Feds indict bogus reality TV producer
The feds last week unveiled a 22-count indictment against a local wanna-be reality TV producer facing a litany of child-porn charges. In the indictment the feds allege 35-year-old Gemase Lee Simmons coerced as many as five minors to send him nude or sexually explicit photos of themselves. Federal agents arrested Simmons late last month at…
Belgian filmmaker, actor discuss Oscar-nominated ‘Bullhead’
As one of the five movies nominate for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year, Bullhead (from Belgium) tells the story of steroid-using cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts) who is caught up in a world of crime and revenge. During an interview with me last week, director/writer Michael R. Roskam and…
Same-sex couples snubbed at mass marriage
For over two decades, the steps of the Bexar County Courthouse have played stage to a Valentine’s Day mass marriage ceremony officiated by local pastor Joe Sullivan. It’s a tradition the county proudly announces every year – brides- and grooms-to-be were notified by a press release out of the Bexar County Commissioners Court earlier this…
Matisyahu to perform at Empire Theatre 2/26
Matisyahu will perform an acoustic set with guitarist Adam Weinberg. If you missed Matisyahu’s performance at Josabi’s last year, here’s your chance to see the hassidic reggae/hip-hop star in a more intimate performance: he’ll be at the Charles McCombs Empire Theatre (226 N St. Mary’s) at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, February 26. It will be an…
Soda tax would likely reduce diabetes rates in San Antonio
Baltimore, Maryland’s mayor is the latest politician to propose a soda tax — a projected 20% sales tax on sugary carbonated drinks. This news comes after last summer’s battle amongst Texas senators proposing the same tax, aimed to reduce the cost of health care in Texas. The Texas motion was opposed and never passed, but…
Elva Treviño’s ‘Barefoot Heart’ and Guadalupe’s experience of ‘HER’
Throughout the month of February, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center presents HER, a four part artist series combining dance, music, photography, and words. From now until the Saturday viewers are invited to share a tale, a fable, or a memory to celebrate the women around them for a series titled “HER: Words.” Write on the…
Down-zoning dustup
Zoning’s among those basics of local government that, while crucial, can be mind-numbing to follow. But add golf, wounded vets, and Walmart, and you’ve got yourself a show. The development and real-estate community turned out in droves to rail against two controversial rezoning requests that headed to Council Thursday. In one, D9 Councilwoman Elisa Chan,…
The Window by AJ Hess
Waiting consumes a lot of our time. Consumes is a particular word for it. We think of waiting as a drain, as a waste of time. At least I did for a while. Now I don’t mind waiting. I just bring a notebook and a pen with me wherever I go and let waiting absorb…
Learn how to apply for Federal arts grants this Friday
Since 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) have sent billions in grant monies to individuals and organizations, and even now when the arts (and education) are under attack, they’re still supporting creativity in our communities. Want to know more? This Friday, February 17, the City…
Girl in a Coma on “Jammin'” and jammin’ at CineFestival
GIAC’s Phanie Díaz, Nina Díaz, and Jenn Alva (photo by Josh Huskin) Girl in a Coma will be opening the 2012 edition of CineFestival with a double treat: the screening of the early Jammin’ documentary (directed by Jim Mendiola, the festival’s curator, during the early stages of GIAC’s career) and a concert at the Plaza…
DREAM on
When Texas Democrats head to the polls for the primaries, whenever the hell that may be, they’ll get a chance to throw their support behind the DREAM Act, an immigration reform measure that’s sat dead in the water since outgoing U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison famously helped knock it down in late 2010. A group…
