Can a photo or drawing of someone else be a self-portrait? Angstrom Gallery's featured artists, Jack Pierson and Paul P. , prove through their intimate handling of subjects and detailed renderings of physical beauty and faults that a portrait of another can be just as personal. Pierson's medium is an anonymous sort of photography--his subjects include Ben Kweller and Casper Van Dien, but his titles are simply numbers. If we recognize the subject, well, that's fine. But, if not, these men are still as important. Paul P. chooses drawing as his medium, using subjects "from gay pornography before the AIDS era." The power of his portraits lies in what danger awaits the seemingly unbreakable beauty of the confident faces. The exhibition is weighty with meaning and homoerotic in nature, but, for some reason (maybe it's the recognizable faces of Pierson's subjects), the show isn't intimidating. It's soft and beautiful and a little bit serene. Pierson and P. (and their subjects) deserve a long gaze, a step back and a lean forward. The gallery is located at 3609 Parry Ave. The exhibit runs through July 17. Call 214-823-6456.
Friday, June 18
We traded mix tapes with a friend with the stipulation that all songs on the tapes had to be some of the saddest we'd ever heard. The lyrics could be melancholy and the music perky or vice versa. Or the songs could be sad in both words and melody. But we quickly realized we'd have to rule out some songs, the obvious choices, so the compilations would be new and fresh. The first of these was George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today." It was agreed that this particular tune was the saddest song ever. Seriously, ever. Then someone else enters the conversation and astonishes us with never having heard this absolute favorite bawl-your-eyes-out country classic. After some verbal flogging we suggest to Mr. Don't Know Jones that he hightail it to Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce St. in Fort Worth, on Friday to see a personal rendition by Jones himself at 8 p.m. Actually, we suggest that anyone interested in some of the finest songwriting country and western has ever seen had better get on out there, too. Tickets are $35 to $55. Call 817-212-4280. And take a hanky.
Saturday, June 19
Just walking into Sephora gives our checkbook an automatic beating. We're makeup whores. The store has one particular aisle that spells trouble for us. One side is home to our beloved Hard Candy cosmetics. The other is our Achilles' heel: Urban Decay. Even now we're wearing two shades of their eye shadow and a lip color, all of which carry the notoriously odd names of the line (Mildew, Uzi, etc.). As important as washing our makeup off before bed is getting an appointment for Saturday's Explosive Beauty. We love our cosmetics, but we're always looking to improve on our application technique, and the Urban Decay squad is taking over Sephora Galleria offering "tips on how to turn yourself into a true bombshell." We're so there. Then if we don't get that part as the next Bond girl, we can sustain our self-esteem and blame the makeup...and our gym...and our genes. The Galleria is located at 13350 Dallas Parkway. Appointments are between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and are limited. Call 972-934-3056.
Sunday, June 20
Just watch Big Fish for an example: Who tells a better story than ol' Pops? So instead of trying to find the perfect gift for the man who tells you to "save your pennies 'cause I got all I need," treat him to a night of the oral tradition. The Dallas Storytelling Guild offers Man and Myth: Stories for Father's Day at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Bath House Cultural Center. Tickets are a mere $10, so Dad won't feel bad about draining your funds. And while the guild might not present audiences with Dad's favorite tale of trudging to school through swamps and snow, freeing a child from a well and catching a fish the size of a pterodactyl, they might give him fodder for a new story. Just imagine: "I remember one night when my favorite child, [insert your name here], took me out for a wonderful Father's Day..." He'll probably stick with the big fish spiel, but he's still worth the effort. Hear the tales at 521 E. Lawther Drive. Call 214-321-9791.
Monday, June 21
For the second year, OUT TAKES Dallas (the gay and lesbian film festival) celebrates Gay Pride Month with the Profiles in Pride Film Series. This time, the series carries the theme of "That's Entertainment!" and presents films related to the roles and contributions of homosexuals in the entertainment industry. On Monday, the featured flick is Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: The Life & Times of William Haines, a biopic profiling the actor's successful 1930s film career and the dive it took when he refused to kick Jimmie Shields, the love of his life, to the curb. Billy and Jimmie would go on to find success in interior decorating careers and a relationship that lasted almost 50 years. In other words, the couple Joan Crawford dubbed "the happiest married couple in Hollywood" gave entertainment conservatives the old thumb to the eye. And we give that thumbs up. Check out the whole story at 7:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church (at the corner of Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs). The screening is free. Visit www.outtakesdallas.org.
Tuesday, June 22
Since school let out, we seem to interrupt a hockey game on our street every time we leave or arrive home. We feel bad breaking up the play, but more than that we are horribly jealous. Our single attempt on in-line skates ended in a chin on concrete and a goose egg on our forehead. (At least it was a lovely blue hue.) These street stick wielders of the neighborhood are dedicated, and so are the Fort Worth Brahmas. For six summers, the team has devoted its time off the ice to a good cause using the moniker Blacktop Brahmas. At more than 30 locations this summer, the BBs provide sticks, balls, helmets, protective gear and jerseys to kids between 6 and 16 during free in-line hockey clinics. The sessions cover offensive and defensive skills, plus basics like passing and shooting. This Tuesday finds pros and aspiring pucksters at Caville Boys & Girls Club, 5021 Ave. G in Fort Worth, from 10 a.m. to noon. See www.brahmas.com or call 817-336-4423.
Wednesday, June 23
"Only a few notes survived the fire. These were all Detective Clarke had to go on as he took over the investigation." Now it's your turn. Barnes & Noble, 801 W. 15th St. in Plano, challenges writers with a contest called Whose Mystery Is It, Anyway? With the aforementioned prompt and clues on an entry form available at the store, participants are given the task of devising a story and solution in 350 words or less. Wednesday is judgment day for aspiring mystery writers as the store hosts an open-mike reading for contestants to present their submissions for a celebrity author panel including Tricia Allen (A Well-Respected Dead Man), Paul Black (The Tels), John Hamilton Lewis (Samsara) and William Manchee (Plastic Gods). The showdown begins at 7 p.m. with refreshments and a prize for the winner. The contest is free. Now go get an entry form or call 972-881-7526.