Romany Malco made his name in films such as Baby Mama, the 40 Year Old Virgin and Think Like a Man and on TV in hit shows such as Weeds. But it is his outspoken nature and command of social media that have garnered him legions of followers...

One day in September 2000, I sat down and penned a letter to my then-7-year-old daughter. When I was finished filling two pages of lined paper, I sealed them in an envelope upon which I wrote, "For Hannah -- to be opened only in the event of my death." My...

Actor Robert Patrick is best known as a tough guy in TV shows and films including The X-Files, Gangster Squad, The Unit, Terminator 2 and Burn Notice. He's also a member of the NRA, a gun owner and a man whose decision to become an actor was made during a...

Recently on the evening news I was subjected to former Congressman Bob Barr saying, "It is all about the Big C -- Control." He could have been discussing his own record while in Congress, but he was actually talking about efforts to enact new gun control...

The son of a friend of mine was killed in the early hours of Christmas Eve morning. He was in his twenties and was parking in front of his newly rented house in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington D.C. Police say he was the victim of a random robbery....

Taking off your clothes for a cause is nothing new, but it generally can be counted on to garner attention -- as it did yesterday when seven among a group of AIDS activists removed their clothing in the office of House Speaker John Boehner. A friend of mine who was...

One day you are a reasonable active middle-aged woman who keeps her house clean, walks to the post office to mail regular packages to her daughter in college, and takes long hot baths at the end of a productive work day. The next, you are a virtual hostage in your...

They began lining up for the concert at 9 a.m., although the doors didn't open until eight hours later. By the time my friend Cathy and I arrived around 4:30, the line was long and boisterous. That mood continued during the concert, with catcalls and whistling aimed at the headliner...

I watched Wednesday night's presidential debate with my 19-year-old daughter and several of her college roommates. To be perfectly clear, they were in their dorm at Drexel University in Philadelphia and I was in my home in Arlington, Va., but we were together thanks to Skype. I could see them...

"Single mothers" has never had a negative connotation in my mind, particularly since I have been part of that demographic for almost 20 years. Nor does it signify some kind of heroic figure clutching a babe to her breast. The fact is that the words "single" and "mother" are only...

Just as the major currency of Hollywood is fame, here in the Washington area we deal in power: Who has it? How much? On the last day of June, many of us were reminded of what it means to be completely powerless -- literally -- when a huge storm took...

As much as it is possible to give credit to one specific medium for the success of a star, PBS should take a bow for propelling British singer Alfie Boe into so many American living rooms and hearts. The 355 non-commercial TV...

According to the Poynter Institute, there has been a 20-year steady decline in newspaper circulation. Daily circulation, which stood at 62.3 million in 1990, fell to 43.4 million in 2010, a decline of 30 percent. This is hardly news. Between a weakening economy and the rise in online...

Fans of Fox's show Bones have actress/singer Diana Ross to thank for one of the lead characters. Tamara Taylor, who has played the pivotal role of Dr. Camille Saroyan for six seasons, was inspired to become an actress by Diana Ross. "I saw Mahogany and Lady...

I found myself in a scene from Dante's Inferno this morning. The acrid smell of smoke filled the air as high pitched squealing sounds assaulted my ears. Bodies pressed against one another, surging to enter into a space already packed with bodies. The air was damp with humidity and perspiration...

So thanks to Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, women seeking abortions in our state have the "right to know" what a fetus looks like. In particular, their own fetuses. And by "right to know," he means that beginning on July 1, they will be forced to undergo an ultrasound...

Romany Malco claims that he is often recognized by fans, but usually as the "funny black guy" from such crowd-pleasers as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Baby Mama, Weeds and No Ordinary Family. That may change next month when his film Think Like a Man is released. Based...

Do you remember being forced to read the Aristophanes play Lysistrata in your high school Great Books class? I do. I wasn't thrilled by yet another Greek drama but ended up captivated by the story of women who swore an oath to withhold sexual activity from men in...

What do you call a state (excuse me -- Commonwealth) whose legislature in one month advances laws allowing unlimited purchases of handguns, declares the rights of personhood from the moment a sperm and egg unite and forces all women seeking abortions to first have an

It would be way too easy to use the word "lucky" in describing how British actor Tom Payne was cast in the new HBO hit series Luck. And yet that's how he talks about it: "It was the easiest casting process ever." Payne plays Cajun jockey...