Good morning, Washington. Happy October, and happy new fiscal year. A noticeable drop in temperature this weekend reminds us it’s not too long before we’ll witness a noticeable shift in hues. Some may mourn the loss of warmer days but nearly all of us can look forward to approaching shades of autumn. What the new fiscal year will bring is far less certain. more ›

The producers of MTV's The Real World D.C. say a lawsuit filed by a local woman who appeared on the show is "totally without merit." more ›

Part of the fun of pretty much any installment of MTV's long-running series The Real World is the interaction between the roommates and the locals of whichever city the producers chose for that season. There's bound to be drinking, making out, fighting and maybe even sex -- all of it caught on camera. Everyone knows this by now. But one local woman who appeared on The Real World D.C. now claims she didn't know that, and is suing MTV and the show's producers for invading her privacy and causing her emotional distress. For her suffering, she's demanding $5 million. more ›

We've been through 14 episodes of house drama, personal crisis and growth, multiple dinners at Buca di Beppo, one visit to the ER, and enough Wicked Liquid to scar a lifetime of memories. And it all happened within a four-block radius of the now infamous Dupont Circle townhouse, spare the stray trip to one or two other spots in our fair city. more ›

Well, we're down to seven roommates and just one episode. It's been a wild ride, and if you need to catch up before it's all over, check out our detailed re-caps to date. Below the jump, we meet Mike's boyfriend, Ty gets a little frisky with an older woman and the roommates are overcome with a sense that maybe they should do something of value before the season's over.
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That's four episodes down of The Real World D(upont) C(ircle). Last night's installment of the long-running reality show was chock full of material, so let's get straight to the bullet points, below the jump. (If you need to catch up, here are our recaps of the premiere and episodes two and three.) more ›

The premiere was OK. The second episode quickly went downhill. And the third installment of The Real World D(upont) C(ircle)? Just be thankful if all you have to know about it is my summary below, delivered once again in bullet points. more ›

Last week's premiere of The Real World D(upont) C(ircle), was marginally tolerable. That tolerance quickly wore off with yesterday's episode. The highlights, such as they were, bullet-point style: more ›

MTV has posted the first trailer for The Real World DC on its web site. It includes a number of establishing shots of our fair city (including, inexplicably, an intro featuring President Barack Obama exiting Marine One to the tune of the Civil War-era song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," aka "The Ants Go Marching," ... maybe the producers confused it with "Hail to the Chief"?), and there are a couple of fun scenes showing off the D.C. locale: one of the cast members meeting Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), another playing around in the White House briefing room, that kind of thing. But most of the storylines that are teased are pretty much standard Real World fare: hook-ups, young people unsure of who they are or what they'll do with their lives, and of course, girls running around with their tops off. more ›

When The Real World D.C. cast came to town a few months ago, we heard that they'd be doing what so many folks in the city do -- working for a number of non-profit and advocacy organizations. Noble as that is, we wouldn't have necessarily guessed it likely that they'd be working on any local causes. But it turns out, they did. more ›

Here's some more places to avoid at all costs, or where you can try to get on TV -- earlier today, Capital Restaurant Concepts' Twitter feed said "Just did interview outside The Real World house...construction is ongoing and they're slated to visit our restaurants." Their restaurants include J Paul's, Old Glory, Georgia Brown's, Paolo's, Neyla and Pik a Pita. If you ask us, it's pretty lame that the Real World folks already have their destinations picked before they've even moved in. Maybe that's why some cast members are rarely shown on TV: they don't go to the chosen bars and restaurants with the rest. That, or they're really boring. For more places that have accepted or refused the Eight Strangers, check out our post from this past weekend. The cast is supposed to move in within a few days. Hat tip to the RealWorldDCNEWZ Twitter feed for the CRC post. more ›

If there's one complaint that I've heard more than any other about the Real World's imminent arrival in town this week, it's this: where are the alcoholic safe houses going to be for all of us that don't care about the true stories of seven strangers living together, preferring our own stories which don't involve having jobs handed to us and living in a Dupont Circle mansion? more ›

We've already had numerous looks at the Real World D.C. house, but MTV just today got around to actually confirming that an upcoming season of the long running reality show will in fact be based in Washington in the house in Dupont Circle. more ›

Remember "Who Sucked Out the Feeling"? The 1996 single, with a proper title of "Sucked Out," propelled Knoxville, Tennessee's Superdrag to a brief amount of alternative rock fame, back when it was still called alternative rock. The song, off their fantastic album Regretfully Yours, had a catchy British Invasion vibe, a yelled chorus with John Davis's voice cracking as he got to the "feeling" part, and a Buzz Bin video on MTV with the mop-topped... more ›

Outside of Sesame Street and The Cosby Show, there’s only one television program that’s made a substantial impact on me. That show, Yo! MTV Raps, took hip-hop culture from its urban roots and brought it to folks like me living in the nation’s hinterlands. Plus, for those of us pushing or already into our 30s, “Yo!” represents a time when hip-hop music had some semblance of quality and variety. In celebration of a limited edition... more ›

Protest over national vs. regional chains, the never-ending debate over the place of cars and bicycles in our metropolises, professional sports scandals, remembering a solemn day, and being issued a search warrant - it all happened across our sites this week! Another banner week at Chicagoist started off with daily reports from food writer Lisa Shames on her attempt to eat only locally grown and raised foodstuffs all week as part of a farmers market... more ›

Photo and review by DCist contributor Valerie Paschall more ›

At this weekend's Virgin Festival, we snagged a few spare moments with Spoon's songwriter and front man, Britt Daniel, and drummer Jim Eno. The Austin-based quartet has been one of indie rock's most beloved for more than a decade. They recently released their sixth album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, to warm reviews pretty much everywhere (you can hear the whole album on their label's site here). After enjoying their set, I headed back... more ›

MONDAY >> This is a grand week for Three Stars Alums. First up, we have the magical lyrics of new-wave pop rockers LeJeune(***) playing D.C.'s beloved Fort Reno Park. Also playing tonight are Pup Tent and Engine Room. Show starts at 7:15 p.m., free. >> Next in line, take in the Dischord-influenced sounds of Cataract Camp (***) as they play the backstage at the Black Cat. Back in 2006, we predicted that this band would... more ›

By DCist contributor W Jacarl Melton At the time when Jaguar Wright's 2002 album, Denials, Delusions and Decisions, was released, the industry term du jour, "neo-soul," was used to describe any singer who presented themselves as part of the vanguard who shunned the trappings of mainstream urban music. But the Philadelphia-based Wright resisted this categorization, and wound up standing out from those who were being viewed as artistic oddballs. Tonight she'll be supported by the... more ›

Happy Father's Day! For those of you who have dads, are dads, or know dads, this one's for you, from all of us at the Gothamist network. It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by... more ›

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on. In Gothamist's neck of the woods, they found out that many things are possible: A man caught a 40+ pound fish off the Rockaways and took it home on the subway. Graffiti... more ›

>> Tomorrow D.C. United players will be sporting special maroon jerseys in honor of Virginia Tech. After the game, all 18 shirts will be signed by a player and auctioned, with the proceeds going to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund which provides assistance to victims and their families along with grief counseling and other "comfort expenses". >> Tax hikes may force Trimper Rides, one of the oldest businesses in Ocean City, to close shop.... more ›

We don't know about where you are, but it seems like spring can't decide whether or not to happen. Some days are warm, some days are cold, and sometimes you aren't sure which. Baseball may have started up (and soccer/football winding down) but it still seems cold out there. Unless it's not. Anyways, onto the -ists. Austinist happily anticipated fall's Austin City Limits, even though they're not fully recovered from South By Southwest. In... more ›

We know that some of you guys don't like it when we let breaking concert news slip. By now, we get it: presale passwords are for true fans only. And by "true fans" we mean people who read this website instead of this website. But we can't bear to let the newest piece of secret, insider-only scuttlebutt pass: as they announced at their show last night, local boys made good Army Of Me will be playing a "secret show" at the Black Cat on Friday with MTV favorites Good Charlotte — who, while not exactly a local band, were at least mild-mannered D.C.-area humans before they signed their bodies over to the RIAA's cadre of evil scientists. They've probably even ridden the Metro. But don't rush to Ticketmaster.com just yet! This show is so super-secret that you have to have a MySpace connection in order to get in. We're probably not supposed to be telling you this, but with the immense journalistic resources available to us, we've managed to track down the info. Just head over to this MySpace page (brought to you by Chili's!) and make friends. Don't forget to thank the nice publicist on the other end for the add. Once you're safely on the list you'll be free to line up at the Black Cat at 3 p.m. on Friday, at which time you'll be issued a wristband that may give you a chance to be eligible for a ticket to the secret show, possibly. Remember: this is meant as a way of saying thank-you to the true fans. Okay — deactivate snark. As glad as we are to see a local band playing a high-profile bill, this episode serves to show presales and passwords for what they are: ludicrous marketing gimmicks, not genuine efforts to reward fans. If bands actually cared a whit about you they'd be perfectly able to send single-use passwords to their fan club mailing lists, foiling scalpers, giving fans a chance to get tickets and preventing leaks. But that wouldn't help build pre-show buzz, would it? Still, we've learned our lesson: some of you really, really don't like it when we shatter the marketer's beautifully-crafted illusion. So don't take this as a change in DCist policy — we'll keep mum in the future. Enjoy the show tomorrow. And afterward, why not treat yourself to some zesty southwestern eggrolls? more ›

There's a certain charm that comes with stripping music down to its simplest form, but pulling it off can be difficult. For many bands, their music is their cover — something to hide mediocre lyrics and vocals behind. But if you take away that cover, the general consensus is that you better be an amazing songwriter. MTV executives take note: This is why something like Korn Unplugged simply doesn't work. On the album Reflector, Washington,... more ›

Monday >> You can be fairly certain that when a rapper takes a stagename that is a play on Hawthorne, you're going to be dealing with a hip-hop experience concerned with more than just the next glass of Courvoiseir. Hesta Prynn and her cohorts in Northern State take the Black Cat backstage with Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion, the new project from half of the fantastic Bitch & Animal. This ought to be a mainstage... more ›

As the world holds it's breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning. Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called "punk rock" for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area. Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry's plans... more ›

In what has to be the funniest thing we've read today, The New York Times has a profile in their Home & Garden section today of four roommates living in a row house here in Washington, dealing with typical group house issues, like whose turn it is to clean and how to deal with a rodent problem. Of course, the in-house drama reaches epic heights of satiric comedy when it's revealed who the tenants are: Rep. Bill Delahunt (D- MA), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL).

Think MTV’s “Real World” with a slovenly cast of Democratic power brokers. While Washington may have more than its share of crash pads for policy-debating workaholics, few, if any, have sheltered a quorum as powerful as this one. About a quarter-mile southeast of the Capitol, the inelegantly decorated two-bedroom house has become an unlikely center of influence in Washington’s changing power grid. It is home to the second- and third-ranking senators in the new Democratic majority (Mr. Durbin, the majority whip, and Mr. Schumer, the vice chairman of the Democratic caucus) and the chairman of the House Democratic Policy Committee (Mr. Miller). more ›

As clubgoers stood in line outside the 9:30 Club on a chilly Monday night, a car slowed and eventually came to a stop. Down came the window and two girls yelled out, "Who's playing tonight?" "The Deftones," came a response. "What do they sound like?" "They're heavy," shot back a fan. That's about as good as you can get in describing the Deftones without getting too far into mixed genre terminology -- they're heavy. The... more ›