George Mason capped a successful holiday week by beating South Carolina yesterday to take third-place in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla. Will Thomas paced the Patriots with 22 points and 11 rebounds, solidifying his place on the All-Tournament team. George Mason kicked off their tournament with an 87-77 win over 18th-ranked Kansas State. John Vaughan's 21 points led the team, which put all five starters in double figures. Folarin Campbell's 25 points made......

Good morning, Washington. It looks like California's still on fire, and likely to remain so. Most versions of the aforelinked AP story include the phrase "firefighters all but concede defeat," and the Post is calling the resulting evacuation the largest in modern history. It all sounds pretty grim. Good luck, West Coast. Yet More Stadium Parking Controversy: The Post reports on the latest in a seemingly neverending series of deliberations over parking at the......

When the advance promo single from The Beanstalk Library landed in our hands in the midst of that blinding heat wave in early August, it seemed perfectly timed. The one-two punch of “Elephantitis”, a rushing, gushing power-popper, and “Fake It”, with its requisite jangle and harmonies, was the perfect antidote to midsummer malaise. Now the proper full-length, America at Night, is finally out, and the band’s finally got the album they’ve been working on since......

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......

Even before our scatterbrained, ADHD world began over-prescribing Ritalin, we giggled at Steven Wright's one-liners on SNL during the ‘80s. If you're like us, maybe you even stayed up late into the night listening to albums like I Have a Pony. His brand of comedy, as something of an intellectual punster, appealed to us as kids just as much as it does today. Jokes like, "I was walking in the woods all by myself. A......

Ever wonder why rock critics use phrases like “this generation’s Dylan” to describe Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes? Just to piss people off? As an easy hook for ageing rockers? There may not be another artist today so overtly and capably ripping off the rambling, verse-upon-verse epics Dylan has perfected over the years, but the expectation that comes with the "new Dylan" tag is too heavy for anyone to bear. A few of Oberst's songs......

We considered giving in to the late west coast start time and going to bed last night with the Wizards leading the Lakers by ten after three quarters during which they'd generally stayed firmly in control. We're glad we persevered. First, the Lakers staged a major rally late in the fourth quarter driven by stellar three-point shooting and several botched clutch free throws for D.C., forcing overtime. Then, Agent Zero turned the hibachi to high......

If you're reading this, chances are you live in D.C. If you live in D.C., chances are you have at least a small political geek flag to fly. Today's your chance to shine. Stop limiting your nerdiness to naming freshman Representatives at the State of the Union, and throw down at a bar tonight in celebration of the Constitution! Yes, Washington, today is the 73rd anniversary of the 21st Amendment's ratification. What better way to......

Thor Leaving Birreria, Taking Hammer With Him For those of you who haven't been to Birreria Paradiso, the basement bar in Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown, I recommend you go now. Thor Cheston, the genius behind Birreria's high-quality-only beer selection, is setting sail for different shores. In a posting to the D.C.-Beer mailing list, and re-posted to Don Rockwell, Thor said goodbye to Washington, indicating he was leaving for Philadelphia at the end of month. Damn......

Written by DCist contributor Eli Resnick. Apparently, we are all on drugs. There is no other simple explanation for the collective hallucination that has overtaken all three people paying attention to the Washington Capitals' game late last night against the Colorado Avalanche. No, the rink didn't fall off its mountain, and no, Ray Bourque did not appear to the crowd in an Avs uniform, hipcheck Ovechkin and score a hat-trick. Instead, something much stranger seemed......

TUESDAY Today’s a good day to study the landscape of war, real and imagined. For a close look at the ephemeral, literary variety, stop by the Corcoran Gallery to hear author Ron Rosenbaum discuss The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascos, Palace Coups. If you’d prefer something more current, and harrowing, Paul Rieckhoff brings first-hand experience to the task of Chasing Ghosts: A Soldier's Fight for America From Baghdad to Washington. Rosenbaum: in the Hammer......

D.C.-via-Charlottesville band Cataract Camp played Black Cat last night, and like foreign food you've never tried before, some songs were downright tasty, while others just didn’t quite sit well with this reviewer (who admittedly has not heard a band this ear-drum shatteringly loud in quite some time). Cataract Camp is comprised of Zach Carter on keyboards and lead vocals, Thomas Ogeren on guitar and lead vocals, Drew Butler on bass, and Steve Snider on drums......

With 2,500 products rotating through its grocery shelves, each Trader Joe’s has to churn out a good number of its signature cutesy price labels. In fact, the number's so good that each TJ's—including the West End location that opened early this month—must hire a a full-time, four-person art team to deal with it all. The way it works is a classic division-of-labor: two artists devote themselves to creating laminated labels, while one handles 3-D signage......

The Washington Post ran a lovely Metro section article this morning chronicling progress on the mammoth effort to re-engineer the Mixing Bowl from a slapdash mess of on-ramps, merges, exits, and bottlenecks into 50 graceful bridges and 24 streamlined lanes of traffic. As we read the first few sentences of this little human interest-style puff piece, a curious trend jumped out at us.When Woodbridge resident Kit Oliva first drove across the new Springfield interchange ramp,......

Fresh off of their victory Wednesday night over the New York Red Bulls, MLS leading DC United hope to continue their winning ways Saturday night when they host the LA Galaxy. While the Galaxy's 7-11-5 record may not sound too enticing there are plenty of subplots in Saturday's game that bear watching. Recently departed Santino Quaranta, traded from DC to LA for a future draft pick, will be making his return to RFK. He's......

MONDAY >>West Coast represent! Hailing from Los Angeles, the five-man hip hop collective Jurassic 5 will be bringing their easy-to-swallow beats to the 9:30 Club with the Brooklyn-based X-Clan. $25.00, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY >> Three Stars alums The Roosevelt (***) might play some tunes off their upcoming EP when they rock DC9 with The Subjects and NOVA's very own The Beanstalk Library. Support your local "The" bands. $8. >> Dave Grohl returns to the city......

After soundly thrashing Celtic FC in a friendly two weeks ago, MLS-leading DC United will take on another international power, only this time it's the mighty Real Madrid. Due to scheduling conflicts at the local stadiums and Real's already booked West Coast tour, this friendly will be played in Seattle at Qwest Field on August 9th at 11 p.m. ET. We here at DCist are bummed that we won't be able to watch this......

Our pal Amanda over at Metrocurean reports that West Coast import Cowgirl Creamery's opening is imminent. And although we look forward to the cheese purveyor's landing in the Penn Quarter, excellent cheese shops -- such as Philadelphia's DiBruno Bros., Greenwich Village's Murray's Cheese Shop, and local fromagerie Cheesetique -- often present to us a paradox of choice. That is, faced with too many good options from which to choose, we run the risk of choosing......

There are really two Ice Cubes. There is today’s Ice Cube: rapper, actor, executive producer, and production studio owner. And then there is the furious, Kalashnikov-toting iconoclast of two decades ago, whose existence was acknowledged by 2006’s Cube as predating the birth of many among the sweaty throng at the 9:30 Club. I couldn’t help but feel sheepish at that point, realizing that while I was playing with blocks and smearing apple sauce all over......

About as close as many of us will ever get to the inner-workings of the White House is the annual Easter Egg Roll, set to take place this coming Monday. The National Park Service has announced that they will start distributing tickets for the event on Friday night, with more tickets to be given out on Saturday and Monday mornings. From what we hear, they were planning on having a password-protected internet pre-sale, but......

You've been warned: your iPod may well be stolen while you ride the rails to and from home and work. What was once a phenomena limited to Boston and New York, iPod-related thefts have made their way down I-95 and are now affecting Metrorail commuters. Police recommend being discrete with your iPod, especially by avoiding the now infamous and easily recognizable white headphones. Butterstick Becomes Hottest Ticket in Town: Yesterday we complained of not......

For a football team climbing toward a playoff berth from the mushy middle of the conference standings, the way that ball bounces can make you or break you. Last week, after the win over Philadelphia, the fortunate bounces emerged as a talking point among the Redskins’ players—all of whom seemed keenly aware how important it was that they got to those loose balls whenever the need presented itself. Against Tampa Bay, however, the Skins......

Welcome to the November edition of Three Stars. Tomorrow, we'll have an interview with DJ Will Eastman, on Thursday we'll take a look at the Routineers, and today we discuss The Caribbean and their recently released album, Plastic Explosives. Plastic Explosives, The Caribbean We want to get the details out of the way first. The Caribbean is a local band, composed of members of a handful of local acts past and present, including Townies, Smart......

When the leaves are falling here in the east, we remember our former life on the warmer West Coast in California. We used to make the short drive from Santa Barbara through the San Marcos Pass and into the ridiculously bucolic Santa Ynez Valley to taste wines at the old clapboard wineries next to the horse farms. On the way back to town, we might have even stopped by Solvang -- the faux Danish town......

Good morning, Washington. Unlike the promise made on the sign in this photo, Mayor Williams has confirmed our suspicions and formally announced that he will not seek another term. In a statement he made at the Hillcrest Rec Center, Williams said that he would be willing to advise the next mayor, but ruled out seeking any other office. Today's Post has an article discussing what Williams' tenure has meant for D.C. If you'd like......

Drinking In is a new DCist feature that offers wine pairing suggestions for each Eating In recipe. Look for Drinking In the day after an Eating In is published. By DCist Food and Wine Contributor Michael Mugmon. Lobster macaroni and cheese screams out -- well, burbles furiously -– for a buttery New World chardonnay. And not one of those flabby, backyard fence-scented oak bombs that sparked the "Anything But Chardonnay" movement. Rather, DCist recommends a......

Stick a fork in 'em? The Nationals' three game cross-country trip to San Diego, which started out on a high note with Friday night's 5-1 victory (John Patterson was brilliant - 9IP, 3H, 0BB, 1R, 6K), ended in the worst way possible: back-to-back heartbreaking losses that might have finally, quietly, snuffed out their 2005 playoff hopes. As you remember, the banged-up Nats left for the West Coast on Thursday a giddy bunch, with their......

Devastating? Gut-wrenching? Demoralizing? Time to dust off your thesaurus to find the most appropriate word to describe the Nationals’ _____________ (adjective of your choice) 9-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves yesterday afternoon at RFK. No matter how you say it, this one hurt. Bad. Despite overcoming a 6-0 deficit and grabbing a 7-6 lead courtesy of a furious five-run rally in the bottom of the eighth, Chad Cordero coughed up three runs in the ninth......

We didn't intend DCist to become the Borf News Service, but the prolific graffiti artist continues to produce a steady stream of comments and tips. Since a detailed post in January (which continues to garner comments), we've commented on the Borf backlash, rumors Borf hates Baltimore, Borf look-alikes, and even Borf on the west coast. Our attempts to secure an interview were even rebuffed by an aloof Borf, who commented that "spending the night in......

The city was in bloom this weekend. Near this DCist's apartment, we spied a number of tourists blocking the Connecticut Avenue sidewalk near Woodley Road to snap photos of the giant bed of tulips on the embankment of the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. From cherry blossoms the previous weekend to now tulips ... what's next weekend's flower of choice? Over on Euclid Street, were this photo from DCist Photos was snapped, even the weeds and......