Next Up

A Look at the Next Few Weeks

The Week of Oct. 17

Wine. Good food. Lovely weather. What is not to love about Italy? On Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon, celebrate the best that Italy has to offer at the Piazza D'Italia Best of Italy Exhibition at the National Italian American Foundation's convention. There will be samples of wine, olive oil, cheese, gelato and pastries, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be signing copies of her latest book. The free event will be at the Hilton Washington and Towers, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW. Call 202-939-3109 or visit http://www.niaf.org for more information.

The Week of Oct. 24

Dude! There is going to be a Big Lebowski Costume Party! Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the cult classic at the Old Town Theater in Alexandria on Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. with a best-costume competition, "Big Lebowski" signature beverages, trivia and, of course, a screening of the movie. Admission is $10 in advance and $12 at the door; proceeds benefit Community and Family Life Services, a nonprofit group that helps low-income and homeless people. 815 King St., Alexandria. Call 571-289-4597 or e-mail Tim Miller at timothybeechmiller@gmail.com for more information and advance tickets.

The Week of Oct. 31

After you have gobbled down the last of your kid's Halloween candy, feed your mind with discussions with famous authors at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington's Book Festival. Authors include the New York Times's Thomas L. Friedman ("Hot, Flat and Crowded"), would-be Texas governor and musician Kinky Friedman ("What Would Kinky Do?"), former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin ("Pearls, Politics and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead") and "Today" show travel editor Peter Greenberg ("Don't Go There!"). The festival runs Nov. 6-16 at 6125 Montrose Rd., Rockville. Reservations and tickets (free to $35) are required. For more information, call 301-348-3805 or visit http://www.jccgw.org.

On Exhibit

The following exhibitions open next week: "Role Models: Feminine Identity in Contemporary American Photography," opening Oct. 17 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, features artists whose work looks at identity through the lens of gender. Call 202-783-5000. "Timbuktu to Tibet: Rugs and Textiles of the Hajji Babas," opening Oct. 18 at the Textile Museum, compares the role of textiles in a nomadic society with their place in a settled community. Call 202-667-0441. "Wounded Cities: Photographs by Leo Rubinfien," opening Oct. 18 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, showcases the artist's attempt to capture the psychological effects of terrorism on its victims. Call 202-639-1700. "Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture Around the Bay of Naples," opening Oct. 19 at the National Gallery of Art, East Building, is the first exhibition devoted to ancient Roman art to be shown at the museum. Call 202-737-4215 (TDD: 202-842-6176). "Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry," opening Oct. 19 at the Walters Art Museum, features adornments from around 3000 B.C. to the early 20th century. Call 410-547-9000. "Green Community," opening Oct. 23 at the National Building Museum, looks at how we plan, design and construct the world between buildings. Call 202-272-2448. On Oct. 23, two related exhibitions open at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden: "The Panza Collection" highlights the museum's acquisition of 39 works from one of the world's foremost private collections of contemporary art, while "Ways of Seeing: Giuseppe and Giovanna Panza" is a show of artworks selected by the Panzas from the museum's permanent collection. Call 202-633-1000. (TDD: 202-633-5285).

On Stage

On sale now, on stage soon: The Kennedy Center presents two plays from Ireland's award-winning Druid theater company, "The Shadow of the Glen" and "The Playboy of the Western World," Oct. 22-25. Tickets cost $65. Call 202-467-4600. "Honey Brown Eyes," a drama set in Bosnia in 1992, has its premiere at Theater J Oct. 22 through Nov. 30. Tickets cost $30 to $55. Call 800-494-8497.

Hot Tickets

Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster for Jeff Dunham Jan. 2 at the Patriot Center ($49.50). Call 202-397-7328 or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com. . . . Tickets are on sale at http://www.tickets.com for these 9:30 club shows: Umphrey's McGee and American Babies Nov. 21 and 22 ($25); Method Man, Redman and Termanology Nov. 26 ($27.50). Call 800-955-5566.

On Screen

A well-to-do Italian couple faces a crisis and breaks up, only to learn they might lose their most precious possession: their love, in "Days and Clouds.". . . Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is an irrepressibly free-spirited woman in "Happy-Go-Lucky," though her enthusiasm for life is tested, a lot. . . . Maverick cop Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) is hell-bent on revenge against those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner in "Max Payne.". . . The documentary "Morning Light" tells the story of a group of intrepid and determined young men and women racing in the most revered open-ocean sailing competitions. . . . When Kym (Anne Hathaway) returns home for the wedding of her sister Rachel (Rosemarie Dewitt), she brings a long history of personal crisis and family conflict in "Rachel Getting Married.". . . "The Secret Life of Bees" is the tale of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning), who flees to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd. . . . Ian (Josh Zuckerman), about to go to college, has always been the nice guy, the best friend, never the boyfriend. But his luck finally seems to be changing when he meets Danielle in "Sex Drive.". . . Oliver Stone is bringing the life of our 43rd president to the big screen as only he can in "W.". . . Ben (Robert DeNiro) is in over his head with two ex-wives and two families and his latest business venture -- the movie "Fiercely," starring Sean Penn (played by, er, Sean Penn). Everything that can go wrong goes completely screwy in "What Just Happened?"

Last Chance

Sunday is your last chance to see " The Aging of the Plum" at GALA Hispanic Theatre (202-234-7174); "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" at Round House Theatre Bethesda (240-644-1100); "Legally Blonde the Musical," at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre (800-343-3103); "MacHomer" at Woolly Mammoth Theatre (202-393-3939); and "This Perfect World" at Theatre on the Run (703-243-6366). Big Apple Circus folds up its tent after Monday's performance at Dulles Town Center (800-922-3772).

Next Friday in Weekend

Was college the best time of your life? Do you wish you could return to campus life, without the all-nighters and the huge tuition bills? The Washington area's colleges and universities offer many of the things you loved about that time -- great speakers, art exhibits, concerts, plays and sporting events. Many are at incredibly cheap prices (read: FREE!) and you don't need a student ID.