Culture Catch-Up: The loop is here and we're bringing you in
Museums: Ahh, summer in Washington. It's in the 90s and humid, but instead of staying inside the air-conditioned Air and Space Museum, everyone spills out on to the Mall for the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival (June 23-27, June 30-July 4, www.folklife.si.edu). You'll know why once you're at the free fair, which is focusing this year on "Oman: Desert, Oasis, and Sea," "Forest Service, Culture, and Community," "Nuestra Musica: Music in Latino Culture," and the particularly delicious "Food Culture USA." It's hard not to look forward to the session on adorning camels, the camp singalong, or the talk by Michel Richard, chef of D.C.'s renowned Citronelle (www.citronelledc.com). If you do overheat, take refuge in the Hirshhorn (hirshhorn.si.edu), Smithsonian's modern art center, for the multimedia exhibit Visual Music.
Books: When even Bill O'Reilly thinks a book about Bill Clinton's wife is unfair . . . well, you get the point. But, nevertheless, The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President ($25), by Edward Klein, came out on Tuesday with all sorts of unproven allegations and, as of this morning, had hit No. 4 in Amazon's sales rankings. A much less controversial pick in the top 10 is Janet Evanovich's Eleven on Top ($27). It's a breezy beach read about bounty hunter Stephanie Plum who's trying, but failing, to quit the biz.
Movies: The remake summer sallies forth with Bewitched and Herbie: Fully Loaded. Both have big stars—the former boasts Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, and Michael Caine, the latter has Lindsay Lohan (in her fresh-faced, more curvy days) and Michael Keaton. And both have their charms, at times. But they're both ultimately skippable. Wait for the DVDs.
Theater: Some planning is required for two of the hottest tickets around. Although The Odd Couple doesn't open on Broadway until October, you'd better get on the ball if you want to see it—it has already made $16.5 million in advance sales. Why such excitement over Broadway? Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, the golden duo from The Producers, are reuniting. So, get ready! Tickets go on sale to the general public July 5. The show currently playing that's causing people to leap for joy is Billy Elliot: The Musical, based on the cute movie about the boy ballerina and featuring new music by Elton John. The catch? It opened to fab reviews in London's West End last month, but no one has decided whether to take it across the pond yet.
TV: ABC is hoping too much reality programming will lure viewers to the toga fest that is Empire (June 28, 9 p.m. EST), a six-part miniseries following Octavius, Caesar's nephew. And HBO somehow believes that people will get psyched for the G8 summit if it provides the backdrop for a romance, which is what happens in The Girl in the Cafe (June 25, 8 p.m. EST), starring Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald. We're not so sure about that. Also, on June 30, you may discover you have a new channel: Logo. It's the first gay basic-cable network. Nope, it won't be 24-hour "Will and Grace" and "Queer Eye." The Viacom-owned network promises new standup comedy shows, reality programming, and even—gasp!—scripted dramas.
advertisement
