As a kid, there was nothing better than watching that squirrelly little man in the gray suit and red bow tie, sitting in his favorite talking chair. If you, too, yelled right along with Pee-wee when someone uttered the Secret Word of the Day, check out I Fell 37 Miles…
Who would have thought Czech was the language of love? Then again, who would have thought a comedy about a bride exchange would be a national opera? The new romantic comedy, The Bartered Bride, sung in Czech with English subtitles and performed by University of North Texas opera students 8…
Porgy is a crippled black man living on Catfish Row in South Carolina, and Bess is the woman he loves, no matter what. If you’ve never seen George Gershwin’s folk opera Porgy and Bess, stop what you’re doing. Stop right now and go get a ticket because with songs like…
When it comes to reaching cookie jars on high shelves, sure, the longer the arms, the better. But sometimes shorter is where it’s at. Take Ray Carannante, for example: He was crowned the first ever skee-ball national champion in New York City last month. He’s 5’5″. And for those of…
The guys from Jackass may put their bodies through hilariously painful self-inflicted stunts, Bam Margera may be an asshole expert when it comes to tormenting family members with cruel, mindless pranks, and Ashton Kutcher’s elaborate hidden-video scenarios have tricked many a celebrity. But it was Tom Green who first baffled…
Are you just burning doing the “Neutron Dance”? Are you “So Excited” that you just can’t hide it? Well, there is a cure. The legendary Pointer Sisters are in town to help you out. These magical hit-machine siblings (and a daughter) will be here to make you “Jump” for their…
I went to junior high (yeah, back when they called it junior high) right next to a small grocery store that sold European stuff unavailable at the Safeway and included a deli and bakery. It was there that I learned what a divine thing a fresh croissant baked by French…
After President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, more than 1.5 million people picked up their pens to express their profound grief in letters to former first lady Jackie Kennedy. The condolence letters were an outlet for a deep, collective sadness best conveyed by a writer from Oklahoma City: “Mrs. Kennedy, I’m…
Love stinks, yeah yeah, and when it happens, you’re automatically going to know it. You feel queasy and nervous. You can’t sleep, you can’t eat and you can’t avoid acting like an idiot. So chances are, my friends, that if you have these symptoms it’s too late now. You’re hooked,…
At a party recently, a friend used his iPhone to show everyone sonogram images of his fetal child even though it was still so early in the baby’s development that it just looked like a grainy, black-and-white peanut. The pictures meant the world to him, of course, but everyone else…
If it weren’t for music then I would definitely look like Jabba the Hutt. Music is my only motivation to jump on the treadmill or to find a running trail to work off those extra calories from Taco Bell’s $5 Box. (Thanks a lot, Charles Barkley.) With the help of…
Some people are sticklers for the rules. “Don’t pass on the left,” “eat your vegetables,” “don’t steal your friend’s car–even if you were just ‘borrowing’ it.” If one of your rules is “don’t be destructive,” you better learn to live a little, because otherwise you’ll miss a great art show…
In his quest to bring us the biggest, most exciting sporting and live entertainment events North Texas has ever seen (you know, like that U2 show in October where 70,000 of us were treated to the most distorted acoustics this side of the 4H barn in Olney, Texas), Jerry Jones…
Just a little more than a year ago, an active community was born (or, rather, organically formed) out of a common love of photography. Field trips having proven successful, work and notes having been compared, the next logical step was developing a Web site to tie this group of shutterbug…
Calling all funky fashion lovers, it’s about that time again–time to spend the day shopping, listening to music and, of course, eating. The second annual Funky Finds Spring Fling is back to showcase handmade products by 120 artists, crafters and designers. The fling will also feature music by Austin native…
There are no flying back-kicks. No multi-car pile-ups or explosions. No gee-whiz special effects. But for our money–and by the account of countless film critics–there’s no better suspense movie than The Third Man. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) is a naive American pulp Western writer who travels to the cesspool of…
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like one day, Tyler Perry just came out of nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, there’s this robust black woman named Madea kicking ass and taking names (both literally and figuratively) all over the place. In five years, Perry has written, produced and…
Once upon a time, a bunch of writers got together to hold a luncheon roast for famed critic Alexander Woollcott. They had such a good time that the group–composed of Dorothy Parker, Robert Sherwood, Robert Benchley, George Kaufman, Edna Ferber and Marc Connelly–kept meeting for lunch for the next 10…
Building Character is usually a euphemism for getting crapped on by life, like when you didn’t get that kick-ass job or when you got dumped on your birthday. This time, however, it’s a group exhibition of character-driven work over at the 4th Wall Gallery. These three urban contemporary artists really…
Remember last year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade? Me neither. I also don’t remember the name of that nice lady of the night who shoved me into a cab. And I don’t remember why I thought that Snuffer’s should keep my identification and credit card. I do remember the events of…
Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest at its most extreme, this idea has been the basis for many movies. But the Oscar-nominated French film A Prophet takes the idea a step further, showing us what comes after the decision is made and a victim is down. The story…
There are some things in life that are just plain funny. Even though they might be directed at one certain person (or an entire gender) and be highly offensive, you cannot help–even if you are included in the group being hated on–but laugh. I think that entire idea sums up…
