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Heard on the Hill: In the Cross Hairs

July 9, 12 a.m.

Rep. José Serrano is well-known for his trademark Tom Selleck-esque black mustache, but the New York Democrat recently made a stunning lip-hair-related admission: That lustrous ’stache of his isn’t entirely natural.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Washingtonienne Wants More Sex, Please

July 8, 12 p.m.

She’s ba-ack. Capitol Hill staffer/blogger-turned-novelist Jessica Cutler, who scandalized Washington with tales of her sexual exploits, has re-emerged in our fair city.

Heard on the Hill: Professional Eulogist

July 8, 12 a.m.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee surprised many on Capitol Hill when she appeared at Tuesday’s Los Angeles memorial service for pop icon Michael Jackson, where she lauded the singer’s musical talent and humanitarian work.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Blame Canada!

July 7, 12:38 p.m.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has a picturesque jurisdiction — its Web site features photos of soaring eagles, fuzzy polar bears and craggy landscapes. But one of the photos used to illustrate the American landscape actually depicts a scene from (gasp!) Canada.

Heard on the Hill: King to King of Pop — Beat It

July 7, 12 a.m.

When Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) filmed a short video on July 4 railing against the fawning tributes to dead pop star Michael Jackson, he wasn’t expecting to find such a wide audience.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Bet Your Bottom Euro

July 6, 12:01 p.m.

It’s not quite Vegas, but get ready to place your bets — Dublin-based bookmakers Paddy Power have set the odds on potential career moves for outgoing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Heard on the Hill: Remembering an Angel

July 6, 12 a.m.

Pop icon Michael Jackson certainly got his due on the House floor a week and a half ago — Members took a moment of silence to mark his death, spoke of his life as being “full of artistry” and even offered a resolution honoring him as an “American legend.”

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Happy 233rd, America

July 2, 12:03 p.m.

Although the thought of heading back to the Capitol during a three-day weekend might be a little unappealing for some staffers, there really is nothing quite like celebrating the Fourth of July with half a million of your fellow Americans on the West Lawn.

HOH's One-Minute Recess: So Long, Norm!

July 1, 12:27 p.m.

HOH isn’t sure whether the newest addition to official Washington, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), will prove to be a colorful, quotable character a la his comedy-writing days (fingers crossed!) or the dry politician he’s been on the campaign trail.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Moran’s Got It in the Bag

June 30, 12:28 p.m.

If Rep. Jim Moran ever wants to leave Congress, he’ll at least have some valuable work experience to put on his résumé: The Virginia Democrat is serving as a “celebrity bagger” at a Safeway store in Alexandria, Va., this afternoon.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: They Just Wanna Have Fun

June 29, 12 p.m.

It was a gals’ kind of weekend, with the high-powered women of Washington taking advantage of the fine weather to primp and chow down.

Heard on the Hill: Body Politic

June 29, 12 a.m.

We’ve heard Congress defined as a legislative body before, but we rarely think of it in the rather bawdy way Rep. Mike Pence recently put it.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Michael Jackson’s Washington

June 26, 12:08 p.m.

As snippets of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits played on cable TV and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) even led a moment of silence in honor of the deceased pop icon, HOH figured a trip down memory lane was in order.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: One of the Gals

June 25, 12:37 p.m.

Most Washingtonians have been warned about the dangers of getting in between Sen. Charles Schumer and a camera. And in yet another example of how ubiquitous he is, you can spot him “Where’s Waldo”-like in a photo spread featuring his fellow New York Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Heard on the Hill: Catching His Zzzs

June 25, 12 a.m.

Health care is an important topic, of course, but deep discussions of its finer points can be a little sleep-inducing.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: The JoBro Show

June 24, 12:01 p.m.

It was a scene reminiscent of the Beatles at “The Ed Sullivan Show”: a mop-top musician causing a roomful of young girls to swoon — including one who even fainted.

Heard on the Hill: Congressional Cameo

June 24, 12 a.m.

Teenage crooner Nick Jonas might be breaking hearts on Capitol Hill this week, but Rep. Jack Kingston spent his Monday hanging out with the singer’s even more famous rumored girlfriend — and it could turn into the Georgia Republican’s big break in showbiz.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Tween Heartthrob Alert

June 23, 12:04 p.m.

Don’t be alarmed if you see a gaggle of excited teenage girls outside Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D-N.J.) office Tuesday afternoon.

Heard on the Hill: Reid’s Hangover

June 23, 12 a.m.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn’t drink (the hard stuff, that is), so we can only imagine that his outing on Saturday to take in “The Hangover” was an exercise in cultural anthropology.

HOH's One-Minute Recess: Sibling Bond

June 22, 12:04 p.m.

Looks like Angelina Jolie isn’t the only member of her family getting involved in humanitarian pursuits.

Heard on the Hill: Paranoid, Much?

June 22, 12 a.m.

That kooky Rep. Dan Burton is continuing to champion an unlikely cause: wrapping the House chamber in a protective bubble. The Indiana Republican — who once famously tried to prove that former Clinton administration official Vince Foster’s death was not a suicide by re-enacting his version of it in his backyard using a pumpkin and a pistol — is again pressing the wacky idea of erecting a shield to protect Congress.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Family Matters

June 19, 11:58 a.m.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack is standing behind her famous stepson, Chaz Bono, as he transitions from female to male.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Let the Smack Talk Begin

June 18, 12 p.m.

We can’t blame the Democrats for gloating a bit about their victory in Wednesday night’s 48th Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game — they hadn’t won since 2000, after all.

Heard on the Hill: Something Squirrely This Way Comes

June 18, 12 a.m.

What with the pre-recess crush of legislation, things are kind of nutty over in the House. And word of said nuttiness seems to have spread to the local squirrel population.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Film Crew Plays Hardball

June 17, 1:16 p.m.

These Hollywood types — they come to town and think they run the place. And well, it seems like they sort of do.

Heard on the Hill: Play Ball Like a Girl

June 17, 12 a.m.

There’s a female Speaker, a female secretary of State and a potential new female Supreme Court justice — but somehow, the gals of Congress just don’t show up to play baseball.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Get on Your Soapbox

June 16, 12:03 p.m.

Oh, to be a kid again. Starting summer vacation and looking forward to camp, instead of slogging through hearings and counting the days until Congress goes on recess.

Heard on the Hill: A Close Shave

June 16, 12 a.m.

Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott’s well-groomed looks are no accident. From his always-perfect coiffure to immaculate tailoring (he even makes an otherwise-goofy seersucker suit look stylish), the Mississippi Republican is one snazzy guy. So HOH wasn’t a bit surprised to hear that Lott takes his skin care products seriously.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: All Work, No Play

June 15, 11:59 a.m.

Former Rep. Christopher Shays misses his old job — but according to an Associated Press profile of his post-Congress outlook, not because it was most people’s idea of a fun time.

Heard on the Hill: What’s Inside Their Wallets?

June 15, 12 a.m.

Sure, Members’ financial disclosure forms tell the public all kinds of important stuff about potential conflicts of interest and the like. But let’s face it: HOH is only interested in the weirder tidbits tucked amid the stacks and stacks of documents.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Upholding the Rules

June 12, 12:32 p.m.

A leading Member of Congress took to the House floor on Friday to complain in a passionate oratory that an unknown Congressional colleague had left a “partially eaten fish sandwich in the middle of the House floor.”

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Dirty Minds Think Alike

June 11, 12 p.m.

Hill staffers are sophisticated folks, often boasting multiple advanced degrees and nuanced understandings of the most complicated issues of our time. Fortunately, they also often have the sense of humor of middle schoolers.

Heard on the Hill: Keeping Their Clunkers

June 11, 12 a.m.

The House passed a “cash for clunkers” bill on Tuesday amid lots of big talk about cleaning up the environment and weaning the U.S. off its dependence on foreign oil.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Swing and a Hit

June 10, 12:30 p.m.

Of all the perks of being a Member of Congress, this is among the coolest we’ve seen: You get to talk a little baseball — and people listen.

Heard on the Hill: Bumps and Bruises

June 10, 12 a.m.

The Senate never has been a place for the faint of heart — but looking around the chamber these days, one might assume the place is downright dangerous.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Capitol, er, Hollywood Hill

June 9, 12:01 p.m.

Who would have thought the basement of the Capitol could be so L.A.?

Heard on the Hill: When in Rome ...

June 9, 12 a.m.

Temporary Washingtonian Owen Wilson is on to one of the locals’ secrets: The hunky actor, who is in the city to film a movie, was spotted on Monday having coffee at Georgetown bakery Baked & Wired.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Gone to the Dogs

June 8, 12:01 p.m.

Attention, Bo Obama: The “it” accessory for chic Democratic dogs has arrived.

Heard on the Hill: Let’s Talk About ... Pizza?

June 8, 12 a.m.

Interns this summer might not get the benefit of Sen. Tom Coburn’s famous lecture on the perils of syphilis, gonorrhea and other “social diseases.”

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Basketball Diaries

June 5, 12:01 p.m.

Every time a sports championship rolls around, Members of Congress representing the districts where the competing teams reside mark the occasion somehow, typically with a silly bet.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Hello, Larry!

June 4, 12:54 p.m.

HOH has been mourning the loss to our gossipy community of former Sen. Larry Craig, who retired after his bathroom-stall antics were uncovered. But HOH is taking off her black armband because Craig’s back, baby — at least for the moment.

Heard on the Hill: Intern-al Affairs

June 4, 12 a.m.

Think of it as “TMZ,” only substitute intern hubris for celebrity hijinks. A new blog dedicated to catching Washington interns on their worst behavior is making the rounds among Hill staffers.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: A (Big) Easy Date

June 3, 11:45 a.m.

Political guru James Carville sure is playing the campaign fundraising field these days.

Heard on the Hill: Family Affair

June 3, 12 a.m.

Here’s a silver lining for politicians who lose a Congressional race: It might just land you a reality TV show.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Fashion Police 9-1-1

June 2, 11:53 a.m.

Judging from the plunge in the median age around Capitol Hill, it’s the dawn of intern season. And perhaps not so coincidentally, it also seems we’ve morphed into Flip-Flop Nation.

Heard on the Hill: How Do You Spell Relief?

June 2, 12 a.m.

You know a party went awry when news stories about it include the phrase “stool sample.”

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: What About the Other Guy?

June 1, 12:08 p.m.

When President Ronald Reagan comes to the Capitol’s Statuary Hall on Wednesday (in statue form, of course) it no doubt will be a celebratory day for supporters of the Gipper.

Heard on the Hill: Strength in Numbers

June 1, 12 a.m.

Forget the tabloid melodrama that is “Jon & Kate Plus 8” — there’s another super-sized reality show family on the rise, and they’re visiting the nation’s capital all this week.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: These Levis Won’t Fade

May 29, 11:51 a.m.

Levi Johnston, the father of woulda-been Vice President Sarah Palin’s granddaughter, might be going from surreal TV (who can forget his appearance at the Republican convention last summer?) to reality TV.

HOH’s One-Minute Recess: The Secret of the Would-Be Justice

May 28, 12 p.m.

If Democrats are to be believed and Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed before August recess, that means one thing — there’s plenty of time for her supporters to plan the party.