Heroism is a complex phenomenon these days, when even those that we look up to the most are bound to have a few skeletons in their closets. The media circus around our “heroes” is almost surreal at times, worshipful in tone initially, and then suddenly cynical and nasty as the…
A vaudeville act with a laser light show is kind of like a covered wagon with a hybrid engine; it’s anachronistic, paradoxical and probably not necessary. But clearly, necessity is not a factor when developing entertainment that revolves around single-wavelength radiation. Just ask all those Pink Floyd fans. They don’t…
I love me some Terrell Owens. Hiding behind a set of diamond earrings that would make Elizabeth Taylor gnash her teeth in jealousy is a sensitive man who cries publicly on behalf of his teammates, plans ahead enough to keep a Sharpie in his sock just in case he needs…
Dallas is experiencing something of a renaissance in the arts, partially due to an upswing in the local gallery scene. The influx of galleries into the Dragon Street and Design District area has given the city thousands of square feet of new space to appreciate up-and-coming work in a variety…
Russian film is not known for its snappy dialogue and witty banter. It seems to be more about the visual aspects of storytelling. Though I’m more likely to recall dialogue than specific images from a movie, there are a few films that have really stuck with me visually. One of…
For the cultural elite in Dallas, there are few things more exciting than a gala. Not content to go to a simple party or gathering, the local glitterati need quarterly opportunities to squeeze into Oscar de la Renta gowns and rub elbows with their Preston Hollow neighbors. And there’s no…
The small screen brings some very memorable characters into our homes, but relatively few of them make a lasting impression in our consciousness. Those that do tend to be larger-than-life figures such as James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano. As a scholar of all things Homicide: Life on the Street, I would…
Geography is something of a lost science. With air transportation a fact of life, however miserable, there’s no destination on earth that’s not accessible with a day or two of travel. I think that’s taken the urgency out of geography: Why bother to become familiar with points on a globe…
There’s no health plan in art. I’m sure that there are some artists out there who have spouses or families that can put them on their health plans, and I bet there are probably guilds and organizations that provide insurance to their members at a reduced cost. But I would…
This is going to make me sound like a pretentious shoegazing ass, but one of my favorite art pieces in my home is a Mazzy Star poster ripped off the wall of the Bomb Factory circa 1993. That thing has traveled with me to every crappy apartment and house I’ve…
Advertising today is a reactive and cynical affair, mostly tongue-in-cheek, that tries super hard to relate to you. Note the rush of ads a couple months ago when everyone figured out the economy was going to shit: Advertisers suddenly assured you that they knew you worked hard for your money;…
At my high school, the drama club snuck whiskey into shampoo bottles on UIL trips and drank until morning in Holiday Inns. They weren’t like the maligned theater kids you see in the movies; even the cheerleaders aspired to this drama team. They were infamous for honing their acting skills…
I’m going to wager that there aren’t going to be a lot of men at Menopause: The Musical. It’s a subject that makes them a little nervous anyway (like tampon commercials and yeast infections), and men just aren’t into normalizing physiological changes in the same way as the ladies. I…
It’s not really necessary to visit a museum to see great artwork anymore. NorthPark Center has an extensive collection on display for you to enjoy between trips to Forever 21 and Chick-Fil-A. Many large corporations have their own impressive collections on display in lobbies and towers in downtown. And I…
More often than not, engineers are not terribly artistic people. Of course, there are always exceptions to such blanket statements, but for the most part, engineers tend to use the parts of their brains associated with highly technical work. Even drawing for engineers is more about precision than artistry. That’s…
We live in a society obsessed with biography; a culture that expects an A&E special detailing the lives led by our politicians, movie stars and musicians. Biographies are breathlessly laid out before Barbara Walters on “news” specials and shown in marathon blocks on a channel devoted to the genre. Even…
People often ask what makes Dallas so special. New York is a bastion of culture and art, Los Angeles is awash in glitz and beautiful people, and Chicago is a stomping grounds for culinary innovation. People here point to the shopping. That’s right — we’ve got great shopping. If that…
Films about senior citizens are generally real downers. Either someone ends up languishing with Alzheimer’s (see The Notebook or Away From Her) or someone kicks the bucket (er, The Bucket List), or both. Even the ones that are supposed to be life-affirming end up being overwhelmingly depressing. I avoid these…
The best kind of art is not the work that makes you scratch your head and wonder if you’re culturally illiterate, but the kind that lets you have an “a-ha” moment despite the fact that you know more about Perez Hilton than Gerhard Richter. People fall into the trap of…
God help the person who buys a ticket to Bob Saget’s Sunday night show thinking they’re about to enjoy the comedy stylings of mild-mannered Full House dad Danny Tanner. Or the man responsible for those lame zingers on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Because while Bob Saget certainly played those parts,…
It’s obvious that summer in North Texas is an excellent time to catch a stage production. What better way to forget about the coma-inducing heat, the crushing smog and the legions of pink polo shirt wearing frat boys populating your regular bar than to slide into an air-conditioned theater and…
High school is a paradoxical time in a person’s life: While you’re there, you feel so world-weary and mature; then a few years later, you realize how much of a baby you still were. I blame this weird time warp mainly on movies and TV shows about high school kids…
