Entries Tagged 'Opinion' ↓

Omega is a well hidden LGBTQ bar in DC. Formerly known as the Fraternity House, this bar is off the beaten path for many. I’ll be honest…I rarely go there. I just don’t get to western Dupont that often.

However, I did last night for the amateur drag queen competition to see a friend, Lady Gabanna/Grandma Wrinkles, perform in her very first show. The performances ranged from the guy not in drag wearing a prison jumpsuit to Mary Poppins and her spoonful of sugar. Grandma Wrinkles came in second and all rejoiced.

Yet throughout the whole performance, I got this feeling that this is not a bar that the RWDC would go to….even if a friend was performing. Not sure if it is because Omega isn’t “hip/cool” like Town or Halo, or if it is just off the beaten path, or if they’d just be shocked, but the vibe was still there.

I hope they do go to the amateur drag competition and stay for the whole thing. In the meantime, I wonder what other secret treasures they are missing in DC simply because they aren’t for MTV’s current viewing audience.

Hello!! First off, sorry for the four day gap between posts. It just so happens that we have jobs and lives. Real lives, I might add.

Last Friday, ARWDC contributor and District resident Berg was interviewed by Washingtonian Magazine alongside another blogger who hails from über-hip Woodbridge, VA.

Despite being “anti-Real World”, I think that the contributors of this blog have more than proven that they know the real DC better than our competition. I think Berg gave a compelling answer as to why the RWDC house should have been on C St. SE. After all, our city is a congessional fiefdom and what better place to experience the real DC than to live amongst the fiefs themselves? Snark aside, we have been consistently pointing out issues of real importance, such as non-profits doing good things for the community, community outreach, and how to stand up for your constitutional rights.

Bottom line, we report on real issues. We were against the Real World being in DC, and have no desire to stalk the cast members and get on camera. I was at Halo last Sunday after filming had ended, and some of the cast members were still there. I did not, nor had any desire to talk to them. I just went about my business. That’s what living in the real world is all about.

Parker The Dog, Esquire

Friends, humans, pandas,

To begin, let me say that I am somewhat new to these “weblogs,” as they are known, so I apologize if I do not use the parlance or rules that have arisen in this nouvelle medium.

That said, I was invited to speak on the topic of these young pups that are being filmed for a show known as “The Real World.” I live across the street and have to put up with the tomfoolery they and their stalkers/devotees/disciples bring to my neighborhood. And let me tell you…I am NOT pleased!

Does a dog not have a right to her territory? I have lived in this neighborhood for 3 years and peed on this “Real World” house multiple times. Using the precedence of Fido v. Queen Victoria, any residence that a dog has peed on for over 1 year becomes wholly or partially property of said dog. As a homeowner, I had no say whether these fiends would move into my property! Worse, I can no longer relieve myself on this house due to gentlemen who threaten to call the super-villain known as Dog-Catcher.

Furthermore, when I take my human slaves outside to exercise them, where is a respectable lady like myself supposed to walk when these humans take up all the street being videotaped and recorded??? I do respect these “Real World”-ers for having human slaves like myself but my goodness! Have some control over your human slaves!

Last, there is a panda that lives in that house. Now, I know many fine Pandas–not just the Pandas that live in the palatial estate on Connecticut, but also the Pandas that are currently plotting to become the new royalty in Myanmar. However, this “panda” seems to be some kind of manimal–possibly the kind that prostitute-loving Senator David Vitter has recently warned the animals about. He seems somewhat poorly bathed and does not eat bamboo at all. This panda may have Stockholm Syndrome. My brethren and I shall keep you updated on his status.

I will not lie…I shall miss the folk across the street. Because for all of their faults, they do have one redeeming quality that myself and many other dogs do enjoy–their shit does stink.

Barkingly Yours,

Parker The Dog

This is a guest post provided by our friend and journalist, Chris, over at @RealWorldDCNewz. He does an outstanding job of getting information out there for people and we at ARWDC back him up on his concerns expressed below.

Last week, the DC blogosphere and Twitterverse saw some tit-for-tat action in regard to coverage of The Real World DC.  Without rehashing exactly what went on (for that, you can just hop over to our friends at Vevmo.com and check out the Washington DC thread) let’s address the issue at hand: sourcing.

Much of last week’s the debate stemmed from several interlaced issues. One of these issues was the responsibility of proper sourcing in “vigilante journalism” versus “paid blogging.”  A Virginia-dwelling stalker blogger was hired as a paid blogger for a media outlet in the District and reposted some information that obviously originated from other sources.  The blogger, however, didn’t cite the information on the for-profit site.  A back-and-forth began when the blogger was called out on the offense by more than one of the sources. After several days of finger pointing, name calling, denial, and retorts, the issue was resolved (sort of) and the problem corrected (much to the chagrin of the offending blogger).

Ultimately, it’s clear that improper sourcing had occurred (the blogger’s bosses at the for-profit site conceded this fact.

During the publicly discussed “scandal” many people commented on this issue by saying that this wasn’t serious news and that the entire situation had become out of hand or altogether didn’t matter.  While this was obviously not a typical D.C. issue, you’ve got to ask yourself one question:  At what point did we decide that standards would be thrown out the window?

That is to say, who should and who should not be held accountable for the information posted in the various forms of new and social media available to anybody with a computer or a smart phone?

In a perfect world, every blogger, tweeter, facebooker and so on would attribute every piece of unoriginal information, per AP Style guidelines. Unfortunately, that’s just unrealistic.  But, any time a contributor receives pay for publishing information; it becomes not only an issue of best practices but also a legal one.  Plagiarism is intellectual theft and getting paid to use stolen information comes with the risk of legal repercussions.

So on the issue of who had what information and who posted it (as in the case of last week’s Real World DC quarrel) the bottom line is this:  If you are getting paid to blog, and you borrow information that is not part of the public domain, you must cite it.  Plain and simple.  Plus, it’s just plain common courtesy to do so.  Anything less (whether you’re paid or not) is just as douchy as some of the stuff that goes on in and around 2000 S Street, NW.

This may shock some of you, but most of us at ARWDC enjoy reality TV! If I had my druthers, here are only some of the shows I would welcome with open arms to D.C. Please comment or email us with the shows you would want to see!*

Top Chef: D.C. has become one of the top culinary destinations in the country. You may not be able to afford some of the higher end places, but from pho to burgers to haute cuisine to you name it, D.C. is making a name for itself in the culinary world. Spike from season 4 of Top Chef has his must-eat Good Stuff Eatery on The Hill, and Carla from Season 5 was a finalist. (Any readers know what she is up to now?)

The first challenge could be during Maryland crab season….or maybe re-invent the half-smoke. The White House Pastry Chef could judge the best D.C. monuments, which have been made for dessert. Or repeat past seasons, and make food for a worthy cause like DC Central Kitchen.

Project Runway: To be fair, all that I know about fashion comes from Project Runway. But what I do know, is that PR could do some trips to D.C. that would be great! How about designing a gown for an embassy ball….or a state dinner? (Forgive me if this has been done) The gown could then be auctioned off and proceeds went to a good cause.

The People’s Court: I have not seen the People’s Court since the days of Judge Wapner and Rusty the Bailiff, but the premise of the show would be great in D.C. Instead of taking up precious time and taxpayer dollars doing investigations and hearings, the plaintiff and the bailiff would be sent to The People’s Court where a no-nonsense judge would tell them how it is going to be. I know many of you will say but wait…Due Process! Well, both parties have to agree to the Judge’s ruling once they enter The People’s Court. Just think–Abramoff would’ve been put away so much faster…no good guy wears a dark trenchcoat and fedora. The movies tell me that.

Bonus, this is actual, non-staged real-life drama that is resolved in one location and doesn’t require multiple venues. Score! (thx to @nerdette for suggestion as well)

*We know about Real Housewives of DC (or is it Potomac, MD now) and Blonde Charity Mafia. Some of us from ARWDC are thrilled, some are not. Also, we know some of you will call us hypocrite.s But seriously…PR and TC require a specific skillset, RWDC does not.

While The Real World DC films all over our nation’s capital, I wanted to quickly point out that not one, but two, former Real World cast members are trying to reach Washington, and not for a cameo on the show. Berg reported on Friday that Sean Duffy, the Ashland County, WI District Attorney and Real World: Boston alum, has decided to take on one of my favorite, and one of the most powerful members of Congress, Rep. Dave Obey.

I don’t think this guy stands much of a chance, but I’ll tell you he’s pretty credible, maybe even moreso than Kevin Powell, the other former cast member running (more on him later). Kevin’s run brings up an interesting question, “Can you run a credible campaign for high office after being on a reality tv show?” Kevin has clearly made a good career for himself. I’ve even heard from some friends that his wife is an occasional Conservative commentator on Fox News. But, see, here is the rub. An extremely emotionally charged, crazy and sometimes out-of-control portion of your life is in full view and sold, on DVD at any Best Buy in the country. I’m looking at you Ashley, remember that.

The other guy has some solid credentials as an anti-domestic violence advocate, which is awesome. That being said, his website may be the single most douche filled thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Kevin Powell is running for Congress in my family’s ancestral homeland of Brooklyn, NY. The VERY first sentence of Mr. Powell’s website reads, and holy shit I’m not making this up. “Kevin Powell is widely considered one of America’s most important voices in these early years of the 21st century.”

WHAT THE FUCK!?! Did he just call himself one of America’s most important voices? Yeaaaaah buddy you are right up there with Barack Fucking Obama. You personally went from The Real World to Socrates in a moment so important to the history of the world and pop culture that Bob Dylan going electric looks like open mic night at a bar in Muskogee, Oklahoma. That being said, he has appeared on Oprah for his work on ending violence, which brings me to my closing point.

It seems that no matter how douchey Kevin is, he found meaning in his life after Real World by channeling his experiences towards a really important and solid goal. This is someone who transcended their experience; much like Sean Duffy did, and actually made something more out of themselves than a two bit reality media whore destined to do endless Real-World/Road Rules challenges until they age out to VH1 or Bravo. Both of them should be commended and serve as role models for the kids coming up behind them. That being said, hey Kevin, there are 11 political activists over here who’d love to give your website a makeover, Bravo style.

Over the past few weeks, the contributors to this blog have worked tirelessly to keep the site fresh with content and insight as MTV begins filming on the Real World in Washington, DC. During that time, as the site continued to grow, a community began to develop. This blog was created, not to simply bash everything coming out of 2000 S Street or to post without thinking. It was created to serve as a forum for those who care deeply about what goes on in their neighborhoods – whether it be welcoming seven strangers with open arms or telling them to go home.

The contributors to this blog don’t drive the content on the site, the readers do. Our wonderful readership (yes – we include even you folks who read us JUST because you hate us) has helped us generate content from user ideas. We share ideas that sometimes spur disagreement, but how else is progress made without allowing both sides to speak? We are so eternally grateful for all of the readers and the tipsters and the blogs and the news outlets that have helped publicize this forum.

Which is why when bloggers who we will just refer to as “Heidi & Spencer” continue their attempts to antagonize and divide us, we take this opportunity to remind them about something we’ve all been told at one point in our lives (some of us 3 or 4 times):

“It’s not about you.”

As a neighbor, a homeowner, a DC-resident and a politically engaged citizen, the concept of “Anti-Real World” was never about the cast or the people. It was about the overarching themes that have been lost in MTV’s long running social experiment. It’s about being real. Part of being real is being honest. Do we judge? Absolutely. Do we heckle? Totally. Do we have attitude problems leading to a seemingly endless supply of snarky retorts? You betcha. But one thing we are through it all – is honest.

Those that enjoy this blog the most, whether they be MTV public relations execs, hill staffers, Dupont residents or local business owners – enjoy it because they have a sense of humor. It’s important to remind readers that the “social experiment” behind the Real World is that they AREN’T supposed to read tweets, social media, radios, TV, etc. The idea is the interaction between the housemates. This social experiment became compromised right around the time that Bunim-Murray started looking to fill “roles” on their Real World casts.

When one of our contributors met roommate Ashley the other night, he was genuinely impressed by her. He wrote about it. Those that were disappointed he didn’t smack her or yell an obscenity clearly haven’t interacted with enough people in their lives. This blog is full of snarky, sarcastic, care-free, fun-loving assholes. But we’re not bullies. We are not cowards because we don’t tell Ashley that her love for social change and do-gooder activities is lame. We are, however, honest, which is why we will continue to poke fun at the roommate that looks like Nick Jonas and the one that dresses like Gerardo.

We will continue to write things the way we do – with honesty. If we were really media whores about this, we’d probably of picked better colors for the site – don’t you think? This site is what you all make of it. We will continue to report when one of the cast members pukes on my sidewalk or when someone gets in a fight or when a security guard pretends to be the park police and makes a homophobic slur (seriously dude – not cool!). We call it like we see it. On some days, the grass looks nicer than on others. Let us make no mistake – we are neither here to make friends nor here to make enemies. We are here to simply call it like we see it.

It is our hope that one day, those who seek to appease their own self-esteem issues through constant “me me me” style video blogging will grow up, move out of mommy and daddy’s house, buy their own place and then take notice at what is going on in their communities.

And so it happened almost exactly as I expected….

I’m sitting with a few friends at Big Hunt. We’re talking about the New York Senate shit show and I’m passively hitting on this wonderful lady who is about to hit the trail. She’s tall and blonde, has a bombastic personality and can keep up with me at the bar, totally my type. As we’re talking she looks behind me and smiles. “You aren’t going to believe this….but The Real World just walked in.”
Naturally I thought she was fucking with me. There is no way that I am quite literally living my earlier post. I tell her she’s fucking with me, right about the time I get bumped in the back by a camera man. I’m only about two vodka sodas in and all of a sudden I’m filled with joy. This is going to be epic. My friends were overtaken by both a sudden glee and a sudden terror as they realize any conversation we were having was about to be hijacked by my analyzing every move that the cast and crew made. They are a forgiving sort. One is a professional writer who understands my sudden need to digest everything, one a former successful blogger turned operative. The blonde thinks that ARWDC is cool. She is a political operative from the other side of the aisle which magnifies her sexiness by like a million. (Sorry girls, Republicans really are hotter than us Democrats for some reason)

The cast arrives at their table and I’m now on Vodka soda number two. It’s a Sunday night so I figure I should take it easy. This one went over to the juke box and and, immediately scans the selections on the “VH1 Greatest Hits Volume 4 album”. I wanted to shit myself, I mean how could you so consciously be more of a corporate whore? He ended up choosing:

Kanye, All falls down
Outkast: The way u move, club mix
Queen; Another one bites the dust
Temptations: Something or other, I was starting to get tipsy by this point.

As my friends and I were quietly critiquing his musical selections, I overheard the General Manager say to a member of his staff, “I’m really not thrilled they are here.” I immediately perked up and the two of us began talking. The staff and management of the bar were extremely gracious, but were squarely Anti-Real Worlders. I was happy to know that I was at home amongst my people…and let me just tell you, I’ve always been a big fan of The Big Hunt, I am even moreso a fan now.

At this point, I feel as though we were getting a bit loud, and maybe we were flagrantly talking about the blog within earshot of one of the Production Assistants. It was then that the most immaculate thing ever happened. One of the cast chose to engage us.

Ashley was a lovely girl, a 22 year old from out west, a foster child who planned on volunteering somewhere in the city with children. As we came to learn, all the house members are free to find employment wherever they want. She told me that she was a serious, life-long Democrat and a former Obama Delegate in Las Vegas. She was very “religious” and said that she was sure that if Jesus were alive today, he’d be a Democrat. This nearly got my lovely blonde friend to leap out of her chair. I shot her a glance and a wry smile. My Republican friend did not tear her to shreds…slightly disappointing. Ashley continued talking to me and then very candidly said, “Why does everyone in this town hate us?” I responded, “I don’t hate you.” (OH COME ON READER, SHE WAS CUTE.) Furthermore, she REALLY cared, and I must say, it was endearing.

“Well so many people do, I mean, I guess if I lived somewhere, and a reality tv show came to town and went to my bars and restaurants, I’d be a little pissed too, but we’re just normal people, like everyone else.”

“But, you aren’t, because you are being followed by cameras…”

“But before we were followed by cameras, we were just like anyone else.”

“Well, yes and no, I mean, my friends and I wouldn’t ever have cameras follow us around and EVERY ONE of us works in media. By the way, can I buy you a drink?”

“I can’t drink today, I’ve been drinking for three days straight and I have [A medical condition] I should probably lay off.“

“Indeed”

“Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“Same.”

A fellow ARWDC blog contributor then walked in and smiled at all the craziness. He proceeded to walk over to the juke box and put DeVo’s “Whip It” on repeat. We identified an African-American male on the cast as being gay based on his Human Rights Campaign t-shirt. This pissed me off slightly as HRC doesn’t really DO much for the LGBT cause, I mean wearing an HRC t-shirt is kinda like wearing a Che Guevara shirt…it shows how tragically hip and non-revolutionary you are.

At the end of the day, I had a few too many drinks and went home alone. Story of my life.

We spotted the sound crew, pausing at 18th and Connecticut Ave, NW. Good looking gents.

I have to say they really aren’t attractive. MTV/Bunim-Murray seems to have lowered their standards for the residents of 2000 S St NW. And the bandana and cigarette are so Bret Michaels.