Arts & Culture

Mary Mapes—the horrendous, hectoring hell-hound harridan behind “Rathergate”—will sign her book, Truth and Duty, at the Uptown Borders Monday, and if you go, guess what? You’ll find out she’s a funny, charming, quite surprising human being from East Dallas with a heck of a story to tell. For media-haters, here’s…

These days, entertainment is not just about the show anymore. With hundreds of cable channels and special feature-packed DVDs, we want more than a pretty face. No one cares as much about the finished product unless they’re given an insider’s view along the way. Sometimes the backstage flubs, behind-the-scenes footage…

We really don’t care where someone might screen Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic. Probably because we have no soul—after all, we laughed our little tootsies off at Silverman’s offensive quips about pregnant black teenagers, porn stars being filled with penises and Jewish people driving German cars. As far as our…

When Europa Europa was released in Germany in 1990, the local media were less than complimentary. In fact, when it came time for the German Oscar selection committee to make its picks, the film was left off the list. Oh, the embarrassment that ensued when the film was nominated for…

If you think that Radiohead’s Kid A is a trifling collection of pop ditties, then why rock down to Electric Avenue for an experimental music concert presented by the University of North Texas Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia? We’re not even close to recommending this as a date. In…

In its eight-year history, Q Cinema has done a remarkable job of programming films for its gay and lesbian audience in Tarrant County. (It’s worth the trip from Dallas.) The monthly screenings help keep the group viable throughout the whole year, while most film festivals just hold one big annual…

Animal training is a trying activity for most people. Keeping the dog from crapping on the rug or the cat from scratching the couch can take months, and many just don’t have the patience, instead opting to pay for a training service or just resigning themselves to the fact that…

What do you give the guy who has everything? “How about a nice, greasy pork sandwich, served in a dirty ashtray?” Or, if he’s actor-director Bill Paxton, a welcome home party and a Lifetime Achievement Award. You may remember Paxton from films like Apollo 13 and Tombstone, but his scene-stealing…

French guitarist Django Reinhardt’s first experience with jazz brought him to tears. Having experienced jazz gone wrong, we can relate. But Reinhardt was inspired by what he heard. He dried his tears and went on to inspire countless musicians, shaping swing and western swing music in the process–which is why…

What better way to start your new year than by going to a musical called Urinetown? One of your resolutions was to be bold and try new things! This three-time Tony Award winner is coming to town just in time to clear the Year of the Hurricanes out of our…

Hollywood is coming to the metroplex! And no, it’s not Oliver Stone filming an inventive sequel to JFK. This will be much more informative and, without a doubt, fun. This could also be your chance to be the cool parent or favorite teacher you secretly wish to be. The Classics…

Much of comedy is based on the absurd. Steve Martin as a “poor black child.” A musical version of the Spanish Inquisition. Count Dracula stepping through the swinging half-doors of a Western saloon, brandishing his six-shooter and drawling, “I vant to suck your…sarsparilla!” Meet the “fastest fangs in the West”…

There are many different levels of prestige that may be achieved by members of our human race. Kings, queens, knights and dukes. Presidents. Viscounts. Newspaper writers. But by far the most prestigious rank is that of master of scotch, a position so incredibly awesome that this Dallas Observer writer didn’t…

I’ve been thinking about torn muscles and broken bones. Not mine, mind you–I find hangnails too painful to bear. I’ve been thinking of the members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association who, for the next 16 days, will ride bucking broncs and wrestle steers at the Fort Worth Stock Show…

After three decades, modern western swing kings Asleep at the Wheel have firmly established themselves as a genuine Texas institution, despite the fact that founding member and bandleader Ray Benson originally hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sat., Oct. 6, 2007…

The amphibians are kicking it one-on-one at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Place in McKinney, as an animal education specialist breaks down the animal kingdom’s most impressive hybrid for kids of all ages. The specialist will showcase toads, frogs, salamanders and sirens in a live…

When we turn 103, we hope we can still stay up late like the DMA can. The museum celebrates triple digits the third Friday of each month with Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art, presented by Starbucks, featuring a smattering of activities from 6 p.m. clear on through…

What a family reunion! Granddad’s dying. Babe’s just killed her abusive husband. Meg’s coming home from Hollywood not a star but a nervous wreck, and Lenny, all of 30, sees old age staring back in the mirror. Of the eight plays written by Beth Henley since she graduated from Southern…

How could I have been so blind? I look back now—after highlighted, chain-walleted, soul-patched Greg Behrendt showed me the light—and realize what a stupid girl I was. See, the super-groomed metrosexual comedian with muscles is one of the brilliant minds behind He’s Just Not That Into You (and its follow-up…

Don’t be troubled by the lineup of films at the 22nd Annual KidFilm Festival. The Naked Brothers Band isn’t as risqué as its title suggests. And from what I’ve learned about the rules of sequels, I’m guessing Bambi II is about the orphaned deer and pals raising money (by break…

Watching Fight Club now is like looking back at your Hollywood high school yearbook after the 10-year reunion’s over. It’s like, Brad Pitt was this totally hot guy back in the day, but he was also kind of nice, too. Then you see him at the reunion, and he’s divorced…