June 19, 2013
Lifestyles
Photo of courtesy of AT&T performing Arts Center
THEATER More than ‘Traces’ of talent land at Winspear
Who doesn’t remember the thrill of the circus as a kid? The smell of popcorn. The dazzling costumes on painted ladies riding elephants. The ringleader and his “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… ” Trained tigers and poodles. One of the most memorable circus events has to be those brave, graceful acrobats, as we knew them, with their death-defying stunts high over the crowd, as the audience “Oooh’d” and “Ahhh’d.” Now, if you combine talented...
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Photo courtesy of Big Beach Films
CINEMA THERAPY 'Kings of Summer' a lackluster attempt to move audiences
When you think of some excellent “boys of summer” movies, “Summer of ‘42” and “Stand by Me” come to mind. And while “Kings of Summer” looked like a fun, new “boys of summer” film, it should not be counted as “excellent.” Nick Robinson is Joe Toy, a teen who is tired of hearing his father’s monotone voice ragging on him with toxic shame. At long last, Joe can’t take it anymore. When a pretty girl name Kelly (Erin Moriarty) calls him and his fat...
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Photos courtesy of Blue Sky Productions
CINEMA THERAPY 'Epic' does not live up to fantasy
“Epic” is a fantastical tale of a young girl meeting magical little people who inhabit a forest. Mary Katherine (Amanda Seyfried) has just lost her mother and goes to have a serious talk with her father, a fringe scientist who believes he has discovered a race of tiny people who live in the nearby forest. Dad’s hyper-focused attention on his work sounds very much like he has Asperger’s Syndrome. Though he has a good heart and wants to be a g...
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Photo courtesy of petrepublicthailand.com
YAPPY TALK The purrfect plants can get rid of those pesky mosquitoes
A few weeks ago, while enjoying an early Sunday morning and sipping my second cup of hazelnut flavored coffee, I found myself frantically battling an annoying, pesky mosquito who had intruded upon my solitude, buzzing and biting not only me, but my entire pet household. Whoa! As much as I love the entire animal kingdom, this little creature was NOT invited to our home and was the most unwelcomed guest, especially due to the threat of heartworm...
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Photo by Bill Ellison Larry g(EE) performs his signature show.
Out of the box musician has tunnel vision for music
Last month, Dallas soul man Larry g(EE) traveled with his multiethnic-family-style backing band to Nashville and New York City to perform in front of four major label representatives. These showcases follow a whirlwind of a year for the former Odis front man, including a month’s worth of dates with the 2012 Warped Tour, a performance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, a spattering of high-profile one-off gigs, and any and every major event in DFW. Th...
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Photo of "Sister Act" by Joan Marcus
THEATER ‘Sister Act’ ordains DSM stage to divine disco
Leave it to the quirky, talented Whoopi Goldberg, who originated the role of Deloris Van Cartier in the award-winning films, “Sister Act” and “Sister Act II” to create a Broadway success based on the films. Goldberg produced the original, award-winning Broadway show, which garnered five Tony award nominations in 2011. Now on tour, “Sister Act” opened Tuesday night at the Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) to a welcoming audience, who anticipated a ...
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Photo by Will Von Bolton Local rock and soul duo Rise & Shine.
MUSIC Vinyl release party displays boot stomping fun of duo
Last Saturday night it began pouring rain just as I stepped out the door to head to Oak Cliff for a rock show. There is a moment with every Dallas music fan where we have to decide if braving the weather – even without a tornado warning – in the name of good tunes is worth it. Not to be deterred, I, of course, decided to run for the shelter of my car and journey west to celebrate with Rise & Shine and Dovetail during a vinyl release party at T...
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Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
CINEMA THERAPY 'Star Trek: Into Darkness' takes audiences by storm
“Star Trek: Into Darkness” is an exciting, two-hour thrill ride that recreates, in feature length, the power of the 1960s TV show. It not only retains all the characters we love, but also the emblematic sounds of the communicators and the transporter. The adventure begins as Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is chastised by his superior and mentor, Admiral Pike. Subsequently, he is relieved of his command of the Enterprise after a lapse in ...
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YAPPY TALK Kitty season means it's time to adopt
Dallas’ spring of 2013 has been one of the most pleasant ones ever. Temperatures have been delightful, flowers are vibrantly colorful and people are out and about, enjoying the sunny days and the cool evenings. However, the advent of spring also means that Kitten Season is here, and those April and May showers aren’t just causing our lawns and trees to flourish and our flowers to smile. Kitten Season is raining cats and dogs – massive torrents...
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Photo courtesy of Jason Elmore and Hoodoo Witch
MUSIC Elmore revitalizes Texas Blues Rock
There is a funny thing about Texas blues rock: it’s insanely popular pretty much everywhere except Texas. This is what guitarist Jason Elmore reinforced for me during a conversation earlier this week about his most recent five-week tour up to Canada via the Midwest and his upcoming fall dates in Belgium. People outside of Texas can’t seem to get enough of his band, Jason Elmore and Hoodoo Witch, and their most recent album, “Tell You What.” Ho...
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