>> Giada De Laurentiis of Food Network's Everyday Italian was in town this weekend filming a bit for her new show, Weekend Getaways. One Flickr photog caught her picking out plump tomatoes at the Dupont farmer's market; did anyone else get a glimpse of the "Cooking With Cleavage" star? >> Oh, Clinton Portis, really? The Redskins player decided to come out in favor of dog fighting to defend embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. This......

MONDAY Prolific. Canadian. Rhymes with “cat would.” There’s only one author in the world those three adjectives can be applied to. Margaret Atwood reads from her new short story collection, Moral Disorder: and Other Stories at Borders Books & Music, 1801 K St. NW., at 7 p.m. TUESDAY Hmmm. It’s election day and John Nichols is in town, discussing and signing his book, The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism. What are you......

Food incites emotion. Ask a guy to recall his mother’s most delicious dessert or his favorite meal on his last trip to Italy, and he’ll likely have plenty to say. Perhaps because they're food-related, shows on the Food Network conjure similar passions—just read any blog comment on perky Rachael Ray, sultry Giada DeLaurentiis or exuberant Emeril Lagasse. It seems that even when we’re not eating their meals, we often respond to the processes and presentations......

Goth-dressed fantasy fans? Be prepared for a long line. Political thriller junkies? Dust off your old paperback Clancy copies. Parents of Princess Diaries-obsessed young ones? Ready your little girls. The lineup has been announced for the National Book Festival, to be held on September 24 from 10-5 p.m. on the mall and sponsored by the Library of Congress. This year's lineup is a mix of favorites from years past and new appearances from esteemed authors.......