Remember the '80s? The decade that gave us The Empire Strikes Back, Michael Jackson, valley girls and, oh yeah, Night Court. When you sat down to watch this ubiquitous show all those years ago--and you know you did; don't try to deny it, you little rascal--didn't you think that the judge was really funny? No, no, not the guy with the bushy moustache. We mean the impish young one. Yeah, him. Didn't you always hope and pray that someday you would be able to see him doing an off-color magic show in a Fort Worth comedy nightclub? Yeah, us, too. Well, friends, you have been offered the chance to experience the majestic Harry Anderson--judge Harry T. Stone on Night Court--performing his magic show under the stage name "Harry the Hat." Please understand that this is no kiddies show; you don't want to take little Timmy and Mary Sue along. Harry the Hat, far removed from his law-abiding television persona, is a self-proclaimed liar, con man, thief, braggart and cheat. Watch your wallets, people. Harry Anderson will be performing August 5 at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and August 7 at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. at Hyena's Comedy Club in downtown Fort Worth, 605 Houston St. While you're at Hyena's you can also clean up any of those nasty speeding tickets, as the club offers defensive-driving courses and ticket dismissals. Legally inclined place, huh? Admission is $10, and a two-item minimum purchase per person is required in the showroom. Must be 18 to enter because of magical raunchiness. Call 817-849-8181 or visit www.hyenascomedynightclub.com. --Mary Monigold
8/7
Lone Star Live
If you're going to have a Texas Country Music Fest in these parts, you've got to have Dallas legend Charley Pride onstage, right? That's exactly what this August 7 event, set for Grapevine's Austin Ranch (2009 Anderson Gibson Road), has scheduled. A benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the foot-stomping lineup also includes fellow Texan Cory Morrow and Music City Record artist Sonny Burgess. Additional performers will be announced as the concert date nears. Presented by 99.5/The Wolf, BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, Synergy Properties and the Westcott Foundation, it will be the first of what is anticipated to become an annual event. It will include dinner and a silent and live auction. Call 615-662-7917. --Carlton Stowers
8/3
Left of the Dial
Yes, there was a time when radio offered more than Top 40, shock jocks and political bombast. Your Father's Radio, in fact, provided drama that tickled the imagination. For a prime example, drop in at the Coffee Haus at Lincoln Square, 2314 Lincoln Square Shopping Center, on August 3 and enjoy the award-winning Texas Radio Theatre Company as it presents an adaptation of radio hero Flash Gordon in the audio play The Terror of the Hawkmen. Actors read their scripts as the good guys battle strange aliens and manage to thwart Ming the Merciless' evil plans. Performances are at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Call 817-274-0006. --Carlton Stowers
8/2
Scrap Metal
No matter how much you want hair metal bands to go away, the appropriately titled Rock Never Stops tour with Whitesnake, Warrant, Slaughter and Kip Winger comes to town to drag out the nightmare. While many music-savvy hipsters may not realize these bands still exist, business-savvy bean counters figured out that the people who attend these concerts tend to drink their weight in overpriced beer and margaritas. And that's why hair metal never stops. Saturday at 7 p.m. at Smirnoff Music Centre, 1818 First Ave. Tickets are $19.50 to $45 from Ticketmaster, 214-373-8000. --Jay Webb
7/31
No Holds Barred
Whether you write about the Texas Panhandle or New York panhandlers, your work is welcome at the Texas Unbound Summer Festival presented by WordSpace. While in past years material had to be from Texas performers or be Texas-oriented, this year artists from all cultures are welcome. Other award-winning authors, poets and musicians also will be performing. Shows are Thursday through Sunday with different performance times each night. Tickets are $7 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday; $15 on Saturday; or $25 for the entire festival. All performances are at the Undermain Theater, 3200 Main St. Call 214-821-9671 or visit www.wordspace.org. --Mary Monigold
8/5
Off the Tracks
As if chains of roller-skating "box cars" flying off a half-pipe ramp, careening around the stage amid pyrotechnic special effects and laser lights, and belting out everything from rock and rap to R&B and country tunes weren't enough, the playbill for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express now comes with 3-D glasses. Multiple 3-D scenes involving roller-skating actors playing train cars "make it look like they're skating right on to your lap," Dallas Summer Musicals spokeswoman Jo Ann Holt says. Starlight Express begins a two-week run Tuesday at Fair Park's Music Hall. Get tickets from Ticketmaster, at the box office, 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center, or by calling 214-631-ARTS. --Cheryl Smith
8/2
Making a Scene
At Arts Fifth Avenue's latest SceneShop, there seems to be one overall concept: Why put on a show with a bunch of people when you can do it with just one? You could be jaded and see it as a way of saving money, or you could mosey on over and enjoy the show. Please get to moseying. This round of works, called One by One, is centered primarily on monologues, with a little improv thrown in for good measure. Each monologue examines an individual and that individual's ability to affect the world around him. Performances are August 2, August 8 and August 9 at the Arts Fifth Avenue, 1628 Fifth Ave. in Fort Worth. All shows are at 8 p.m., and tickets are $6. One of the performers, Neil Stewart, will also be conducting an Improvisational Comedy Workshop on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is a $5 participation fee for those high school age and above. Call 817-927-4994. --Mary Monigold
