If I’m accepted into the Institute for Interesting People, would that validate me as an interesting person? I wonder. But my wallet doesn’t wonder so much, and he calls all the shots. For those who are interesting (and paying for it) and are parents, consider this: A man after my…
I long for the day when someone with an Austin mentality decides to bring a movie roadshow to Big D a la the Alamo Drafthouse. A big, roving movie screen set up in the park for all to watch under the starry night? Count me in. I’d do it, but…
“Living history” such as Dallas Heritage Village kind of freaks me out. I will never understand costumed characters who talk funny, churn butter and act like they’ve never heard of television. But here’s something you should know: Kids eat this stuff up. Well, this weekend there’s going to be a…
The key to a great birthday party is a cool host. That, and the presence of alcohol. The super-cool people of La Reunion have all that covered for their big birthday blowout this weekend. Celebrating their first anniversary, the nonprofit has been a force in the Dallas art scene, inspiring…
Having sat through more than my fair share of performances of The Nutcracker, I can think of a few things that would make the ballet more interesting. For one, if Mother Ginger hid something more exciting under her skirt (like, say, cougars), it might spice things up a bit. But…
The old-fashioned quilting bee had a lot to recommend it: skilled women trading gossip and sewing tips and a tad of wisdom when called for. The Lakewood Knitwits have exchanged batting and tying for skipping and purling, but the theory is the same: conversation and busy fingers. The Knitwits host…
For all the huzzahs deservedly heaped upon 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, in which it took a good long while to discern the living from the walking deceased, the zombie-flick spoof was little more than an extended sketch taken, oh, 19 minutes beyond its breaking point. But the movie, created…
Speaking as the owner of a new puppy, I can say definitively that a dog is both more and less annoying than the average person. Year of the Dog makes much the same point with its pack of uncontrollable pooches, including a cute beagle that rips into the wrong bag…
There’s a happy, bouncy lilt to the writing of Preston Jones and Charles Busch. Their plays are nothing alike, but, man, their use of language surely is music to the ears. In new productions of Jones’ lovely 1974 comedy Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander, now playing at Contemporary Theatre of…
Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show (Sony) The greatest boxed set ever–not so much for the made-up irritainment as for the real thing, which this collection serves up by the ton. There are 23 brilliant episodes of the HBO show here, but they pale in comparison to…
We’ve all seen Super Mario eat copious amounts of mushrooms, but have you ever considered the care that goes into preparing such delicacies? In Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Wii, Wolfgang Puck wannabes are thrust into the kitchen — alongside “Mama,” the game’s titular chef — where they’ll chop,…
Brute Force: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) Cutie Honey: The Movie (Bandai) Double Happiness (Image) Forgiving Dr. Mengele (First Run) Freedom Writers (Paramount) George Lopez: The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons (Warner Bros.) Happy Days: The Second Season (Paramount) The History Boys (Fox) The Image (Warner Bros.) La Haine: The Criterion…
To fully appreciate the merits of Vacancy, you need to have the proper technology. Digitally projected lurid images and THX-amplified creaks and moans are all well and good, but what director Nimród Antal’s creepy cockroach of a thriller really cries out for are the shabby delights that can only be…
Dr. John Witherspoon was born in Gifford, Scotland, in 1723. A scholarly Presbyterian minister who was elected to the Continental Congress, he is perhaps best known for his hilarious portrayal of Ice Cube’s dad in the Friday movies. Defying all known medical science, Witherspoon lived for more than 250 years,…
What it is about women and hats? The days are long gone when they were required daily wear, but we still leap at any opportunity to wear beautiful chapeaux. Each year, the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum hosts a Mad Hatters Tea Party to benefit the Women’s Garden, with…
I’ll be the first to admit that I really don’t know all that much about Andy Warhol. I mean, I know he did the Campbell’s soup painting and the banana album cover, but beyond that, my knowledge is limited to various random bits of trivia about how weird he was…
Those of you who still may be wondering why radio jock Don Imus’ racist comment about the Rutgers women’s basketball team caused such a fuss…well, you’re chowderheads. Maybe what you need is a little lesson in history, Jim Crow, racism and the dignity conveyed by sports. Lucky for you, the…
If I hear one more person who’s not Aretha Franklin singing an Aretha Franklin song, I’m going to throw my cat against a wall. Why does every drunken white girl think she can do justice to “Natural Woman”? Cracker Chick, next time your appletini tells you, “It’s time to bust…
In a geographic area infamous for its preponderance of big ol’ SUVs, 40-mile-plus commutes and, well, new stuff, the folks at the city of McKinney and the Heard Natural Museum will try to invoke a little Al Gore sensibility during the Green Living Family Festival. This Earth Day celebration encourages…
We’re horrible dancers, but we love the art of the dance. We love all different types, from ballroom to pop-and-lock to postmodern interpretive combinations of pop, lock and ballroom. We also love attending dance performances. The only problem with your average, everyday dance spectacular—or “dance-tacular”—is that they usually focus on…
It’s about time somebody revived a Preston Jones play the right way. Director René Moreno has assembled a cast that really gets the sound of Jones’ “music.” This comedy about modest folk in a dust-dry West Texas town speaks its own particular lingo, full of colorful phrases and uniquely Jonesian…
A lot of us are still recovering from the inaugural year of the AFI Dallas International Film Festival. We got the chance to run around like chickens with our heads cut off to screenings all over town, stand in lines for hours and rub elbows with the semi-rich and sort…
