People say the moral of Pinocchio is that honesty is always the best policy. We disagree. How about: Never look a gift horse in the mouth. Hey, Pinocchio, Geppetto carves you out of wood, doesn't kill you in fear when you come alive and gives you a good home. And what do you do? Lie, skip school, run away to Pleasure Island. Sure, you save him from the belly of a whale later, but the truth is you're an ungrateful jerk. You had a good thing going, and you should have kept that going. Just look at Anna Nicole Smith; making Daddy happy now will make you happy later. Capiche? Teach your own ungrateful jerks a lesson with Plano Repertory Theatre's Pinocchio, which runs June 16 through June 25 with performances at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. daily, plus 3 p.m. Saturdays, at ArtCentre Theatre, 1028 15th Place in Plano. Tickets are $10. Call 972-422-7460 or visit www.planorep.org.
Friday, June 17
Growing up, before we knew about death and taxes, two other things felt certain: Everyone believed in God, and everyone loved the Beatles. Now we know both are false, but it seems people are more willing to admit the former than the latter. Those who still believe in the gospel of John, Paul, George and Ringo can check out the pilot episode of PopCultureToday.com's television show, which takes Beatlemaniacs on some rare tours, including inside the original Magical Mystery Tour bus, a car renovated to resemble the Yellow Submarine, Beatles memorabilia collector Mark Naboshek's private gallery and into the Hard Rock Café's John Lennon White Room, a re-creation of Lennon's living room that contains many of the original furnishings. The show premieres at 7 p.m. at the Neotropolis Theatre, 1130 W. Trinity Mills Road, Carrollton. Zebra's Randy Jackson will perform Beatles hits at the screening. Visit www.PopCultureToday.com.
Saturday, June 18
Ever wonder what those illustrators who make shape comparison graphs for standardized math tests do in their spare time? Well, we think they're MADI artists. According to Dallas' MADI Museum & Gallery, MADI art presents a "geometric metamorphosis occurring in a geometric space through juxtaposition of balance-unbalance, regular-irregular and negative-positive." In other words, it kinda looks like the circle-inside-a-square math problems that plagued our school years. The museum's new exhibit 3 Italian MADI Artists features works by Antonio Perrottelli, Gaetano Pinna and Piergiorgio Zangara, who use paint, canvas, Plexiglas and other media to make brightly colored geometric works involving lots of straight lines, circles and other shapes. The exhibit opens June 17 with a public reception from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; it runs through September 12 at 3109 Carlisle St. Call 214-855-7802 or visit www.madimuseum.org.
Sunday, June 19
Last year we called the Juneteenth Film Festival a celebration that "skips the baby steps and gets a running start," and this year is no different. Not a toddling toddler, this second year for the Juneteenth Film Festival likewise does not disappoint with tributes honoring actors Ruby Dee and Jamie Foxx at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, workshops at the South Dallas Cultural Center in casting, auditioning, music composition for film, and, of course, films that include comedies, dramas and documentaries such as The Male Groupie, about a man riding his friend's coattails to fame; A Gift for the Living, a reworking of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi; and Dearfield: The Road Less Traveled, the story of one of many African-American towns founded by people leaving the South for the West. The festival starts Friday with screenings and a party at the Black Forest Theater. Saturday's events include screenings, workshops and the award and tribute ceremony. The festival ends Sunday with Juneteenth Reflections, breakfast and farewells. All-access passes are $75, and limited-access passes are $45. Individual passes start at $5. Call 214-353-4445 or visit www.juneteenthfilmfestival.com.
Monday, June 20
If you grew up in Dallas, then you probably fondly remember news anchor Chip Moody. He never seemed like just a talking head, and he always looked happy even when he was sick (first with cancer, and later with various post-chemotherapy illnesses). And it's only fitting that his legacy continues with two events this weekend that support the Chip Moody Child Care Fund and Endowment at Children's Medical Center. The Auction Classic is 7 p.m. Saturday at the Westin Galleria Dallas, 13340 Dallas Parkway, with live and silent auctions, food, drinks and entertainment. Then Monday there are two chances to participate in the Chip Moody Golf Classic, which has shotgun starts in both the morning (8 a.m.) and afternoon (1:30 p.m.). More than 275 golfers will play at the Stonebriar Country Club, 5050 Country Club Drive in Frisco. Call 214-456-8373.
Tuesday, June 21
Riverdance is the cargo pants of dance performance--a trend that just won't go away. C'mon, people. Even the Irish eyes aren't smiling anymore. Just stop. Of course, that's not true. This year marks the 10th year that Riverdance has been performed, with 18 million people having seen 8,000 performances at 250 venues in 30 countries on four continents. But, we ask, how many people went willingly? Grandparents and parents with good bribery offers can drag disinterested young 'uns to shows, running June 21 to June 26 at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday at Nokia Theatre, off Interstate 30 and Belt Line Road, near Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie. Tickets are $19 to $64 from Ticketmaster at 214-373-8000 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Wednesday, June 22
Of the six finalists in this year's Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, not one was from the United States, let alone from Dallas. But if you want to cheer on some hometowners who might one day make their way into the Cliburn, check out a week of events by the Texas Conservatory for Young Artists. Student pianists in grades six through 12 will perform two public concerts and watch, along with the public, three concerts by world-class pianists (Jay Gottllieb on June 19, Till Fellner on June 24 and Peter Donohoe on June 24). Root for the home team when the TCYA students perform with the Plano Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Hector Guzman at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the John Anthony Theatre of Collin County Community College, 2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway in Plano. Admission to the concert is free. The second performance, the Young Artists Recital, is June 26. Call 972-985-0392 or visit www.tcya.org.
