Rent “Dirty Sexy Money,” the complete first season. If you need to be convinced to watch this show, you probably can’t be sold. But here goes nothing: Family secrets. Torrid affairs. Dirty deeds. Not to mention a stunning ensemble cast. You’re still reading this instead of watching?

See “Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power” at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The exhibition features five decades of rare and never-before-seen photos of prized activists, entertainers and political figures taken by America’s portraitist (through Jan. 25, 2009; corcoran.org).

Surf smartertravel.com and click on “travel advice” for tips on how cash-strapped college students can save money on flights home (or that upcoming winter break in Cancún).

Go to the Monterey Jazz Festival. A bit more than 100 miles south of San Francisco, this 51st annual event is the longest-running jazz festival in the world. Headliners this year include Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson and Jamie Cullum (Sept. 19–21; montereyjazzfestival.org).

Visit Orange, Va., for Montpelier’s Restoration Celebration. The five-year effort to restore James Madison’s home culminates in this daylong event. The festivities are hosted by PBS’s Jim Lehrer and include appearances by Chief Justice John Roberts and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (Sept. 17).