A Wooden Tale

We’ve all done it. Whether we didn’t want to hurt our friend’s feelings or just didn’t feel like crawling out of bed to go to work that one morning–we’ve all fibbed at one point or another. Luckily our noses are intact, even though we’ve all been pulling a Pinocchio for…

Man Among Memphos!

If you’re an avid reader of this publication, you might remember our Masterminds competition from a couple months back. If so, you’ll recall that actor/playwright/director/theater dude Matthew Posey was selected for an award among the 70 other artists/nominees that were submitted. Posey operates the Ochre House Theater, and this month…

Arsenic and Old Betty

What’s scarier (or more hilarious) than a couple of old ladies in the habit of poisoning their male boarders? If you answered Betty Buckley, you’re right (watch M. Knight Shyamalan’s The Happening–the woman is terrifying in it). If you’ve got a taste for real terror (and belly laughs), you’re in…

Pristine Sistine

History buff or not, century-old manuscripts are pretty cool, especially you’re talking about the only remaining set of codices from the Sacristy of the Sistine Chapel. Remember Napoleon? Well, these codices were taken from Napoleon’s armies, only to be rescued by the Archbishop of Toledo. Thanks to their discovery in…

Wilson Scores With Six

Dallas photographer Laura Wilson–AKA as the football mom for brothers Luke, Owen and Andrew (yes, those Wilsons)–trekked around Texas documenting the sport on its smallest scale: six-man football. The six-man tradition, a faster and higher scoring adaptation of the 11-man lineup, emerged from the Great Depression, when many smaller schools…

Barney’s Version Gives Mordecai Richler a Downgrade.

The late Canadian writer Mordecai Richler, best known south of the border for the film version of his 1959 novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, was a bellicose practitioner of Jewish fiction in the manner of Philip Roth and Saul Bellow, with a mad helping of Joseph Heller. The joyfully…

The Eagle: A Neophyte Roman General Takes Flight.

The Eagle, directed by Kevin Macdonald and adapted from Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 historical novel, The Eagle of the Ninth, a bestselling tale of second-century Roman legions and youthful derring-do on the far side of Hadrian’s Wall, is a thunderous boys’ adventure of the old-school type—there’s not a female speaking part…

Brief Encounters: A Showcase for Academy-Anointed Shorts.

In past years, the theatrical release of the Oscar-nominated live-action and animated shorts has provided a fun peek into intriguing bite-size cinema from across the globe. But for the 2011 edition, the series is at last making room for the five nominated documentary shorts as well. Unfortunately, this year’s nonfiction…

Track Back Through Time

Like many of you, I missed the one-day-only “soft” opening of The Eight Track Museum because I was knee-deep in family, fruitcake and festivities on Christmas Day. Thankfully, our own Robert Wilonsky was there to document the historic day that Dallas became home to the coolest concept for a museum…

Love in the Pub

For $35, you could probably buy your sweetheart an assortment of gourmet chocolate–or about four of those heart-shaped boxes full of wax-flavored disappointment from Russel Stover. Here’s a better gift that you’ll both enjoy: the Beer and Chocolate tasting 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Plano Ginger Man Pub, 7205 Bishop…

Under the Bridge Downtown

Don’t get your hopes up, Dallas–ArtLoveMagic’s Underground event isn’t a secret Red Hot Chili Peppers performance (the album was called Blood Sugar Sex Magik, remember?). Instead, you’ll find dozens of artists and musicians at the event, happening from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. this Saturday in the Janette Kennedy Gallery…

The Most Challenging Stage…On Stage

Dallas Children’s Theater hosts its TEEN SCENE Festival through February 20. Unlike the after-school specials of yesteryear, TEEN SCENE is unrestrained in order to create meaningful works that raise awareness to the issues that teens currently face. The 2011 festival will include a quartet of plays written by playwright in…

They’ll All Float On, OK

A time-honored tradition–there is nothing like rounding up the family and killing a few weekend hours wondering who the hell can afford a new boat in this economy. But, since 1955, the Dallas International Boat Show has brought the largest collection of watercraft imaginable to North Texas and this year…

A Lick of the Paintbrush

Back in the ’80s, The Dallas Museum of Art replicated several rooms of the art-packed French Riviera villa of Wendy (Texan and fashion model) and Emery (Hungarian writer and art collector) Reves to display the couple’s dizzying collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art including pieces by van Gogh, Monet and…

Search Your Favorite SlashTags

There are many sites upon which we budget-minded fashion freaks can find a name brand deal, but let’s be honest, if you sale-surf online you don’t get to touch the clothes, to hold them up like a human paper doll, to see how your calves will look sticking out of…

Ride the Rails of Romance

Spend Valentine’s Day with your sweetie gliding to dinner aboard the McKinney Ave. Trolley with only a dollop of irony: The McKinney Ave. Transit Authority named its Valentine’s deal “Streetcar Named Desire,” though the namesake play has absolutely nothing to do with romance. Quite the opposite, in fact. But if…

For Those Who Love Their Wine

Let’s face it; Valentine’s Day can be super depressing. But if you’ve got a love bird, Valentine’s Day is quite possibly one of the best days of the year; at least, for the ladies. This year, don’t just exchange chocolate and teddy bears; take a ride on the 4th Annual…

For All the Lovers (of Comedy) Out There…

If you are one of those people that scoffs at all of the love sick idiots who waste money celebrating a holiday almost completely manufactured by card and chocolate companies (and your lonely, bitter rant is just as obnoxious as all of those rose-wielding couples) then Valentine’s Day at Backdoor…

Is There a Heart-Shaped Asana?

Valentine’s Day is currently recognized by most people I know as nothing more than a nasty ploy by greeting card companies to get us to spend our hard earned dollars on their sappy, one-size-fits-all sentiments. To me, though, the real problem with the holiday is the chocolate. I could see…

Just Like Bogie and Bergman

Is there anything more romantic than Rick telling Ilsa, the love of his life, to get on the plane at the end of Casablanca? Maybe the part where he holds his hands in his heads and says, “Of all the gin joints in all the world, she walks into mine.”…

Feed Each Other Grape’s

Intimate? Check! Dimly lit? Check! Located in a happening part of town? Check! With these romantic pieces in place, its no wonder that The Grape is at the top of the list for special dinners out. Valentine’s Day is one of the most special occasions of the year, and Chef/Owner…