A couple of weeks ago, my commute home from work was totally slowed down by Billy Zane and what appeared to be a film shoot. In New York and Los Angeles, this is probably so commonplace that nobody bats an eyelash, but in downtown Dallas, the rubbernecking was extreme. People…
The number of ways that comedy can be packaged is mind-blowing when you think about it. There’s sketch comedy, improv, stand-up, sitcom, Glenn Beck… there is virtually no limit to how the outlandish, the absurd and the hilarious can be dealt out to the masses. Broken Lizard has long recognized…
With very few exceptions (including The Jonas Brothers, Vanilla Ice and speed metal) I will pretty much go to any live show. To me, a good concert has little to do with my musical taste and more to do with actually seeing an artist at work–it’s not much different than…
Of all the vocations in the world, few present as ambiguous a career outlook as journalism. What does journalism even mean anymore? Is it about investigative reporting or merely keeping tabs on the output from networking sites or blogs? Has journalism become DIY? And what does that mean for the…
The Internet has brought us so many good things since it became widely available in the 1990s. News is available as it happens. Online learning has made education a possibility for many who only dreamed of it before. And social networking sites have given us all the ability to reconnect…
Fried butter seems to be weighing heavily on the minds of all of my Facebook friends. Ever since the State Fair of Texas announced their annual “Food That Will Kill You” lineup featuring the aforementioned fried dairy abomination, I’ve seen something about it every day via status update or wall…
Certainly, the argument can be made that film, by definition, is art. I think that anyone who has seen a Michael Bay movie might dispute that assertion pretty handily, but for the most part, artists have always recognized the power of that medium to convey their ideas to a mass…
George Fowler is a sculptor whose work toes the line between being incredibly ecological in nature and being kind of creepy. I don’t mean creepy in a negative sense at all…I mean it literally creeps up on you in a way that kind of gives you the chills and makes…
A couple of weeks ago, I was working at the day job and something occurred to me. I wanted to leave. And not just to go home–I wanted to leave my pile of work, head west on Interstate 30 and sit in the Ballpark with a hot dog, a beer…
The laws of supply and demand should be more carefully adhered to when you’re trying to decide what musical instrument to play. Sure, piano is a good skill to have, and guitar proficiency will help your chances of getting laid, but really–the market is a little flooded. Abilities with less…
Apocalypse Now has generated enough discourse and press in the past 30 years that its notoriety almost eclipses the film itself. We all know that Francis Ford Coppola–who wrote, directed and produced the film–had a hell of a time making it, and it’s pretty common knowledge that many felt that…
In the history of children’s television, no show will ever be as smart, funny and visually stimulating as Pee-wee’s Playhouse. I catch glimpses of Dora the Explorer, which is about as invigorating as cardboard, and the supremely un-subtle SpongeBob SquarePants, and wonder why more children’s television doesn’t aspire to the…
Every five years, like clockwork, Woodstock screams back into public consciousness thanks to an anniversary (this time it’s the 40th) and an opportunity to cash in on nostalgia. And while the event was something the likes of which we’ll probably never see again, all the footage of hippies rolling around…
There seems to be two types of comedian in the world: the abrasive ass-hat who may be funny, but not particularly likeable in real life (see Larry David or Kathy Griffin); and the affable funnyman who you just want to have a beer with and maybe share an awkward hug…
Charlie Sheen makes $875,000 per episode of Two and Half Men. That means he makes more per craptastic, predictable, woman-hating episode of that sitcom than most of us will make over the course of 15 years. And as much as I hate that Mr. Sheen can leer his way through…
Art collecting is something most of us have no concept of, at least in the formal sense. The majority of us probably collect art as part of some sort of decorating scheme, and have less of a theme or investment strategy in mind when we buy a piece. Hardcore art…
For some folks, going to Craft or Abacus is just another Thursday night, but for me and mine, going someplace like that is about planning, saving up, ordering the cheapest thing on the menu, and enjoying the thrill of trying something we can’t get anywhere else. It’s certainly a luxury…
Recently, some movie critic went on a tirade about the increasingly popular “movies under the stars” concept. It’s an idea that’s really been taking off in the past few years thanks to better audio/visual technology, and now many parks, museums and urban centers offer movie nights where you can spread…
Art Conspiracy’s annual event has become one of those things that you mark on your calendar every winter, RSVP to on your Facebook page, and then actually make the effort to show up to. It’s one of the most talked-about events in Dallas arts–a guerilla art affair where artists produce…
William Kentridge is not an artist you would expect to see as part of a large-scale installation. It’s not that he’s not worthy of it–the South African has been hailed for decades for his politically themed work and for his ability to be self-referential without being a total navel-gazer. But…
Despite the best efforts of Jerry Jones, the hottest ticket in town this summer is not a concert or sporting event at the Enormodome. It’s a conference. An actual “pick out your workshops and be sure to bring a cardigan” conference. A literary conference. But I make no apologies for…
You know what they say in The Sound of Music about how when God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window? That’s a very nice thought. And the And/Or Gallery and House of Dang’s Show #24: Rave Simulation is a perfect example of that principle at work. Doors are…
