I’ve always been fascinated by people’s fear of clowns. I can see why they bring on the heebie-jeebies. Ronald McDonald will clog your arteries. John Wayne Gacy throws you under his house. Tammy Faye will open her mouth. It is a rational fear. Who knows what person is really lurking…

Since this blurb is about a play titled Polish Joke, it only seems appropriate to offer a guffaw originating in humor of the Polish persuasion. The Canonical List of Polish Jokes online didn’t help much since their server was down—unless that was the joke. So next on the list was,…

I wasn’t really sure who the Grapevine Heritage Foundation was at first, but they’ve charmed the pants right off of me with this event. Yes, I am that easy. In conjunction with the North Texas Mustang Club, they’re presenting a “classic car double feature.” Along with some sweet-ass Ford Mustangs,…

As a writer, I have this ego thing going where I can’t wait to see my finished product each week. Even with my little blurbs here and the profound effect I’m sure they have on readers (ahem), I rush to see my legacy in print. So, when I read about…

Even though I don’t get into high school football, there was something to be said when the Highland Park Scots took the state championship last year. Those local-kids-do-good stories always choke me up. But then I started thinking, well, if these kids lost then their parents probably would have bought…

After writing this, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to turn in my Man Card. (And yes, of course I have one. Don’t you?) When I found out Michael Cunningham was coming, I wasn’t necessarily excited, but thoughts quickly flashed to the brilliant movie version of his book, The…

Ever think botox and collagen existed outside of Highland Park and D magazine? Probably, but did plastic surgery ever cross your mind in the argument of internal racism versus infinite vanity? The documentary Western Eyes follows two Asian women troubled by their physical appearance considering a nip/tuck to acclimate to…

It wasn’t that long ago when I discovered the gems that are bad movies. I mean, so-bad-they-are-good flicks where the production team probably didn’t know what a grip was or how to use a director of photography. Good, earnest filmmaking with kung fu and car explosions immediately upon impact (thank…

That poor Dallas Zoo gets such a bad rap for not being a bigger, better zoo. Which I never understood because it’s always fulfilled my needs. What exactly is it that people expect out of this city gem? Well, to answer that question, the zoo folks are hosting Dallas Roars,…

Home tours have always prompted a voyeuristic curiosity in me—if only because my hovel would probably fit in the garage of one of the featured abodes. But it’s about something more meaningful. Like finding small mistakes in their decorating scheme or noticing the spot on their carpet not so successfully…

Home tours have always prompted a voyeuristic curiosity in me—if only because my hovel would probably fit in the garage of one of the featured abodes. But it’s about something more meaningful. Like finding small mistakes in their decorating scheme or noticing the spot on their carpet not so successfully…

I tend to stay away from artist receptions. I went to one once, enjoyed the free drinks and canapés and even pretended to like the art while I was at it. I don’t think I’m being a snob about it—there were already too many at the event I went to…

I had the privilege of being in one of Teatro Dallas’ productions back in their old downtown space. A budding actor, I had dreams of Academy and People’s Choice Awards and director Cora Cardona took a small chance on me, albeit with a mid-sized role. But for that one moment…

A couple of weeks ago in Night & Day, I came out of the closet as a movie geek and admitted to my vice of DVD collecting. That was my first step. To go even further, and decrease my chances of a decent social life, I feel the need to…

In some parallel universe and my car, I’m a great singer. I wait for the day that Oprah will come knocking on my door with a surprise in hand. That surprise would be my dream to sing with the Turtle Creek Chorale—preferably in their Christmas show. Forget finishing my education,…

My other job is at a bookstore. With that comes the excessive tome exposure, and yet somehow it’s never too much. It was there that I discovered Augusten Burroughs, followed Oprah’s classic selections and even fell for The DaVinci Code. Then there are the few that I keep seeing but…

With Wilonsky being the movie guy here, the rest of us cinemaniacs just stand in his shadow. I’m not even sure who the other movie buffs are, but ‘’m going to go ahead and stake my claim as the second go-to (yet unofficial) movie guy around here. I might be…

Professor Henry Higgins was a pimp? Quite possibly…if you ponder the dubious hero of My Fair Lady and his professional tactics. He plucks young ladies off the streets, tidies them up, teaches them how to talk right and puts them on display for others to gawk at. A pimp prototype…

Being that my father is a chef and my sister and her husband are caterers, I’ve had the privilege of being exposed to some really good food throughout the years. Unfortunately, it shows—imagine the desperation on my face during frantic workouts at the gym. But I guess that’s another story…

Online bios of comedian John Witherspoon tell me what makes him “so captivating” and how he makes the audience care about his characters. Now, for the record, I didn’t really care about his character, Mr. Jones, in Friday—he was just damn funny. And he’s probably the best thing about “film…

I was so miffed that I couldn’t write about Oscar-watching parties, I had to take the closest thing to satisfy my penchant for cinematic blurbs. And thus I was presented with Simply Streisand. A film festival? Oy! I hoped not. But rather, a concert presented by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra…

I, for one, have never heard of gay gypsies. I’m quite certain they exist, but they have never landed on my gaydar. Similarly, a friend of mine told me he couldn’t see Brokeback Mountain because “there aren’t any gay cowboys.” After wiping away tears of laughter, I thought, what if…