Louis CK performing standup earlier this year. Photograph courtesy of Flickr user aTROSSity 22.

No one can accuse next year’s 68th Annual Radio and TV Congressional Correspondents’ Dinner of playing it safe. Comedian Louis CK—whose standup act is usually described using a combination of words like “dark,” “profane,” “genius,” and “sort of mean”—will be headlining the black-tie event. And despite what reports from various media outlets would have you believe, it is not the same thing as the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which is usually the highlight of the Washington season (and was this past year hosted by SNL’s Seth Meyers).

The event boasts a guest list that usually includes the President and congressional leaders, but it still plays second fiddle to the flashy White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Commentators are already comparing CK’s selection to that event’s 2006 speaker, Stephen Colbert, who delivered a pugnacious performance aimed at President Bush, who was sitting just feet away.

In addition to standup, CK writes, directs, produces, and stars in the FX hit Louie, which earned him two Emmy nominations earlier this year. He made news last week by putting his new standup special, Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater, on sale on his Web site for just $5, bypassing the traditional cable television-to-DVD approach.

His everyman style of comedy doesn’t normally stray into the political realm. After tweeting a few unprintable remarks about Sarah Palin last year, he told GQ he regretted them, saying, “I’m not a political comedian.”

The 68th Annual Radio and TV Congressional Correspondents’ Dinner will be held on June 8, 2012.

Martha Stewart's talk at DAR basically made us want to be her even more than before.

Last night, domestic doyenne Martha Stewart spoke at DAR Constitution Hall to promote her new book, Martha’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations. (Check out some Thanksgiving-themed highlights from the tome here.)

Stewart, decked out in a tan sweater and (were those leather?) skinny pants, first gave a presentation featuring photos from her new book. This basically amounted to gorgeous “house porn” of her homes in Bedford, New York, the Hamptons, and Maine. She discussed her love of gardening, mentioning the trouble with timing the blossoming of her peonies.

“It makes it hard to plan my peony party,” she said, adding, “Nature is fickle; mankind is even more fickle.”

She also showed photos from her Easter-egg hunts (hundreds of eggs are hidden), Fourth of July parties, and, of course, Thanksgiving.

“I approach the holiday as a pleasant challenge,” she said, adding that she enjoys “subtly altering traditions” each year.

Contrary to popular belief, not every Turkey Day with Martha Stewart goes exactly as planned. One year, she held Thanksgiving in her barn (the photos were the absolute definition of rustic chic, with horses looking on as Martha and her guests dined). She cut her thumb, a child’s shirt caught on fire, and one of her dogs got kicked by a horse.

In the October 2011 issue, The Washingtonian named the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington. These ten women are likely candidates for the list in the future—they are making scientific breakthroughs, making theater magic, starting businesses, and making names fore themselves in fields from fashion to journalism. Here are The Washingtonian’s Women to Watch:

Alessandra Luchini
Engineer and researcher at George Mason University’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine

In 2008, Luchini, 34, and a team of CAPMM researchers established a new type of nanotechnology in which nanoparticles work like lobster traps, corralling bodily fluids to catch a disease biomarker, which are then concentrated and preserved.

Luchini and her team are making it possible to detect cancer, Lyme disease and other illnesses sooner and treat patients faster than ever before.

Luchini’s work earned her a place in Popular Science magazine’s 2011 “Brilliant 10” young scientists. While the recognition was great, Luchini says, “the biggest accomplishment is seeing my research going closer and closer to helping patients.”

Since receiving her doctorate from University of Padova, she has also written more than 20 peer-reviewed articles and licensed eight patents.

A wine blog finds that the District of Columbia comes in number one in wine consumption.

The Daily Sip crunches the numbers and finds that the District of Columbia ranks number one in wine consumption, with an average of 6.6 gallons per capita in 2009. DC ranks above New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Nevada in the top five.

The Daily Sip writes that often greater household income correlates highly with increased wine consumption. The ten states—with the exception of Vermont—on its list of top ten wine consumers are also in the top 20 when it comes to median household income. The writer also estimates that because DC is home to embassies with plump party budgets, wine consumption may skew higher than it might otherwise be.

A serving of canned cherry-pie filling contains 80 calories. The plate before me certainly holds more than a serving. I stare down at a paper plate covered in a heap of red gel studded with round fruit, buried under a cap of heavy whipped cream. There is no crust, no breaded flavor to offset the sugar overload.

This is supposed to be fun.

I step around piles of manure in the rodeo ring at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds on Thursday, nestled in the rolling pastures outside Leesburg, Virginia. Volunteers swirl whipped cream in the final preparations for a pie-eating contest. The first to a clean plate wins.

“The adults will now get to eat two pies,” the announcer calls out to the onlookers seated in the grandstand. “Two pies for the adults.”

I had already watched the first two age divisions peck, smash and lick their way to victory, and scrutinized various techniques.

“You’re not eating pie,” the announcer had needled the kids during the earlier contest. “You’re wearing pie.”

Capitol Skyline Hotel will host Summer Camp on July 4, with plenty of fun, music, and food to go around. Photo by Dakota Fine

Fireworks on the National Mall
The fireworks on the National Mall are arguably the main attraction of Independence Day in Washington. The fireworks are lit from the Reflecting Pool and appear above the Washington Monument. They begin after dark, usually around 9:15 PM. The US Capitol building, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, East Potomac Park, the Marine Corps War Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial are all popular spots to watch the display. The crowds at many of these landmarks tend to be large, so stake out a spot early. Many nearby hotels and rooftop bars host viewing parties and special rates for the holiday week—check out our guide to the fun. Note: The Smithsonian Metro station is closed until after the evening’s fireworks display, so don’t plan on getting off there.

Every weekday during June, The Washingtonian will give away a pair of tickets to the summer’s hottest event: the 2011 LivingSocial Best of Washington Party on Wednesday, July 13, at the National Building Museum. More than 1,500 guests will enjoy amazing food and refreshing cocktails from more than 60 of The Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants, such as Proof and the Oval Room—all under one roof. Regularly priced tickets for the LivingSocial Best of Washington party start at $95, but if you subscribe today, you could win a pair for free with just one yearly subscription at only $29.95.

All you have to do to enter is subscribe to The Washingtonian on our Web site. You can do so via that popup that greets you when you enter our site or go to our subscribe page. Winners will be drawn and notified the following business day (those who don’t win will also get an e-mail letting them know so they’ll still have time to purchase tickets to the big event). Those who enter must be legal residents of the United States and age 18 or older to win. Complete contest rules can be found at the bottom of the page here.