Friends will disown me. I'll receive hate mail. But the truth is...I don't much fancy the Beatles. I don't disagree that they were instrumental to rock history. They have deceptively simple melodies. Those I like. I even have a few favorite songs, but of times spent wondering what to listen to, I certainly don't recall thinking, "Yeah, how 'bout a little Sgt. Pepper!" One thing I am certain of is being a fan of photographer Harry Benson. The man uses natural light in a way that is not intrusive upon his well-known subjects and yet emotive. (A way not unlike another great Beatles photographer, Linda McCartney.) The four seem relaxed and unaware of the soft clicks in the background, so Benson's shots allow a viewer to feel their presence...and a bit like a voyeur. For the Beatlemaniac or photo fan, Benson's work is visually valuable, and it seems impossible that the release of Once There Was a Way: Photographs of the Beatles will not reap its own fans. Of the 67 photos in the book, 16 are the featured exhibit at the Four Seasons, 4150 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving, Thursday through October 31. Patrons of the resort's Café on the Green can gaze at a Fab Four pillow fight and other moments of photographic vulnerability on their way to a special Beatles menu. Ringo's autograph can stay on eBay. I think I'll pick up a Benson-signed book from the gift shop. Call 972-717-0700. --Merritt Martin
Me and My Shadow
10/16
You know all there is to know about NBA legend Michael Jordan. Now's your chance to meet his writer sister Deloris. Author of In My Family's Shadow, she will speak at the Black Academy of Arts & Letters at 6 p.m. October 16 in the Dallas Convention Center's theater complex. On October 17, she'll be at the Black Bookworm Bookstore, 605 E. Berry, Fort Worth, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Borders Books & Music, 5500 Lovers Lane at Greenville Avenue, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. October 18. --Carlton Stowers
Do It for the Ducks
Folk songs keep White Rock Lake afloat
10/18
For the Love of the Lake is easily one of Dallas' best volunteer service organizations. Their fund-raisers, especially the bake sales, are fun and quirky. Somebody's always in the giant duck suit at every race or event at White Rock Lake. And their mission--keeping the lake beautiful and clean--definitely reaps rewards greater than the work. The group's latest benefit is a concert by folk singer John McCutcheon to help raise money for a bronze statue honoring the original White Rock "volunteers"--the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1935 to 1942. It's Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 and will not be available at the door. Call 972-622-SAVE or visit www.whiterocklake.org. --Jay Webb
Luna-chicks
Girls on film, behind the camera and more
10/17
Leni Riefenstahl proved it decades ago. Alma Hitchcock quietly confirmed it as hubby Alfie churned out masterpiece after masterpiece. The fact is upheld today by the likes of Sofia Coppola and Mary Harron. That's right, mister, successful filmmaking isn't anywhere near an exclusive male vocation or expression. For even further proof of this, check out the third annual LunaFest Film Festival on Friday and Saturday at the Dallas REI (as in, and inexplicably, Recreational Equipment Inc.). A mix of short films, documentaries and features by or about women is the focus here, including the acclaimed nonfiction work of Tiffany Shlain (Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness). We all love the "usual" film collections full of counterculture and vintage karate, but LunaFest's wide-ranging topic promises something comparable to a new application of Secret deodorant. You know, fresh. The Dallas REI is at 4515 LBJ Freeway. Call 1-800-LUNABAR. --Matt Hursh