The DMV is in the midst of a winter freeze. With snow forecast for Saturday and sub-freezing temperatures forecast for all weekend, we’ve put together a list of events you can do indoors while keeping warm. There are film festivals, plays, music and all kinds of events.

This weekend, Orange, Silver, Blue, Yellow and Green line trains will operate every 16 minutes. Red Line trains will run every 20 minutes between Shady Grove and Glenmont and every 10 minutes between Shady Grove and Dupont Circle and between Glenmont and Judiciary Square every 10 minutes between 9 a.m.-9 p.m. The Bethesda station will be closed with shuttle bus service every 5-10 minutes between Bethesda and Medical Center stations. Red Line travelers should allow an extra 15 minutes.

Hector Noguerra and Nestro Guzzini star in Mr. Kaplan, the closing night film at the D.C. Jewish Film Festival. (Photo: Memento Films)

Washington Jewish Film Festival

The Washington Jewish Film Festival is celebrating its 25th year this year. The lineup for this year’s festival, which opened Thursday and runs through Mar. 1, blends new movies with some of the past festivals’ most memorable films like 1975’s Hester Street and Francois Truffaut’s 1890 The Last Metro. The goal is the represent the best in Jewish film – a movie that changes, alters, educates or otherwise concerns the Jewish experience regardless of the nationality/religion of directors, producers or actors. The closing feature is Mr. Kaplan, a Uruguayan film in Spanish with English subtitles from director Álvaro Brechner. After fleeing Europe for Uruguay during World Ware II, Jacob Kaplan built a quiet life. Now 76, he begins to question his worth. After learning of a mysterious German prowling the shores of a nearby beach, he becomes convinced that he’s found a Nazi in hiding and plans to expose him. Click http://www.wjff.org/schedule/ here to see the full schedule.

Through Mar.1 at various times and venues including the D.C. Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington in Rockville, the Goethe-Institut and AFI Silver Theatre along with some smaller venues. An all-access VIP festival pass good for every screening is $225, a 25th WJFF festival pass for all films except opening and closing nights, film centerpiece evenings, spotlight evening and silent films with live music is $125, and regular screenings are $12. Opening/closing/centerpiece evenings cost $30, spotlight evening is $40 and slilent films with live music is $18. Tickets are available online and at the box office.

Atlas Intersections Festival

Pinot & Augustine will perform Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. at the Atlas Intersections Festival. (Photo: Happenstance Theater)

The Atlas Intersections Festival brings cutting-edge collaborations, intriguing new works, community celebrations, family-friendly shows and fresh new ways of making art to the H Street corridor. There are more than 100 concerts, plays, dance, plays, clowns, workshops, trivia and more featuring artists from D.C. and beyond. This weekend’s performances include several free events. See the full schedule http://www.atlasarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/INTERSECTIONS-2015-Festival-Schedule.pdf here.

Weekends through Mar. 7 at various times at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Prices range from free to $27.50. Tickets are available online or at the box office.

Harry Connick Jr.

Harry Connick Jr. performs at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Strathmore. (Photo: Strathmore)

Harry Connick, Jr. will perform two shows in the Music Center at Strathmore this weekend. The shows will feature music from Connick’s vast musical catalog, including songs from his most recent releases Smokey Mary and Every Man Should Know. Connick has released 29 albums, won three Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards, and garnered sales of 28 million.

Feb. 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets range from $65-$225 online or at the box office.
 
 
 

24-Hour Best Picture Marathon

AMC Loews Georgetown 14 will show all eight Best Picture nominees starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. (Photo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science)

Only the bravest of cinema buffs can handle the endurance test that is AMC’s 24-Hour Best Picture Marathon during which you watch every film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars in one sitting. The AMC in Georgetown is hosting this year’s event locally, with the eight-film slate beginning Saturday at 10 a.m. with Boyhood followed by The Theory of Everything at 1:05 p.m. Bridman at 3:30 p.m., Selma at 5:50 p.m., American Sniper at 9 p.m., The Imitation Game at 11:30 p.m. and Whiplash at 1:45 a.m. Things wrap up just before dawn after the 3:45 a.m. screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel. It’s probably best that you hade home for a nap. After all, coverage of the Academy Awards starts a few hours later at 7 p.m.

Feb. 21 starting at 10 a.m. at AMC Loews Georgetown 14, 3111 K St. NW. Tickets are $65 for all eight movies.

Play in a Day

Imagination Stage’s team performs their play last year. (Photo: Bethesda Urban Partnership_

Six professional theatre companies from the DMV – Adventure Theatre MTC, American Ensemble Theater, Flying V, Imagination Stage, Olney Theater and Round House Theater – will write, direct, rehearse and perform original plays based on similar themes in only 24 hours. The plays will be presented at the 10th annual Play in a Day, a one-of-a kind theatrical event. Play in a Day kicks off on Friday evening, when playwrights and directors come together to receive their assigned themes and props. Playwrights then work the night to create their 10-minute masterpieces. As the sun comes up, rehearsals begin as teams of directors and actors prepare anxiously to make the 8 p.m. performance deadline on Saturday.

Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. at Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda. Tickets are $15 each online.

Oscar Viewing Parties

Neil Patrick Harris hosts the Oscars Sunday night beginning at 7 p.m. on ABC. (Photo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science)

Washington Film Society hosts Live on the Big Screen at Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. for the red carpet. Local movie critics Bill Henry and Tim Gordon will host the night that includes trivia contests, giveaways, a “predict the winners” contest and a silent auction.

Feb. 22 starting at 7:30 p.m. at Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike., Arlington. Tickets are $16 for members and $21 for non-members online until 11 a.m. or $1 less with cash at the door.

Kimpton Hotels’ Helix Lounge, 1 hosts its annual Oscars Happy Hour from 5-11 p.m. The awards ceremony will be shown on a 46-inch flat-screen television. There will be food and drink specials including cocktails dedicated to Oscar nominees such as “The Codebreaker” inspired by The Imitation Game with Broker’s Gin, Earl Grey tea and simple syrup; “Mendl’s Cocktail au Chocolat” inspired by The Grand Budapest Hotel; and a Red Carpet Cosmo. There will also be burger sliders throughout the evening.

Feb. 22 from 5-11 p.m. at Helix Lounge, 1430 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Admission is FREE!

Commissary’s 4th Annual Oscar Party features a wall-size projection screen, multiple televisions and kicks off with an extended Red Carpet Happy Hour from 4-8 p.m. with one free cocktail per person and free popcorn. Drink specials include the bourbon-based “Bullseye,” a nod to American Sniperand “A Simple Equation” made with George Dickel No. 1 white whiskey and inspired by The Theory of Everything. Special dishes include “magic bean and beef stew” inspired by Into the Woods and “Boy with Apple Turnovers” inspired by Grand Budapest Hotel.

Feb. 22 from 4-11 p.m. at Commissary, 1443 P St. NW. Admission is FREE! For your own Meryl Streep moment, reserve one of 25 “premium” tickets for $49, which includes a seat in front of the screen beginning at 6 p.m., a three-course prix-fixe dinner and two cocktails.

Female characters in television have been evolving rapidly in the past decade, with many of the best roles for women showcasing not only the character’s independence, intelligence and resilience, but their flaws and their abilities to persevere, as well. There is something one-dimensional in a character who faces no personal demons. What makes them fascinating to viewers is their efforts to overcome, which also often serve as the source of their courage and fortitude. Here are five characters on TV now who have turned struggles into success.

1. Michonne (Danai Gurira) of The Walking Dead on AMC

If the undead were capable of feeling fear, they would know to avoid Michonne at all costs. On top of having the most zealous hatred of zombies out of all of the characters on The Walking Dead, she also possesses a weapon that has taken out more walkers than any other — her katana. Though she has yet to open up about her life before the dead came back to life, her stoic grimace conveys her strength of mind and ability to persevere the most difficult of travails.

2. Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara) of House of Cards on Netflix

House of Cards was Netflix’s first attempt at creating original programming. Given that its cast includes Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as a Washington power couple, one would think the show would focus exclusively on their “characters. Once the young journalist Zoe Barnes appears on the screen, however, it is clear this is not going to be case. Zoe’s desire to become one of the most celebrated reporters in D.C. is what drives the plot of the show, and her ability to match Spacey’s character in vindictiveness is one of the reasons why it has been such a success. She may not be the most pleasant character on television, but she is certainly one of the most ambitious.

Lucy Liu (Photo by Kathy Hutchins/Hutchins Photo)

3. Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) of Homeland, on Showtime

She’s brilliant, fiercely independent and completely nuts, but Carrie Mathison may one of television’s most entertaining characters. Carrie is not what one normally envisions when one thinks of CIA operatives, as she is more of an analyst than someone running cloak and dagger missions. What the show lacks in explosions and action, it more than makes up for with plot twists and character development.

4. Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) of Elementary on CBS

Fans of Arthur Conan Doyle have had to suffer through a myriad of incarnations of the great Sherlock Holmes, but one of the most imaginative, unique and enjoyable versions can be found on CBS’s Elementary. While it may seem a little strange to have a female Watson, her character traits are the same as the Watson of the original Doyle books. It is her strength of mind, sound judgment and intelligence that keep Sherlock from falling apart. These personality features, coupled with her wit, are also what make the show a joy to watch.

5. GJ (Holly Hunter) of Top of the Lake on Sundance & Netflix

Though Top of the Lake is a seven-part miniseries that recently ended, the stellar show will probably gain in popularity on Netflix and Hulu. And while GJ is certainly not the protagonist in this somewhat Lynchian tale of a missing (and pregnant) 12-year-old, she is one of the show’s most memorable characters. Being a soothsaying “zombie” who runs a camp for victims of abuse is just one of the reasons she stands out.

If you would like any of these strong TV women to be a spokeswoman for your company, it may be a bit pricey. But there are many London voiceover artists you can use for a more reasonable price.

Article by Alexandra Jones, a Spinning instructor and grad student.

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