Cocke of the Walk

Everyone has an imaginary world lurking somewhere in the back (or front, or sides) of their brain. Artist Robert D. Cocke certainly does, but unlike most of the rest of us, he has the capability to pluck that world right out of his gray matter and give it color on…

Flying High

THIS SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE 14, 2008.. Yes, Asian acrobats are short. They’re wee and limber, and that allows them to perform acrobatics better than even the best French Canadian. That, and the fact that they begin their artistic pursuit while other kids are still potty training. With…

Viva Bolero

If you’ve ever kicked back with a margarita on the patio of a Mexican restaurant, then you’ve probably heard the sweetly harmonized boleros, ballads and love songs popularized by Trio Los Panchos—the two-thirds Mexican, one-third Puerto Rican trio that took the world by storm starting in the 1950s, recording some…

So Much Moore

Truly great feats have been achieved by few members of our downtrodden human race. While many of us slog through life, filling the bank account up every two weeks only to find ourselves stretched thin in a few days’ time, some among us have mastered the art of living. They…

Onscreen Education

Back in the day, people used to talk about going back and taking a few college courses just for fun. Not anymore. Now if you’re taking a college course for any reason, you’d best be prepared to go into serious debt (and serious plasma loss) to do it, particularly if…

A-men Indeed

If you’re like me, when you first saw Mrs. Doubtfire, you had two thoughts and two thoughts only: first, “I miss Mork & Mindy,” and second, “This movie would have been a lot better if it were about nuns.” Well, glory, glory, hallelujah, the Richardson Theatre Centre is here to…

Tenors Texas-Style

What’s more obnoxious: rednecks or opera music? If you’re waiting for a punch line don’t hold your breath. There isn’t one. I’m seriously conflicted over this question. I mean, what could be worse? Wait, what if you combined the two? Get three rednecks to sing opera. Holy crap! That’s exactly…

Goo on You

My good friend and colleague Noah W. Bailey says that ever since he was a teenager, he’s fantasized about the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” playing at his wedding reception. [Editor’s note: This is pure fantasy on the part of Mr. Pulle.] He says that it’s a very romantic and sweet…

A Show About Nothing

One might naturally assume that a play called Zero would be the heart-wrenching story of a Japanese kamikaze pilot. It might be hard to stage without a World War II-era plane, however (though it would be really fun to watch an actor play a plane for an hour). Said play…

Art Thou Ready to Rumble?

Shakespearean Death Match confuses me. I get that there are 16 characters all battling it out to see who is the Shakespeareanest. I get that you can place actual bets on the outcomes for a chance to win kickin’ prizes. And I get that seeing man parts in tights is…

Smothered in Cool

So you think you’re cool, huh? Been going around hijacking scenes from everyone that’s old and out of it? Well, Mr. Hipster, think about this: Ever get a live shout-out from Jimi Hendrix? Ever been censored and then kicked off the airwaves for your apolitical views? Been the subject of…

A Whole New World

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. REFUNDS AVAILABLE AT POINT OF PURCHASE.Peabo Bryson. The name may elude some younger readers. Hell, the name “Peabo” is weird enough by itself. It almost sounds like a medical condition. “We’re sorry, Mrs. Jones, your husband has an advanced case of peabo. There’s nothing we…

Can We Get A Witness?

Witness for the Prosecution is the gripping tale of a Dallas crime victim, who with the aid of local cops, picks her alleged assailant out of a photo lineup in which the chief suspect was circled in red marker, with the words “Pick this guy, stupid!” printed in large, bold…

Mmm, Curry

Used to be, when you wanted to hang with Mr. Cooper, aka comedian Mark Curry, you tuned into TGIF. In 2004, you’d hang by watching Celebrity Mole: Yucatan, somehow without injuring yourself or others. Today, you can see the comedian where he really shines: onstage. Curry’s at the Addison Improv,…

Holy birthdays, Bat-Man!

Though the title sounds more like it would be a Christopher Pike teen novel (don’t lie—you know what I’m talking about), Many Bloody Returns is actually a compilation of vampire-related birthday stories by authors who are notorious amongst the vamp-lit crowd. Yeah, that’s what I said. Like cakes and candles…

Picnic, Babe

I’m a huge fan of picnics, but since my friends aren’t too keen on them, a picnic for one is probably on the top-10 list of most depressing things to do. So I refrain. All that just might change, however, with the addition of lots of pretty flowers, relaxing crisp…

Get Dirt-y

Red dirt has never been much of a draw for me. When man-made waterfalls were turned on in my hometown, they bubbled over with red dirt, and I summarily avoided the site for years. I avoided hitting the ball for my fifth-grade softball team out of fear that I would…

Full Moonlady Uprising

It began as just an event newsletter from writer Amy “the Moonlady” Martin. Now, the Moonlady Community has now grown into a Listserv/online community with seasonal events celebrating the mystical, spiritual, holistic and more. This Saturday finds Martin and company presenting Moonlady Night at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521…

Extra Credit

There’s a sour grapes saying that those who can’t “do,” teach. It’s usually said by a hoity-toity “artiste” who fancies himself above those who choose to spend time educating the next generation of hoity-toity “artistes.” The faculty at the University of North Texas debunks that with a showcase of recent…

Czech Your Head

The city of West has the most confusing name ever. Tell someone you’re going to West, Texas, and they’ll assume you mean West Texas. Tell them you’re going to West, and they’ll think you’re going westward. Actually, those situations are pretty unlikely, because when does anyone travel to West? Gorging…

The Sympathetic Spy

The Lives of Others(Sony) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s film, easily the best of last year, exists on many levels: as tragedy, dark comedy and love story—not between a man and a woman, but between two seemingly opposite men bound by the same damnation. On the one hand is Georg Dreyman…

After Sunrise

Back in 1995, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise gave flesh to a Yank’s fantasy of worldly European womanhood: Julie Delpy’s Celine, a sprite who materialized on a passenger train for one sweet Viennese night of courtship and flirtation, as if willed from the fevered dreams above a thousand hostel beds. As…