“Chickity China, the Chinese chicken.” Those infamous five words aren’t a random mix I just threw in here for kicks. Think really, really hard. Now do you remember? Ah ha, of course–Barenaked Ladies! I’m sure you thought “One Week” was the only song these guys ever played, but apparently these…
We’ve often wondered which one would win in a no-holds-barred cage fight: fiction or nonfiction? Until recently, we’d have to go with fiction, but these days it’s mostly in the hands of teenage vampires and Harvard “symbologists.” As for nonfiction, wild memoirs and true crime books contain far more dangerous…
The circus is coming to town! And no, we don’t mean the Britney Spears “Circus Tour.” The 139th edition of the “Zing, Zang, Zoom” Red Tour presented by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will be coming in by train with high-flying acrobats, crazy clowns and a slew of exotic…
Teaching your kid to be a Texan is priceless, but for a mere $40 you can learn your 11- to 13-year-old to appreciate and cook Texas staples like…umm, tomato basil crostini with mozzarella. Well, at least pan-fried cutlets with gravy features two Lone Star staples: frying and gravy. And there’s…
The City of Your Final Destination is as provocative as the title suggests. Based on the book of the same name, the film follows graduate student Omar (Omar Metwally), who wants to write an authorized biography of a Uruguayan novelist who committed suicide. His request having been rejected by the…
For about four months in 2000, we were seriously into Travis’ The Man Who, an album of easy listening Radiohead-lite that gained a foothold in the States thanks to catchy single “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” and a B-side cover of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” that…
If you’re looking for an archetype of the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll front man, Robert Plant is the obvious choice. As the tight-trousered, sex-oozing, golden-fleeced singer for Led Zeppelin, he became a shining example of the glory and excess of the bloated 1970s music industry. His vocal prowess kicked Zeppelin’s…
Christopher Titus was raised in an exceedingly dysfunctional family, and not only does he manage to laugh about it, but he makes it very funny for audiences as well. The stand-up comedian, who is probably best known for his dark sitcom Titus, was raised by his abusive, alcoholic dad after…
Inception is a chilling trip into the psyche…of writer-director Christopher Nolan, an Anglo-American action director who shattered the Tomatometer of mass-consensus with The Dark Knight. Nolan’s follow-up offers more muted colors, gift-wrapped themes and GQ leading men with stockbroker comb-backs over the frowns carved in their brows—indicators of high-minded artistry,…
Implicit in its title, the premise of The Killer Inside Me—directed by Michael Winterbottom from Jim Thompson’s 1952 crime novel—could be summed up in a classified ad: Texas cop with pleasant boyish demeanor seeks compliant dames for sadistic sex games culminating in murder. What complicates this tale is its telling…
By the time the ladies of Theatre Too’s Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage start sawing up the body of a villainous Ukrainian drug dealer named Black Dog, the strange charms of this outrageous piece of grindhouse comedy will have firmly grabbed hold of your senses. Not known for taking…
Sure, we can whip up some pretty tasty Cajun dishes, but if you’re looking for the tastiest Creole, look no farther than New Orleans. Okay, that may be a little out of the way, so Louisiana native Chef Marcelle Bienvenu is bringing New Orleans to Dallas with dishes like Roosevelt…
Have you ever faked it? No, not like that. You know, pretended to know what you were talking about when sipping a glass of wine? We’ve seen you, sniffing the wine and gently swirling it around in the balloon-shaped glass. After taking a small sip, you hold it in your…
The greatest things in life are free. But they go very well with a $15 trip to the movies and a $5 beverage. The new show at the Magnolia Gallery, Incidental Insider, is a perfect alternative to fifteen minutes of previews, or an immediate rush back to the car afterward…
The words “beer tasting” and “opera” don’t find themselves together very often. But when they do, it’s a super good time. Especially when the Dallas Opera’s doing the opera-ing and The Londoner’s doing the beer-ing. From 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, the Dallas opera hosts a beer tasting at The…
If his conservative political views, gun ownership stance or snakeskin cut-offs offend you, then kneel down and suck his Glock. Motor City Madman Ted Nugent will put a stranglehold on Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Saturday. It must have been four years since he bow-and-arrowed a life-size cutout of…
OK, we love a guy who says “eff you” to his town and lets a bunch (500,000, to be exact) of hippies party down for a few days while listening to some groovy music on his farm. He even…wait…oh no, we’re doing it again. We’re confusing reality with movies. Last…
Art Conspiracy, i.e. everyone’s favorite holiday splurge (“It’s for a good cause,” I rationalized after my fourth purchase last year), doesn’t take place until the cold month of December, but leave it to our local art conspirators to be proactive. In preparation for the awesomeness that is sure to be…
There are two stories my dad always tells when the subject of boats comes up. One involves the time he ate beer and eggs for breakfast, got on a boat and promptly barfed, while the second recalls the incident in which he launched himself, my mother and my toddler self…
Catch up on your summer reading by visiting the Friends of the Plano Public Library Book Sale, where over 100,000 gently used hardbacks, paperbacks, DVDs and CDs will be on sale for $2 or less at the Plano Centre, 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway. Admission is $5 to $10 for…
In 1973 a young musician came to Texas with the purpose of meeting his idol, the singer/songwriter Bob Wills. But before Ray Benson could meet the King of Western Swing, Wills had a stroke, and later died. Benson never got to speak to Bob Wills, so he wrote a musical…
After they leave Saturday Night Live, most comedians can only trot out the same old comic persona for so long before the time comes to find a new gag. Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Al Franken–all eventually reinvented themselves years after they left. Don’t hold your breath for Jon Lovitz to…
