Matt Damon??!!! We Demand to Differ!

Bar: Open!

Draw: A chance to get up close and personal with the most accessible of all pro athletes. Among the soccer gods: Jimmy Conrad, Diego Gutierrez, Chris Klein, Cobi Jones, Chris Armas and smokin' hot superstar Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls. Only had to fight past two guys and one small child to chat up D.C. United's Luciano Emilio, newly crowned league MVP. Does he get recognized on the street? "Oh yes," he told us. "Sometimes."

Was Beckham there?: No.

Crowd: Short, handsome, friendly men with charming accents (Brazilian, Italian, Long Island). The men way outnumbered the soccer groupies, refreshingly normal take-home-to-mom type gals.

Unlikely VIP: Ethan Zohn, the curly-haired soccer-pro "Survivor 3" winner. Now runs an AIDS education nonprofit, still plays soccer for fun, rarely watches "Survivor."

Will Oscar Come Home to D.C.?

Double dose of Oscar fever in town! Two documentaries by local filmmakers made the list of 15 films in the running for the Academy Awards feature documentary category: "Nanking," produced by McLean's Ted Leonsis, and "War/Dance," made by Chevy Chase husband-and wife team Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine. It's a big boost for D.C. moviemakers better known for television work than theatrical features. "It's about time," Sean Fine said yesterday. "Washington is a great place to make films."

"Nanking," which depicts the 1937 killing of 300,000 Chinese by the Japanese army, and "War/Dance," a portrait of Ugandan refugees competing in a music and dance competition, both won honors at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, became hits on the indie festival circuit and have movie distribution deals. The Fine film is in theaters; "Nanking" opens next month.

The Academy's shortlist will be formally announced today and is expected to include Michael Moore's high-profile "Sicko." The 15 documentaries will be winnowed down to five nominees announced on Jan. 22; one will take home the Oscar Feb. 24.