Most of the world knew the late Bill Paxton as an actor, a film and TV star, a musician and even a director. However, some of the people who got to know the Fort Worth native who appeared on so many movie and TV screens over the last 40 years…
It literally takes a village to put on an event like the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. Just before spring every year, hundreds of actors, jugglers, jousters, costume makers, crafters, artists and others dedicate a huge chunk of their time to turning a 35-acre stretch of land in Waxahachie into a 16th…
The story of how radio host and executive producer Glynn Washington scored a primetime slot on National Public Radio for his moving and emotional storytelling series Snap Judgment is just the kind he might unweave for his listeners. It’s a story filled with moments of luck, big risk, brutal disappointment…
Cities like Toronto, Atlanta and New Orleans may be seeing a boom in film and television productions thanks to competitive tax breaks and a workforce of experienced crew members. However, Dallas beat them all to the punch in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s thanks to cinematic classics like The Amazing…
One of the first thoughts that comedian James Thiep had when he landed in the U.S. came with a ready-made punchline. “I saw the words ‘restrooms’ and in my tribal language, that would mean a mortuary,” says Thiep, who is from Sudan. “So I was thinking, ‘How frequently do people die at…
Every generation has its scientific idol, from theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking to Crog, the first caveman who figured out how to use fire without setting himself on fire. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of our generation’s most revered and recognized names in the scientific community. He’s a writer, presidential-appointed…
If you tried convincing your significant other to go with you to the Monster Jam monster truck event at AT&T Stadium on Saturday by calling it a “romantic date night,” you were probably met with laughter. The word romance usually conjures images of a candlelit dinner, not a stadium filled…
Several local record shops that focus on vinyl, such as Josey, Good Records and Spinster, are managing to thrive in the age of streaming; meanwhile Dallas’ oldest store, which has specialized in CDs for the last two decades, is struggling to keep its doors open. But Top Ten Records on West…
When government leaders start calling for budget cuts, arts funding is usually the first item they stick under the guillotine, and this time, the cuts could be more extensive than just a little off the top. Arts funding could be thrown into an empty field and run over with a…
Paul McKenzie, the founder and artistic director of a new theatrical production company called Not Right Productions, has a passion for plays that push boundaries. So naturally he and his team picked Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical for their first production. Yes, that Debbie Does Dallas. It didn’t get far…
Gad Elmaleh performs 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, at Texas Theatre. Watching Gad Elmaleh perform comedy is like watching someone take the stage for the first time — except, he’s good. A native of Morocco, Elmaleh later moved to Paris where he honed his comedy act and became known as the “Jerry…
These are politically divisive times. Republicans thinks the Democrats’ former candidate is a Bond villain and Democrats thinks the new Republican president is a racist crybaby. We need the political equivalent of couple’s therapy, and that’s essentially what James Carville and Mary Matalin will offer when they visit the George W…
Chances are that Santa didn’t get you what you asked for. He thought the newest Maserati was a little too ostentatious. But if you have an extra grand lying around, you can fulfill that dream all on your own — for 24 hours anyway. These local dealerships and car rental businesses…
Even though we live in an age when powerful video games can be delivered to the TVs in living rooms or to smartphones in pockets, gamers still long for the noisy mess of a video game arcade. Cidercade, a pixelated transformation of the Bishop Cider Co. on Irving Boulevard that…
Dallas has served as a backdrop for many shows and films, including the eponymous soap, Dallas; Robocop; Talk Radio; and Born on the Fourth of July. But if new legislation passes, there may not be much more filmmaking in Dallas’ future. In 2004, the Texas Legislature saw a potential economic…
Two weeks from now, the Dallas-born hard rock band Mothership will perform on an actual ship. Tonight, they’ll kick off their U.S. tour at Dan’s Silver Leaf in Denton before heading off to Miami to play a floating rock show called Shiprocked. They’ll spend four days playing loud and proud on…
The fan attendees of the Marvelous Nerd Year’s Eve convention in Dallas found themselves grieving a loss in the midst of an otherwise raucous celebration. Carrie Fisher, the iconic Hollywood actress best known for playing Princess Leia in the first three Star Wars films as well as director J.J. Abrams’ Star…
Whenever voice actor Maurice LaMarche gets together with his fellow actors at the numerous fan conventions they attend, he says they often spend their downtime exploring some of the better restaurants in whatever city they happen to be in for that weekend. “The beauty of voice actors is nobody knows…
Comedian Dick Gregory has used his comedy, celebrity and humanity to advocate for civil rights and call out ignorance in America and throughout the world, and he’s been doing it since long before he stepped in front of a microphone. Needless to say, Gregory doesn’t like what he sees now…
Christmas can be an expensive celebration. It’s the only holiday that calls for buying a big meal and decorations to turn your homestead into a winter wonderland even if you live in a temperate zone. Then you have to buy presents for everyone you know or your friendship for the…
The hosts of the popular video game YouTube series Game Grumps can’t resist an opportunity to entertain, whether it’s for their legion of followers or just for each other. Danny Avidan and Arin Hanson, the Game Grumps’ main hosts, meet me on Skype for our interview, and even though my name…
Winning a comedy competition like the annual Funniest Comic in Texas can be both a blessing and a burden. Just ask this year’s winner Dez O’Neal. The Dallas-born comedian won the title out of a pool of 500 comics in the competition’s final round last Friday at the Arlington Improv…
