Kenny Wetzel called the Dallas D.A.N.C.E. (Dancer’s Annual National Competition Extravaganza) the “best party in the nation.” Coming from Kenny Wetzel, that’s saying something. Wetzel, also known as the “King of Flying Lindy,” was the best swing dancer ever to come out of Illinois. This year’s extravaganza, which includes 16…
When I read that the Cara Mía Theatre Company was finally bringing Martín to the stage, I could hardly contain my excitement. Could it really be true? Would Martin Lawrence’s witty FOX sitcom finally be getting the theatrical treament? Would Shenehneh finally get her moment in the sun? Alas, it…
Jim Norton first gained publicity as a kid when he won the top score on an Asteroids arcade game in New Jersey. Now he pees his pants in front of millions of people on TV. His character on HBO’s Lucky Louie is a stereotype-smashing (and oft-hilarious) loser of a supporting…
Chances are you know way more about Johnny Mathis than I do. He always seems to be featured on those song collections you see commercials for in the middle of the night—just $14.99 plus shipping and handling and you can get your hands on some great tunes from the golden…
Death of a Salesman is Arthur Miller’s signature play and a staple of American theater; however, it hasn’t exactly aged like fine wine. Willy Loman’s floundering salesman seems more like a relic of a forgotten time than a tragic hero of a tragic economy. If Miller were writing it today,…
Like Jane Goodall, I once lived among animals. From the tiny hovel I’d eked out for myself in their natural habitat, I would observe their movements. The objects of my observation had bizarre, occasionally nonexistent, bathing habits. Others had unusual mating rituals, often draping themselves in cloth that barely covered…
Living the sheltered suburban life that we do, it’s sometimes hard to relate to “urban” music. Take, for example, the band WAR. One may think, “Well, actually, none of my friends know a low rider. All of my friends know the safety and economy of Japanese- and German-built vehicles with…
Blazing Saddles, written by Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor in 1974, is a spoof of the Western genre. It mocks prejudice. It mocks Hollywood. And when you walk away from this film, you’re left with a very clear message: Cowboys plus beans equals hilarious. Number six on the American Film…
Low, which is to say no, expectations can be a wonderful thing; expect nothing, and maybe you’ll get that little outta-nowhere sumpin’-sumpin’ that turns an otherwise unfulfilling occurrence into a vaguely rewarding experience. It’s not like Invincible boasts the most promising of credentials: a first-time filmmaker (Ericson Core, the cinematographer…
One of the weakest and most ridiculous aspects of popular culture is its narcissistic now-ness. There’s often no then or later, and without past experience or the messy knowledge of life, modern entertainment media often seems poached in a neurotic teenage brainpan, entranced with its own ignorant tunnel vision. A…
Jason Lethcoe’s book Amazing Adventures From Zoom’s Academy doesn’t particularly wow the reader with its prose, but the concept is solid–basically, Harry Potter with superheroes rather than wizards. The heroine, Summer Jones, is an awkward 13-year-old tomboy with a goofy father named Jasper who likes to tinker with home appliances…
There is vomit art. There is garage-sale art. And there is the work of Richard Tuttle. Neither one nor the other, Tuttle’s art doesn’t so much split the difference down the middle as it ignores the two extremes altogether. It is subtler than the wink-wink, nudge-nudge though critically important shark-in-tank…
Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.) Any concept along the lines of “high school hottie solves crimes” is bound to make for watchable TV, but who would have expected this? Equal parts 90210 teen soap, murder mystery, and comedy, Veronica Mars pulls you in with its sharp writing,…
For most people, the words “role-playing game” conjure images of sweaty Dungeons & Dragons-obsessed weirdos, wearing cloaks and screaming “Lightning bolt!” at each other. But even non-RPG players gave the genre a try when Final Fantasy VII debuted back in 1997. The beautiful graphics and heart-tugging story made it an…
The Apartment (Lions Gate) The Bill Cosby Show: Season One (Shout! Factory) The Blue Light (Pathfinder) Conviction: The Complete Series (Universal) Dances With Wolves: Extended Cut (MGM) Film Geek (First Run) House, M.D.: Season Two (Universal) Invasion: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) Just My Luck (Fox) The Maid (Tartan) On…
Sixth grade was a bitch, man—the bullies, the break-ups, the unfortunate fashion decisions–it’s a wonder I ever made it to the horrors of middle school. Luckily for me I had two wise old friends to see me through the tough times, and their names were Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn…
Not many people know that Jimmie “J.J.” Walker experimented with a few different catchphrases before settling on the now-infamous “Dyn-O-Mite!” For a while he tried saying “TNT!” Then he tinkered with “Bombs Away!” which was soon onomatopoeically changed to “Ka-Blam-O!” This was followed by the inexplicable choice of “Ouch! That…
There’s just not enough money to get me to go teach a bunch of third-graders. The girls whine, the boys smell like puppies, and teacher-parent conferences have got to be the closest thing to hell this side of Barney Live! When mechanical engineer John Pearson was laid off, he took…
It’s a bleak era for comedy. The laughers of the world are trapped with the underdeveloped humor of Carlos Mencia and the pointless dimwittedness of network sitcoms. But Daniel Tosh is a bit different. He’s not particularly revolutionary in approach, nor does he have any slapstick gimmicks, but he’s actually…
There are many excuses to drink, and you better believe we’ve used ’em all. Getting hired at a job, getting fired from a job and celebrating days with a “Y” in them, you can count on us…to drink. This Sunday is the best excuse we’ve heard in a while (and…
1479 B.C.E.: Cross-dressing female wanted to rule the most powerful nation on earth. Hatshepsut walked in and filled the bill mightily for 19 years. She grew up in the political spotlight—dad Thuthmosis I ruled Egypt for 14 years; Mom’s brother Amenophris had ruled for 21 years. Power in the blood,…
If you’re like me, what you know about Mozart came from watching Amadeus. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there is so much more to learn from his music than from celluloid. Now here’s your chance. Honoring the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth (dang, that’s a lot…
