Morning everyone. Today’s Tuesday, I believe it’s cold, and there’s a chance of rain.

In case you missed it, the Hirshhorn Museum received a new art installation last night–a patch of realism. Guess nakedness was already taken.

Prom dates are always such a fuss. Should you ask him? Should you wait for him to ask you? Will this shit matter in 20 years? What if you end up going alone?! In Elena Kagan’s case, that may have been the optimal. Who knew, shit like that would matter when you’re nominated for the Supreme Court? Of course, surviving Manhattan’s Upper West Side, she’s lucky she isn’t hustlin’. And we thought life in Southeast was hard.

So over at here at the City Paper, we have a resident mouse. Ever since we got that new vending machine though, haven’t really seen him come around getting drunk off soda.

Once Kagan lands that Supreme Court gig, it seems Yale and Harvard alums will officially run the world. Pinky and the Brain would grimace. They were trying to install Steve Jobs to finish up their work.

Over at Slate, David Bernstein says, “Are there no similarly talented individuals who attended other Ivy League schools, other private universities or (gasp!) even state law schools?”

Guess it’s hard out there–mediocre and sodden, without the Benjamins. Unless you're Fannie Mae, who's seeking another $8.4 billion in aid. They must know something I don't about keeping a sugar daddy.

That's all for this morning folks. Run off to Facebook, Twitter, Gchat–whatever your pleasure. Just note, this day and age, everyone's a stalker.

Photo by 1Happysnapper. Creative Commons Attribution License.

"We will have Screen on the Green this summer," Rauch said in an interview with Washington City Paper. "And if we don’t, we’re gonna have 16,000 people with DVD players and iPhones sitting on the mall, in a flash mob or something. We’ll find a way."

Inspired by President Obama's successful grass roots campaigning, Rauch started the Facebook group "Save Screen on the Green!" in May, shortly after HBO announced it was pulling the plug due to lack of co-sponsorship.

Obama haters and skeptics of new media organizing take note. The Facebook group has picked up nearly 2,500 members and launched a letter writing campaign. All of which, says Rauch, have made him HBO's go-to D.C. contact.

“I’ve been in direct communication with their Screen on the Green coordinator," he says. "I’m, in a way, the local connection for them on this."

Rauch has been checking in with HBO and referring interested local sponsors to the company's Screen on the Green representative for negotiations. Surprisingly or not, HBO is just as intent on keeping SOTG alive as Rauch and his contacts. So far, HBO still needs a co-sponsor to put up the remaining $150,000 for SOTG.

“It seems like HBO has been working with some people," Rauch says.

"They’re working with the National Park Service to make sure that they can find dates that are in a series of times that are good for showing—I think they wanna get five movies in at the minimum. It’s a lot of logistics that HBO is working on with Park Service."

Now it's just a matter of finding that co-sponsorship.

After a fruitless e-mail blitz on everyone from Lockheed Martin to AT&T (“Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were pretty quick to tell us to stop e-mailing them"), Rauch turned to Facebook group members for help. Peppering his pleas with Obama-like buzz-words "community," "initiative," and "advocacy," Rauch see's direct appeals to members' own companies and employers as the best bet to save SOTG.

"Someone that worked for Booz Allen Hamilton got a meeting with some of their head honchos to try to promote this in addition to our e-mails," Rauch said. "Unfortunately, they couldn’t commit to it."

Currently, Rauch has no local committed investors. But, in addition to HBO's SOTG rep, he is working with the D.C. Film Alliance. Rauch's latest initiative, designing and selling "Save Screen on the Green!" T-shirts to raise money and awareness, is in the works. He's hoping the Film Alliance will help.

"I’m just a regular citizen," Rauch said. "I don’t have a corporate bank account where I can protect people's money when they buy something from me, like a T-shirt. But the film alliance would be able to do something like that."

Selling shirts and writing letters may seem ineffectual to some, but, according to Rauch, maintaining a presence and building a community of SOTG advocates is most effectual.

"We’re not going to start seeing a protest and a march down the street of our Facebook group," Rauch said. "In fact, I think what makes the Facebook group effective is we have almost 2500 in just our Facebook group alone–strength in numbers."

Rauch said he is expecting a phone call from HBO early next week with "news." He urges people to join the SOTG Facebook community for updates about the T-shirt initiative and the status of SOTG.

"I think it's patriotic for people to get involved and support SOTG," Rauch said. "It’s the only film festival that is in the nation’s back yard. It’s just important—it's free, and in a place that’s just inspiring."

In the meantime, keep practicing the HBO dance.

Traffic Advisory for the Fannie Mae 2008 Walk for the Homeless National Walkathon

The Fannie Mae 2008 Walk for the Homeless National Walkathon will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2008. To facilitate this event, vehicular traffic restrictions must be imposed on all the noted streets downtown, Washington, DC between the hours of 7:00 am and 12:00 pm on the day of the walk. To avoid delays, motorists should avoid the route of the walk and streets that intersect.

The walk will go as follows:

• The participants will start at the Mall near Jefferson Drive, N.W.
• then, the participants will take south on 4th Street, N.W.;
• turn right on Independence Avenue, S.W.;
• left on 15th Street, SW continuing south as it becomes Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W.;
• Around the Tidal Basin over Inlet Bridge;
• Stay left on Ohio Drive;
• Follow Ohio Drive to West Basin Drive and turn right at intersection of West Basin Drive and Independence Avenue, S.W.;
• Bear left to continue on Independence Avenue to 15th Street, S.W.;
• North on 15th Street, S.W.;
• East on Jefferson Drive crossing 14th Street, N.W.;
• Finishing back on the Mall at 4th Street, S.W.

The Metropolitan Police Department always advises drivers to pay attention when operating any motor vehicle. Motorists are also urged to exercise caution when traveling in the area of any special events due to potential heavy pedestrian traffic. Unexpected changes are always possible in such closures based upon unanticipated or prevailing conditions.

Preregistration for the event costs $15 for "youth" (25 and younger) and $25 for adults. More details here.