The Capitol Riverfront’s Ultimate Underdogs film series continues Thursday with Forrest Gump, playing at Canal Park (200 M St., SE; 202-465-7093). Free; 8:45.
Author Christopher Hitchens is at Politics and Prose Thursday to discuss his new book, Hitch 22: A Memoir. The provocative author of God Is Not Great talks about his first 60 years, family, and mission in life. Free; 7 PM.
Grab a blanket and head to Gateway Park Friday for a trip back to the ’90s and a screening of John Waters’s teen-musical comedy, Cry-Baby. The film is part of the 2010 Rossyln Outdoor Film Festival, where the theme is I Love the ’90s. Free; begins at dusk.
Watch Saturday’s World Cup matches at Soccer in the Circle, an outdoor viewing party on two massive screens in the center of DC’s Dupont Circle. Catch the US versus England at 2:30; early birds can see South Korea versus Greece at 7:30 AM, followed by Argentina versus Nigeria at 10.
Need to cool off? The Hilton Embassy Row is hosting an old-fashioned pool party Saturday from 1 to 9. The Swim Meet includes food, drinks, music, views of Dupont Circle, and of course, plenty of water. Cover is $10, with free admission and lunch from 1 to 2.
Take a bicycle ride, and look fancy, too, with Dandies and Quaintrelles’ Seersucker Bike Ride at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens Saturday. The course for this high-style tour will be e-mailed to you once you register (free) here. The event begins at 3:30.
Saturday, DC9 hosts its one-of-a-kind Nerd Nite, an evening of drinking, presentations, and, well, nerds. Listen to three short, funny presentations covering the spectrum of nerdiness—including a discussion on genetically modified animals, the mystery of Wall Street derivatives, and fun facts about primates. Tickets are $10, and the show begins at 6:30.
Head to the Black Cat Saturday for Mousetrap, the club’s monthly Britpop dance night. DJ Mark Zimin blends everything from the Smiths to Blur for this Washington mainstay. Tickets are $10; the event begins at 9:30.
Actress Pam Grier discusses and signs her memoir, Foxy: My Life in Three Acts at Busboys and Poets’ 14th and V streets location Sunday. The actress has appeared in seminal films since the 1970s, including a string of blaxploitation movies, which led her to work with Quentin Tarantino in Jackie Brown. She now has a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Free. 6 PM
As part of its “In the Realm of the Buddha” gallery-talk series, the Sackler Gallery hosts Khenchen Rinpoché, founder of the Tibetan Meditation Center. In a Sunday discussion called “Awakening the Mind,” he’ll talk about the path to mental purification through Tantric meditation. Free; 2 PM.
Michael J. Gaynor has written about fake Navy SEALs, a town without cell phones, his Russian spy landlord, and many more weird and fascinating stories for the Washingtonian. He lives in DC, where his landlord is no longer a Russian spy.
