Give me a good old-school horror movie over the super-scare tactics of today, and I’ll gladly bring the popcorn. I like a good shock, a good jump in the seat as much as the next sucker, but I’m also a fan of that slight bit of kitsch that makes a…
Trying to figure out what to do for Father’s Day is harder than putting socks on a rooster. I use that saying because it’s one of the old man’s faves, and you know, it’s the least I could do. But, for real, people, if you’re not giving him a tool/toy…
Part of artist Cathey Miller’s inspiration for her latest show, Prepared Americans, came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness.” Can’t say I’m not freaked out by that since the series depicts women in gas masks, ski masks and other protective gear in…
I remember a high school production of The Music Man when I was a backstage assistant. All of the sets were built atop rolling platforms that were positioned during blackouts or behind the curtain. As I helped roll a platform during what may have been “Wells Fargo Wagon” or another…
Where Supergrass once stood as an effervescent factory of happy-glam, the group has changed the formula for its sixth effort, Diamond Hoo Ha. Rather than follow 2005’s moodier Road to Rouen with another Marc Bolan-in-rainbows party monster and adhere to the band’s back-forth, up-down M.O., Supergrass has offered up something…
Prior to the announcement of the And/Or Show #17, I had never heard of Brooklyn artist Cory Arcangel. So I did some research…and I laughed my ass off. I checked out “Things I Made” on Arcangel’s Weblog and discovered a Doogie Howser, M.D.-related search engine hack, a log of timecodes…
So after washing my hands with what’s probably antibacterial soap in our fully automated touch-nothing bathrooms here at Dallas Observer headquarters, I sat with my immune-boosting yogurt cup and read headlines—which included one about the latest antibiotic- and soap-resistant superbug. Appropriate, as Zayd Dohrn’s play Sick made its National New…
You can call A Dog’s Life, by Sean Grennan and Leah Okimoto, a “howlingly funny new musical” all you want, Theatre Three. I’ll bet you $10 that I’ll bawl my way through the whole thing. See, apparently young pup Jack was adopted by a family. He was subsequently tied to…
Presidential campaign, what? Everyone has an opinion on who should be our next leader, what they should focus on, where they should pull out from, who they should appoint as a running mate and if their clothes really send a good message to “the people.” Big deal. It’s the latest,…
Go ahead and scramble to sneak a peek at Mylie Cyrus’ so-called side-boob (whatever) in that Annie Leibovitz portrait all over the racks. Dallas has their own artistic exhibition of celebrity upon which to feast the eyes. The Music Hall at Fair Park showcases the work of local photographer (formerly…
The recipe for recording a successful sophomore album begins with a bottle of cheap wine…sort of. In Ladyhawk’s case, it starts with the band’s beloved quick-fire sangria (cheap wine, juice and Sprite), a drafty house without electricity or plumbing and—to answer your question—a bucket in which to piss. More than…
If you haven’t been to Marfa, face it: You’re just not that cool. Two of the year’s most kick-ass movies were filmed there (There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men), seriously indie bands make special trips there (Boris, Joanna Newsom and others) and even Prada developed a…
From early breakfast to late lunch, John’s Café doesn’t pretend to be anything but a neighborhood diner serving basic, filling meals with a few Greek offerings mixed in. There’s no pomp or circumstance and no bullshit. John’s is a quick, bustling grub hub happily settled on Lowest Greenville Avenue with…
If there’s one thing about the Chinese culture, it’s that it pays great honor to tradition and history. So do the written works of New York Times best-selling author Lisa See. Steeped in Chinese history, See’s works are love stories, ghost stories and emotive sagas. See discusses her fifth novel,…
Every time I think of the work of Molière I can’t help but also think of John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club: specifically the scene in which Judd Nelson’s John Bender sits on a card catalog “re-alphabetizing” the cards, pausing at one to drawl, “Moe-lay really pumps my nads.” Oddly, The…
When one speaks of the Mexican culture, it’s not all corn tortillas, Guayaberas and other stereotypical things we associate with a fiesta (even as awesome as a kick-ass home-style fiesta may be). No, Northern Mexico has a bit more in common with the US than one might think as far…
If there’s one thing photographer Hal Samples can do without even speaking, it’s make social commentary. His works offer comment on life, levels of suffering or joy and the environment just hanging there still on a wall. Saturday, May 3, Samples opens a showcase of some of his works shot…
Last time Chelsea Handler was in town, I took my friend who is a huge fan of the sassy, brassy, not-ashamed-about-being-sorta-slutty comic and host of E! Entertainment’s Chelsea Lately. This friend is the one who introduced me to Handler’s books: collections of certifiably embarrassing and relatable moments ranging anywhere from…
Admit it. Rather than playing outdoors in the sunshine, you spent your summers watching PBS cooking shows, learning proper knife techniques and finding yourself in awe of the be-toqued on Great Chefs and those fortunate enough to have their own shows. (It’s cool. Me too.) These days, the fortunate include…
Recent studies have proven that women may enjoy, but cannot actually be described as loving flowers until they enter the maternal state. The maternal state, however, is not exclusively that of having passed offspring through the vaginal canal, but may be inclusive of being a pet mommy, baby-sitter, stepmother, godmother,…
With Tapes ‘n Tapes’ sophomore full-length effort, Walk It Off, the band did and didn’t hit the cursed slump. The album, at first listen, seems to be more of the same—a brightly candy-wrapped study of the artists that, at one time, must have inspired Josh Grier and Co. beyond blogs…
Go green. Be good to the earth. The message is everywhere but, aside from recycling, it’s often associated with cleaning products, architectural or utility choices and other adult stuff that the whole family can’t really get excited about. The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Conservatory decided to make “green”…
