celebrity

An Interview with Arlington Comedienne Jessica Brodkin

By Ashley Houghton

Arlington clearly breeds fame. Sandra Bullock, Katie Couric, Tipper Gore — all from Arlington. And then there are the more recent famous Arlingtonians: Remy (the Arlington Rapper), and Eric Patrick (comedian/new Real World cast member).

It makes sense that comedians would want to migrate here. We’re funny. Just look at our crime reports.

We recently interviewed Jessica Brodkin, a new Arlington transplant and an up-and-coming comedienne. She’s part of an award-winning Red Dragon Improv troupe, she performs standup all over DC (see a not-safe-for-work clip here), and she’s just landed a reoccurring role on the new public access TV show “Arlington Late Night.”

ARLnow: So how do you decide whether something is funny?

Jessica Brodkin: I think there are a couple of things:

Instinctually, sometimes I write a joke and I just feel it inside: “This is good.” I also ask a lot of other comics and I test things on my coworkers, I test things on people.

It’s also usually something that’s true about me. My punch lines aren’t true, but when my set-ups are true it comes from a sincere and genuine place. So when I give the punch line, the laugh is greater because it comes from somewhere real.

I’m a performer and I want to connect with the audience. It’s important to be honest, I don’t like doing insult humor. I want everyone to feel happy.

AN: What about hecklers?

JB: I definitely have to deal with hecklers. I think the majority of hecklers are the ones that are really drunk, but you have to make fun of them to make them shut up. I had the worst heckler on Wednesday, because if you can’t put them in their place, if they won’t just settle down, you have to ignore them.

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Aspiring Comedian From Arlington Joins Cast of The Real World

By ARLnow.com

A 24-year-old Herndon native and current Arlington resident is a cast member on the upcoming season of MTV’s The Real World: Back to New Orleans.

Eric Patrick, an aspiring comedian and State Department employee, is “known for his dreamy eyes,” according to his MTV biography.

Eric is also “a handsome ladies’ man and has perfected the art of juggling various girls at one time.” I guess you can chalk that up to a State Department education in the art of diplomacy and multilateral negotiations.

From Facebook and the internet, we learn that Eric graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in political science. According to one account, he first came to the attention of Real World producers while attending a casting call at a bar in Adams Morgan in November.

Eric has performed stand up comedy around D.C. and Baltimore for the past three years. He advanced to the second round of the 2009 “Funniest Fed” contest and placed third in a competition called “Baltimore’s Next Superstar.”

See a NSFW clip of Eric’s comedy after the jump.

The new season of the Real World, set in New Orleans for the second time in series’ 24-year history, will premiere on Wednesday, June 30. You’ll recall that D.C played host to the Real World for the first time last year. Those guys down in New Orleans have all the luck.

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Local Eco Heartthrob Spearheading Cleanup Efforts in the Gulf

By ARLnow.com

Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the legendary ocean explorer, has been making headlines lately for his efforts to help spearhead a cleanup of the Gulf oil spill.

If you’ve been watching TV coverage of the spill, there’s a decent chance you may have seen Cousteau talking about the disaster.

“This is a catastrophe beyond imagination,” he has said.

But what you might not know is that Cousteau lives in a well-decorated but relatively humble apartment in Pentagon City.

With a resume that includes television host, CEO of his own environmental charity, co-founder of an environmental marketing and design firm, prodigious world traveler and all-around dreamy do-gooder, you might think Cousteau would be living in a trendy loft somewhere in the District. But, for now, he’s chosen practical, unassuming Pentagon City instead.

Here’s hoping he makes a difference down in the Gulf.

Photo via Facebook.

Arlington Woman Wins First Round of Jeopardy Tournament

By ARLnow.com

Arlington resident Liz Murphy has advanced to the semifinals of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. The foreign service officer and Arlington Public Library regular roundly beat her two opponents — both returning Jeopardy champions — on last night’s show.

Murphy will compete in the semifinals next week. The tournament’s top prize is $250,000 cash.

Check out an interview of Murphy here.

Jeopardy airs at 7:30 p.m. on WJLA (Channel 7).

Photo courtesy “Jeopardy!” Productions, Inc.

Afternoon Notes: Guy Fieri Pays a Visit, Small House Fire

By ARLnow.com

Guy Fieri Brings Camera Crew to Arlington Diner — Celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri visited Arlington’s Metro 29 Diner (4711 Lee Highway) on Tuesday, according to the Reliable Source. He was filming an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.”

Housing Fair To Be Held This Weekend — Arlington County will be holding a housing fair on Saturday. Renters and buyers alike will be able to attend workshops, get valuable advice and meet with landlords, real estate and finance professionals, housing specialists and County staff.

Small House Fire on Arlington Boulevard — Firefighters responded to a small house fire at the intersection of Arlington Boulevard and South Fillmore Street today. The fire was contained to the back of the house, where construction may have been taking place. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze (see photos below).

Twilight Fans, Nation of Islam Mingle at Arlington Sheraton

By ARLnow.com

This weekend hundreds of Twilight fans converged on at the Sheraton National Hotel on Columbia Pike for the Official Twilight Convention. They met a few of their favorite supporting characters, discussed the upcoming Twilight movie in great detail and held a costume ball.

But they weren’t the only group using the hotel this weekend.  The Nation of Islam was also holding some sort of sizable meeting, complete with guests in suits and bow ties and the occasional white robe and red star-imprinted headgear.

If anybody was there, please send us a photo of these two worlds colliding at the continental breakfast line.

Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno Visits Arlington School

By ARLnow.com

Apolo Anton Ohno, the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history, spoke at Arlington Science Focus Elementary School this morning. He asked the assembled students to say “yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “no” to underage drinking.

Ohno started chants, led various physical activities, games and dances, and answered questions about his Olympic career.

Students, giddy with excitement over the Olympic star’s visit, also eagerly and loudly participated in a quiz about the dangers of alcohol.

‘In an interview after the event, Ohno, who usually speaks to middle school students,  said he was impressed with how smart the Arlington Science Focus students were. He also said he was enjoying the opportunity to visit the Washington area.

“I love this area, I love D.C., so for me its fantastic,” Ohno said.

“I love speaking to these kids, whether it’s elementary school students or middle school students,” he continued. “Even if I get to change one percent of these kids’ lives, make one percent of a difference, it feels like I’m doing something right.”

Ohno was coy about his Olympic future, saying only that he’s taking “a break” from short track speed skating. In addition to speaking to students, Ohno is writing a book, just auditioned for a movie, and will be visiting the White House tomorrow. He also recently launched a line of nutrition supplements.

Ohno’s visit was sponsored by The Century Council, a Crystal City-based liquor industry group, as part of its Ask, Listen, Learn initiative.

Before the assembly, Ohno arrived via a black sedan and, with a big smile on his face, greeted school administrators and took a photo with a student under a large banner just outside the school’s entrance.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, an Arlington resident whose children attend Arlington Public Schools, also attended the event, along with superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy. Duncan spoke to the students briefly before introducing Ohno.

More photos after the jump.

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Olympian Apolo Ohno to Visit Arlington School

By ARLnow.com

Eight-time Olympic speed skating medalist Apolo Anton Ohno is coming to the Arlington Science Focus School to speak to students about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and the dangers of underage drinking.

Ohno, the country’s most decorated Winter Olympian, is scheduled to visit the school on Tuesday, April 20. His visit is sponsored by the Arlington-based Century Council, a liquor industry-funded group that fights drunk driving and underage drinking.

Photo from the Century Council.

Arlington Woman Joins Jeopardy Tournament of Champions

By ARLnow.com

If you see Liz Murphy at a local trivia night, you might as well head for the exits. The Arlington resident has made five television appearances as a contestant on Jeopardy, and has $121,302 in winnings to show for it. Now, she has returned to Los Angeles for the taping of the 2010 Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, set to air in May.

Murphy, a foreign service officer and self-described “bookworm,” has spent the past several weeks studying topics like art, literature, geography and history during her lunch break and during her daily commute.

The 31-year-old Scranton, Pa. native is a repeat customer at the Arlington Public Library. At one point, in the time leading up to her appearances last year, Murphy recalls having 24 books out at one time.

According to her hometown newspaper, Murphy used the prize money from her first appearances for trips to Europe and for a new laptop, which she’s using to write a detective novel.

Murphy will face 14 returning winners during the Tournament of Champions. The top prize is $250,000 cash.

The first installment of the two-week tournament will air at 7:30 p.m. on May 10 on WJLA (Channel 7).

Photo courtesy “Jeopardy!” Productions, Inc.

Riding the Mt. Vernon Trail With Gary Fisher

By ARLnow.com

It was a bit of a surreal experience. Nearly 30 cyclists, bike lights leading the way, heading down the darkened Mt. Vernon Trail. One rider in the convoy is on her Gary Fisher bike. Another rider is Gary Fisher.

Fisher arrived at Revolution Cycles City Hub in Crystal City shortly after 7:00 Tuesday night. Dressed in a horizontal stripe  suit, high argyle socks and a cap befitting someone on a fox hunt, Mr. Fisher cordially greeted the Revolution employees, Crystal City BID honchos and cycling enthusiasts who gathered outside the store. He signed bikes and bike parts, and posed for more photos than should have reasonably been asked of him.

The ride only went as far as the Humpback Bridge before turning off for an impromptu, bike light-fueled “campfire” near the Potomac. Then, despite the unusually pleasant weather, it was back to Crystal City.

It was neither an endurance challenge nor a race, but the ride was exhilarating for the sheer novelty of riding a mountain bike next to the guy who literally invented mountain bikes.

More photos, after the jump.

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Bike Legend Gary Fisher Leading Ride in Crystal City Tonight

By ARLnow.com

The first customer of Revolution Cycles City Hub, a brand new bike rental store in Crystal City, was no less than Gary Fisher himself. The legendary bike maker is in town this week for the National Bike Summit.

“At first we didn’t believe it,” said Revolution Cycles marketing manager Chris Huller. “We couldn’t ask for a better person to kick this off.”

Fisher, who rented a Trek bike with a polka dot saddlebag, told the staff he’d return tonight to lead a “tweet ride,” a group ride promoted on Twitter.

The ride will leave the City Hub store at 220 20th Street South, near the McCormick and Schmick’s, around 7:00 tonight, Huller said. The destination has not yet been set, but it’s likely to head into the District, possibly ending up at a bar.

City Hub, meanwhile, will have its “semi-official” opening tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. The store will rent bikes for $5 per hour or $35 per day.

City Hub will only rent bikes; it will not sell bikes. Huller says the store’s concept of “a bikeless bike shop” is new for the industry.