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The District

Today

CONCERT Polvo It was an invitation by Explosions in the Sky to play All Tomorrow's Parties that got Polvo back in gear, though with a new drummer, Brian Quast. Now, the band is on its first tour in a decade, and the noise band, which is at the Black Cat tonight, is sure to bring out the exact same people who come every time Dinosaur Jr. plays. $13. 9 p.m. 1811 14th St. NW. 202-667-7960 or 202-397-7328.

EXHIBIT Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture The National Portrait Gallery's new show explores a less obvious brand of portraiture: the poster. The exhibit features 60 pieces ranging from images of America's earliest celebrities, such as "Buffalo Bill" Cody, to present-day idols such as Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. This collection warns viewers to beware the pretty face gazing down from a poster: Unlike standard portraiture, with posters there is always an ulterior motive -- advertising. The show opens today. Free. 11:30 a.m.- 7 p.m. daily through Feb. 8, 2009. National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000.

LITERATURE It's Almost Midnight: Time for a Slam At Busboys and Poets tonight, it's the 11th Hour Poetry Slam, starting at 11 p.m., with Sonya Renee as featured performer. The series continues the second Friday of each month. $5. Line starts about 10. Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW. 202-387-7638.

Wednesday

FILM Coming Attractions Trailer Night Returns The good people of the District escape unbearable humidity from June to August by filing into cool, dark theaters to take in summer blockbusters. Care to see what special effects, superheroes and slapstick comedies this summer has in store for you? On Wednesday the Washington, D.C. Film Society presents a night dedicated to movie previews. After every few trailers, local film critics will lead attendees in a freewheeling discussion, and audience members will also get to vote on what they're looking forward to and what looks downright dismal. The something-for-everyone tag certainly applies here; trailers will include everything from "The Dark Knight" to "Love Guru" to the Cam-Ash rom-com "What Happens in Vegas." $8 (available at the door only). 7 p.m. Landmark's E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. For details, visit http://www.dcfilmsociety.org.

ON STAGE "The Internationalist" Studio Theatre's smaller 2ndStage presents this play, penned by New York playwright Anne Washburn -- in which big chunks of the dialogue are in some nonexistent (and thus unintelligible) language. What does make sense is that an American businessman traveling for work finds himself in a country in which he doesn't speak the language, just one of the surreal, disorienting aspects of this business trip. It opens Wednesday. $39--$57. Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., also Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. through June 22. Studio's Milton Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. 202-332-3300.

Maryland

Today

FILM "Eraserhead" The AFI Silver is spending one week showing a restored print of David Lynch's rarely screened, legendary first film, about a regular guy whose girlfriend gives birth to their mutant baby, then leaves him to care for it. The oddball characters include a lady who lives in a radiator. The run kicks off with a midnight screening tonight. $6.75-$9.75. Various times through May 17. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6700.

LITERATURE Music and Rhyme Beauty Pill's Chad Clark teamed with Michael Kentoff of the local acoustic indie-rock band the Caribbean and poet Deborah Ager to host one night of poetry and music at the Writer's Center in Bethesda tonight -- free. The event, "The Sound of Words: A Scheme to Rock the Writer's Center," will feature performances by Kentoff, Ager and Sandra Beasley and Bernadette Geyer. In the meantime, check out the Caribbean's stuff on MySpace ( http://www.myspace.com/thecaribbean). 8 p.m. The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. Visit http://www.writer.org, click on "Events."

Tomorrow

FESTIVALS Bethesda Fine Arts Festival Tomorrow and Sunday, the fifth annual Bethesda Fine Arts Festival brings in about 140 contemporary artists from across the country for a two-day, juried event featuring their paintings, furniture, photographs and jewelry. Even if you don't buy a thing, you can always look around, spend time outdoors and check out the live music and kids' activities. Free. Tomorrow 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Woodmont Triangle, along Norfolk, Del Ray and Auburn avenues in Bethesda. For a peek at the artists, visit http://www.bethesda.org. 301-215-6660.

Northern Virginia

Today

FILM That Harbinger of Summer: The Outdoor Film Mostly an excuse to cut out early from work, sit outdoors and break rules by sneaking sips of wine in public, the outdoor film is one of the biggest pleasures of summer. In Rossyln and Crystal City, screenings are already underway, as two organizers show movies from the James Bond oeuvre. Tonight in Arlington's Rosslyn neighborhood, at Gateway Park, you can catch 1963's "From Russia With Love" (Sean Connery as Bond); if you're busy tonight, see it Tuesday in Crystal City (note: the Bond movies are also at the Artomatic site in Northeast Washington). The films continue through August in Rosslyn and September in Crystal City. Free. Tonight at dusk (about 8 p.m.). Bring a blanket and picnic. Rosslyn Gateway Park, North Lynn Street and Lee Highway, Arlington. For the full schedule and information about the screenings in Washington and Rosslyn, http://www.georgetownfilmfest.com/james_bond/james_bond.html. For the Crystal City films (screened on Mondays about 8 p.m. at 18th and Bell streets, just outside the Metro station), visit http://crystalcity.org and click on "Events."

Tuesday

ON STAGE Chita Rivera and George Hearn in "The Visit" The final installment of Signature Theatre's celebration of the Broadway songwriting team John Kander and Fred Ebb opens Tuesday with Rivera and Hearn, two of Broadway's huge stars. Based on a play of the same name by Friedrich Duerrenmatt, "The Visit" is a fairly recent musical; Rivera stars as a woman returning to the town she was forced to leave in shame as a teenager when her lover publicly disavowed being the father of her unborn child. When she returns, older and wealthy, the now-destitute town is willing to forget all, but she has only one wish, to have her former lover killed. The play debuted in Chicago and hit some bumps on its way to New York, so this is only the second time it has been staged. $56-$76. Tuesday-Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday at 8, Sunday at 7, Saturday and Sunday at 2. Through June 22. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. 202-397-7328.