Jason Lethcoe’s book Amazing Adventures From Zoom’s Academy doesn’t particularly wow the reader with its prose, but the concept is solid–basically, Harry Potter with superheroes rather than wizards. The heroine, Summer Jones, is an awkward 13-year-old tomboy with a goofy father named Jasper who likes to tinker with home appliances…
There is vomit art. There is garage-sale art. And there is the work of Richard Tuttle. Neither one nor the other, Tuttle’s art doesn’t so much split the difference down the middle as it ignores the two extremes altogether. It is subtler than the wink-wink, nudge-nudge though critically important shark-in-tank…
Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.) Any concept along the lines of “high school hottie solves crimes” is bound to make for watchable TV, but who would have expected this? Equal parts 90210 teen soap, murder mystery, and comedy, Veronica Mars pulls you in with its sharp writing,…
For most people, the words “role-playing game” conjure images of sweaty Dungeons & Dragons-obsessed weirdos, wearing cloaks and screaming “Lightning bolt!” at each other. But even non-RPG players gave the genre a try when Final Fantasy VII debuted back in 1997. The beautiful graphics and heart-tugging story made it an…
The Apartment (Lions Gate) The Bill Cosby Show: Season One (Shout! Factory) The Blue Light (Pathfinder) Conviction: The Complete Series (Universal) Dances With Wolves: Extended Cut (MGM) Film Geek (First Run) House, M.D.: Season Two (Universal) Invasion: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) Just My Luck (Fox) The Maid (Tartan) On…
Sixth grade was a bitch, man—the bullies, the break-ups, the unfortunate fashion decisions–it’s a wonder I ever made it to the horrors of middle school. Luckily for me I had two wise old friends to see me through the tough times, and their names were Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn…
Not many people know that Jimmie “J.J.” Walker experimented with a few different catchphrases before settling on the now-infamous “Dyn-O-Mite!” For a while he tried saying “TNT!” Then he tinkered with “Bombs Away!” which was soon onomatopoeically changed to “Ka-Blam-O!” This was followed by the inexplicable choice of “Ouch! That…
There’s just not enough money to get me to go teach a bunch of third-graders. The girls whine, the boys smell like puppies, and teacher-parent conferences have got to be the closest thing to hell this side of Barney Live! When mechanical engineer John Pearson was laid off, he took…
It’s a bleak era for comedy. The laughers of the world are trapped with the underdeveloped humor of Carlos Mencia and the pointless dimwittedness of network sitcoms. But Daniel Tosh is a bit different. He’s not particularly revolutionary in approach, nor does he have any slapstick gimmicks, but he’s actually…
There are many excuses to drink, and you better believe we’ve used ’em all. Getting hired at a job, getting fired from a job and celebrating days with a “Y” in them, you can count on us…to drink. This Sunday is the best excuse we’ve heard in a while (and…
1479 B.C.E.: Cross-dressing female wanted to rule the most powerful nation on earth. Hatshepsut walked in and filled the bill mightily for 19 years. She grew up in the political spotlight—dad Thuthmosis I ruled Egypt for 14 years; Mom’s brother Amenophris had ruled for 21 years. Power in the blood,…
If you’re like me, what you know about Mozart came from watching Amadeus. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there is so much more to learn from his music than from celluloid. Now here’s your chance. Honoring the 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth (dang, that’s a lot…
If there’s one universal truth about children’s programming, it’s the fact that the best kids’ shows are the ones created by people who are clearly under the influence of drugs. Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse—drugs, drugs and more drugs. Judging by the trailer, the creators of The Aqua Rangers fell…
Obsessed with the secret handshake? Interested in what goes on behind the closed doors of a fraternal lodge meeting? Wanna know what’s under those robes? We’re not sure that Ritual, the new exhibition at the Webb Gallery, will offer many concrete answers, but viewers can have a look at the…
Austin is undoubtedly home to hundreds, if not thousands, of conspiracy nuts, but none are quite as passionate as Alex Jones—who frankly puts The X-Files’ Lone Gunmen to shame. Fox Mulder’s friends could only manage one measly newsletter; Alex Jones is responsible for a radio show, two Web sites (infowars.com…
An Evening With Larry Hagman? Just one measly evening? The Hag Man could spend a whole entire night regaling you with stories about Barbara Eden’s navel or cataloging the many fabulous cowboy hats he donned as J.R. Ewing. One single, solitary evening barely scratches the surface. You could spend a…
Toyota’s latest promotional campaign is, in a word, crafty. Trying extra-hard to market their newest car to art nerds, the design-hip, fuel-efficient Yaris disguises its dog-and-pony show in the form of a DIY free-for-all. This Wednesday through Saturday (August 23 to 26), the YarisWorks Roadshow makes a stop in Dallas…
Don’t think of this as an anniversary event along the lines of your grandparents’ 50th—you know, the one where the dinner options included your choice of 17 casseroles and your aunt got hammered on frozen Colorado bulldogs before leading a bevy of girdled asses through the rented hall during an…
Country/Western connotations sure have taken a sharp turn in the American lexicon. Case in point: If a new downtown nightclub was named “Arkansas,” what would your first assumption be? Yup. When did stories of the open range and blazin’ guns turn into the country’s most blatant camp and gay icons?…
Remember the good old days, when people could take nail clippers (and nail polish for that matter) onto a plane and the only people we seemed to hate were those red commies? Unfortunately the fear of Russian nuclear annihilation has transitioned into one of a terrorist-based World War III, and…
So Mary had a little lamb. Who hasn’t? It’s tasty. The only people who have a problem with that are those PETA folks and a couple of vegan kindergartners who run screaming out of the classroom during nursery-rhyme hour. But now things have really gone too far. The Artisan Theatre…
My first piano recital included a mind-blowing rendition of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (complete with vocal accompaniment) that was immediately shown up by some I’m-five-years-old-and-I-practice-12-hours-a-day-for-moments-like-this kid playing Rachmaninoff. So, I can sympathize with the struggle for piano greatness that the characters face in 2 Pianos 4 Hands, by Ted…
