Can't Miss

1. Bobby

[movie] As writer, director and actor, Emilio Estevez is clearly the driving force behind this historical drama about guests and employees of the Ambassador Hotel in the final hours of Robert F. Kennedy's life. And from what we have heard, Estevez (profiled today in the Arts section) has wrung surprising and nuanced performances from a large, star-studded cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood, William H. Macy, Helen Hunt, Laurence Fishburne, Harry Belafonte, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBeouf, Nick Cannon and Martin Sheen.

Opens Thursday at Landmark's Bethesda Row.

2. Josephine Baker: Image and Icon

[exhibit] In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Baker's birth, the National Portrait Gallery presents an exhibition of vintage photographs, posters, drawings, prints and paintings that capture the entertainer at various points in her life. Her time as a burlesque performer in mid-1920s Paris, perhaps the most famous phase of her career, is well represented. But so is her rise as a glamorous cabaret star and her struggles as a civil rights advocate. For those not fully aware of Baker's legacy, the exhibition shows that there was more to the dynamic performer than banana skirts and diamond-collared cheetahs.

Opens Friday. Through March 18. National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F streets NW. Free. 202-633-1000.

3. D.C. Turkey Bowl

[sports] Every Thanksgiving, the District's two best public high school football teams meet to determine the year's D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association champion in the aptly named Turkey Bowl. For seven of the past eight years, that champion has been the Dunbar Crimson Tide. At press time, Dunbar, Anacostia, H.D. Woodson and Wilson were the final four teams vying for a place in this year's championship game. Regardless of the teams that take the field, the festive atmosphere, rambunctious crowds and thrilling football of the Turkey Bowl are a Washington holiday tradition.

Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern Senior High, 1700 East Capitol St. NE. $10. 202-698-3326.

4. Elephant Man

[concert] The boisterous dance-hall musician is famous for the frenetic pace of his shows. His propensity for keeping his audience moving has earned him the nickname "Energy God," a moniker that is accentuated by his bright orange-yellow hair and low-register voice. After working with hip-hop, reggae and R&B artists, including Busta Rhymes, the Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon, Mariah Carey and Twista, Elephant Man has entered a partnership with Bad Boy Entertainment and plans to tour with Bad Boy leader Diddy. So this may be your last chance for a while to see Elephant Man without also having to see Sean Combs.

Thursday, doors at 10 p.m. Crossroads, 4103 Baltimore Ave., Bladensburg. $20-$30. 301-927-1056.

5. Bowen McCauley Dance

[on stage] The local troupe performs the U.S. premiere of "Hannah, you there?," a new Dada tribute to Hannah Hoch, set to Francis Poulenc's "Trois Mouvements Perpetuels." Additionally, they perform the world premiere of "Bowing," a co-commission with the Kennedy Center set to a solo cello suite by Benjamin Britten. Add to that contributions from two respected regional choreographers, Alvin Mayes and Juan Carlos Rincones, and a performance by student dancers from Arlington's Kenmore Middle School, and you have an evening that presents the best from all levels of the area's dance community. Afterward, meet the dancers at a benefit reception.

Today at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. Free. 202-467-4600.

Reception, 7-9 p.m. 600 Restaurant at the Watergate, 600 New Hampshire Ave. NW. $60, children free. 202-337-5890 or 703-524-4641.

-- Justin Rude