You might have seen comedian George Lopez on his hit ABC sitcom (the cleverly titled George Lopez) or in the Robert Rodriguez film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D. You might have also caught him on the stand during last year’s infamous Michael Jackson trial. You see, Mr. Lopez…
If I ever need to find something in Lakewood, I automatically factor in 15 minutes for getting lost. Somehow, Greenville Avenue is Munger Street, Junius Street does this weird end-then-start-again-five-feet-north thing and Abrams starts veering off into Neverland. A mystery wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in an oh-my-god-these-houses-are-gorgeous. The best…
Let me tell you what a tasteless place the Dallas Observer is. See, some of the staff was talking about the American Baby Faire coming to Dallas Market Hall this Saturday and Sunday, and one sick, sick man, whom we won’t disgrace by naming (Noah Bailey), said, “Babies on a…
Sometimes this job’s so easy the stories write themselves. Or, in this case, they’re written by other people, like bluesman Willie Dixon. To wit: Would someone please inform automatic Slim, razor-toting Jim, butcher knife-toting Annie and the rest of the gang that Arts Fifth Avenue in Fort Worth intends to…
When I got my first guitar at age 12, my dad had one question and one question only for me: “When do you learn to play ‘Margaritaville’?” Horrified at the thought of playing anything other than Jewel songs on the instrument, I pushed all thoughts of Jimmy Buffett to the…
In English-speaking culture, we’ve long embraced such classic works as The Crucible, The Grapes of Wrath and Weekend at Bernie’s II. But perhaps the most well-known classic is the story of star-cross’d lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, whose plight has been translated into such diverse renditions as the New…
For something as lighthearted as a comics page, I sure take it seriously. Point to any strip and I’ll rattle off an opinion about it—from the generic, unfunny Curtis to the off-center semi-insanity of Pearls Before Swine, I know ’em all a little too well (and don’t even get me…
Do you cringe when SVU’s Detective Elliot Stabler picks up evidence without gloves on? Is Dr. Michael Baden a personal hero? Do you find autopsy findings and evidence-gathering intriguing, as opposed to nauseating? Yeah, me too. The field of forensics, medical examination and criminology have long since taken over my…
Before talkies, there were, uh, “silenties.” Check out the early days of cinema—Thursday, see two Harold Lloyd movies, Number, Please? (1920) and Safety Last (1923), with discussion by Rick Worland, chair of SMU’s Cinema-TV department. On Friday, Buster Keaton’s One Week(1921) and The General (1927) are followed by comments from…
Has your love of IKEA abated yet? You haven’t been there in a couple of weeks, but that could just be because your only friend with a truck has had quite enough of your shopping shenanigans. Really, how many 50-cent bowls does one person need? (I have 12, just so…
A few days ago, I received an e-mail extolling the virtues of the banana. Hangovers, heartburn, woman troubles, you name it—it appears as though the banana is seriously, as Chiquita offers, “the world’s perfect food.” No one had to tell me twice; I find the banana to be an exceptionally…
The promo photo for Zero, a one-man play starring Danny O’Connor, features two shots of the actor in a strange illustrated environment. If Morgan Spurlock followed some paw prints to the Mad Dog 20/20 display at Centennial on an episode of Blue’s Clues, it might end up looking something like…
There’s a lot of art that goes through the Kimbell (traveling exhibitions and whatnot) which forces the staff to cram a lot of the great stuff the museum owns—called the permanent collection—into the side room or basement or wherever it is they keep the art when it’s not on display…
When we hear about art that comes from trash or lack of sleep, we don’t know whether to be intrigued or worried. And if we, like some of the artists in 7 at the 6 (now at the Art Six Coffeehouse), designed jewelry based on self-torture and different stages of…
We are not totally crazy. Please keep this in mind when we tell you that Cinco de Mayo celebrates an actual battle (La Batalla de Puebla in 1862, ending the Mexican Imperial Monarchy). Apparently, some folks seem to think the day is about drinking heavily—sometimes until one vomits directly into…
The newly restored Belmont Hotel has quickly become one of the trendiest hangouts in Dallas, drawing in a diverse crowd of Oak Cliff hipsters and well-to-do art aficionados with its stunning bluff-side views of downtown and the Trinity (not to mention the neon signs and street hookers of Fort Worth…
You don’t have to agree with his politics, but you gotta give it up for George H. W.’s post-presidency platforms, particularly his partnership with his son’s archrival, Bill Clinton, in the tsunami relief efforts. And closer to home, he and his wife Barbara have joined with Dallas’ Genesis Women’s Shelter…
It goes in cycles, our relationship with the USA Film Festival; we hate to love it, it loves to hate us, and on and on it goes to the point where we barely even cover a once-major cultural event. It has something to do with our pestering the fest organizers…
Ask any novelty T-shirt distributor and he’ll confirm that the nuances of crawfish consumption are infinitely ripe for dirty double-entendre. First you “pinch the tail” and then you “suck the head.” Everyone knows that there’s nothing more hilarious than using interchangeable verbiage for both lunch and fellatio. The fine folks…
A few days ago, I received an e-mail extolling the virtues of the banana. Hangovers, heartburn, woman troubles, you name it—it appears as though the banana is seriously, as Chiquita offers, “the world’s perfect food.” No one had to tell me twice; I find the banana to be an exceptionally…
That poor Dallas Zoo gets such a bad rap for not being a bigger, better zoo. Which I never understood because it’s always fulfilled my needs. What exactly is it that people expect out of this city gem? Well, to answer that question, the zoo folks are hosting Dallas Roars,…
When you stretch your legs, double-knot your laces and chug your water bottles at the Third Annual United States Secret Service 5K Run, you might want to be a little extra careful. The run is advertised as a benefit for the American Cancer Society, and the 5K festivities also include…
