DC's digerati geeked out over cupcakes and conversation with legendary blogger and thought leader Anil Dash at Georgetown's Baked & Wired for a "Sweets & Tweets" event Wednesday night.

Promoting his concept of the "Do Tank rather than the Think Tank," Dash and a couple of handfuls of his approximately 327,000 twitter followers feel they may have hit the sweet spot of government interaction via new media.

"My followers and friends are nerds," Dash confessed.

And apparently nerds are sweet on the Nation's Capital.

"Yep.  I'm an East Coast guy through and though," he said.  "I'm comfortable in shirts with collars and I like people that act like grownups."

*A version of this post is available on Niteside.

ShamrockFest is upon us! Guinness, green, and great sounds from the stage await. Listen up to hear about the concerts and creative entertainment in store for you at RFK this weekend.

(Video embed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBI3km7mSTw)

His Excellency, Jorge Dezcallar, the Ambassador of Spain, held a reception at his residence to honor Chef Jose Andres Tuesday night.  


The culinary innovator - and Titan of Tapas - has been slated to receive an award directed at the contributions of immigrants to the American arts and sciences: the Vilcek Foundation Prize.  Andres' award will mark the first time this honor has been given for the culinary arts. 


He'll find a special place for the award sculpture in his home, but Andres has said he has some special plans for its accompanying $50,000 cash prize - donating it to fund a culinary curriculum in schools to teach youth "what and how to eat."

David Hyde Pierce appeared at ease in his tux after spending the day advocating on Capitol Hill. The Tony and Emmy Award winning actor, perhaps best known for playing Niles Crane on NBC's Frasier for 11 years, was actually there to discuss a role he has held even longer: champion for Alzheimer's funding.

Serving as emcee for Tuesday night's annual National Alzheimer's Gala, Pierce recounted his own family struggles with the disease and celebrated fellow actress, Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster, pictured with Hyde Pierce below) and Terry Moran (co-anchor ABC's Nightline), both receiving awards for thier committment to Alzheimer's care, support and research programs.

As many as 5.3 million people in the U.S. are living with Alzheimer's disease. 

Tuesday night, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan celebrated his love of literacy at the 15th annual Everybody Wins! DC Gala, held at the Capital Hilton.  He was all about the power lunch - and a little bit of playtime.   

The keynote speaker and reading mentor credited Senator Tom Harkin, also in attendance, for introducing him to the reading mentorship program.  Both spend a lunchhour each week reading with student partners at local elementary schools.

"Senator Harkin chaired my confirmation hearing," he said.  "But while talking about the details of that, he kept saying 'We'll worry about that later.  Do you know about this great program, Everybody Wins?'"

A fifth grader from Amidon-Bowen Elementary School introduced the Secretary before reading a short story with him on stage.

"I hear we have something in common," she said to the Secretary.  "We both like to read and we both like sports... Next time you play a pick up game with the President, please tell him I play a mean game!"

*A version of this post is available on Niteside.

Attendees at City Girl Blogs' One Year Anniversary party celebrated a lot more than her racy reviews and performance posts Tuesday night at Blackfinn.  They were also celebrating her financial freedom... of sorts.  Blog descriptions of her last boy toy turned sour - yes, he dumped her via Twitter! - after she exposed that he had never paid for a date during their entire relationship.  

So we asked: "When on a date, who should pay?"

(Video embed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcEmfoPSQP8)

This Thursday, March 11th, cheer on cancer survivors as they take to the Bloomingdale's runway wearing Spring fashion trends... and with their own 'Fido' or feline in hand!

Limited tickets still available, K Street Kate's Kate Michael serving as emcee.

Question for ya, K Street Kate - my wife has a milestone b-day coming up and I'm thinking of hiring a chef to come to the house and do all the work! Any recommendations?  -DessertFirst

Well, DessertFirst, there are plenty of options for in-home gourmet dining in the DC area, but hiring a chef to cook your wife's birthday dinner really takes the cake!  Kudos to you for coming up with a creative idea that allows her to relax and enjoy. 

Of course, any of the local catering companies would be more than capable of wowing you, your wife and guests with an evening entree.. and some extras.  But for the true experience, we suggest Personal Chef DC.

Christophe and his staff have you covered with French cuisine (or anything that suits your fancy) that'll truly make you famous amongst your friends.  Plan a party of 5, 10 or 15 with ease, choosing a menu from the simple to the spectacular. 

Congratulations to your wife on her milestone birthday!  When do we eat?!

The city that has more film festivals than perhaps any other brings you... the 18th annual DC Environmental Film Festival!  March 9th through the 28th, get your tickets for these moving pictures that have earned two thumbs up... from Mother Nature.

Aaaand... Scene!

Adventure Theater Artistic Director Michael Bobbitt scores points from stage choreography to screenwriting with his latest project, the Bingo Long Show, featured at Howard University.

Stick around to hear about Bobbitt's best movie moments - and  why he was fired from a major picture!

Locals walked the Red Carpet in step with Hollywood favorites, organizing a red carpet Oscar Night event to benefit the Red Cross of the National Capital Area at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. Between sipping and socializing, guests predicted the outcomes of their favorite category awards -- with surprising accuracy!


In this video, Joe Carden, Oscar Night DC Chair, Wendy Adler, Silent Auction donor, and Scott Stephens,  Oscar Night Host Committee member.


*A version of this post and video are available on Niteside. 

Actor/Lobbyist Will Gartshore is one of those guys who just looks familiar... probably because you've either seen him in a play or at a political affair!  He dishes on the theatre scene in DC, how he manages to balance his time, and his newest gig - in the Washington Ballet's new show "Gatsby."

(Video embed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zy2MALsbJ0)

Former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, the special guest speaker at the National Press Club luncheon Friday afternoon, served up lot of politics - with a side of Boston Cream Pie - while promoting his newest book, "No Apology."

Ironically a few steps off Wisconsin Avenue, Thursday's crowd at Peacock Cafe had a bit more midwestern location on their minds.  Local author Dennis McKay was on hand to introduce his newest novel, "Once Upon Wisconsin."

The book is about a man that has lost everything and is looking for redemption.  But while most authors put a little bit of themselves into the main character, McKay insists that it is not a book about him.

"I was a character in my first book," he says, "but not in this one."

In fact, McKay hasn't spent much time in "America's Dairyland" at all... but he still hesitated to let his wife read an advance copy before the book was published.

"I don't want [her] to think that I'm going to run off to Wisconsin and chase after a bunch of young women!"

As John Lahr wrote in The New Yorker, Peter Birkenhead's "Gonville" is "a son's-eye view of growing up with an emotional terrorist: his Father."

Birkenhead said himself, at Wednesday night's DC Public Library Literati Society launch at Marvin, that his dark tale of family drama was "an honest look at someone for the purpose of taking an honest look at oneself."

In truth, his sometimes abusive, sometimes sensitive, father helped Birkenhead to thrive in his career as an actor - often playing characters angry at their fathers.

He went about writing the memoir "Gonville" as though preparing for a role.  "The hardest part was going there [in your memory] and remembering stuff - trying to make sense of it...  The main character is flawed and affected by all of the things that happened to him in life."

Birkenhead's appearance was the first in a series of book and author events of the new Literati Society, a group for young professional bibliophiles, with a mission to promote and improve the DC Public Library.

Wednesday night's LDC Spring Fling was a chance for DC's fab females to do what they love best, sip and shop, at Georgetown's L2 Lounge.  It also proved a point: where the beauties go, the boys will follow.

Ladies of DC - or LDC - members who helped to organize a shopping bazarre anticipated the lounge full of women who "usually attend the group's events to network for business and social fun."

But they were admittedly surprised to see such a showing of men!

Allison "Queen Bee" Brooks, one of the LDC member vendors with a Spring Fling booth looked forward to selling her signature jewelry pieces to her female friends, but a gift giving guy was actually her first customer.

"Socializing and shopping are fun things to do together," she said.  "Tonight is a great chance to meet and mingle."

It was also an environment with eye candy for everyone.

*A version of this post is available on Niteside. 

Rumors surrounding the prime corner location at Wisconsin & M Streets in Georgetown started the moment the site's old tavern went defunct.  As the neighborhood waited to see what would fill the space, the 'powers that be' were working rather... serendipitously.


Signing a lease just hours ago, locals Rodrigo Garcia and Britt Swan already anticipate preparations to bring the New York brand, Serendipity 3, to Washington.  The novelty restaurant, made famous by Stephen Bruce for its footlong hotdogs, kitschy gifts - and the desserts! - could open as soon as late Spring.

"Bringing this brand to DC was truly Serendipity," Garcia said.  "We've got a great location on probably the most visited corner of the city, a unique concept that doesn't yet exist in Georgetown, and the city seems to have a bit of a sweet tooth."

With many familiar with its locations in New York and Las Vegas - as well as its namesake movie - Serendipity's popularity could be the homerun needed to revive what was once the neighborhood's favorite meeting place on the corner.

"Everyone talks about the signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate," said Garcia.  "But there is a lot on the menu you won't find anywhere else."  He suggests trying the macaroni and cheese pizza, but agrees that at Serendipity, sometimes the main course is just an excuse to get to the dessert.

Korean Screenwriter and Director Bong Joon-Ho reflected on his own mommy dearest as audiences previewed his latest work, "Mother," at the Landmark Theater Tuesday night.

He admits that the film's lead, a mother who fights to protect her son from a murder accusation, might mirror some of his own mother's best - and worst - qualities.

"I wanted to bring out the psychotic-ness of mothers," said Joon-Ho through translation.  "They can react like wounded animals when they are protecting their babies."

Joon-Ho explained that his mother was "nervous and always worried about me, anticipating things that hadn't even happened yet."

 But he's not sure if Mom would have gone to the lengths through which he put his main character.

"The majority of audiences in Korea say they would respond in the same way [as the Mother]," says Joon-Ho. "So there must be some truth to it."


*A version of this post is available on Niteside.