It’s an easy groupie costume—just a long brown coat—but the pinyin dialect is tough to master. Want an equal opportunity future? Thousands of avid Browncoats point to Joss Whedon’s Firefly series, where East and West have merged in an interplanetary frontier of renegade capitalists, and the new “family” unit consists…
When Guy Reynolds decided to take photos of his routine walks through downtown Dallas, he chose a specific camera. Knowing that Reynolds is the photo editor and an occasional photographer for The Dallas Morning News, you would assume the camera to be something ultra-modern and fancy with all the bells…
It’s been awhile since you’ve found yourself surrounded by tons of “ice” and hundreds of strangers milling around in oversized parkas, hasn’t it? You know you want to relive those days of fun again, and we have just what the doctor ordered. Get your head out of the gutter; we’re…
As a kid, participating in spelling bees was a lose/lose situation. Spell a word wrong onstage in front of all of your friends and you look like an idiot. Win the whole thing and you immediately realize that the title of “Spelling Bee Winner” does not get you the chicks…
Artists have been bending metal into art for thousands of years, and they’re still at it. Through December 23, the University of North Texas School of Visual Arts will hold an exhibit of some of the best metal art that has come through the school in the last 30 years…
If you’re reading this we’ll assume you’re of the demographic that is into the wintry ways of poinsettias, teas, treats and nativity scenes more than toys. For you, the holidays might actually be relaxing as opposed to the torturous anticipation children are contending with. If so, Holiday at the Arboretum…
I’ve always believed my appreciation for subtle and dry humor may have been inherited. Both sides of my family are chock full of commentators and comedians—some self-proclaimed, some, OK, one, actually successful. (That stat does not include my dad’s repeated attempts at his favorite straight-faced and always poorly timed joke—a…
13 (Tzameti) is one of those movies that can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be. Luckily, every movie it tries to be is a pretty good one. At first it comes off like a creepy mystery. It isn’t long before the story descends into the ol’ film…
I’m afraid to admit that I may not be the best person to write up this German Christmas Festival. I say that because so much of it seems to revolve around German food. A live holiday pastry demonstration, grilled bratwurst for sale, a 16,000-square-foot European grocery store—all of which have…
For most people, Thanksgiving is synonomous with heaping plates of food, awkward political conversations and small talk with Aunt Betty. The only exercise involved is usually getting up for seconds or working the remote control. Not for those intrepid, early-rising Turkey Trotters. If you want to join their ranks, there’s…
Ah, Spanky. You must be ready for a career in show business when you choose a name such as Spanky. The bald-headed comedian, now on his “Men Are Sluts” tour (ooh, that title’s got me cracking up already), was also a…wait for it…finalist on Star Search. Yeah, you read that…
Mrs. Cratchit is such a slut. That woman obviously can’t keep her legs together, what with the 40,000 kids she’s crammed into the tiny Cratchit hovel. Of course, Bob Cratchit is no better. Are there no suitable ladies of the night willing to lie still for a shilling or two?…
The holiday season officially begins on Thanksgiving Day. Despite all the Target and Old Navy commercials, despite the fact that Starbucks employees have been donning their seasonal red shirts for weeks now, and despite that house off of Live Oak and Munger that has had festive Christmas lights up since…
OMG! U guyz r like totally not gunna believe this, but if ur over 21, u kan totally get CHEEP DRINKZ @ Kismet Lounge if ur MySpace friends with them! It’s like, MySpace iz totally kewl and Kismet iz totally kewl, so if u put them 2gether, u get one…
At some moment in childhood I pitched over the line of wanting dolls and guns and games for Christmas to being thrilled by unwrapping a book. Mark Twain, O. Henry, Nancy Drew. OK, I was a weird kid. But I give books at Christmas now because, well, how many sweaters…
All right, I admit it. If Patrick Swayze shows up in a movie on cable, I will watch it. Dirty Dancing, Road House, Three Wishes, Black Dog—seen it, seen it, seen it, seen it. How can someone be so bad and yet so good? Chalk it up to Swayze magic…
How many ways can the Cinderella story be told? I bet you’ve never seen it panto. First introduced in England in 1717, a traditional British pantomime isn’t silent. It’s an interactive form of theater with songs, jokes and lots of slapstick as the audience cheers for the hero and hisses…
I was convinced that boxing was the workout I needed to sculpt my body beautiful, but I wasn’t convinced that those girly kickboxing classes at my gym packed the necessary punch. That’s when I found Vivero Boxing Gym in north Oak Cliff—it’s the real deal. The workouts were grueling, and…
Kids’ visits to Santa bring two things to mind: A Christmas Story’s psycho workaholic Santa who dashes Ralphie’s dream of a Red Ryder BB gun, and the long lines of whining kids and bored parents filling the malls at Christmastime. If your child must see Santa, your best bet might…
Critics and fans went ape-poo over Imogen Heap’s vocoder-drenched 2004 single “Hide and Seek,” a melancholy song that spoke more of mopey bedroom recording than big-budget knob-fiddling, though it used its fair share of technology. “Hide and Seek” was lauded for good reason: The tune, with its take-your-time tempo and…
Velveteen Rabbit is pissed: PlayStation 3 is here, Barbie’s Dream House is now three stories tall, and Tickle Me Elmo learned Spanish. How’s a bunny supposed to compete? The only “features” he brings to the table are that he’s made of knockoff velvet and could give you scarlet fever. You…
November in Dallas—brisk autumn air, falling leaves, work slows down as the holidays speed up and conspiracy theorists and local news networks gear up for arguably the city’s most important holiday—November 22, the anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. That may seem blasphemous, but there’s no…
