Somewhere between the time DJ Kool Herc got the party started in the 1970s and LL Cool J’s star turn on MTV Unplugged in 1991, hip-hop went mainstream. First it conquered the ‘burbs. Then it went global. Before long, kids in Tokyo were rapping. Along the way, hip-hop also muscled…
“It’s cold as hell in Cleveland,” Bill Bellamy complains. But the 38-year-old comedian-slash-actor is happy to be taking his stand-up act on a cross-country tour to, in his words, “get back to my roots.” And for Bellamy that means back to straight-up comedy.We were first introduced to the New Jersey-born…
Funbags just ain’t that fun when they’re size F. Sure, they bounce seductively and create come-hither cleavage. But I’m talking to the ladies who have never passed the “pencil test,” to whom “seductive bouncing” means back pain and whose over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders could double as a pair of hats for conjoined twins…
Scottish folk who live in Dallas must get annoyed on a frequent basis. Every time their cultural heritage comes up, someone surely makes a jab about Highland Park’s choice of “Fighting Scots” as a team name for all of their sports clubs—football, tennis, even golf. Strange that the most conservative,…
When I was a kid, Mom would sometimes insist that I go grocery shopping with her. Since she wasn’t big on impulse buys, there was little excitement to these outings, and I avoided them six days of the week—Saturdays were the exception. The best thing about Saturdays (besides the cartoons)?…
Say what you will about Texas, but recognize that a state this big has a great many tales to tell. Its colorful history, climate and characters make Texas ripe for literature as spicy and meticulously crafted as its barbecue sauce. To honor our storytelling traditions, the University of North Texas…
In some parallel universe and my car, I’m a great singer. I wait for the day that Oprah will come knocking on my door with a surprise in hand. That surprise would be my dream to sing with the Turtle Creek Chorale—preferably in their Christmas show. Forget finishing my education,…
Not since the British invasion of the ’60s have so many women stood screaming in the aisles of theaters, tearing at their hair and waiting to throw their bras onstage. Except now, instead of John Lennon or Mick Jagger, it’s Ira Glass. OK, perhaps we hyperbolize a wee bit, but…
Southern women are often portrayed on stage and screen as wisecracking straight talkers with unlimited sass. Flo had everyone at Mel’s Diner kissing her grits; “Mama” Harper’s clan was a far cry from the Waltons. And the ladies of Steel Magnolias are no exception. Even the characters’ names are uniquely…
We always thought the greatest stand-up comedy routines about ethnic stereotypes and racial tension were best served with intelligence, fire and a desire to challenge the audience’s assumed norms. After watching Comedy Central’s Mind of Mencia, however, we realized how stupid that was—repeatedly shouted phrases like “beaner” and “how many…
When you’re a kid, the pinhole image of a solar eclipse through a paper plate more or less defines the unfathomable breadth of space. Now the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is teaming up with The Science Place to introduce patrons to true galactic majesty, featuring a pre-concert lobby viewing in their…
An argument can be made that no female writer has been more influential than newspaper columnist Heloise, “every housewife’s friend.” The uses of vinegar and the best stain removers! Organization tips and getting burned food out of a pan! Daughter Poncé took up the mantle of Queen of Household Tips…
Short films always get the corresponding end of the stick come Oscar time, struggling for any attention while the people that toiled to make them have to dress up and endure the speeches of actors and actresses who, more often than not, shouldn’t be allowed to talk without a script…
If there’s one thing I do not fancy, it’s an appointment with the eye doctor. It already takes an army of 15 to put drops in my eyes. Couple that eye neurosis with bright lights, that spirit-breaking air-puff test and utensils intended solely for eye touching and my visit can,…
Reviews of pianist Olga Kern’s work read like reviews of a rock concert. The words “ferocious” and “explosive” are used liberally. But Kern, a single mom from Moscow, isn’t a rock star. She’s a highly decorated classical musician and past winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition—which, in some…
Gone are the days of innocent Barbie play. Now, kids have those Bratz dolls—which are basically hoes-in-training—and Little Ashley ends up at an oral sex party at age 11. It was only a matter of time before the advent of My Own Private Diva, which bodes the end of civilization…
You know what would really stimulate my tastebuds? Getting a little edible sample of Robert Langdon, the dashing hero of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. I bet he tastes like intellectual candy with a hint of suspenseful twang, coupled with a dash of airport-stand deliciousness. Hey, don’t look at me…
A couple decades ago people argued about whether tobacco and asbestos actually caused cancer. Even when the evidence began to mount, there were still scientists who would scratch their heads in public and say they just weren’t sure (they were, of course, paid to say so by the tobacco and…
Back in our first modern dance class, we were instructed to pick a season and be a tree experiencing the weather of our chosen season. Just like that girl in A Chorus Line, we felt nothing like a tree and were less than convincing. Every class, the same exercise. Every…
Long before computer nerds staged a coup d’etat in the animated-movies sector, film geeks dominated the scene with stop-animation. Stop-animation is the old-fashioned way of making fantasy characters come to life on the silver screen and in the hearts of fans young and old. The magic takes place frame by…
Oak Cliff’s Kessler Park may just be the most beautiful neighborhood in Dallas. Full of rolling hills, giant shade trees and unusual architecture, the area consists mostly of developments built between the ’20s and the ’60s, as well as the city-run Stevens Park golf course. Named after Dallas city planner…
I’ve never quite understood the appeal of drag shows. If you’re a gay male, why would you want to see men trying to pose as hot women? Wouldn’t you prefer they pose as hot men? And if you’re a straight man, why would you want to attend a pageant at…
