In 1983, he was a finalist on Ed McMahon’s “Star Search” and his stand-up comedy career tool off.  Since then he’s appeared in a number of major movies including “Jingle All the Way,”  “Houseguest”  and “Necessary Roughness”.

Sinbad
Warner Theatre
513 13th Street, NW, between E & F St.
Washington, D.C., 20004 (map it)

Dates and Times -  Saturday, October 18, 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Tickets - $46.50 and are available online at Ticketmaster.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Metro Center - Red, Orange and Blue lines, then a one-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking - Paid garage parking and very limited metered street parking is available.

________________________________________________

Share This

As part of the Festival of Building Arts, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange along with BMD (Bowen McCauley Dance), bring their high energy dance style to the National Building Museum in Washington, DC for three free performances on Saturday.

The dance performances express the relationship between movement, architecture, and the machinery used to build our community.

This revolutionary concept, dancing on and around earth movers should be a unique and fun experience.

And between performances, check out the National Building Museum.

National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
Washington , DC (map it)

Performance will be at G Street between 4th & 5th Streets, NW.

Dates and Times - Saturday, October 11, 2008 - 11:00, 12:30, and 2:00 p.m. Each performance is approximately 15 minutes.

Tickets - Free

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Judiciary Square - Red line, then a 1-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking - Metered street and garage parking is available in the area.

Images – courtesy of BMD - Pas de Dirt - Photographer: John McCauley

_________________________________________________

Share This

These free public concerts include both classical music by famous composers, such as Beethoven, Bach and Haydn, as well as holiday and live film scores.

One notable concert is on Sunday, November 9^th that includes the screening of the 1914 silent film, In the Land of the Head Hunters, together with a live orchestra to accompany the film.

The fictional documentary film entitled In the Land of the Head Hunters tells the story of the Kwakwaka’wakw people of British Columbia, Canada. Motana, the chief’s son, is in love with Naida, but she has been promised to the evil head-hunting Sorcerer. Motana and his father attempt to rid the region of the head-hunters, killing the Sorcerer, but his true love is eventually captured during an attack on their village, and Motana is left for dead. But he must try to rescue his love from the clutches of the Sorcerer brother.

The film captures the Kwakwaka’wakw art, dances, costumes, architecture and a banned custom — the re-distribution of wealth and property called potlatch, which was outlawed in Canada.  It was also the first full-length film staring only Native Americans and predates the famous, but also mostly staged, Nanook of the North.

Check the museum’s schedule for additional details, Here’s the list for the remained of the year.

• Oct. 12, 2008 - Pianist Gilles Vonsattel plays Bach, Liszt, Schubert and more
• Oct. 19 - Festival Strings Lucerne play Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Sarasate
• Oct. 26 - Vienna Piano Trio play Haydn, Schubert, and Smetana
• Nov. 2 - National Gallery Vocal Arts Ensemble featuring music by 17th century composers
• Nov. 9 - The Coast Orchestra plays live music to the silent film, In the Land of the Head Hunters
• Nov. 16 - Euclid String Quartet plays Ades, Beethoven, and Chernin
• Nov. 23 - The Singers’ Companye perform works bv American composers
• Nov. 30 - Verge Ensemble New play works by American composers
• Dec. 7 – Pianist Till Fellner plays Beethoven Sonata Cycle
• Dec. 14 - New York Opera Society plays a Norwegian Christmas Festival
• Dec. 21 - Alessandra Marc with National Gallery Strings present their Christmas concert
• Dec. 28 - National Gallery Orchestra welcome in 2009 with their New Years concert

National Gallery of Art
West Building Main Floor, West Garden Court
6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-842-6941

The museum closes at 6:00 on Sundays. Use the 6th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW entrance, which remains open until 6:30 p.m. There is no entry after 6:30 or late seating.

Dates and Time - Sundays through June 29, 2009, 6:30 p.m. Seating is opened at 6:00, until 6:30 or all seats are taken.

Tickets - Admission is FREE, but first-come, first-seated seating is limited.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Gallery Place – Chinatown, Red, Green and Yellow lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and paid garage parking is available in the area.

Images – Flickr - piano 

_________________________________________________

Share This

Pronounced ah-NEE-may, it’s a popular form of art used in television shows, video games, movies, and on countless Internet sites.

Animation was popular in both the U.S. and Japan after WW-II, but in Japan, anime and magna (animation and comics characters) accounted for over 40% of all of Japan’s domestic films. While in the U.S., animation was mostly targeted at young children, in Japan, it had appeal with all age groups.

A couple Japanese anime programs, Astro Boy and Speed Racer, were modified for American audiences and became popular in the 1960s on television.

Here’s a sample of some 1960s Anime…

The art form uses a specific style or look, which is generally instantly recognizable.  Some characters is highly sexualized and racy.

It’s also about those Japanese animated characters and super heroes that some people are totally enamored with.

Events and activities include:

• Art Show and Gallery
• Anime Music Videos
• Art Show and Auction
• Autograph Sessions
• Kabuki Ball (semi-formal dress code, Cosplay costumes welcome) with dance instructions
• Cosplay contest and skits

• Saturday night dance
• Anime vendors room
• Game Shows with prizes
• Karaoke
• LARP (Live-Action Role Playing)
• Panels and Workshops – from cel-painting to story plots
• High-tech Video Game Room and Tournaments with prizes
• Video Rooms - four anime video rooms and a live-action Japanese video room
• Bands, celebrities and more

And here’s samples of current Anime…

Anime USA
Hyatt Regency Crystal City
2799 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Virginia 22202 (map it)

Dates and Times – Friday-Sunday, October 10-12, 2008, hours vary by day.

Tickets - Three-day Pass - $50, Friday - $35, Saturday - $40 and Sunday - $30 and are available at the door. Children 7 & under – free, kids 8-12 - half-price with an adult (limit 2 kids per adult).

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Crystal City - Blue add Yellow line.  The Hyatt’s shuttle stop at the station every 20 minutes.  Look for the White\Red Shuttle or call the hotel at 703-418-1234 for pick-up.

Parking - Valet only at the hotel. Or try the two paid parking garages behind the hotel.

Weapons Policy - There is a strict weapons policy, not sure why it  needs to be stated, but  here’s the link to  it.

Images – Flickr - green woman drawing, cosplay group, Anime in LA

___________________________________________________

Share This

Now in it’s 31st season, the Big Apple Circus, when not in New York, travels around delighting children of all ages.

The two-hour show includes all the classic circus acts — high wire, jugglers, clowns, trapeze, horse riding acts,  a fun dog act and more. 

Two of the circus high wire performers set records in 2003 in the Guinness Book of World Records when one skipped a rope over 1300 times on the high wire while another performer spun 99 hula hoops at the same time.

And since this is a smaller, one ring circus, all the seats are within 50 feet of the stage so you can feel on top of the action.

Big Apple Circus   
45630 Dulles Town Center Blvd.
Sterling, VA 20166  (map it)

Dates and Times – Through Monday, October  13, 2008, two show most days.

Tickets - $18.00 - $52.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Vienna/Fairfax-GMU, Orange line- then a 25 minute cab ride.

Parking - Free

Images – Flickr – acrobat, Ringmaster 

_________________________________________________

Share This

October offers all kinds of great  (and different) live music in Washington, DC.

At The Birchmere, check out:

• Julie Fordham – brings her adult contemporary sound to the Birch. Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008 at 7:30 - $29.50
• The Kinsey Sicks – Probably America’s only “dragapella” beautyshop quartet.  Expect campy songs, political humor and their version of Going to the Chapel of Love…Locked out of the Chapel of Love. Tuesday Oct. 28 -7:30 - $32.50

• Zappa Plays Zappa – Expect Dweezil Zappa and friends to play 40 or so of his (and I assume his father’s) original alternative tunes. Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 at 7:30 - $115.00 and includes a music download of the show.

The Birchmere
3701 Mt. Vernon Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22305 (map it)

At the State Theatre in Suburban Virginia…

• The Original Wailers - Years after the death of Bob Marley, many of his original band members have joined forces as The Original Wailers. Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 8:30 - $20.00
• Buckethead – If you want something different… check out this show!! Rapid fire and heavy guitar riffs mixed with an experimental underground sound, makes Buckethead a true unique performer.  Not to mention the KFC bucket he wears on his head along with a white plastic mask. Saturday, Oct. 11, 9:00, $20.00
• And check out the harmonica driven and folksy rock sound of Blues Traveler – Monday, Oct. 27, 8:00 - $35.00

State Theatre
220 Washington Street
Falls Church, VA
703-237-0300 (map it) 

At the jazz-centric Blues Alley in Georgetown:

• Jazz favorite David Sanborn, brings his hot sax on the Wednesday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, October 12. Two shows nightly at 8:00 and 10:00 - $60.00
• Simone – As the daughter of jazz legend, Nina Simone, she has big shoes to fill. She’s released two CD, Simone Superstar and Simone on Simone. Tuesday, Oct. 21,  Shows at 8:00 and 10:00 - $25.00

Blues Alley
1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20007 (map it)

At the always fun 9:30 Club:

• The Residents -Bunny Boy Tour - Yet another unique avant-garde music and multi-media visual arts band, that for over 40 years, 6 world tours and has been able to hide the band member’s true identities behind (usually) giant eyeball headpieces or other costumes.   Tuesday, Oct. 7, $35.00

9:30 Club
815 V Street, NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-393-0930

Live at the Ram’s Head in Annapolis, MD:

• As a two time Grammy winner for Best Blues Album, Delbert McClinton easily blends blues, and country, with , soul, and rock. Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 8:00 and Saturday, Oct. at 9:00. - $65
• For five decades, Chuck Mangione has brought his unique and smooth trumpet sound to over 30 albums since 1960, including the 1977 hit "Feels So Good". Sunday, Oct. 26 at 4:30 & 8:00 - $39.50

Ram’s Head Tavern
33 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401 (map it)
410-268-4545

Image – Flickr – Buckethead

___________________________________________________

Share This

And KISS front man Paul Stanley is no exception. He will be exhibiting his oil and acrylic paintings, along with Giclee prints, at the Wentworth Gallery in Tysons Gallery in suburban McLean, Virginia.

If you can’t recall the different KISS characters, Stanley was the Starchild and is probably one the most recognizable of the ten different KISS members.

His collection over 100 painting, including one-of-a-kind pieces and limited edition prints, will be on display starting Saturday, October 7th at the gallery. And if you purchase a piece in advance, you get to attend a 1-hour VIP event where you’ll  get to meet Paul, have your artwork personally autographed and pose with a photo with him.  If you buy a piece at the show, you can also meet Stanley, but the pre-showing VIP event will be less crowded and more relaxed.

Here’s a link to some of his work, which includes images of KISS band members, as well as abstract and pop art.  Prices ranges from $1,500 to over $65,000.

Besides singing for KISS for a three decades, and exhibiting and selling his painting since 2005, Stanley also starred in a production of The Phantom of the Opera, in Toronto for three months in 1999, where he played the lead role.

Paul Stanley Art Show  

Wentworth Gallery
Tysons Galleria  
1731 M. International Drive  
McLean, VA 22102  (map it)
703-883-0111

Dates and Times - Saturday, October 11. 2008, Noon  to 3:00 p.m.

Tickets – Admission is free

Nearest Metro Subway Station – West Falls Church – Orange line, then a 10-minute cab ride.

Parking - Free

Images – Flickr – Face, on stage

_________________________________________________

Share This

And you can relive the experience of their first American concert tour, or at least something close, perhaps without all the screaming teenagers and teenie-bopper hysteria.

Rolling Stone magazine calls 1964…The Tribute the “best Beatles tribute band on earth”.  The show captures the essence of The Beatles in their early Liverpool days, just as they were starting on the road to global stardom.  The band, called 1964 the Tribute, formed in 1982, and has since played close to 3,000 shows to critical acclaim. 

Complete with black suits, skinny ties, mod haircuts, and singing classics such as “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, “Eight Days A Week” and “A Hard Days Night”, it should be night to reminisce of more innocent days.

1964…The Tribute 
The Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane
North Bethesda, MD 20852

Dates – Friday, October 3, 2008, 8:00 p.m.

Tickets - $40.00 - $50.00 and are available online.

Nearest Metro subway station – Grosvenor-Strathmore - Red Line.  Take the elevators to the 4th level and cross the sky bridge to the Music Center.

Parking - Free parking is included in the ticket price, valet parking is $10.00.

_______________________________________________

Share This

But my favorite place in the old neighborhood was Meyer Delicatessen. It was an old world German deli filled with countless types of German sausages, cold cuts and food products. After I moved from Chicago, every trip back would require a stop at Meyer’s to fill a cooler to bring home.  Just walking in the door and smelling the rich flavors that permeated the walls over the years, reminded me of my regular visits as a young child and walking in while holding my grandfather’s hand.  Sadly, it closed a couple years a go.

But recently, I may have found a replacement. It’s the German Gourmet, in suburban Falls Church, Virginia.

Walking in is like taking a quick trip to Germany. Not only is it a German gourmet and food store, but it sells a variety of German products that you don’t normally see outside of Germany. 

The deli counter offers a nice variety of meats, cheese, wieners, brats, and sausages.  So you can pick up some pickled herring salad, beet salad, double-smoked speck (ham), a few knackwursts, a pound of veal and pork Gelbwurst, and don’t forget a bit Head Cheese (which is not actually cheese, but made from pork snouts - yum!!).  Grab a loaf of old world brot (bread) and you’re ready for a German feast.

A hearty selection of German beers and wines are also available to complement your meal.

And to end things off, try something from their bakery counter, such as an elegant German cake (anything with chocolate should work) or one of the daily made fresh strudel. The poppy seed is my personal favorite.

Have a sweet tooth?  Bags of German candies, marzipan or liquor-filled chocolates can’t miss.

They even offer the traditional Christmas wine, Gluehwein, a spiced mulled wine.

German language music CDs and magazines, as well as many German gift items line the shelves as well.  So if you need a German doll, a unique toy, or even a small cuckoo clock, German Gourmet is the place to go. 

Want to host your own authentic Octoberfest? Check out their wide selection of German beer steins, mugs and glasses.

The family-run original store, located in suburban Falls Church for over 45 years, is a small but friendly place.  The new larger store, about 5 miles away, which opened last August, is considerably larger, has a wider range (1,500+) of products and offers much more free parking.

Add they have hot brats to go available, all the time, so when you have a hankering for Bratwurst sandwich with German potato salad, and a slice of strudel, the German Gourmet should be at the top of your list.

Click here for a slide show of some of the store’s products.

German Gourmet (original location)
7185 Lee Highway
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-534-1908   (map it)

5838 Columbia Pike (new larger location, near Baileys Crossroads)
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-379-8080   (map it)

Dates and Times - Monday & Saturday 9-6, Tuesday - Friday  9-7, closed on Sunday

Nearest Metro Subway Station - line, then a  block walk or use the

Parking - free parking

Images - Original location exterior, from personal collection © 2008 - Jon Rochetti, bread rack, cheese counter, sweets,     ___________________________________________________

Share This

Enjoy authentic German umpapa bands and polka dancing, some great kids events and activities, along with a big carnival.

And don’t miss the great German food, like grilled brats and Rhinewurst sausages with Sauerkraut. And of course, treat yourself to a stein or two of German beer.  The whole experience may make you feel like you’re enjoying a part of this original Deutschland festival.

Fort Belvor 13th annual Octoberfest
Off Richmond Highway / US-1, and Belvor Road - Fremont Field
Fort Belvor, VA (map it)

Dates and Times - Thursday - Sunday, October 2-5, 2008. Hours - Thursday - 6:00 p.m. - 10:00, Friday - 6:00 - midnight, Saturday - noon to midnight, Sunday, noon - 8 p.m.

Tickets - Admission is FREE.  Carnival tickets are $20.00, food and beverages additional.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Huntington Ave. - yellow line, then a 15-minute cab ride.

Parking - free.

Images - band, bratwurst

___________________________________________________

Share This