We're still recovering from the extended Fourth of July weekend, but that won't stop us from getting out to enjoy some great events this weekend. We had our fill of firecracker shots and barbecue on Monday, so we'll take it easy tonight and ease on down the road to AT&T Performing Arts Center for a party to celebrate the premiere of The Wiz.
The musical's run at Wyly Theater starts tonight with a pay-what-you-can performance at 8 p.m. To kick off the show, the AT&T Performing Arts Center is hosting the Ease On Down The Road Block Party starting at 5 p.m. As Elaine Liner reported yesterday, food trucks will line up on Flora Street and Le Freak will perform at Strauss Square during the free party. You can also get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Winspear before watching The Wiz for just pennies or dollars. It's your choice on how much you pay, but just remember how hard those actors and crew members are working for those nickels and dimes.
After the jump, find out what celebrity charity event we're stoked about and which marathon may just be too hot for us to handle.
The Modern Film Fest: Let's Dance! Friday, July 8, through Sunday, July 10 at The Modern Art Museum For every Step Up and Save the Last Dance 2, there's a good dance flick out there, and thankfully The Modern Film Fest: Let's Dance! features a collection of films with excellent dancers. The film festival is part of the ongoing Modern Dance Festival, and the film screenings start tonight at 6 p.m. with a collection of shorts from Canada, Armenia, Bahia and the Faroe Islands. Catch screenings of more shorts tomorrow starting at 2 p.m. and stay for a screening of The Company, starring Neve Campbell and the Joffrey Ballet Company, at 5 p.m. The film festival continues next weekend, and the Modern Dance Festival continues through July 24. Tickets are $8.50, $6.50 for museum members, and tickets go on sale 2 hours before film screenings. Visit themodern.org for more information.
Midnight Madness: Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9, at Inwood Theatre See the late, great Leslie Nielsen romance Priscilla Presley and ham it up with O.J. Simpson in the second installment of the Naked Gun franchise. If you need more convincing, check out Chase Whale's favorite Nielsen moments, and make sure to drink some coffee to make it through the midnight screening. Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear screens tonight and tomorrow night at Inwood Theatre. Tickets are $10. Visit landmarktheatres.com.
Reebok Heroes Charity Baseball Game Saturday, July 9, at Dr Pepper Ballpark Want to see Mike Modano, Bradie James and Mark Cuban this weekend? Buy a ticket for the tenth annual Reebok Heroes Charity Baseball Game. Former and current professional athletes will take to the plate in a friendly game of baseball to raise money for The Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit that sponsors children in sports programs. The fun starts at 3 p.m. tomorrow with the Whataburger Heroes Special Olympic All-Star Softball Games, and the celebrity baseball game gets going at 6 p.m. A fireworks show at 9 p.m. caps off the evening. Tickets are $5 to $15 and available on ticketmaster.com and at the gate. Visit heroesorganization.org for the complete line-up of celebrities playing ball tomorrow.
Too Hot To Handle 5K and 15K Sunday, July 10, at Norbuck Park Yes, it's effing hot. We know. We have sweat glands, too. But we're not going to let the heat stop us from working on our bikini body. Oh, hell, who are we kidding -- we look more like a pre-Dancing with the Stars Kirstie Alley than a beach-ready Pamela Anderson. So maybe we should join the Too Hot To Handle 5K and 15K on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. If you haven't registered, no need to worry because you can sign up on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. for $50. Visit runontexas.com for more information.
