Of all the vocations in the world, few present as ambiguous a career outlook as journalism. What does journalism even mean anymore? Is it about investigative reporting or merely keeping tabs on the output from networking sites or blogs? Has journalism become DIY? And what does that mean for the…
There Was a Forest: Jews in Eastern Europe Today, an exhibition of photographs taken by Loli Kantor in Poland and Ukraine, documents the few Holocaust survivors left in the area and their lives within the shtetls of Eastern Europe. The pieces also offer a peek into the reemergence of Jewish…
Looking at the smallish paintings of Sarah Williams from a distance, they look so much like photographs it’s hard to believe they’re paintings. Upon closer inspection, however, they reveal themselves to be finely tuned creations of everyday places turned into ethereal locales thanks to careful strokes and mysterious sources of…
Does anybody remember when Chevy Chase was funny? At one point he was actually one of the funniest people in the entire universe. I’m serious. After he left Saturday Night Live in 1976, he made some very funny movies. His best role, however, was a few years later in Caddyshack,…
Most of the time, abstract concepts are better off staying that way, too easily ruined by attempts to put them in worldly terms. Think of the lion in The Wizard of Oz who wants courage–which I always imagined looks brown and rumpled, maybe like a pile of old cabbage–but in…
Hal Ashby’s 1971 masterpiece Harold and Maude is one of those things that needs to be experienced to be explained. To say, “Oh, yeah, it’s a great movie about this rich kid with a disapproving, controlling mother who is obsessed with death and he drives a hearse and he meets…
My granny used to carry her pug dog in her purse when the family went out to restaurants. Peeking a smushed nose and snout from the bag, Puggy would nibble bits of food, and the family was fully prepared to start coughing and barking if the dog got too excited…
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” Get your umbrellas and stuff your oversized bags in celebration of Mary Poppins this fall. The world’s most famous nanny is making a stop at the Music Hall at Fair Park beginning Thursday. The original Broadway stars, including Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee, will perform classic favorites such as…
The incredible and talented Mr. Ben Folds has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. When someone first put “Brick” on a mixtape for me, I suddenly understood what love was and how much that stuff was gonna bring me down someday. When I…
Chappelle’s Show alum Bill Burr says reading makes him sleepy, so I can write whatever I want since he probably won’t be reading this anyway. OK, OK, I’ll be nice. Burr’s R-rated stand-up routine–the R stands for rednecks and relationships–runs at the Addison Improv Thursday through Sunday. Maybe he’ll bring…
If you believe Vegas bookies, the Cowboys have a better chance to reach the 2010 Super Bowl than the Carolina Panthers. Neither team has great odds, mind you, because of that guy who plays for the Patriots. But it stands to reason the Cowboys should hand the Panthers their tightly…
Honestly, I haven’t been to a soccer game since I played on a YMCA team in elementary school. I’ve always had more of a futbol americano mindset, myself–if kickers are the proverbial punchlines of the NFL, then what am I supposed to think of an entire team of them? That…
It seems photographer Peter Calvin has a thing for gas stations. And parking lots. And intersections. You know, all the things that are usually considered the eyesores of our concrete jungle domain. But somehow Calvin makes them look a lot more interesting and, at times, even beautiful. Images of the…
After years and years of Shawn Bradleys and Erick Dampiers, it seemed for a few brief moments this summer that the Dallas Mavericks had finally found themselves a center who could catch balls AND play defense–restricted free agent Marcin Gortat of the Orlando Magic. But when Orlando decided to match…
I’m not sure which came first–reading Charlotte’s Web or my overwhelming empathy for animals. Regardless, I am pretty sure that one begat the other, and they are both an integral part of who I am. E.B. White’s classic and beloved 1952 novel tells the story of piglet Wilbur, who starts…
Attention, ladies with big dogs! If you can’t control your pooch on a walk, during a bath or when a cute toddler approaches you to pet your dog at the park, maybe it’s time to admit you need professional advice. Trendy Unleashed Indoor Dog Parks offers an upcoming hour-long handling…
They’re huffing and puffing, but don’t worry, they’re not blowing the homes down. The Dallas Mortgage Bankers Association isn’t the big bad wolf. The association is actually hosting its Second Annual 5K Family Fun Run/Walk on Saturday at the Katy Trails in Reverchon Park, hence the huffs and puffs. Proceeds…
The life of a stripper must be tough. Having to deal with being pawed by gaggles of slobbering, sex-crazed guys night after night ain’t no picnic. While some strippers see their job as a career, most probably just see it as a way to make some quick cash, planning to…
Have you been eyeing your kids’ Legos and Lincoln Logs a little too much lately? Maybe you can’t think of a proper excuse to get your hands on them, but you still have that I gotta build stuff itch, which is hard to escape. Well, just to rub it in,…
Runners and cyclists often argue about who truly belongs on the park and lake pathways. Many runners say that cyclists out to enjoy both casual and training rides should stick to the roads and leave the paths for pedestrians. And it’s a fair argument. But if–like me–you’ve ever tried riding…
People talking about the Russians are usually trying to make a Tolstoy reference, or warning us that after 60-odd years of pretending, the big old bear is finally invading our shining shores to turn us all communist. But be not afeared of these Russians, for in its opening weekend, the…
Inspiration didn’t grab hold of Czech housewife-turned-artist Anna Zemankova until 1960, when she was 52 years old. Depression drove the self-taught “outsider” artist to create colorful, swirling abstract floral and botanical designs. To Zemankova, her creations weren’t merely drawings; she believed she was “growing flowers that are not grown anywhere…
