Arts & Culture

Work on the Three Gorges Dam was just getting underway in 1996 when Dallas-based photographer Ka Yeung rode up the Yangtze River. Since then, massive water diversion projects, relocation of entire towns and an intricate series of locks and lifts have given the valley a facelift that rivals Kenny Rogers’…

Not to get all sentimental on you, but considering these tough economic times, it’s time to bring back some old-school classics to put your poor and pounding head at ease. Well, at least for a few hours with Casa Manana’s production of the Tony award-winning musical classic Fiddler on the…

Flowers can turn just about any crappy day upside, well, up. Birthdays, weddings, Valentine’s and get well soon bouquets only name a few occasions where flowers are almost necessary. So why not have an entire month dedicated to the amazing little blossoms? The Dallas Arboretum will present its 26th Dallas…

My idea of eco-conscious clothing is wearing the same jeans for weeks on end without washing them. It’s totally to save water or whatever–not at all because I’m a lazy slob. “Organic” clothing, you bet–I’m a walking compost heap. But that’s not the idea behind the Organic in the City…

Oh sure, you can make your guesses for the 2010 Academy Awards winners and toss them into that office contest, and then watch at home, hoping you win a double lunch hour. Or, you could walk a red carpet into a historic theater, watch the broadcast (as well as pre-show…

In the past few weeks, I would be willing to bet you’ve found yourself wondering, “Will Sandra Bullock win an Oscar? I mean, she’s already won the SAG and the Golden Globe; all signs point to yes. But Helen Miren is nominated in the same category. How can you out-act…

I bet you don’t know this, but there are some pretty cool things about butterflies, other than, of course, their colorful wings. For one, butterflies taste with their feet! Imagine if humans tasted with their feet…gross. Nonetheless, take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about these interesting creatures and…

While the upcoming Depravities of War exhibit at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary in Uptown will no doubt be moving, disturbing and powerful, it is also an art exhibit about, well, the depravities of war. With the death and the rape and the pillaging and what-have-you. Which is why I’ve decided…

The physical nature of people can amaze. Take for example the dancers of Pilobolus. The internationally renowned dance company features a select group of dancers who can turn their bodies into malleable objects, bending and swaying every which way to tell beautiful and dramatic stories. You may remember being awestruck…

Who can forget pre-Lord of the Ring’s Elijah Wood’s performance of one of American literature’s famous characters, Huck Finn? I sure can’t…but not because of the actor (or the acting, for that matter). Well believe it or not, the man that brought you (and Elijah) Huckleberry Finn and almost as…

Sometimes I wonder about the people behind the naming of certain events and festivals. For example, Burning Man in Nevada. I realize at the end of the whole thing you actual burn some sort of bonfire-shaped man, but the name sounds so brutal and painful. The same goes for Savor…

When I was 7, I got scarlet fever. This was in the 1970s, in pre-cable/pre-VCR-era Washington, DC, so my choices of what to watch on TV were pretty slim. Not to mention that we didn’t have a remote control, so my mom would fluff my pillows, refill my ginger ale…

If the Winter Olympics have you singing “O Canada,” the 2010 North Texas Irish Festival will satisfy your craving for all things music from our Northern neighbor. This year the festival will feature tunes from Atlantic Canada–the Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island–as they…

Thomas the Tank Engine now qualifies for Social Security in addition to the sweet senior discount at Denny’s. The beloved children’s book icon is turning 65, but he isn’t retiring from the railroad anytime soon. He’s marking the milestone with a celebration tour that will stop at the Grapevine Vintage…

While the freakish amounts of powder that recently fell over North Texas speaks dissonance to claims of global warming, there’s not much refuting the melting glaciers. Whether you side with Al Gore or just think it’s part of earth’s natural cycle, Texas artist Darios Robleto has something to say about…

As a kid, there was nothing better than watching that squirrelly little man in the gray suit and red bow tie, sitting in his favorite talking chair. If you, too, yelled right along with Pee-wee when someone uttered the Secret Word of the Day, check out I Fell 37 Miles…

Who would have thought Czech was the language of love? Then again, who would have thought a comedy about a bride exchange would be a national opera? The new romantic comedy, The Bartered Bride, sung in Czech with English subtitles and performed by University of North Texas opera students 8…

Porgy is a crippled black man living on Catfish Row in South Carolina, and Bess is the woman he loves, no matter what. If you’ve never seen George Gershwin’s folk opera Porgy and Bess, stop what you’re doing. Stop right now and go get a ticket because with songs like…

When it comes to reaching cookie jars on high shelves, sure, the longer the arms, the better. But sometimes shorter is where it’s at. Take Ray Carannante, for example: He was crowned the first ever skee-ball national champion in New York City last month. He’s 5’5″. And for those of…

The guys from Jackass may put their bodies through hilariously painful self-inflicted stunts, Bam Margera may be an asshole expert when it comes to tormenting family members with cruel, mindless pranks, and Ashton Kutcher’s elaborate hidden-video scenarios have tricked many a celebrity. But it was Tom Green who first baffled…