Growing up in Texas’ dust bowl throws a distinct filter on adolescence. As the good, God-fearing, Lions Club-sponsoring businesses shut down each evening, the day simply ends. Well, unless you mash-up your own fun, like watching a league of traveling amateur wrestlers set up at the rodeo grounds. That’s an…
They say that all you need is love. They sound pretty sure about that, and we have to hope it’s true — because Dallas residents will need a lot of the stuff to get through the cavalcade of media attention focused on our fair city during the 50th anniversary of…
Considering the cost of a specialty craft cocktail hovers somewhere in the $8 to $12 range, you’ll get absolutely plastered during Cocktail Evening at The Modern (3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth), because reservations cost $60 and you’re no fool. Gargle beautiful drinks featuring Reyka Vodka, Hendrick’s Gin, Milagro Tequila, Solerno…
Most ladies nights aren’t lady-centric. They don’t promote bonding, betterment or an inner glow that stems from learning new things. Instead, they’re man magnets, designed to alert fellas that drunk chicks will soon pass out at a bar near them. That changes on Friday at Show Me How You Burlesque,…
After wrapping production of the wonderfully titled Gruesome Playground Injuries, Second Thought Theater shows its latest project, In a Forest, Dark and Deep by Neil LaBute and directed by Regan Adair at Kalita Humphreys Theater (2400 Flora St.) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. In a Forest, Dark and Deep is about…
There is something very joyful and calming about seeing a sky full of colorful balloons, floating in the air. Don’t believe it? Then consider yourself dared. Go on, just try and visit the 26th Annual Lions Club Balloon Festival and Fair without feeling the effects of happy serenity. All weekend…
The most twisted film created by the screenwriting cerberus of Randy Newman, Steve Martin and Lorne Michaels is also one of the most quotable. The Three Amigos remains the greatest film about three silent film actors who mistakenly travel to Mexico to accidentally battle a brutal villain due to an…
Sometimes we need a little motivation to stop binge-watching Star Trek on Netflix and engage in some relatively healthy behavior. Or at least give our futons the chance to breathe and fluff out the ass grooves left behind from said binge-watching. But if you still can’t muster the energy to…
With the August heat getting up to “What fresh hell is this?” levels, dog owners need to be particularly diligent when they’ve got their pets outdoors. It’s important to keep your dogs cool and hydrated when you’re out and it’s best to do the same for yourself while you’re at…
Texas is a flummoxing place to be a gardener. With abbreviated planting windows, heat waves, prehistoric-seeming insects and downright crappy soil, it’s a wonder anything grows at all. But pros know the tricks, like that fall planting is the most rewarding, underrepresented gardening cycle of the year. It’s when you…
Sometimes the draw of a culture convention is the costumes, or sharing an experience with like-minded fans. Sometimes it’s even going to educational panels and learning something new. In this case, it’s a perfect storm of smoldering celebrity panels, more smoldering and a … dance party (fans may also enjoy…
You know what sucks about the State Fair? OK, nothing. Nothing at all. Except that it doesn’t start for more than a month. But fortunately, our good friends in the northern hamlet of Denton can patch up the fried hors d’oeuvre-sized holes in our hearts — at least for a…
Almost 30 years ago, a cultural movement began. What started as 20 like-minded friends gathering on a San Francisco beach to mark the summer solstice has turned into a week-long communal experience shared annually by tens of thousands. Yes, it’s the Black Rock Desert phenomenon known as Burning Man. Hard…
It’s the year’s most sought-after ticket, born from the twisted, brilliant brains of Trey Parker (South Park), Matt Stone (South Park) and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q). It’s won nine, count ’em, NINE Tony Awards while retaining its street cred. Seats on Broadway are STILL ungettable and the touring production has…
Our city’s skyline is modest by big city standards — a concentrated cluster, for sure, but it packs an iconic punch. There’s no mistaking that you’re home when you see Reunion Tower’s big glowing ball or the stately lights of the Arts District — it’s a silhouette that comforts and…
I’ve been meaning to take a self-defense class forever. Seriously. You know the day dinosaurs were invented? It was the day before that. As a single girl who lives alone — I write under a pen name so don’t try to abduct me, you dummies — I have a pretty…
Fire hoses. Bazookas. Carnival acts. These are the shooting-things-out-of-themselves experts. I know this now. Probably should have consulted them before attempting to blast a 9-pound-11-ounce boob destroyer out of my favorite part. Ah, well. Hindsight, much like a newborn baby person, is a total motherfucker. And once the baby’s out…
You’ve been a mess since missing San Diego Comic-Con. Even that kind-hearted robot you built won’t listen to any more of your blubbering. This is what’s meant by “rock bottom.” Your local a-hole alt weekly didn’t help either. The Observer ran ran story after story after story about the California…
You understood that an underground community of arm wrestlers exists, because you’re savvy. It’s just that until today, you’d based your knowledge of said subculture entirely on the 1987 documentary film Over the Top, Hollywood’s definitive instructional manual to the sport and its key players. Pick up where Stallone’s primer…
Last week, Oculus VR announced that John Carmack, The co-founder and lead programmer of classic Richardson-based game developer id Software, has joined the gaming hardware startup as chief technical officer. Oculus VR’s pilot project is a head-mounted display called The Rift. This direction-tracking headset hopes to deliver interactive, 360-degree, high…
If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a star in the circus, you were probably raised in a time before iPhones, animal rights groups or the inherent creepiness of a Cirque du Soleil show. Such a strange life goal comes with a number of unique challenges. First, you have to have…
“It was never my intention to die at this place. If so tell me to wake up and walk out of here.” That’s how Ann Williams, the founder and artistic director of the Dallas Black Dance Theater, succinctly sums up her thoughts on her pending retirement. It must be apt…
