By Lavanya Ramanathan
Friday, May 9, 2008

We know that Washingtonians can car-share, so why, in this town full of brainiacs, can't we also knowledge-share? Why can't a know-it-all in the field of knitting, pool-sharking or Farsi teach a class, impart some knowledge and make the world a smidge smarter?

Tomorrow, Learn-a-Palooza returns to Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle and other neighborhoods for its second year, with about 60 free workshops on a variety of obscure topics. Teachers are regular people who have hobbies or special areas of expertise they want to share.

It's the leave-the-house equivalent of Sudoku, folks, not Harvard, so have some fun. Best part: You don't even need to RSVP. Just show up. The lowdown on a few of the classes we think look pretty promising:

· How to Get Out of a Speeding Ticket. Who doesn't need this class? (Um, for next year, might we suggest "How to Get Out of Multiple Parking Tickets"?) Led by "recovering attorney" and current branding consultant Joey Coleman (who admits to having been pulled over once or twice), the course doesn't focus on waging a good defense in court so much as how to avoid getting to that point. Sample tip: "Tell the right story -- because depending on the time, humor may work, humor may not work." Telling a cop the wrong one, he says, might just result in even more tickets. 1-2 p.m. Affinity Lab, 2451 18th St. NW. 2nd floor.

· Slackline. Walk on a loose, low-lying tightrope and amaze your friends. Joel Lawrence Steinberg, an elementary school teacher who has been slacklining for a few years, teaches others how to tie nylon webbing between two trees (this one will be no more than one foot off the ground) and then cross said distance. (It uses a ton of muscles, so you'll get a workout in the process.) Steinberg's tip: "Breathe." 5-7 p.m. Southwest corner of Meridian Hill Park, 16th and Chapin streets NW, near the fountain.

· How t o Dance at a Party. This class is perfect for those who want to go to Prince vs. the World but are afraid, you know, to actually dance in front of other people. Taught by dance fiends Melissa Krodman, Meghan Keener and Patrick White (one of the DJs of the growing funk-soul dance party Fatback), this class is about making a spectacle of yourself and having a good time. Participants even get mix CDs to take home and practice. Sample lesson for men who want to get down: "Let loose, and don't let what other dudes do on the dance floor inform your dance style," says Krodman. She adds: "Sometimes it's also sexier to let women have their space. Avoid the 'clutch and thrust.' " 7-8 p.m. Affinity Lab, 2451 18th St. NW.

For a full schedule of Learn-a-Palooza events, http://www.learnapaloozadc.com.

THE SCENE Savor: Craft Beers Meet Their Culinary Matches You've heard of food and wine pairings, certainly. But how about that burgeoning phenomenon of beer pairings? (And no, we don't mean the way pretzels bring out the floral notes in Miller Light.) Next weekend, the Brewers Association throws two days of bashes meant to spotlight craft beers and the appetizers that complement them -- 48 small breweries (including a slew of them whose beers you can't get in Washington) serving up their own creations. What kind of pairings will you see? Something called Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout will be matched with a crostini of figs and prosciutto, and the UFO Hefeweizen, totally made for empanadas with mango salsa. You also can hear from beer artisans, including Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Jim Koch of Boston Beer, among others. $85 (tickets must be purchased in advance). May 16, 6:30-10 p.m.; May 17, 12:30-4 p.m. and 6:30-10 p.m. Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW. For tickets and details (including the menu), visit http://www.savorcraftbeer.com.

ON STAGE Kevin Nealon More than a decade after Nealon's nine-year stint doing the fake news on "Saturday Night Live's" Weekend Update (and, of course, playing Subliminal Man and roid-happy Franz to Dana Carvey's Hans), Nealon is having something of a career renaissance. He's a stoner city councilman on HBO's "Weeds"; he has a book, "Yes, You're Pregnant, but What About Me?," coming out this week; and a movie in the works with a cast that includes Ashley Tisdale. He is set to begin a stand-up tour that will bring him to Washington for four shows in September. $25 (plus two-item minimum). Sept. 26-27 at 8 and 10:30 p.m. both nights. DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-296-7008.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

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.