work on The Voice. That work has in turn boosted the poppy band, giving it another hit single, "Moves Like Jagger" with Christina Aguilera. The band is touring in support of that and last year's Hands All Over, sharing the bill with the so-called soul softies in Train. Wednesday, Aug. 24. Doors at 5:30 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $40.50 to $75.50. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit merriweathermusic.com.

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An HIV/AIDS activist and public speaker, Conscious offers a one-woman show Getting Unstuck: Homeless to Hollywood (H2H), An American Dream based on her novel. The play relates Conscious's story of homelessness, drugs and sexual abuse and HIV contraction to eventual work in the entertainment industry and domestic partnership with another woman. The show was executive produced by Conscious's brother, Troy Carter, whose day job is manager to Lady Gaga. Saturday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m. THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-889-5901 or visit thearcdc.org and igotunstuck.org.

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The New York Post says "Richard Lewis built the strongest standup comedy career on a blazing trail of neuroses since Woody Allen," and that pretty much captures it. If you like your comedy neurotic, Lewis, a regular on Curb Your Enthusiasm (on which he is absolutely hysterical), is your man. It's not called the "Misery Loves Company Stand-Up Tour" for nothing. Tonight, Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Synetic Theater -- Crystal City, 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $40. Call 800-494-8497 or visit arlingtoncomedy.com.

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I.M.P. presents a special concert at the new Kastles Stadium from D.C.'s own international music juggernaut, Thievery Corporation. At its best, Eric Hilton and Rob Garza's chillout electronic band transports you to the kind of progressive, multicultural global city that Washington could, even should, be. The music deftly incorporates various musical influences -- reggae, punk, soul, Afrobeat, Arabic -- and exotic musical instruments -- sitar, conga drums, tablas. And the lyrics are as socially conscious as they come. The band's new sixth set, Culture of Fear, for example, offers a critique of our society's increased levels of mistrust and security since 9/11. Saturday, Aug. 20. Doors at 6 p.m. Kastles Stadium at the Wharf, 800 Water St. SW. Tickets are $45. Visit 930.com.

Read Doug Rule's interview with Eric Hilton.

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Metro Weekly

The Maryland amusement park offers an exclusive LGBT party in its Hurricane Harbor water park section, featuring one of the world's largest wave pools and twisting slides. Prepare to get wet at this nighttime party, with music by Keith Hoffman, a regular at Baltimore's Club Hippo. A cash bar will be available. Friday, Aug. 19, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Six Flags America, 13710 Central Ave., Mitchellville, Md. Tickets are $35 at the door for just the Gay Splash Party, or $55.99 at the door for an all-day pass at the park. A portion of the tickets benefit Capital Pride. Call 301-249-1500 or visit sixflags.com/America and enter code "PRIDE."

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Kevin McDonald co-created (with Dave Foley) the Canadian comedy collective Kids in the Hall decades ago, and Scott Thompson became known as the gay one. Now, the two have formed a two-man comedy show. Friday, Aug. 19, at 9:55 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Arlington Cinema N' Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Tickets are $25. Call 703-486-2345 or visit arlingtondrafthouse.com.

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The Marcy and Zina Show was a sold-out hit at Signature Theatre's 2010 Sizzlin' Summer Cabaret series. So the pair -- Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich -- return to the Arlington theater to offer their electic mix of witty, romantic and sophisticated songs. Tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 16, through Saturday, Aug. 20, at 8:30 p.m. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $35. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org for a complete schedule.

Arena Stage is tickling our fancy with a special evening geared to the LGBT community, with ticket prices reduced to $50 and a post-show piano bar with the cast. Yes, it's good to be gay. The show in question: Oklahoma! Arena snagged four Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Musical, this year for its production, which it's reprised during what used to be the theater summer doldrums. This Wednesday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The Fichandler at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are automatically discounted by using the promo code OUT50 when you order online or by phone at 202-554-9066.

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Constellation Theatre Company reprises playwright Peter Oswald's interpretation of The Ramayana, after its critically celebrated sell-out run in spring 2010, which also earned the company a Helen Hayes Award for percussionist Tom Teasley's sound design. The Hindu tale focuses on Rama, who must conquer the king Ravana to rescue his beautiful wife Sita and to save the world from darkness. To Aug. 21. Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $35. Call 202-204-7741 or visit constellationtheatre.org.

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SCENA Theatre reprises its production of The Importance of Being Earnest, the Oscar Wilde classic that played to sold-out houses last summer. The tale of class and marriage both revels in and mocks the notion of leading a double life -- and SCENA tells it using cross-gender casting, with strong female characters played by men, effeminate male roles played by women, creating its own internal comedy of errors. They've also set it in the roaring '20s, when women were feeling liberated to act like men. To Aug. 21. The H Street Playhouse, 1365 H St. NE. Tickets are $16 to $40. Call 703-683-2824 or visit scenatheater.org.

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Everything's coming up roses in College Park. Tickets are now on sale for the opening event in the 10th anniversary season of the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. And talk about a grand opening: Broadway superstar Patti LuPone will sing songs and share stories from her life and career in Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, a show based on her recently published autobiography., in fact. Other shows in the coming season now on sale that'll likely have you jumping over the moon: a production of Rent; the New York Festival of Song's "Songs of Gay Life"; a discussion and performance by lesbian folk musician Toshi Reagon; and more magical puppetry from Basil Twist with pianist Christopher O'Riley. Saturday, Sept. 10, at 8 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $50 to $75. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.

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The Washington Post once compared D.C.'s Junior League Band to Alison Kraus and Union Station, but its music is more rock and rollicking than that. The comparison stems mainly from the band's frontwoman Lissy Rosemont, who both sings and plays banjo. Plus, she comes from a prominent fiddler family. But the band's sound is steeped more in delta blues and early rock than in bluegrass. Saturday, Aug. 13. Doors at 8 p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

Arena Stage is tickling our fancy with a special evening geared to the LGBT community, with ticket prices reduced to $50 and a post-show piano bar with the cast. Yes, it's good to be gay. The show in question: Oklahoma! Arena snagged four Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Musical, this year for its production, which it's reprised during what used to be the theater summer doldrums. This Wednesday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The Fichandler at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are automatically discounted by using the promo code OUT50 when you order online or by phone at 202-554-9066.

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Following his recent appearance at the Blue Moon, Broadway and Glee star Telly Leung returns to the Rehoboth Beach area on Tuesday, Aug. 16, hosting and performing at a benefit concert to raise funds to support a local family's participation in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Local entertainer (and chart-topping diva) Pamala Stanley is also scheduled to perform. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a free pre-show pep rally; the benefit concert begins at 8 p.m. Cape Henlopen High School, 1250 Kings Hwy., Lewes, Del. Tickets are $30. Call 302-226-1994 or click here to order tickets.

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Billed as a "musical murder-mystery extravaganza," Pop! takes as its jumping-off point the real-life, non-fatal shooting of Andy Warhol. Pop! is played to the hilt as a fun, escapist night out at the theater. Considering that it's about a man whose controversial "pop art" rarely scratched below the surface, it's fitting the play would have no grand meaning to impart, either. Maggie-Kate Coleman's story doesn't really draw you in. Anna K. Jacobs's score, on the other hand, is lively and appealing, a multi-genre approach that fits right in with hit musicals of recent vintage. Ultimately, Pop! gets its pizzazz from a strong cast and several knockout performances. The women in particular sing their strong soprano hearts out. Extended to Aug. 21. Studio Theatre's 2ndStage, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

Singer-songwriter Neko Case may be just the opening act, but she has every bit as much, if not more, appeal than Kentucky hippie rockers My Morning Jacket. The Alexandria native has become a superstar in indie/hipster circles, and the appeal is easy to hear, whether on her solo work, such as 2009's Middle Cyclone, or her work in the Canadian alt-pop collective New Pornographers. Friday, Aug. 12. Doors at 5:30 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit merriweathermusic.com.

Billed as a "musical murder-mystery extravaganza," Pop! takes as its jumping-off point the real-life, non-fatal shooting of Andy Warhol. Pop! is played to the hilt as a fun, escapist night out at the theater. Considering that it's about a man whose controversial "pop art" rarely scratched below the surface, it's fitting the play would have no grand meaning to impart, either. Maggie-Kate Coleman's story doesn't really draw you in. Anna K. Jacobs's score, on the other hand, is lively and appealing, a multi-genre approach that fits right in with hit musicals of recent vintage. Ultimately, Pop! gets its pizzazz from a strong cast and several knockout performances. The women in particular sing their strong soprano hearts out. Extended to Aug. 14. Studio Theatre's 2ndStage, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

Well it's kinda catchy... if a little nasally...

VHS or Beta "Breaking Bones" from Graham Hill on Vimeo.

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Metro Weekly

Merlin Moon just released a video for his promo-only dance single "Believe/Born Slippy Remix." The song is a free download if you sign up here. Meanwhile, check out the video.

The five-piece rock band O.A.R., from Rockville, Md., has a devoted national following -- selling out New York's Madison Square Garden twice, for starters -- even if it's lacked in mainstream recognition. The Washington Post's Chris Richards suggests the under-the-radar notoriety is on account of the band's non-buzzy roots-oriented sound: "easy, breezy, populist rock." It's definitely disarming, even charming, in today's pop landscape. Saturday, Aug. 13. Doors at 5:30 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit merriweathermusic.com.

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Guys and Dolls, Frank Loesser's spirited, Tony-winning musical from 1950 is packed with hits, from "Luck Be A Lady" to "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat." Wolf Trap presents a production of the show set in New York during the Great Depression. Thursday, Aug. 11, through Sunday, Aug. 14, at 8 p.m. Also Saturday, Aug. 13, and Sunday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $20 to $80. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

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Ever wonder what a lived-in floating boat looks like on the inside? Well, here's your chance to sneak a peek. Twenty-three houseboats, housebarges, cabin cruisers, tugs and more will be open for touring this weekend. A 60-minute Potomac cruise can be added on to complete the waterfront experience. Proceeds benefit the Alice Ferguson Foundation and Earth Conservation Corps. Tour the floating residences on the Washington Channel. Saturday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gangplank Marina, 600 Water St. SW. Tickets are $11, or $25 with a DC Harbor Cruises cruise. Visit dchouseboat.org for more information.

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Telly Leung appeared on the last season of Glee, as Wes, part of the all-male a cappella Dalton Academy Warblers. His Broadway credits include Flower Drum Song, Rent and Pacific Overtures. Now he'll perform a cabaret show at Rehoboth's Blue Moon restaurant and nightclub. It doesn't get much more gaily appealing than that. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 9:30 p.m. Blue Moon, 35 Baltimore Ave. Rehoboth Beach, Del. Tickets are $25. Call 302-227-6515 or visit bluemoonrehoboth.com.

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"Kandinsky and the Harmony of Silence: Painting with White Border" provides a fascinating, in-depth look at Wassily Kandinsky's creative process during the five months leading up to his 1913 masterpiece "Painting with White Border (Moscow)," pictured at right. In conjunction, The Phillips Collection also presents "Stella Sounds: The Scarlatti K Series" featuring contemporary works by American artist Frank Stella, a longtime admirer of Kandinksy's ideas. Through Sept. 4 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Tickets are $12. Call 202-387-2151 x247 or visit phillipscollection.org.

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The Australian pop-rock group INXS has been trying to rekindle its '80s-era hitmaking magic for years now. In 2005 they even appeared in a reality series to pick a new permanent lead singer, to replace Michael Hutchence, who died in 1997. But Canadian singer J.D. Fortune hasn't managed to take our breath away, to paraphrase the big hit from Berlin, the '80s band now opening for INXS. So if you go, be sure to get there early: You could say Berlin's Terri Nunn is still something of a suicide blonde. Monday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $42. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

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The Washington Performing Arts Society presents a Summer Steps program with young members of Step Afrika!, showcasing the traditions of stepping and other percussive dance styles. Sunday, Aug. 7, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Tickets are free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

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For a decade now, Seattle-based Death Cab for Cutie has been an enormously popular alt-rock band whose silly name actually captures its sound: cute but creepy, funereal yet festive, with pristine melodies pre-washed in slightly ragged production. The band, fronted by the pleading tenor Ben Gibbard, tours in support of its new seventh set, Codes and Keys. This Sunday, Aug. 7. Doors at 6 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $35 to $45. Call 800-551-SEAT or visit merriweathermusic.com.

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"The 14th Annual National Small Works" competition contains 30 prints from artists across the nation, all approximately 13x13 in size. Running concurrently is the solo exhibition by the Washington Printmakers' 2010 winner Kiyomi Baird. On display through Aug. 28. Opening reception and awards program is Saturday, Aug. 6, at 1 p.m. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, 8230 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring. Call 301-608-9101 or visit washingtonprintmakers.com.

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The Studio Theatre hosts its Annual Garage Sale on today, Saturday, August 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sale features items from 2010-2011 season productions, including Circle Mirror Transformation, Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven, Superior Donuts, Mojo, Marcus, Tynan, Penelope, The Walworth Farce, The New Electric Ballroom, Venus In Fur, The History of Kisses and POP! Free and open to the public. The Studio is located on the corner of 14th and P Streets NW.

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Every summer the Capital Hill Arts Workshop presents a different Gilbert and Sullivan production in partnership with the GLBT Arts Consortium. This year brings a slightly modern twist on the classic HMS Pinafore, with the Royal Navy being usurped by the Department of Homeland Security in manning the ship. But classic tales and tunes, including "When I Was A Lad" and "I'm Called Little Buttercup," are still part of the show, directed by Peter DiMuro and Barbara Schelstrate. Net proceeds benefit CHAW and the Consortium. To Aug. 13. CHAW, 545 Seventh St. SE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-547-6839 or visit chaw.org.

Emil de Cou conducts the National Symphony Orchestra in a Wolf Trap performance with folk legend Arlo Guthrie along with the eclectic ensemble Time for Three. Violinists Zachary De Pue and Nicolas Kendall and bassist Ranaan Meyer merge classical, country, gypsy and jazz. Good mornin', America, how are ya? Saturday, Aug. 6, at 8:15 p.m. Wolf Trap, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $20 to $52. Call 703-255-1900 or visit wolftrap.org.

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Mary J. Blige's inaugural concert next month at the Live Nation-owned Fillmore in Silver Spring sold out in minutes last Friday. The venue just announced another slate of concerts this fall, including Moby. It's unlikely tickets to hear the electronica artist and DJ will sell as quickly as Blige's, but chances are it will sell out. Tickets are available now for the Oct. 26 concert. Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $89.50. Visit fillmoresilverspring.com.

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The Washington Animal Rescue League hosts a special nonstop adoption event this weekend as a way to kick off its participation in the national ASPCA's $100K Challenge. Potential adopters may offer what they wish for available ready-to-adopt cats and dogs; the regular adoption fees -- starting at $50 for cats and $100 for dogs -- have been waived. Event starts Saturday, Aug. 6, at 11 a.m., and runs through Sunday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m. At the Washington Animal Rescue League, 71 Oglethorpe St. NW. Call 202-726-2556 or visit warl.org.

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Yet another irresistible music video that uses New York as a "set," this one from the fetching duo, Matt & Kim.

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Laurel Mill Playhouse, a community theater at 508 Main Street in Laurel, Md., is holding auditions for Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room or the vibrator play on Saturday, August 27 at 2 p.m. and Monday, August 29 at 7 p.m. They're looking for 2 men and 5 women. The play will run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 13 on weekends. For more information, please contact Maureen Rogers at maureencrogers@gmail.com or call 301-452-2557.

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That intrepid LGBT media watchdog GLAAD -- The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- released its fifth annual Network Responsibility Index this morning. The report "maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television." The organization evaluated Primetime programming on all five broadcast networks, and 10 of the major cable networks.

Highlights:

The CW remains the top broadcast network with 33% of its primetime programming hours being LGBT-inclusive. Fox came in second at 29%, and both networks received a "Good" rating this year.

ABC remained in third place in terms of its percentage of LGBT-inclusive programming hours (23%). ABC received a "Good" rating because of the strong quality of its LGBT images, and the network broadcast the greatest total number of LGBT-inclusive hours (253).

CBS remained in last place with 10% LGBT-inclusive hours of primetime programming. After receiving their second "Failing" score in a row last year, however, they improved enough to receive an "Adequate" score this year.

Over on the cable side of things, ABC Family came out on top. "Of its 103 hours of original primetime programming, 55% included LGBT-inclusive images which also reflected the ethnic and racial diversity of the LGBT community."

Additionally, "Showtime (37%), TNT (33%), HBO (31%), Lifetime (31%), AMC (29%), and Syfy (22%) all received 'Good' ratings for the quantity and quality of their LGBT-inclusive original programming." And "USA increased their LGBT-inclusive hours from 4% to 18%, which improved their score from 'Failing' to 'Adequate.' While, "A&E (5%) and TBS (5%) both received 'Failing' ratings for their lack of LGBT-inclusive images."

We can understand GLAAD not including SpikeTV, but what, no HGTV? Food Network? Bravo? Geez.

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Participants in the Washington International Piano Festival festival, in collaboration with the Catholic University of America, perform a recital of solo piano music on two separate nights as part of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. Thursday, Aug. 4, and Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Tickets are free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

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We're digging the "flash mob style" video for The Orion Experience's "NYC Girl." The melody has a nice kick to it and the video is just plain feel-good.

"The concept of the 'NYC Girl' video was to just capture the energy of a night out on the town in New York," says frontman Orion Simprini. "We had two camera guys with hand held cameras and someone holding a boom box. We just walked all over New York over the course of six days, hoping that something would happen. What we got was one of the most enjoyable experiences we've ever had on film. I really feel like we captured some magic."

It's pretty magical.

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This video from Spank Rock's forthcoming album, "Everyone is Boring & Everyone is a Fucking Liar," to be released on Sept. 27 on Bad Blood Records, caught our attention:

Spank Rock - DTF DADT (Official Music Video) from Spank Rock on Vimeo.

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