>> See more photos from the gala in our photo slide show here 

What: Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala

Where: Harman Center for the Arts and the National Building Museum

When: Sunday, October 25, 6 to 11 PM

Ticket prices: $750 per person, $15,000 per table

Why: To fundraise for the center’s outreach and educational programs (fans of the Shakespeare Free for All, say thanks), to honor British actor Sir Ian McKellen (known to many as X-Men’s Magneto) with the William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre, and to give the Sidney Harman Award for Philanthropy in the Arts to Heidi and Max Berry.

The Agenda: Theater patrons walked up the red carpet and into the Harman lobby for drinks and socializing an hour before curtain. At 7, guests were ushered into the theater for award presentations and a series of scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Actors from the Shakespeare Theatre Company cracked highbrow jokes between Synetic Theater’s goblinesque, eerily unspoken “That Shrewd and Knavish Sprite” performance, Step Afrika’s powerfully rhythmic Zulu dance number, and a surprise appearance by Mickey Rooney. The actor—who at age 15 played Puck in the 1935 movie version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream—received a standing ovation for his revival of the Fairy King’s jester. Ian McKellen’s acceptance speech—peppered with smart quips, a soliloquy from Sir Thomas More, and a flawless English accent—was met with similar enthusiasm. After the show, guests followed a wood fairy through the crisp autumn evening to the nearby National Building Museum for a sit-down dinner, drinks, and dancing.

While Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke shepherds the nation through a financial storm, his wife, Anna Bernanke, is quietly navigating her own full-time project—to open a new private school.

The proposed school, Chance Academy, will offer an arts-oriented curriculum to prepare inner-city students for college. It was intended to open this fall at Joe’s Movement Emporium, a community arts center in Mount Rainier. Those familiar with Bernanke’s proposal say the building contract fell through at the last minute and she’s looking at other options for a site. According to these sources, the launch is being funded by the Bernanke family’s own money.

Apparently, a dinner more than a year ago with Kathleen Kennedy Townsend helped plant the seed: Townsend, a former Maryland lieutenant governor and daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, told Anna Bernanke about Touchstones Discussion Project, a nonprofit that aims to help students think independently.

Photograph by Scott Suchman.

No one knows what to make of Howard Gutman. When President Obama nominated him to be ambassador to Belgium this spring, the Belgian press couldn’t choose which of Gutman’s three hats to lead with: Was he a high-powered DC attorney? A Hollywood bit actor and would-be TV producer? Or a close Obama confidant?

Sure, he’s a longtime partner at Williams & Connolly, one of the city’s top law firms. But he also has a Screen Actors Guild card and a role in the upcoming movie Fame, and he was a top Obama fundraiser as well as one of the “Washington insiders” the GOP has attacked.

Gutman graduated from Harvard Law, clerked on the Fifth Circuit and for Justice Potter Stewart, and did a stint with FBI director William Webster before settling at Williams & Connolly in 1982. He spent two decades building a practice in corporate litigation and labor law as well as representing people such as Steven Rales and Nigel Morris. He also represented former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada against charges of human-rights abuses.

In honor of Washington’s godfather of go-go, Seventh Street, Northwest, from T Street to Florida Avenue has been “symbolically designated” Chuck Brown Way. The honor was certainly deserved, but why stop there? Here are other area routes that could be named after local personalities:

U Street, Northwest: Jim Vance Street. Washingtonians trust this local mainstay as the go-to source for what’s happening. Cleaned up since the early ’90s, U Street now boasts the same swagger that made it a favorite long ago.

I-270: Ben Stein Highway. You’ll need a pair of dry, clear eyes to make it through the tentacles of this stop-and-go artery without falling asleep during rush hour.

Military Road, Northwest: Dick Cheney Road. With plenty of deer creeping on and around the shoulder of this street near Rock Creek Park, there’s unlimited hunting potential, and heavy traffic means innocent bystanders are always at risk.

Could Judge Wood be promoted? Photograph courtesy University of Chicago Law School and Harris School of Public Policy

President Obama’s first Supreme Court pick, Sonia Sotomayor, is likely still unpacking, but high-court observers are placing early bets on the next new justice. John Paul Stevens, 89, has hired just one law clerk for the 2010–11 term, bolstering speculation that his retirement is imminent. In the past, Stevens—the oldest member of the court—had by this time of year hired all four of his clerks for the next term. Retired justices can hire one clerk.

Lots of names get bandied about anytime a spot appears poised to open up. Predictions from Supreme Court advocates and former Stevens clerks include Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, US attorney general Eric Holder, and DC Appeals Court judge Merrick Garland. Court watchers think Obama will go for a woman, a minority, or someone whose credentials would diversify the court, such as a governor.

• To see the full slideshow of photos from the night, head here.
  
  

What: Human Rights Campaign National Dinner.

Where: Washington Convention Center.

When: Saturday, October 10. The opening reception kicked off around 5—though many attendees got there earlier to leave time for Secret Service security lines—and the event ended around 10:30, when guests hit the downstairs after-party.

Ticket price: $250.

Dress code: Black tie.

Who: More than 3,000 members and supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities flooded the convention center for an evening of fundraising and entertainment for the Human Rights Campaign. Highlights of the sold-out event included the cast of the popular and gay-friendly Fox series Glee, led by the very hilarious Jane Lynch; a performance by pop star Lady Gaga; Gavin Creel, star of the Broadway revival of Hair; comedian Dana Goldberg; and one last-minute addition to the program who brought live CNN coverage, fresh off his Nobel Peace Prize: keynote speaker President Barack Obama. Also in attendance were Tipper Gore and Representative Patrick Kennedy, who presented the National Leadership Award in honor of his late father, Senator Edward Kennedy, to Judy and Dennis Shepard, 11 years after their son Matthew was murdered. The event also boasted 32 corporate sponsors and 50 dinner sponsors, such as Paul Hastings, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Accenture, Microsoft, and Lockheed Martin.

Ris Lacoste After years away from the local dining scene, the former 1789 chef is getting closer to opening her new place in DC’s West End.

Robert Bennett After 20 years at Skadden, Arps, the legendary white-collar defender jumped to Hogan & Hartson in September, making him the latest of a string of litigation partners to depart Skadden this year.

Helen Mirren The famed British actress (and dame) has been the toast of the town while starring in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s sold-out production of Phèdre.

Van Jones The Obama “green-jobs czar” became one of the first casualties of the administration when he resigned after controversial old comments resurfaced.

Casey Wilson The Alexandria native—and daughter of Republican political consultant Paul Wilson—was recently let go after two seasons on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. What’s it really like working on the show?

Christopher Nassetta The head of Hilton Hotels is moving into his new corporate headquarters in Tysons Corner, bringing approximately 300 jobs to the region.

This article first appeared in the October 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.