Fifty years ago the Russians showed the world that they beat us into space, and damned if we didn’t resent it. Sure, we landed on the moon first (all conspiracy theories aside), but October 4, 1957, was the day we threw our asses into gear and joined the great Space…
You’d think it’d be hard growing up with a nickname like Fudge, but it’d be even more unfortunate to grow up with Fudge as a little brother. Long before the beloved Judy Blume classic Superfudge, there was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, the introductory story of poor Peter Hatcher…
Somewhere along the road, dysfunctional families became normal. June and Ward Cleaver were replaced by Peg and Al Bundy and all hell broke lose. But the story of dysfunction and abuse started long before that. Take the Hunsdorfer family. In Paul Zindel’s 1971 Pulitzer Prize winning drama The Effect of…
Everyone loves a good coloring book. Whether you’re a classic Crayola eight-pack fan or you carry the briefcase of millions of colors, if you choose to color in the lines or prefer to make dogs green, you should head out to ArtWalk this weekend and get your hands on the…
I’ve seen exactly one live butterfly in the past few years. Seeing a Giant Swallowtail was a rare sight—living in East Dallas, I’m privy to a different kind of wildlife. For those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to be greeted at our doors by Monarchs and Question Marks, the…
Who’s to say what hair cutting, boxing, Mickey Mouse and fire medicine have to do with art and architecture? If anyone can explain the unseen similarities, it would have to be Michael Auping. As Chief Curator of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St.), Auping kicks off…
With only five home games left in the regular season, don’t you think it’s time you showed a little support to the most underappreciated professional sports team our city has? In case you missed it, we have a soccer team, and a good one at that. FC Dallas is one…
THIS SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE 14, 2008.. Yes, Asian acrobats are short. They’re wee and limber, and that allows them to perform acrobatics better than even the best French Canadian. That, and the fact that they begin their artistic pursuit while other kids are still potty training. With…
You misspelled “retribution” at your junior high spelling bee and have been bitter about it ever since. Your dreams of making it to the city finals were dashed, and your parents never forgave you. Some people just never understood the pressure you went through, but the kids in Putnam County…
There’s more to Asian cinema than Jackie Chan and creepy Japanese horror. Sure, the shoot ’em up action of Triad movies is always entertaining, and there’s a cult following for Jidaigeki (samurai period pieces), but what about everything else that slips through the cracks? The 6th Annual Asian Film Festival…
Tex-Mex, we appreciate what you’ve done for us, but sometimes we want to hang with your big brother. No hard feelings, I swear, but Mexican taquerias are where it’s at these days. And they have the goods to make us come running, like Urban Taco’s Mucho Margaritas happy hour. Featuring…
Some of my favorite things come from the Brits: The Cure, Curly Wurly bars, Minis and Clive Owen. But not everything English translates well to our shores. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to drink hot tea in the middle of the afternoon surely didn’t grow up in…
High up on my wish list of indulgences I want but will never be able to afford on my meager salary would have to be last year’s Criterion release Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films. With a hefty price tag of $850, the collection features 50 of the…
It’s the City of Light, and the City of Love. It’s a city on the other side of the world, yet we all still love Paris, and not just in the springtime. Paris, Je T’aime (Paris, I Love You), is a must-see film all about loving Paris and loving love,…
Only a radio station like Jack FM could put together a show featuring Don Henley, The Pretenders and Stray Cats and make it seem like a match made in heaven. Sure, each band is good in their own way, but traditionally speaking, eagles and cats don’t travel well together, regardless…
Oh, to be a princess. After overindulging in raspberry tarts, Princess Lenore tells her father that the only thing that will make her feel better is having the moon. Our dad would just give us some Pepto and tell us it was our own damn fault, but then again we’re…
Did you hear the news? Guns N’ Roses is on tour again. But with Axl Rose as the only original member in the band’s present line-up, you have to wonder if a live show is even worth it. There’s no more Izzy, Dizzy, Duff or Slash, and with his Cher-tastic…
Just in case you missed it, the Science Place is no more. Don’t worry, though, it hasn’t gone the way of the dinosaur—it really just merged with its neighbor (The Dallas Museum of Natural History) to form the awesomeness that is the Museum of Nature and Science. After a lot…
Readers of the e-book beware—megabytes and pixels do not a book make. And don’t even get me started on the eyestrain. But don’t worry, there’s still hope for you. The 2nd International Book Fair is here to make you a bibliophile once again. To promote the love of the written…
Names—they can be a tricky thing. Take for example Spiritual Stories of Inspiration in Metal. What’s that all about? It sounds like a lecture series on the spiritual awakenings running rampant in the world of heavy metal. Perhaps there’s a session covering Vince Neil’s salvation, courtesy of his Surreal Life-inspired…
When Gremlins hit the silver screen more than 20 years ago, we were given a step-by-step manual on what to do if our wacked-out dads brought home some furry little singing creature they bought in the back alleys of Chinatown. We were shown the horrible repercussions of not taking mogwai…
There’s been a lot of talk about stand-up around these parts lately. As someone who has attended a couple of open mikes recently, I’m gonna have to give it to you straight: Only about a third of the people out there who think they’re funny can actually elicit a laugh…
