If you're looking for a group to do some cultural events with try the Meetup Culture Club. Upcoming they have jazz at the Smithsonian American Art Museum this Thursday in the great Kogod Courtyard, an Indian Summer Showcase concert this Saturday at 5pm, and the free Shakespeare Taming of the Shrew on Friday Aug. 28. It's a wonderful way to meet people with similar interests and to see cool events.
It just so happens that Cinthia, the main orgainzer of the Culture Club, changed her eating habits after seeing The Cove (nnn/) and I can now see why. It is a powerful documentary about the slaughtering of dolphins in an incredibly beautiful area of Japan (talk about a juxtaposition). The star of the film is Ric O'Barry, the guy from the old television series Flipper. Apparently, have dolphins to save and O'Barry will be there, even at whatever age he must be now (70+?). The movie unfolds like an undercover spy operation as a team of do-gooders must infiltrate this well-guarded cove to get the footage they need to expose the bad guys. I was engaged but not enthralled; it just didn't have the payoff that say the Enron movie did a couple years ago. But at some point (hopefully between meals), you should see it.
Here are some events for this week. Once we hit Labor Day, everyone will be back in business.
Monday: author Michael Rosen talks about his interesting new book, What Else But Home at Politics & Prose bookstore.
Tuesday: Bike & Brunch, the premier social cycling group in the area, hosts their annual Movie Night at Strathmore. Come out for munchies, prizes and socializing at Singing in the Rain. It is a classic and for good reason.
Wednesday: I would recommend Wolf Trap's last big bargain of the season, $10 lawn seats for Face of America: Glacier National Park Trey McIntyre Project. I've attended these Face of America performances the last few years and they have all been interesting.
Thursday: Join the aforementioned Culture Club at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for their monthly jazz concert. Can there be any better place to be on a hot Washington day than the Kogod Atrium?
Friday: Head down to Georgetown for a pre-dinner wine at the Parish Gallery's summer show. This won't be as active this area gets next month, but in the August dog days we'll take what we can get.
** the crossroads of culture and community in the Washington DC area **
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
'Souls' Power, Funny People Entertains, August Pay What You Cans
UPCOMING: I've loved the plays of Anton Chekhov all my life - probably since seeing a star-studded Uncle Vanya on Broadway as a youngster in the mid-1970s (George C. Scott, Julie Christie, Barnard Hughes and others). I also love the ongoing theme in Three Sisters where the women keep saying that everything will be better once they get to Moscow and, of course, they never get there. How many of us have our own "Moscows"? Filmmakers seem to love these plays as well because there have been numerous adaptations over the years, the best being Vanya on 42nd Street and Last Summer in the Hamptons (The Seagull). Another one opens in about a week, and the buzz is good. Cold Souls stars Paul Giamatti as a version of himself, acting in Uncle Vanya and deciding that his soul is getting in the way of a great performance. So he has it removed. (The great David Straithairn plays the soul-storage director.) I caught Sophie Barthes, the young French writer/director, and Giamatti on Charlie Rose the other night. For everyone who has an idea, be heartened, because she came up to Giamatti at an event a few years ago and showed him her idea. He liked it and it got made.
There will be a free screening Monday at the E Street Landmark Theatre. To try for tickets, send an e-mail to WashingtonDCContest@landmarktheatres.com with "COLD" in the subject line. 100 winners will be selected at random from entries received by noon on Friday, August 14th. To receive ongoing invites, go to http://www.landmarktheatres.com/ and hit Join Film Club. You can also join the DC Film Society; they will have 50 passes or the screening, and many more screenings throughout the year.
REVIEW: Funny People (nnnn out of 5) was better than I expected. It's a strange confluence of crude jokes, serious comedians and relationship problems, but writer/director Judd Apatow keeps his story moving and his characters interesting. I was laughing with my 40-something friends last night that we certainly don't talk like Apatow's characters do. Yet, they go against stereotyping and perhaps talk like we wish people might talk - not hiding anything, stating their desires and voicing their criticisms. I certainly recommend it.
UPCOMING: Hillyer Art Space will have a discussion tonight with some of the artists for their current show: Six in the Mix. I'll also have more information soon about a film they will be showing on Aug. 26. As the saying goes, I will follow these folks anywhere.
On Thursday, you have your choice of an International Club rooftop Happy Hour, the Phillips Museum's Thursday evening festivities, the Torpedo Factory's Second Thursday wine and music, and a Washington Post rooftop event at Clarendon Ballroom. Yikes!
In the theater world, here are some upcoming pay-what-you-can performances:
Eclipsed at Woolly Mammoth August 31 and Sept. 1
Zero Hour at Theater J August 30 and Sept. 1 (with a season-opening discussion on Aug. 31)
Dublin Hour at H Street Playhouse August 22 and 23 (I hope this is a better production than one at Writers Center last year)
Wittenberg at Rep Stage every Wednesday
The Musical of Musicals at MetroStage on Aug. 27
It is AMAZING all of the opportunities we have here to see shows at bargain prices, and that's not even including all the ushering possibilities there are.
.
There will be a free screening Monday at the E Street Landmark Theatre. To try for tickets, send an e-mail to WashingtonDCContest@landmarktheatres.com with "COLD" in the subject line. 100 winners will be selected at random from entries received by noon on Friday, August 14th. To receive ongoing invites, go to http://www.landmarktheatres.com/ and hit Join Film Club. You can also join the DC Film Society; they will have 50 passes or the screening, and many more screenings throughout the year.
REVIEW: Funny People (nnnn out of 5) was better than I expected. It's a strange confluence of crude jokes, serious comedians and relationship problems, but writer/director Judd Apatow keeps his story moving and his characters interesting. I was laughing with my 40-something friends last night that we certainly don't talk like Apatow's characters do. Yet, they go against stereotyping and perhaps talk like we wish people might talk - not hiding anything, stating their desires and voicing their criticisms. I certainly recommend it.
UPCOMING: Hillyer Art Space will have a discussion tonight with some of the artists for their current show: Six in the Mix. I'll also have more information soon about a film they will be showing on Aug. 26. As the saying goes, I will follow these folks anywhere.
On Thursday, you have your choice of an International Club rooftop Happy Hour, the Phillips Museum's Thursday evening festivities, the Torpedo Factory's Second Thursday wine and music, and a Washington Post rooftop event at Clarendon Ballroom. Yikes!
In the theater world, here are some upcoming pay-what-you-can performances:
Eclipsed at Woolly Mammoth August 31 and Sept. 1
Zero Hour at Theater J August 30 and Sept. 1 (with a season-opening discussion on Aug. 31)
Dublin Hour at H Street Playhouse August 22 and 23 (I hope this is a better production than one at Writers Center last year)
Wittenberg at Rep Stage every Wednesday
The Musical of Musicals at MetroStage on Aug. 27
It is AMAZING all of the opportunities we have here to see shows at bargain prices, and that's not even including all the ushering possibilities there are.
.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Events for the Week from Cafe Saint Ex to Torpedo Factory
Here are some interesting upcoming events.
***You're going to start to realize that I will follow DC Shorts anywhere, so if they're going to the cool Cafe Saint Ex at 14th and T Streets this Sunday night then so am I. At 9pm and 10:15pm, they'll be screening the best of the 2008 festival in what they're calling Gate 54 Film Night. It's FREE and they will be serving $7 pizzas and $4 Peronis.
***Come to the final Screen on the Green this Monday night: Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus (the voice of Rutgers' own Mr. Magoo) and Dennis Hopper. E-mail Eric of DC Classics at eric@ericgorr.net if you want to be part of a group.
***The Embassy of Argentina sponsors some wonderful events throughout the year, so why should the summer be any different. Tuesday night at 6pm, catch the opening reception of Argentinean and Washington-based artist Alza Burd's new show at the IDB Atrium, 1300 New York Ave., NW.
***At The Folger Theater this Wednesday, come hear and see Stories from the Folger Vaults: Practical Magic, "a magical evening with a rare treasure, a book of spells dating to the 16th century. Generations of users consulted the book to learn how to catch thieves, find love, or cure sickness. Heather Wolfe, curator of manuscripts at the Folger, shares stories from her work with this remarkable volume. The event also includes an after-hours viewing of the exhibition The Curatorial Eye: Discoveries from the Folger Vault and a dessert reception. Hello!
***On Thursday at Alexandria's Torpedo Factory, 2nd Thursday's Art Night includes the opening of In the Flesh II - an exhibition of contemporary figurative art - at The Target Gallery, The juror for this is show is Andrea Pollan, founder and curator of the diminutive in size, large in stature Curator's Office at 1515 14th Street next to Studio Theatre. They are having an opening tonight, in fact, along with Irvine across the street.
***You're going to start to realize that I will follow DC Shorts anywhere, so if they're going to the cool Cafe Saint Ex at 14th and T Streets this Sunday night then so am I. At 9pm and 10:15pm, they'll be screening the best of the 2008 festival in what they're calling Gate 54 Film Night. It's FREE and they will be serving $7 pizzas and $4 Peronis.
***Come to the final Screen on the Green this Monday night: Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus (the voice of Rutgers' own Mr. Magoo) and Dennis Hopper. E-mail Eric of DC Classics at eric@ericgorr.net if you want to be part of a group.
***The Embassy of Argentina sponsors some wonderful events throughout the year, so why should the summer be any different. Tuesday night at 6pm, catch the opening reception of Argentinean and Washington-based artist Alza Burd's new show at the IDB Atrium, 1300 New York Ave., NW.
***At The Folger Theater this Wednesday, come hear and see Stories from the Folger Vaults: Practical Magic, "a magical evening with a rare treasure, a book of spells dating to the 16th century. Generations of users consulted the book to learn how to catch thieves, find love, or cure sickness. Heather Wolfe, curator of manuscripts at the Folger, shares stories from her work with this remarkable volume. The event also includes an after-hours viewing of the exhibition The Curatorial Eye: Discoveries from the Folger Vault and a dessert reception. Hello!
***On Thursday at Alexandria's Torpedo Factory, 2nd Thursday's Art Night includes the opening of In the Flesh II - an exhibition of contemporary figurative art - at The Target Gallery, The juror for this is show is Andrea Pollan, founder and curator of the diminutive in size, large in stature Curator's Office at 1515 14th Street next to Studio Theatre. They are having an opening tonight, in fact, along with Irvine across the street.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Jump on 'Streetcar'; Signature Moments this Saturday; Folger Offers a Magical Evening; and Famous Movie Lines
The Kennedy Center will be the home to some great theater this fall, and the ticket rush has already started. The Sydney Theatre Company's A Streetcar Named Desire starring Cate Blanchett runs from Oct. 29 - Nov. 21. It will be a rare opportunity to see Blanchett up close; she will also be doing a noon conversation open to the public on Nov. 3 ($15). The Ken Cen does a very cool thing with most big shows - they offer a few $25 tickets. But usually, you have to be a member to get a shot at these (there is always a member purchase period), though not always. Membership is just $60, so it can pay for itself pretty quickly. On Nov. 24, the Ken Cen starts a run of the Broadway production and Tony- and Pulitzer-prize winner, August: Osage County. Tickets will go on sale in September with the same deals in tact. Later on in the season, they will present the Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein, two Terence McNally plays, Thurgood, starring Laurence Fishburne and Mary Poppins. Spend now, save later.
I wrote about this last week, but it bears repeating. This Saturday, Aug. 8, Signature Theater's Target Open House shines in Shirlington. And with high temperatures expected, it may be just the place to be. At 1:15 pm, hear a concert from Julia Nixon, who if she did not take a break to raise her son, would be a Broadway star by now. We saw her at Studio Theater in Caroline or Change a couple years ago and she nearly blew the house down. At 2:30 and again at 6:15, Emily Skinner performs. She IS a Broadway star. You'll also be allowed to take a photograph with Signature's recently acquired Tony Award, hear music from Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue, watch a master acting class given by Signature mastermind Eric Schaeffer, and hear the Nigerian singer Kuku. The day wraps up with a Broadway-style grand concert at 8:30 and it's all FREE!
The Folger Theater has been running a very cool series of free summer lectures, and there's one more on Aug. 12. Stories from the Folger Vaults: Practical Magic will invite viewers to experience "a magical evening with a rare treasure, a book of spells dating to the 16th century. Generations of users consulted the book to learn how to catch thieves, find love, or cure sickness. Heather Wolfe, curator of manuscripts at the Folger, shares stories from her work with this remarkable volume. The event also includes an after-hours viewing of the exhibition The Curatorial Eye: Discoveries from the Folger Vault and a dessert reception. Hello!
Reminders:
**First Friday this week. August used to be a throwaway month but not any more.
**A Bike & Brunch picnic at Lake Needwood on Sunday
**The final Screen on the Green Monday - Rebel Without a Cause
btw, it was funny last Monday when we got to see yet another famous quote from movie history. It came in On the Waterfront: "I could've been a contender!" The requisite cheer went up. The last one I recall was from Treasure of Sierra Madre: "We don't need no stinking badges." It's kind of like when you're watching Shakespeare and you hear a line that's now a cliche. "Oh, that's where it came from!"
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Great Bluesy Swing, Cricket, Films, Phillips, Filling Up with Wine!
Excitement pervades the air these days as we hit August, meaning September and the full start of the cultural season. Here are some upcoming events that stand out:
** Friend of Ronndezvous Brian Gross and his Mojo Hands plays the Spanish Ballroom at Golen Echo on Sunday night. They always do a good job of getting everyone jumping and jiving on the dance floor.
**Also Sunday at the Source Theater on 14th Street, as part of their all-day festival, there will be a Wine & Cheese at 4pm with all the resident theater companies. One of those, the Washington Improv folks who I saw do a hilarious show on St. Patricks Day, are doing an all-weekend Improvalooza.
**Screen on the Green Monday night is the classic On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando. Email if you need a group to join up with.
**Tuesday back at the DCJCC is another movie/reception - Four Seasons Lodge, a documentary about a group of Holocaust survivors in the Catskills. We will have a group for that. It's $10. At last Thursday's reception, they opened up the steps on 16th Street, and it was awesome sitting there sipping wine on a summer night.
**The Phillips Collection continues its First Thursday evening celebrations - highly recommended.
**Next week's First Friday already shapes up to be a good one. Printmakers features its National Small Works show - they are on a roll lately! There are annual All-Members Show at the Foundry and Studio.
That film we saw on Thursday, Turn Left at the the End of the World, turned out to be artsy, interesting, a nice mix of cultures....and a bit pornographic. Yikes! What was that movie a few years ago where Elle McPherson, Tara Fitzgerald (well, she always took her shirt off) and other pretty women all undressed in the name of an Artsy Movie? That's right, SIrens. This was like that. It also used Cricket as a funny way to show the difference in cultures. This was also done in Bend It Like Beckham, Finding Neverland, Wondrous Oblivion and by far, the best of them all, Seducing Doctor Lewis. If you have not seen this, rent it. It's a riot! But why not croquet?
** Friend of Ronndezvous Brian Gross and his Mojo Hands plays the Spanish Ballroom at Golen Echo on Sunday night. They always do a good job of getting everyone jumping and jiving on the dance floor.
**Also Sunday at the Source Theater on 14th Street, as part of their all-day festival, there will be a Wine & Cheese at 4pm with all the resident theater companies. One of those, the Washington Improv folks who I saw do a hilarious show on St. Patricks Day, are doing an all-weekend Improvalooza.
**Screen on the Green Monday night is the classic On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando. Email if you need a group to join up with.
**Tuesday back at the DCJCC is another movie/reception - Four Seasons Lodge, a documentary about a group of Holocaust survivors in the Catskills. We will have a group for that. It's $10. At last Thursday's reception, they opened up the steps on 16th Street, and it was awesome sitting there sipping wine on a summer night.
**The Phillips Collection continues its First Thursday evening celebrations - highly recommended.
**Next week's First Friday already shapes up to be a good one. Printmakers features its National Small Works show - they are on a roll lately! There are annual All-Members Show at the Foundry and Studio.
That film we saw on Thursday, Turn Left at the the End of the World, turned out to be artsy, interesting, a nice mix of cultures....and a bit pornographic. Yikes! What was that movie a few years ago where Elle McPherson, Tara Fitzgerald (well, she always took her shirt off) and other pretty women all undressed in the name of an Artsy Movie? That's right, SIrens. This was like that. It also used Cricket as a funny way to show the difference in cultures. This was also done in Bend It Like Beckham, Finding Neverland, Wondrous Oblivion and by far, the best of them all, Seducing Doctor Lewis. If you have not seen this, rent it. It's a riot! But why not croquet?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Signature Frosts Nixon, 'Summer' Showcase and a Fine 'Enemies
Have you been to Shirlington and the Signature Theatre lately? It has really grown up and out. While Reston Town Center becomes a bit too big these days unless you like the 5th floor of parking garages, Shirlington has just about got it right. Parking is easy, it's on a bike trail, the baguettes at Best Buns still rock, the new library allows easy Internet access, the movie theater still shows arty fare, and you have your choice of restaurants. The next great day to be there is Saturday, Aug. 8 for their Target Open House. At 1:15 pm, hear a concert from Julia Nixon, who if she did not take a break to raise her kids, would be a Broadway star by now. We saw her at Studio Theater in Caroline or Change a couple years ago and she nearly blew the house down. At 2:30 and again at 6:15, Emily Skinner performs. She IS a Broadway star. The day wraps up with a Broadway-style grand concert at 8:30 and it's all FREE!
While checking everything out, I did happen to catch 500 Days of Summer; (nnnn) out of five so I'm pretty sold on it. I've liked Joseph Gordon Leavitt since he did Brick (a must-rent if you haven't seen it). The film starts out very funny and ends very funny. Inbetween, it takes some familiar boy-meets-girl turns, until at about the midway point, it starts to catch you off-guard. This is pretty real stuff, not the usual rom-com merriment. Nobody's a bad guy, or girl, nobody messed up and now has to win (him or her) back. The second half unfolds and I'm kinda sure you'll be able to see yourself in there somewhere. I did. It's an original movie, and Zooey Deschanel is interesting to watch.
Michael Mann directs big, solid films - Ali, Heat and The Insider (we'll excuse him for Miami Vice) - and Public Enemies (nnnn) is no different. From the opening breakout scene to the final gun, the film lives large with Johnny Depp in the lead role of Dillinger. I haven't enjoyed his performance this much since Finding Neverland in 2004, and before that Don Juan Demarco (another good one to rent).
While checking everything out, I did happen to catch 500 Days of Summer; (nnnn) out of five so I'm pretty sold on it. I've liked Joseph Gordon Leavitt since he did Brick (a must-rent if you haven't seen it). The film starts out very funny and ends very funny. Inbetween, it takes some familiar boy-meets-girl turns, until at about the midway point, it starts to catch you off-guard. This is pretty real stuff, not the usual rom-com merriment. Nobody's a bad guy, or girl, nobody messed up and now has to win (him or her) back. The second half unfolds and I'm kinda sure you'll be able to see yourself in there somewhere. I did. It's an original movie, and Zooey Deschanel is interesting to watch.
Michael Mann directs big, solid films - Ali, Heat and The Insider (we'll excuse him for Miami Vice) - and Public Enemies (nnnn) is no different. From the opening breakout scene to the final gun, the film lives large with Johnny Depp in the lead role of Dillinger. I haven't enjoyed his performance this much since Finding Neverland in 2004, and before that Don Juan Demarco (another good one to rent).
Sunday, July 26, 2009
In the Loop Sizzles, Hurt Locker Keeps Your Eyes on the Guys, Historical Movie Reception and 50th Anniversary of the Nixon-Khrushchev Encounter
On the movie front, I can recommend three new films. The Hurt Locker (4 nnnn out of 5 - based on how sold on it I am) is a captivating look at a bomb-defusing squad in Iraq. It's hard to take your eyes off this film or its two leads. In the Loop (nnnn=) is a sometimes hilarious, inner-circle examination of a high-up British committee's interactions with each other and with American hearings on going to war in the Middle East. I can't understand The Washington Post's negative review, though that's not the first time I've said that. Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg (nnn=) by Washingtonian Aviva Kempner tells the story of Gertrude Berg, perhaps the first lady of TV sitcoms. It is another straightforward, extremely well-done documentary from Kempner, whose last film was about Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg. There are many good stories and subplots here, and some wonderful footage from the 1950s, including an Edward R. Murrow interview with Berg and an interview with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. See it you can; it's nice to support folks like Kempner. I also caught the opening night film of the Washington DC African Diaspora Film Series, Glorious Exit (nnnn=), a documentary about a Swiss Nigerian Los Angeles actor who must return to Nigeria to bury the father he has hardly met. Director Kevin Merz, the protagonist's half-brother, did an incredible job here. I'll let you know if I see it around again.
Events for the week:
Monday: Screen on the Green - Dog Day Afternoon
Tuesday: Pink LIne Project's Voting Party, 6-8pm, 1405 Florida Ave.
Wednesday: Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder in downtown Bethesda (Bike & Brunch will have a group there.)
Thursday: Turn Left at the End of the World, a special movie/reception at DCJCC. The free tickets are all reserved, but my guess is that if you come an hour early or so, you will get in.
Friday: 7:30 P.M. Daniel Silva reads from and signs his new Gabriel Allon thriller, The Defector, at Barnes & Noble-Bethesda, 4801 Bethesda Ave.
Saturday: Gallery opening at the Watergate Gallery, 4-7pm
Let's talk history. First an upcoming event. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the DC Jewish Community Center on 16th and Q, come to the film FOUR SEASONS LODGE and stay for a reception. The documentary centers on "Holocaust survivors [who] live life to the fullest each summer at a special Catskills retreat [that is] about to shut down." New York Times journalist Andrew Jacobs directed the film with beautiful cinematography by a team of filmmakers including Albert Maysles," the legendary documentarian. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at http://thejdc.convio.net/site/R?i=6T1aHlkBJcXmvmLWiTi4HQ or most likely on the night of the show as well.
This past Thursday at George Washington University, I attended an event called Face-off to Facebook: From the Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate to Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century. The all-day discussions, commemorating the 1959 US National Exhibition at Moscow's Sokolniki Park, included Khrushchev's son, Sergei, a professor at Brown, his granddaughter Nina, a professor at the New School, William Safire, the longtime New York Times columnist and former Nixon speechwriter and William Burns, the current Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and former Ambassador to Russia. In the audience were around 50 "Guides" from that famed 1959 event, where Nixon and Khrushchev got into a shouting match in the "new kitchen" area of the exhibition.
Safire recounted his part in that debate, as a pr flack for a kitchen company. He said he was able to get Times reporter Harrison Salisbury past the ropes to where he could write down the quotes but could not get the AP cameraman in. So the cameraman threw his camera to Safire who snapped a now-famous photo of Nixon speaking to Khrushchev with a finger in his chest. On the panel, Sergei Khrushchev quickly dismissed that, saying he has a similar photo with his father's finger in Nixon's chest. Safire said that he got the favor back from Salisbury, who changed the title in his article from the Sokolniki Summit to the Kitchen Conference, benefiting Safire's client.
We also saw a new documentary film about the kitchen debate. Thousands of Russians swarmed the event, checking out American fashions, models, music, dancing and homes. Some of the guides in the audience were also featured in the film. The film also showed some flamboyant speechmaking from Khrushchev, telling Nixon that Russia would be moving past the US, accentuating this with a long waving of his hand to signify bye-bye. Sergei Khrushchev recalled all the KGB at the Fair, saying that at one point they left his mother outside by mistake. Safire asked Khrushchev about a later Nixon visit in 1966, trying to clear up a long mystery. Apparently, Safire said, Nixon left a restaurant, dodging KGB agents by going out through a window in the bathroom - his purpose being to meet with the already deposed Khrushchev. And that he got to his house, but Khrushchev wasn't there so Nixon left a note for him. "Did Khrushchev ever read that note," Safire asked. Sergei Krushchev dismissed all the spy-story stuff, hinting that the KGB would not be fooled so easily. He said his father did read the note and wanted to meet with NIxon, but by the time it was handed it to him, Nixon was conveniently on his way back home.
Secretary Burns's lunchtime talk presented quite a contrast from his boss, Hilary Clinton. He was extremely low-key, took questions in the most reassuring, calm way, and left the audience with a very secure feeling. Later on, George Clack from the State Department pushed their Democracy Video Challenge on You Tube of all places. Ivan Sigal talked about his GlobalVoices.com inititaive. Clay Shirky, a professor at NYU, was impressive in the final Public Diplomacy in the Digital World discussion. His new book, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, sounds like an important read.
Events for the week:
Monday: Screen on the Green - Dog Day Afternoon
Tuesday: Pink LIne Project's Voting Party, 6-8pm, 1405 Florida Ave.
Wednesday: Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder in downtown Bethesda (Bike & Brunch will have a group there.)
Thursday: Turn Left at the End of the World, a special movie/reception at DCJCC. The free tickets are all reserved, but my guess is that if you come an hour early or so, you will get in.
Friday: 7:30 P.M. Daniel Silva reads from and signs his new Gabriel Allon thriller, The Defector, at Barnes & Noble-Bethesda, 4801 Bethesda Ave.
Saturday: Gallery opening at the Watergate Gallery, 4-7pm
Let's talk history. First an upcoming event. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, at the DC Jewish Community Center on 16th and Q, come to the film FOUR SEASONS LODGE and stay for a reception. The documentary centers on "Holocaust survivors [who] live life to the fullest each summer at a special Catskills retreat [that is] about to shut down." New York Times journalist Andrew Jacobs directed the film with beautiful cinematography by a team of filmmakers including Albert Maysles," the legendary documentarian. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at http://thejdc.convio.net/site/R?i=6T1aHlkBJcXmvmLWiTi4HQ or most likely on the night of the show as well.
This past Thursday at George Washington University, I attended an event called Face-off to Facebook: From the Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate to Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century. The all-day discussions, commemorating the 1959 US National Exhibition at Moscow's Sokolniki Park, included Khrushchev's son, Sergei, a professor at Brown, his granddaughter Nina, a professor at the New School, William Safire, the longtime New York Times columnist and former Nixon speechwriter and William Burns, the current Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and former Ambassador to Russia. In the audience were around 50 "Guides" from that famed 1959 event, where Nixon and Khrushchev got into a shouting match in the "new kitchen" area of the exhibition.
Safire recounted his part in that debate, as a pr flack for a kitchen company. He said he was able to get Times reporter Harrison Salisbury past the ropes to where he could write down the quotes but could not get the AP cameraman in. So the cameraman threw his camera to Safire who snapped a now-famous photo of Nixon speaking to Khrushchev with a finger in his chest. On the panel, Sergei Khrushchev quickly dismissed that, saying he has a similar photo with his father's finger in Nixon's chest. Safire said that he got the favor back from Salisbury, who changed the title in his article from the Sokolniki Summit to the Kitchen Conference, benefiting Safire's client.
We also saw a new documentary film about the kitchen debate. Thousands of Russians swarmed the event, checking out American fashions, models, music, dancing and homes. Some of the guides in the audience were also featured in the film. The film also showed some flamboyant speechmaking from Khrushchev, telling Nixon that Russia would be moving past the US, accentuating this with a long waving of his hand to signify bye-bye. Sergei Khrushchev recalled all the KGB at the Fair, saying that at one point they left his mother outside by mistake. Safire asked Khrushchev about a later Nixon visit in 1966, trying to clear up a long mystery. Apparently, Safire said, Nixon left a restaurant, dodging KGB agents by going out through a window in the bathroom - his purpose being to meet with the already deposed Khrushchev. And that he got to his house, but Khrushchev wasn't there so Nixon left a note for him. "Did Khrushchev ever read that note," Safire asked. Sergei Krushchev dismissed all the spy-story stuff, hinting that the KGB would not be fooled so easily. He said his father did read the note and wanted to meet with NIxon, but by the time it was handed it to him, Nixon was conveniently on his way back home.
Secretary Burns's lunchtime talk presented quite a contrast from his boss, Hilary Clinton. He was extremely low-key, took questions in the most reassuring, calm way, and left the audience with a very secure feeling. Later on, George Clack from the State Department pushed their Democracy Video Challenge on You Tube of all places. Ivan Sigal talked about his GlobalVoices.com inititaive. Clay Shirky, a professor at NYU, was impressive in the final Public Diplomacy in the Digital World discussion. His new book, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, sounds like an important read.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)