Kick-Ass, the Matthew Vaughn-directed adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s graphic novel, sets itself up as an unadulterated exposé of the teenage mind. Tired of being mugged by high school thugs in a Manhattan that’s notably scummier than the real thing, our hero Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) wonders,…
Instrumentalists are a unique breed. Of course we have all played something once or twice at the prodding of our parents and band recruiters, and some of us thought that we were sure to rock the six-string as soon as we picked up a guitar. But, once we realized the…
There’s a great Twilight Zone episode called “Eye of the Beholder.” In it, for those who haven’t seen it, what is beautiful all depends on who is looking, and even a pig snout can be the height of beauty if the right person is looking…and that’s only one bit of…
Remember playing cowboys and Indians? Those were the good ol’ days. Or were they? From the legend and history of Pocahontas to John Wayne’s films to the ever-popular tale known as The Indian in the Cupboard, culture has always been known to negatively stereotype the relationship between cowboy and Indian…
Late-night happy hour? What the what? That’s seriously the greatest idea someone has had since deciding being a bubbleologist could be a job. Samar by Stephan Pyles recently kicked off a late-night happy hour called “Samar Under the Stars” every Wednesday. From 8 to 11 p.m., guests will enjoy $2…
Everybody’s gotta start somewhere, and these young playwrights and directors are starting with New Visions, New Voices, a spring playwriting festival now in its 16th year featuring work written and directed by undergraduate SMU theater students. Brandon Sterrett directs Pretty, Smart, Poetic by Brigham Mosley, a play about a family…
Whatever happened to good ol’ cheerful propaganda? You know, like in the ’30s when the world was in the shit, and theater gave us dancing gold diggers happily singing, “We’re in the money.” Sure, it was whistling past a graveyard, but that’s better than staring into the graveyard. We say…
Sure as no photographer can forget his first camera, no sailor ever drifts far from the memory of his first dinghy. Years after he sailed competitively, and long after he first began taking pictures, Bob Chilton has produced an exhibition that combines his two longtime passions: a richly colored set…
Since 1989, the Meyerson has hosted countless world-class, high-class events. Usually the symphony plays a lovely concert featuring the classical music from Mozart or Brahms, people sip white wine at halftime and then they leave after the show feeling super artsy and cultured. So when we saw that Kathy Griffin…
When in doubt, just dance. Or at least that’s Lady Gaga’s philosophy. This year’s Dance for the Planet Festival does just that. Whether you can shake it or have no rhythm at all, Dance for the Planet invites the community for a weekend full of pilates, flamenco, hip-hop, salsa and…
There is something about big, bouncy balloons that turns me into a kid again. Not sure what it is about the inflatable bag full of helium that mesmerizes me and brings out my inner child, but thank you, Bartolomeu de Gusmão. He would be the person responsible for the invention…
After a winter like the one we shivered through this year, signs of spring are especially welcome. It’s a good feeling to put the Snuggies into storage, drag out last year’s gladiator sandals, and get out in the warm sun for a little bit of overdue vitamin D exposure. The…
The recently reopened Trees club in Deep Ellum may seem an odd place to hold a stand-up comedy show. After all, this is the historic venue that has traditionally been home to rock shows, including the infamous 1991 Nirvana melee wherein Kurt Cobain and bouncer Turner Van Blarcum traded blows…
The sights and sounds of a guitar show are invigorating for guitarists of all experience levels, and are nearly enough to drive any axe-slinger into a shopping frenzy. But there’s another underrated sense that I’ve always associated with a convention hall packed with musicians and vendors: smell. The tang of…
A district attorney in Wisconsin has threatened to prosecute teachers who follow a new state law that bans abstinence-only sex education and requires sex-education classes to provide age-appropriate information. That’s not exactly surprising coming from a people who call themselves cheeseheads, but then, Texans have nothing to brag about when…
You know what makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside? When someone has a dream and just keeps on chasing it, no matter the obstacles that stand in the way. (I mean, maybe not if the person is Scarlett Johansson and the dream is to release an album of…
The Repertory Company Theatre presents Always…Patsy Cline, a musical celebrating the beloved Cline as told through the eyes of her real-life number one fan, Louise Seger. Seger, a Houston native, befriended the singer in a Texas honky-tonk in 1957, and continued a correspondence with her until Cline’s untimely death at…
In a survey of ’90s pop country, of course, you’ve got your feisty Reba and your sexy Shania, but let’s not forget that Georgia songbird, Trisha Yearwood, whose debut album was the soundtrack of the summer of 1991 for more than a few Texas girls. While those girls are all…
Bacchus–the old Roman god–landed an enviable gig among the mighty on Mount Olympus: He was the patron of winemaking. Bacchus’ nickname is the “Liberator,” otherwise known among undergraduates as the little voice saying, “Oh, one more couldn’t hurt!” That little voice, buried from years of adult repression, may creep up…
Whenever I hear about a Wayans bother, I immediately think of Scary Movie (s) 1-27. But Damon Wayans is one of the other brothers; not either of the ones that can take credit for that ground breaking franchise. Damon Wayans is the more, shall we say, critically acclaimed brother whose…
“My name is…Shake-Zula. The mic-rula, the old schoolah. Ya wanna trip? I’ll bring it to ya…” If you were able to identify these lyrics by the word “is,” chances are you won’t want to miss Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live featuring creators Dave Willis and Dana Snyder! Here are just…
The Cleveland Police Department is something else. At Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s hometown show on March 29, they arrested Flesh-N-Bone, who has only been out of the state pen since July 2008, for allegedly hitting his mother with a gun. The kicker: the incident supposedly happened more than a decade ago! Did…
