News & Politics

Jordan Hellmuth • April 11, 2016

A very fitting white carpet was rolled out June 21 for the D.C. premiere of Roland Emmerich’s new action flick, “White House Down.” After all, it is the White House and other locales shown in the film, such as the Capitol building. The White House earlier played host to a screening of “White House Down.”

But on Friday night, June 21, the AMC Loews Georgetown theater welcomed stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Joey King for the first stop on the “White House Down” press tour. And it was a mob scene on K Street near Wisconsin Avenue.

Fans screamed requests of marriage and “I love you” from the sidewalk as star after star stepped onto the white carpet. Others were quick to call out to favorites like Tatum and Foxx, holding out their smart phones to take “selfie” pictures, still screaming in shock and joy after each star then continued down the carpet. An open-top, double-decker bus passed by just in time and got stuck in traffic long enough for each passenger to snap pictures and get the best view of the action.

The stars were welcomed by screaming fans–and also by the likes of federal officials, including Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, who said she hasn’t seen any of Tatum’s previous films but added at Friday’s D.C. premiere, “I will now.”

Tatum was the first to be cast by Emmerich, who also directed “Independence Day” and “The Patriot,” as U.S. Capitol Police officer, followed by Foxx, who was thought to be the perfect fit for the role of the African American president.

Joining Tatum and Foxx on the big screen is Gyllenhaal, playing a secret service agent, and Joey King, playing Tatum’s movie daughter.

Gyllenhaal spent her Friday afternoon before the premiere catching up with a friend in D.C. and exploring the National Mall. “I didn’t realize how patriotic I am,” she said. “My high school American history was all coming back to me.”

Emmerich brings an all-star cast and classic location to the big screen, with the challenge of setting his film apart from others surrounding D.C. and terrorism.

Writer James Vanderbilt wanted, “to just make [‘White House Down’] a big, summer, thrill-riding type movie and that’s, I think, what probably differentiates us from some of the other films.” Recent Washington, D.C., action flicks that center on the president and the White House include “Olympus Has Fallen.”

The film is loaded with action scenes, but Joey King insists it’s much more than just another all-action, all-violence movie. “There are so many great scenes,” King said. “There are so many action-packed scenes. There’s so many nice, sweet scenes. It’s hard to say. There are so many funny scenes, too.”

“We had a great time,” said producer Brad Fischer. “And we hope that people have as much fun watching it as we did making it.”
[gallery ids="101357,152795,152790,152784,152780,152775,152770,152806,152765,152809,152760,152814,152800" nav="thumbs"]

Jeff Malet •

The Tea Party was back in Washington, D.C., upset about the Internal Revenue Service’s alleged targeting of conservative groups and Congressional efforts at immigration reform. They were also angry about the National Security Agency’s surveillance program and, of course, President Barack Obama. Thousands gathered June 19 for separate demonstrations on both sides of the Capitol, where they were joined by several sympathetic lawmakers from the House and Senate.

View our photos of the Tea Party rallies by clicking on the photo icons below. [gallery ids="152734,152659,152653,152648,152643,152636,152630,152624,152619,152612,152665,152671,152676,152728,152722,152717,152710,152705,152698,152693,152687,152681,152607,152599,152525,152520,152513,152508,152739,152502,152743,152496,152747,152530,152535,152542,152594,152588,152582,152577,152572,152566,152560,152555,152548,101355" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Unacceptable Levels Movie Screening

June 20th, 2013 at 07:00 PM

D.C. premiere of “Unacceptable Levels,” an environmental health documentary about the use of chemicals in society.
Address

E Street Theatre; 555 11th St NW

Compost Workshop at Tudor Place

June 22nd, 2013 at 10:00 AM | $5-10 | Event Website

Hate throwing kitchen scraps in the garbage but lack room to compost outdoors? Join Kristin Brower from the Neighborhood Farm Initiative and learn about the wonderful world of vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is simple and easy and produces an extremely valuable and nutrient-rich compost and soil amendment. You will learn the basics along with how to build and maintain your very own family of worms.

Address

Tudor Place; 1644 31st Street NW

The Arlington Festival of the Arts

June 22nd, 2013 at 10:00 AM | Free | info@artfestival.com | Tel: 561-746-6615 | Event Website

June 22 – 23, 2013, The Arlington Festival of the Arts. 100 of the finest artists in country will converge upon Highland Street in Clarendon for a two-day juried outdoor gallery style art exhibit. A wide variety of original artwork will be on display and for sale with prices set to suit all budgets. Gourmet food trucks and art prize giveaway. Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, www.ArtFestival.com – 561-746-6615. Free.

Address

1101 N. Highland Street; Arlington, VA 22201

Through the Lens

June 22nd, 2013 at 11:00 AM | $10.00 | Event Website

Join fellow photographers, both professional and amateur, for a special tour of the museum. Gain access to restricted areas for unique shots and learn about photography’s role in the building’s history.

Includes admission to museum exhibitions. Pre-registration required.

Address

National Building Museum; 401 F Street NW

Oatlands’s Greenhouse Birthday Party and Butterfly Habitat Planting

June 23rd, 2013 at 01:00 PM | Free | marcia@bendurepr.com | Tel: 703.777.3174 | Event Website

Enjoy cake, balloons, and singing for the newly restored greenhouse’s 203rd birthday, and get involved with Oatlands’ Monarch Waystation by helping us plant 100 new milkweeds (butterfly plants), which monarch butterflies need to survive!

Address

20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane; Leesburg, VA 20175

Cathedral Sings!

June 23rd, 2013 at 07:30 PM | $10 | Tel: 202-537-5527

The Cathedral Choral Society presents Cathedral Sings!, a sing-along for the DC community. All abilities are welcome to sing with accompaniment by organist Todd Fickley.
Admission cost includes a renting of the score and a chance to win two tickets to a future CCS concert

Address

Washington National Cathedral; 3101 Wisconsin Ave NW

Washington Chorus Sings with Rolling Stones

June 24th, 2013 at 08:00 PM | $170-640 | Event Website

The Washington Chorus will perform with The Rolling Stones on their final stop in their North American tour.

Address

Verizon Center; 601 F St NW
Washington, DC 20004

Jeff Malet •

Congressional Democrats handed Republicans a stinging 22-0 shutout during the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at the Washington Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on June 13. The game marked the 52nd edition of the modern version of the game, amounting to major bragging rights in the halls of Congress. The game is a serious affair. The balls are hard, and practices begin months in advance. New Orleans Democrat Cedric Richmond again repeated his past domination of Republican bats, this year pitching a three-hit complete game shutout. Richmond also went 4-for-4 at the plate, including a 320-foot triple to left field. The Democrats were flawless in the field, committing no errors, compared to five errors for the Republicans.

View our photos of the event by clicking on the photo icons below.
[gallery ids="101354,152423,152428,152433,152439,152444,152450,152456,152462,152468,152473,152480,152416,152410,152499,152494,152366,152491,152371,152378,152383,152388,152393,152399,152405,152485" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Improvement District held its annual meeting June 11 at the Powerhouse building on Grace Street. Georgetown BID board president Crystal Sullivan welcomed the group and touted the BID’s “new era” under CEO Joe Sternlieb. Also recognized were new employees Jonathon Kass as the BID’s first ever transportation  director and Joshua Hermias as its first ever economic development  director.

The BID’s Clean Team under Bill Baker was applauded as well as “employee of the year” Andrew Gill. For its part in revitalizing Washington Harbour and establishing the popular ice skating rink, MRP Realty received the first-ever Community Leadership Award, accepted by MRP’s Bob Murphy. The rink, which opened to the public in November, was “transformative,” Sternlieb said. MRP’s work made a big impact on Georgetown and has attracted new visitors.

Mayor Vincent Gray complimented the BID for its 2028 plan and talked about the District’s own five-year plan, which includes 100,000 new jobs and $1 billion in new tax revenue. Gray cited the ending of “retail leakage,” bringing businesses like Costco to the city, as well as regulation streamlining to make D.C. more business-friendly and adding new high-tech jobs — perhaps even Microsoft in Anacostia, he mused — thus allowing D.C. to be less dependent on the federal government for jobs. Gray also cited the medical industry and tourism as big employees, while he added that D.C. was going after foreign investors, too.

The BID continues to conduct its 15-year plan discussions on Georgetown with the community and any interested party. Visit Plan.Georgetown2028.com to continue the dialogue. The next Community Engagement Meeting on Georgetown 2028 will be in September. The final Georgetown 2028 action plan is scheduled to completed by November.

Robert Devaney •

One of Georgetown Park’s biggest businesses is set to open in November, according to the neighborhood newcomer. The following is from a press release from Pinstripes:

Pinstripes, Inc., today announced it has signed a lease with the Shops at Georgetown Park with the intent to begin construction on the interior and exterior build-out in July. Located on Wisconsin Avenue and overlooking the historic C & O Georgetown Canal, Pinstripes will occupy 34,000 square feet of combined space on the first and second floors and is anticipating a November 2013 opening.

Pinstripes offers a unique dining and entertainment experience featuring Italian and American cuisine, combined with bowling and bocce. The Georgetown location will include 14 bowling lanes, six bocce courts, a bistro and wine cellar, outdoor patios and event space accommodating 20 to 600 persons.

Pinstripes will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner and is currently taking reservations for private events and parties. In celebration of its opening, Pinstripes is sponsoring a Grand Opening Community Art Contest, with prizes for various age groups.

Jordan Hellmuth •

June 12 marked the beginning of the second annual Jane Austen Film Festival at Georgetown’s historic Dumbarton House.

The Jane Austen film series is sponsored by Long & Foster, exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. Thanks to its support, admission to any of the film showings at the film festival is absolutely free.

Jane Austen and Dumbarton House are a perfectly historical fit. While Dumbarton is circa 1800s American history, it greatly suits the style of Jane Austen, circa 1800s England.

Each film on the summer is held on the lawn of the North Garden at Dumbarton House. The film starts at sunset and is accompanied by concessions from local restaurants. At the opening night showing of “Becoming Jane,” guests of Dumbarton House sipped white wine and champagne from Tradewinds Specialty Imports and dined on crêpes from Café Bonaparte and lobster-shrimp rolls from Luke’s Lobster on laid out blankets.

“Mansfield Park” will be shown on the lawn for the second night of the film series on Wednesday, July 10. Returning for the second year of the film series will be one of Jane Austen’s most well-known stories, “Pride & Prejudice” on August 7.

Robert Devaney •

Former Speaker of the House and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, along with his wife Callista, was given a surprise birthday party at Cafe Milano June 16 by 250 of his closest friends, according to the Washington Post. Gingrich turned 70 at June 17.

Here is part of what the Washington Post’s Reliable Source reported about the party: “Inside, the walls were decorated with pictures of Gingrich through the years. A bagpipe player was on hand to honor his Scottish ancestry and the lavish buffet dinner included an open bar and a birthday cake in the shape of the U.S. Capitol. The guest list was personal: Gingrich’s daughters, grandchildren and sisters, Rep. Joe Barton and former House colleagues (Bob Livingston, Vin Weber, Bob Walker, Bob McEwen and Dan Lungren), and lots of staffers from his years as speaker and his presidential campaign.

“The party was off-the record, but we’re told there were several live toasts and three videos: A serious tribute to his life, a comic riff with an Obama impersonator asking, “How old is Newt?” and a celebrity video with Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, Fred Thompson, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry and other VIPs toasting and roasted the birthday boy …”

Thanking the crowd for the surprise party, Gingich said, according to the Post, “If only our government could keep a secret as well as you all did.”

Robert Devaney •

Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, the longest serving member of the District Council and a Georgetown resident, made it official June 8 by announcing his candidacy for Mayor of Washington, D.C., way ahead of the Democratic primary on April 1, 2014. Evans spoke in front of the 14th Street entrance of the new Le Diplomate restaurant, a hot new place on a hot site very characteristic of the city’s booming reputation as an urban hot spot.

Evans had been dropping hints and pretty positive signs that he would be running for some time now—his talk at the Downtown Business Improvement District’s state of downtown report several weeks ago sounded very much like a campaign speech touting the many project’s and development game changers of which he has been a part: the Verizon Center, the new Washington Convention Center, the coming of the Washington Nationals baseball team to the District, legislation creating business improvement districts and more.

In announcing his candidacy, Evans sounded a richer theme than merely being a high profile mover and backer of major developments, of being a finance and numbers wiz on the council as chair of the finance committee, of being able to claim a large part of the credit—along with the council and three mayors—for the changing physical, demographic changes of D.C. and its budget surplus. On June 8, surrounded by his wife Michele and other family members, he preached the gospel of inclusion mindful of what many observers still see as a divide in the city, especially as evidenced in several recent council election and the last mayoral elections.

Evans has served on the District Council since 1991 and has run for mayor before, in 1998.

Now, Evans joins a field that so far includes Ward 4 Council member Muriel Bowser and Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells.
[gallery ids="119071,119065,119078" nav="thumbs"]

Rachel Scola •

The Washington Center took over the Gap on Wisconsin Avenue Thursday night for a special event as part of their annual InternsROCK program. Interns mingled throughout the store, nibbling on cookies and crudities while enjoying a 30% discount and shopping advice from personal stylists.

The Washington Center started the InternsROCK program four years ago as a way to help interns not just go to work and class, but actually experience what DC has to offer. The first year they had discounts offered from 70 vendors for only 1000 participants, but this year the number of interns reached 4000.

Carmenchu Mendiola, VP of Communications with The Washington Center, says they “try to find vendors students care about” to participate every year. The quality of vendors improves each year, due mostly from the feedback of interns- they asked for cupcakes, and this year interns could get buy one, get one free from Sprinkles.

The Washington Center reached out to Gap this year with the idea that most students need professional clothing to fit into conservative DC, but also are on a college budget. Gap agreed and offered to host the event and the response was great- the store was packed by the first hour of the night and an excited buzz could be heard throughout.

This year the week for the discounts ran June 7-16 and participants needed a keytag to prove they were an intern for the summer. But the InternsROCK program doesn’t just benefit the interns in the city: “It’s a great opportunity for students to know small businesses of DC and become repeat visitors,” urges Mendiola. And with plans for more vendors and more events in the future, the program itself is bound to continue in its repetition each summer.