The CityArts Celebration people just might be the most intelligent event planners ever. Know why? Because CityArts takes place the second weekend in June. Not the last in July, not the third in August. These people realize that we actually live in Texas, in Dallas, in the meteorological equivalent to…
We have trouble believing that people are still interested in Diana, Princess of Wales. Once the world’s most beloved royal icon, Lady Di took her taxi ride to heaven nearly a decade ago—old news, right? The 11 characters in The Dianalogues would certainly disagree with that stance; the Panther City…
Few film pundits predicted the aloof little coming-of-age comedy Breaking Away would amount to much. But like its underdog hero, Breaking Away was a serious contender—nominated for five Academy Awards in 1980 (including Best Picture) and winning for Best Original Screenplay. A delightfully daffy Dennis Christopher stars as a recent…
We no longer live in a green slime world. Eighties television attacked children with the wonders of colorful goo in three ways—Ghostbusters, Double Dare and You Can’t Do That on Television. These days, Nickelodeon (the original slime champ) clings to its messy, artificially colored applesauce past (yes, that’s what the…
Diva Barbra Streisand is famous for her song about people who need people. One of the people she has needed is Marvin Hamlisch, her former concert tour director and manager. Suffice it to say, Hamlisch knows a thing or two about Babs. So we imagine he’ll know what he’s doing…
James Frey’s fraudulent work, A Million Little Pieces, gained national attention as an Oprah’s Book Club pick. When he was outed for conjuring up a significant portion of his so-called “memoirs,” Oprah let him have it for “duping” her. Lying is one thing, but duping Oprah is another—rest assured Frey…
Somewhere, the old boy must be chuckling sardonically under his big, bushy mustache. First, Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a tale of boyhood life on the Mississippi suitable for children. Nine years later he produces The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, starring one of the little rascals from…
The last time I checked, Santa Fe was in New Mexico, but nevertheless you can still enjoy Santa Fe Days on the Square this weekend in Carrollton. The event features traveling representatives from a host of Native American tribes (including the Navajo, Comanche, Cherokee and Santa Domingo Pueblo) descending on…
Videogames compete with movies for our entertainment dollar. Top-grossing movies rely heavily on computer animation and graphics. The actors behind computer-generated characters win Oscars. It’s because of trends like this that we have events like the Industry Giants 2006: Giant Steps Forward computer graphics, animation and gaming forum. The annual…
I wasn’t really sure who the Grapevine Heritage Foundation was at first, but they’ve charmed the pants right off of me with this event. Yes, I am that easy. In conjunction with the North Texas Mustang Club, they’re presenting a “classic car double feature.” Along with some sweet-ass Ford Mustangs,…
Sue Loncar is many things. She serves as the Artistic Director of the Contemporary Theatre of Dallas. She has a lead role in their production of Stanton’s Garage. She’s also married to local lawyer Brian Loncar. You can’t help but wonder if she’ll take liberties with the third act and…
Your experience with theater in high school was limited to a shoddy adaptation of Twelve Angry Men. Or Our Town. Or any other play that gets performed at high schools across the country on a daily basis. But what did you expect? It’s not like you were ever given the…
The dog days of summer are three months away, but we’re all for a dog-centric afternoon that promises canine comedy. With contests like “Doggie Bulldozer,” “Stupid Pet Tricks” and “Best Costume,” dog owners will be wiggling on their backs in happiness. Operation Kindness’ 12th annual walk-a-thon starts with a leadoff…
Since he came of age in the late 1950s, the man known as Chip Taylor has made his living as a golfer, a gambler (He once finished third in the World Black Jack Championship and was banned from the casinos of Atlantic City for being too awesome) and most famously,…
For a combination dental practice/art gallery on Hibernia Street, the name “Hibernia Dental Arts” is undeniably accurate, but it’s not very reassuring. I prefer exact measurement over artistic license whenever nerves and drill bits occupy the same space. “Dental arts” makes it sound like dental school had a quidditch team,…
Flip Orley certainly boasts some good reviews for his stand-up comedy. But as a comedy hypnotist, it’s difficult to gauge just how funny he really is; it could just be that his hypnosis skills are so powerful that you’ll just think you’ve had a good time. I suppose there’s no…
Great artwork is about pulling off the unexpected, like pairing a cute pair of wedges with fatigue pants or throwing a litter of baby ferrets off a high-rise balcony. Nobody expects it to rain baby ferrets. But that would be sick, so maybe it’s better to stick to the predictable…
The other day, we found a binder filled with all kinds of crap—photo sets from Dallas Observer events, along with trinkets, mementos and cute captions written in colorful paper. We said to ourselves, “Wow! What an incredibly dorky way to commemorate our promotional nights out. If only this junk was…
Davy Rothbart loves trash. Just look at the USA Network’s “Characters Wanted” tag featuring the frequent This American Life contributor and founder/editor of FOUND Magazine (as well as the publication’s two compilation books)—the man hauls off and dives into a dumpster, for cryin’ out loud. But the personable and effervescent…
With ice caps melting, sea levels rising and Poseidon sinking fast, this is no environment for any disaster movie–particularly a real one–to take our interest for granted. Thus An Inconvenient Truth, named for the superbad news of global climate change, isn’t just another lefty doc for the art-house set, but…
You know how in most romantic comedies, the best friends are nearly always more interesting than the actual leads we’re supposed to care about? The Break-Up doesn’t play that game. Vince Vaughn is the focus and the primary source of entertainment, which is all the more impressive when you consider…
There was a time when people moaned whenever Hollywood would remake–and thus suck the life out of–a classic movie. These days, Hollywood just sucks the life out of movies that weren’t that great in the first place. Ah, progress. Well, June 6, 2006, is upon us, which means it’s time…
