Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

After 10 years and seven movies, we’ve finally arrived: Bespectacled Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) squares off against amphibian-faced Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. It’s a climax of truly epic proportions, not only for its narrative import but for the fact that it…

Witty History Lessons Make Wittenberg Grade A Comedy

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Wit. Wit who? Wit more plays like Wittenberg, I’d go to Fort Worth more often. The latest from Amphibian Stage Productions at the Sanders Theatre in Cowtown is as witty as Shaw, as wacky as Stoppard and never as wearying as Shakespeare’s drama about a certain…

Pop On Over To Throw Some Popcorn

Throwing food at actors is frowned upon at most theaters. But not all. The one place you can hurl a foodstuff at the stage is Pocket Sandwich Theatre, which has one of its popcorn melodramas running right now. The show is The Final Adventures of Hercules. The food is dry…

Teacher’s Paint

They say those who can’t, teach, but three members of the art faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington are stepping up to prove just how wrong clichés can be. Though Sedrick Huckaby, Carlos Donjuan and Marilyn Jolly are a part of the same professional environment, each comes from…

Worth Studying

More often than not, I find any and all things related to geometry wholly unappealing. The mere mention of the term brings back awful memories of poor test scores, unproductive study sessions and disapproving glares from Mrs. Eckles as I’m handed back my pop quiz, freshly showered with markings from…

Vintage Clothing Haven Ahab Bowen to Close After 35 Years

The big green house on the corner of Howland and Boll streets, smack in the middle of trendy Uptown, has been the long-time home of Ahab Bowen, a vintage clothing and accessories store that stands as one of DFW’s finest treasure troves of antique wearables. Ahab’s collection of vintage apparel…

What the Hell Has TV Done to Real Housewives?

Does Jill Zarin have anything in common with June Cleaver? If you watch any of the Real Housewives shows on Bravo, you have to wonder if kids are growing up now not knowing what a “housewife” is. June Cleaver, if you don’t remember black and white TV, was Beaver and…

You Should Be Puzzled By the Master Theorem

Welcome to another edition of Geek-Offs, where you’ll find the perfect distractions to help you muddle your way through hump day each week. The Master Theorem is more of a commitment than our usual distractions, but trust us, you want in on this. A members-only, not-so-secret society of puzzle solvers…

Five Marriage Proposals That Are Worse Than Roy Williams’

For every mush fairy-tale engagement, there’s a proposal gone wrong. Look at the Roy Williams proposal debacle, for instance. We’re not sure what the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver was thinking when he mailed an engagement ring, along with a recorded proposal and $5000 for personal expenses, to his beauty-queen girlfriend,…

Not Just Gossip, Brian J. Smith Added to Cast of Gossip Girl

We’ve been following the work of actor Brian J. Smith since he was a student at Plano’s Collin College, so it’s a kick to see that he’s been cast as Blake Lively’s new love interest on the TV series Gossip Girl. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Smith grew up…

It’s Purls Before Swine at the State Fair’s Crafts Contests

Forget your butter sculptures, thrill rides and deep-fried hubcaps. For some of us, the State Fair of Texas is an annual adventure in crafts and kitsch. On display in the Creative Arts Building every year are the hundreds of winning entries in competitions for handcrafts, needlework, dolls, hobby collections, quilts,…

Guessing This Cover Might Keep You Tied Up For A While

It’s a new week; time for another peek. That’s right, friends, it’s press-day here at Dallas Observer. Prepare yourself for The Weekly Tease! As you can see above, this week’s cover will be an illustrated one. Just perfect for the story it represents. But what could it be about? Are those…

Stage Black Offers Weekend Festival of New Plays

Stage Black is back. The midsummer festival of new plays reflecting the African American experience runs Friday through Sunday (July 15 to 17) at the Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center Theater Complex. Six short plays are in the mix. They are: Breaking Vows at…

Contest: Area Reader To Win Tickets to The Onion Live

You read The Onion, right? You want to see The Onion live at the Winspear Thursday night? That’s what we thought. We have a pair of tickets ready to give away … but it’s not that easy. We want you to prove your love for the satirical publication. So, in…

Vintage Mobile Rolls Out For Its First Weekend At The Belmont

The Vintage Mobile made its debut this past weekend outside the Belmont Hotel, and we over at The Mixmaster hopped on the opportunity to check out the green school bus-turned-mobile shop, being avid thrifters and all. We arrived at noon to a handful of folks; some were browsing, others were…

Picture Show: The Best Costumes From Saturday’s Firewater

If ever there were two styles that could intermingle in a manner divine, perhaps the flowing dress and corsets of Victorian England and clockwork gadgetry of an altered history would be among the greatest. But, since we live in Texas, add in a dark mix of western-goth with some baroque…

I’mma Pass on the Bathing Suit, But Spanx for Asking.

Hey ladies (and mid-40s Dallas douchebags), you ever skooch yourself into the sausage-casing that is Spanx? Yeah, us too. And we just discovered that Spanx, who brought you the shapewear that made you look un-muffin-toppy and awesome in that fancy outfit you wore recently, has a swimwear line. Yep. They’re…

Postcards From the Road

I’m on the road again. I’ll be taking a few weeks off from the blogging world to take it all in and catch up on some personal projects. Follow the jump to see more postcards from the road…