Friday, August 1, 2008

The Week of Aug. 8

Eight. If you are a rock fan, then you have been counting down the days until the biggest concert of the summer, the Virgin Mobile Festival on Aug. 9 and 10 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The long list of acts includes the Offspring, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Bob Dylan and Stone Temple Pilots. Gates open at 10 a.m.; show ends at 10 p.m. 5201 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore. Call 800-551-7328 or visit http://www.virginmobilefestival.com. $97.50-$450.

As the end of summer rapidly approaches, it's time to start thinking about Halloween. Get in a ghoulish mood at the HorrorFind Weekend Aug. 15-17. There will be horror authors and actors as well as movies and costume contests. And, of course, there will be a haunted house. Aug. 15 from 5 to 10 p.m., Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Aug. 17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. UMUC Marriott Inn & Conference Center, 3501 University Blvd. E., Adelphi. Call 443-465-0645 or visit http://www.horrorfindweekend.com. $45 weekend pass, $20 Friday or Sunday single-day pass, $25 Saturday single-day pass. Tickets for children 10 and younger are half-price but can be purchased only at the door.

Hear ye, hear ye, the annual Maryland Renaissance Festival opens Aug. 23. Dress in your 16th-century finest and wander around an old English village. Check out jousting competitions, shows, crafts and other merriment every weekend through Oct. 19. Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Route 450 and Crownsville Road in Crownsville. Call 800-296-7304 or visit http://www.rennfest.com. $18, $15 seniors, $8 children ages 7-15, free for children younger than 7.

On stage soon, on sale now: Fell's Point Corner Theatre presents "Kosher With Salsa," a romantic comedy about a Mexican-Jewish convert, a Jewish girl from Beverly Hills and two bigoted mothers, Aug. 14-31. Call 410-276-7837. The GLBT Arts Consortium and the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop presents "Pirates of Penzance or The Slave of Duty," Aug. 8-16. Call 202-547-6839.

Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster for Jason Mraz Oct. 20 at Dar Constitution Hall ($39) and Luis Miguel Oct. 26 at Patriot Center ($68-$98). Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. for "So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour 2008" Nov. 10 at 1st Mariner Arena ($33-$52.50). Call 202-397-7328 or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now at Tickets.com for these 9:30 club shows: Adele Aug. 27 ($20); Stereophonics Sept. 11 ($20); Cowboy Mouth, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers Sept. 12 ($25); Paul Weller Sept. 13 ($40); Xavier Rudd Sept. 14 ($20); Booker T & The M.G.'s and Eddie Floyd Sept. 16 ($40); Old Crow Medicine Show Sept. 19 and 20 ($25). Call 800-955-5566.

Opening Wednesday: Some moments in history just deserve to be noted, such as the time a California wine knocked off the top French vintages in a blind taste test. The "Judgment of Paris" is the subject of "Bottle Shock.". . . From the guys behind "Superbad" (Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow), "Pineapple Express," which refers to extremely rare marijuana, involves a stoner who witnesses a murder. . . . "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" catches up with the four inseparable friends (played by Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel) in the summer after their first year at college.

Opening Aug. 8: "Boy A" is the story of Jack, who is released from prison after having spent most of his life institutionalized for the murder of another child. Based on the novel by Jonathan Trigell, suspense mounts as Jack tries for a normal life but the forces surrounding him, including the press, seem unwilling to let that happen. . . . "Hellride" is a mix of spaghetti western and testosterone-laced chopper flick; what more do you need to know? . . . "Man on a Wire" looks at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center twin towers in 1974. . . . What would you do if three callous teenage boys with a shotgun took away your best friend? The answer is played out in dramatic fashion in "Red."

This weekend is your last chance to catch " The Imaginary Invalid" which closes Saturday at the Lansburgh Theatre (202-547-3230). "Big River" at Olney Theatre Center closes Sunday (301-924-3400) as does "Defending the Caveman" at Bethesda Theatre (301-657-7827). . . . Sunday is your last chance to catch the works of "Aaron Douglas: African American Modernist" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (202-633-1000).

Your plans for the next two weeks may be to spend endless hours in front of the television, watching athletes from around the world jump, hurl, twist, spin, sprint and swim during the Summer Olympic Games. But have you ever thought of doing one of those Olympic sports yourself? Weekend offers a guide to trying six sports that will be featured in Beijing.