In the D.C. area this weekend? Be sure to check out ShamrockFest ‘08, which will showcase quite the array of musical acts, according to a loyal Big Head DC reader, Thongspeed’s Pagan Marbury, who offers up these recommendations:

Tommy Lee, natch. I guess DJing is his new side project. Who cares if he’s any good? Please send picture mail!

Liquid A - I love this band - young and passionate, hard partying guys. From their web site, “..rock and hip-hop, old to new, urb to suburb, light to hard, beach bar to biker bar, back to front, smack it up, flip it, rub it down…” This year they will be joined by members of the Congressional band The Second Amendments and possibly a local celebrity 70’s rock legend. A Do Not Miss.

Army of Me - My husband loves this band from the Velvet Lounge. (And before you guys start freaking out about my husband, let me say that he’s the one who reminded me of the 5th musician referenced above. He’s cool.)

Love Seed Mama Jump - Ahh, my first cover band, loved since my early days in Dewey (when Burnt Sienna was just a twinkle in Jefe’s eye). Don’t miss the manic-hot lead singer and the most talented drummer on the scene (sorry Tommy). Let’s hope they play some of their original tunes.

Burnt Sienna - Scorching hot these days. They are in huge demand to play parties in this area, but I never get bored. Terrific guitar and harmonies, super fun set lists. This year they’ll be joined on stage by the original pianist and guitarist from years ago. More eye candy for us (and Bobby K has been known to play the guitar with his tongue - electric!)

Scott’s New Band - Fantastic front man and great performances. They used to be called LRS, and they play songs everyone loves.

Pat Premier - He’s the house DJ for Clarendon Ballroom and Clarendon Grill. If you like a good techno/hip hop/oldies mix, don’t miss this guy.

Great Big Sea - They are rumored to have some connection to certain Hollywood types who might possibly be in DC this weekend. Hmmm… I would keep an eye on this set. With camera phone in hand.

Mr. Greengenes - Hot guys in a hot band. They often pull hot girls on stage, and the lead singer has been known to climb things and stage dive. A GREAT show.

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Neil Diamond is claiming that the inspiration for his 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline” was JFK’s daughter Caroline Kennedy. He says he penned the song after seeing an “innocent, wonderful” picture of the youngster next to her pony.

Um, aren’t the main lines of that tune, “Reachin’ out, touchin’ me, touchin’ you”?

Adding to the grossness, the aging crooner performed the song via satellite at a party for Kennedy’s upcoming 50th birthday and told the Associated Press, “I thought she might be embarrassed, but she seemed to be struck by it and really, really happy.”

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Did you know that Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican, has written a couple of hit records?

“I have one gold and one platinum record, but I’ve been told I would have more if it wasn’t for piracy,” he’s quoted in WaPo as saying.

You wouldn’t know it from his unconventional musician looks (where’s he hiding his tats?), but his gospel hymns and country tunes have actually been featured in popular movies, including Ocean’s Twelve.

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Now we know why the Republican revolution failed. Newt Gingrich, former leader of that whole deal, has been spotted listening to Riverdance, a recording of the infamous Irish step dance group. Which makes total sense, since the dancers rose to prominence when Gingrich was first Speaker of the House, about 13 years ago. Since that time, they’ve become increasingly less popular. Sort of like Gingrich himself.

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The rapper duo have remixed their 1990s hit single “Whatta Man.” The original lyrics included a shout out to Arnold Schwarzenegger — long before he became a Republican pol. The gals now much prefer the body politik of Barack Obama and have reworked the lyrics to, “A body like Obama with a Denzel face.”

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