Manu Ginobili in Cavs uniform a nightmare
By Rudy Gayby Last night I dreamed Manu Ginobili was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yes, Manu was in my dreams. Jealous? No you’re not, because Manu in a Cavs uniform is a nightmare. Looking at today’s standings, the Cavs are a league-worst 10-46. Or, in San Antonio terms, the reciprocal of the 46-10 Spurs.…
Review: WICKED at the Majestic
The musical Wicked—a revisionist twist on The Wizard of Oz—has returned to San Antonio, and it’s in good shape. Unlike the non-Equity production of Legally Blonde that blew through SA in January (with some scenes played against a backdrop as desolate as Waiting for Godot), Wicked both looks and sounds expensive. (And with some orchestra…
Call for Submissions
So there was a little hiccup on this end with the email address flashfiction@sacurrent.com. All is now well so if you tried submitting but were unable, please resubmit. And if you didn’t submit go ahead and do that now. I hope to hear from you soon.
After his Oprah fiasco, James Frey steps on a turd with ‘I Am Number Four’
Give author James Frey some credit. Not many folks could battle media beast Oprah Winfrey and live to write another day. If memory doesn’t serve, Frey fibbed about the facts of a memoir a few years ago and received a severe tongue lashing from O after she placed it on her esteemed book club list.…
Monster trucks: America’s take on anime, manga
A couple weeks ago I used my clout as Arts Writer at The Current to tell a story about how rodeo might be performance art–but no–it’s more like opera. Classical stuff. A few days later, I found myself in the neighborhood of Houston, checking out a few galleries. Houston is only in the neighborhood if…
Intelligence report from the Dark Side (the ‘Barf Raider’ prophesies)
Frequent allusions to UFOs, prophesies of massive Texas-centered earthquakes, and allegations of potentially crowd-controlling electromagnetic pulse towers surrounding the city of San Antonio, just a few of the Mystery Science communications that have come in through email, parcel post, and hand deliveries in recent weeks at Current HQ. There is obviously something in the air.…
New AG rulings target Planned Parenthood
By Michael Barajas mbarajas@sacurrent.com This week Sen. Bob Deuell, a Greenville physician who has long had Planned Parenthood in his sights, got his wish. Two opinions issued from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott this week – one in response to a request from Deuell – are likely to end any contracts the state has with…
People’s Gamer: weekly gaming news, reviews, and event coverage
If you’re reading this right now, congratulations — you’re a nerd! Don’t click the back button yet, we don’t mean it as an insult. Actually, being a nerd is the new hip thing. We came out of the nerd closet years ago, and while it didn’t help our dating lives much, it helped get us…
‘Fashionation’ for the fashionable and fashionably challenged
When I wake up every morning and walk over to my closet, I often think, “What do I want to say about myself today?” and then I begin to craft my story around that thought while rummaging through my wardrobe and favorite accessories. After all, fashion is not just a passion; it is a lifestyle…
Call for Submissions
Whip out your journal and pen and start scratching. I’m looking for short pieces of around 500 words — it can certainly be a little longer than that, but that’s the general guideline. See my introduction for more information and for some fantastic examples check out Flash Fiction: Very Short Stories, the new Norton Anthology…
“8X11” by Jordan Gass-Poore
Introduction Who among us hasn’t snuck some of our college roommate’s food. I remember my brother telling me about drinking his friend’s last beer (and one you can’t even get in Texas) and then pretending to sleep while he listened to the guy rummage about in the fridge more and more frantically. That’s funny. “8X11”…
Barney’s Version
As far as cinematic schlubs are concerned, not many actors out there can play bitter more brilliantly than Academy Award-nominee Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man). Even those with the physical traits to be considered schlubby like Jon Lovitz, Danny DeVito, and Kevin James would have to dig pretty deep to give nuanced performances like the ones…
Tiny greatness
Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture may be the most adorable movie ever made about people who can’t be bothered to recognize your existence. It’s a fairly typical liberal-arts-graduate-returning-home-after-college-to-figure-things-out movie, only home is a gorgeous, two-story Tribeca flat where mom and sister (Dunham’s real-life mother, artist Laurie Simmons, and sister Grace Dunham; her father is the sublime painter Carroll…
New census figures show Hispanic boom
As expected, the new U.S. Census data released today shows an explosion in the state’s Hispanic population, up 42 percent over the past decade. Hispanics now make up 38 percent of Texas’ 25,145,561 population. Texas’ population as a whole grew just over 20 percent within the past decade, more than double the nation’s average growth…
SA Film Fest submission deadline coming soon
Sweltering June may seem far, far away from our recent sleet storm and still-threatening cold snaps, but for local filmmakers who would like a shot at summertime fame, time is running out. February 25 is the last day for submissions to the San Antonio Film Festival, held at Instituto Cultural de Mexico en San Antonio…
Steve Martin Overthrown by Egyptian Protesters
In a continued show of force the Egyptian people have once again risen up and ousted another tyrant, this time in the form of King Tut, also known as Steve Martin. After the quick resignation of President Hosni Mubarak the Egyptian people found themselves in a lull. Filled with new energy and unspent angst the…
Closing Texas cockfighting loophole
By Michael Barajas mbarajas@sacurrent.com Some lawmakers are hoping to close a legal loophole that has allowed cockfighting in Texas to flourish, saying the cruel blood-sport is not only inhumane but acts as a breeding ground for other serious crime. Two House members from each from side of the aisle this week teamed up with John…
‘Sanctuary City’ bill filed
A little more than a month after Gov. Rick Perry announced the state’s “sanctuary cities” emergency, lawmakers in Austin finally have a bill to chew on. Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, filed a bill Wednesday morning that would prohibit local law enforcement from turning the other way when faced with federal immigration violations. With the “sanctuary…
Conservative group says new Texas teaching standards distort history
By Michael Barajas mbarajas@sacurrent.com While many on the left have bashed Texas’ new history standards, it appears even some conservatives think the State Board of Education has gone too far. In its new report analyzing history curriculum in public schools across the nation, D.C. -based conservative education think tank the Thomas B. Fordham Institute slammed…
Houston thrashers Legion invade Zombies
Two weekends ago, I trekked up I-35 with friends for a solid Saturday night of face-melting metal at Emo’s in Austin. Though I have plenty of ways to get my metal fix in San Antonio, we wanted to check out Times Of Grace, the new project that reunites current Killswitch Engage guitarist/producer Adam Dutkiewicz with…
Amor en el Corazón: A Valentineâ??s Concert & Baile with Eva Ybarra y su Conjunto & Flaco Jimenez y su Conjunto
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 You don’t need me to tell you about Flaco: the multi-Grammy winner is conjunto music’s greatest living legend, and one of the most recognizable roots music figures in the nation. But if he’s the King (and he is), San Antonio-born, -raised, and -based Eva Ybarra is the undisputed Queen. Widely…
Meet the Artists: 100Palabras
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 Writers often scribble about art that they see, but not always with much style. To hear an artful reading, check out a special presentation by the artists and writers of 100Palabras this Thursday at Guadalupe Gallery. Six writers were each paired with an artist in this show that gets its…
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake
PJ Harvey: Let England Shake Label: Island Release Date: 2011-02-16 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording In title and content alike, Let England Shake trembles with fair measures of arrogance, doomsaying, and felicity: it dares to assign itself a not inconsiderable degree of impact, to declare a state of emergency, to be lithe and elastic enough to…
Sonic Youth: Simon Werner a Disparu
Sonic Youth: Simon Werner a Disparu Label: SYR Release Date: 2011-02-16 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording The newest release from this weathered New York City fixture is the score for the French film of the same name directed by Fabrice Gobert. The recording is a disjointed trek through classic Sonic Youth hooks, with the inevitable valleys…
Pazes: The Southpaw EP
Pazes: The Southpaw EP Label: Exponential Records Release Date: 2011-02-16 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording Delivered by Pazes (aka Lucas Febraro of Brasilia, Brazil), The Southpaw EP is a moment of hybrid electronic elegance. Or maybe a tripped-out afternoon nap. The alternative bossa nova and Febraro’s mournful vocals are obvious on the opener “Evaporar,” a melancholy…
Eddie Spaghetti: Sundowner
Eddie Spaghetti: Sundowner Label: Bloodshot Records Release Date: 2011-02-16 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording Eddie Spaghetti’s first solo album in a half dozen years (and third overall) is a catchy klatch of eclectic country-leaning covers and two originals. Though his band, the Supersuckers, is known for punky hot-blooded rock, Spaghetti’s solo discs mine a more laid-back…
Wicked
Release Date: 2011-02-16 Loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Wicked revisits The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and provides colorful explanations for how the iconic characters might have come to be. As students attending Shiz University, bright green Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch…
Media Art Politics
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 The rise of social and participatory media is but one of the topics Dr. Christiane Paul will cover in her lecture “Media Art Politics,” an exploration of the contemporary media landscape. As examples, Paul, an adjunct curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art, will focus…
On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 More than 90 local artists will be represented this weekend when the 4th Annual On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour takes over the neighborhoods of Jefferson, Monticello Park, Los Angeles Heights, Keystone, Beacon Hill, and Alta Vista, all of which border SA’s historic Deco District. Kicking off the weekend…
Slinging Ink Tattoo Expo
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 Presented by Nikita Productions, the 7th Annual Slinging Ink Tattoo Expo puts SA’s most sought-after tattoo artists under the same giant roof with hordes of body-art aficionados ready to get inked on the spot. But even tattoo virgins can partake in this indoor/outdoor counterculture playground, thanks to live music, comedy,…
Talking with Animals: Insights into the Nature of Consciousness
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 Dr. Irene Pepperberg, a lecturer and research associate at Harvard University and an adjunct associate professor at Brandeis University’s Department of Psychology, is best known for her groundbreaking book, Alex and Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence – and Formed a Deep…
Art opening: Girls with Cameras
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 Aiming to empower young women in East and Southeast San Antonio, the Martinez Street Women’s Center’s afterschool program Studio4FM invited girls (age 9-14) to “pick up a camera and document their community under the guidance of a professional photographer.” The teen and tween shutterbugs learned useful skills by capturing family…
ARTS SA presents the Vienna Boys Choir
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2011-02-16 What began in 1498 as part of Emperor Maximilian I’s Viennese Court is now divided into four unique touring choirs named after famous Austrian composers (Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert). Made up of approximately 100 singers between the ages of 10 and 14, the Vienna Boys Choir performs 300 annual…
Joe Piccirillo’s quest for employment with ‘Conan or Bust’
There are many things that can make or break a job interview. For the fresh-out-of-college marketing major it may be your communication skills. If you’re a legal aide it may be your typing proficiency. And if you’re an aspiring pop star it may all come down to whether or not you’re willing to become a…
Congrats to Little Joe, El Güero and Grupo Fantasma on their Grammy wins
Congratulations to Little Joe y La Familia and Grupo Fantasma for their Grammy victories last Sunday in LA. Little Joe won for Best Tejano Album, which was well within the realm of possibility. But nobody, and I mean nobody, saw Grupo Fantasma’s victory in the Best Latin Rock, Alternative, or Urban Album coming. Not because…
The QueQue – February 16, 2011
Clearing the air The good news is that the EPA is expected to declare San Antonio in compliance with ozone standards under the Clean Air Act in a couple weeks — so keep whatever federal highway dollars are left a’ flowing, feds. The bad news is that, like our annual ozone season, new EPA regs…
Guitar heroine
If you were going to use the word “typical” to describe Marnie Stern, you might use it like this: a typical Marnie Stern song is like the opening guitar riff from “Thunderstruck” accompanied by John Bonham on machine gun and the vocal track from an alternate version of “Hollaback Girl” with lyrics taken from an…
The Company Men shows the effects of downsizing in the corporate world. Like we care.
Bobby Walker (Affleck), a successful salesman at a major shipyard corporation, is one of hundreds who have lost their jobs overnight. But he’s in denial, refusing to move to a smaller house or get rid of the expensive golf club and his luxurious (and tiny) European car. But you should see his eyes when he…
‘Elevator’ music from hell
The greatest thing about heavy metal is that you can do anything with it. There are as many sub-genres as there are bands, and leading the current horde of folk-metal heathens is Switzerland’s Eluveitie (pronounced “el-VEY-tee”). A remarkable ensemble consisting of eight musicians, Eluveitie (Helvetic Gaulish for ‘¡Yo soy Joaquín!’) offers a unique take on…
Live & Local: Jeremiah at Enchilada Warehouse
How can you categorize Jeremiah? Is he a singer-songwriter, period? Are his songs waiting for a full band? Is he a finger-picker begging for an electric guitar? Try all of the above, and add a line saying he’s also a great singer. He goes from sock-knocking primal scream to soul-caressing whisper in a second, and…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I’m a white, rural, ninth-generation Texan who left the farm and is now a lawyer for a large corporation in one of the largest cities in the state. Maybe a quarter of the clients they assign me speak Spanish, so the company’s paying for me to learn Spanish. I’m glad, not only for…
Tech Tease: Dangerous tech
When geeks talk about the end of mankind, nine times out of 10 it boils down to an argument over the impending robot uprising or zombie apocalypse. We imagine a killer strain of super-engineered bacteria. High-intensity radiation. Lasers. The common theme: a self-induced, Promethean panacea with an unforeseen dark twist. For everyone who hasn’t had…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls,” said comedian George Carlin. “There are mornings when your dreams are more real and important than your waking life,” says my favorite dream worker. “There are times when the doctor isn’t feeling well, and only his patient can…
Guy Fieri makes several stops in San Antonio for ‘Diners, Drive-ins and Dives’
Did you see a bleached-blonde, spiky-haired man around town recently? Were some of your favorite restaurants closed for private parties? If so, you may have already guessed that Guy Fieri was in town two weeks back to film an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, the show he hosts on the Food Network honoring classic…
Stewing market fare
Caterer Tim the Girl and Chuck Hernandez of Arugula Catering started the non-profit organization EatSmart SA as a way to share with San Antonio their knowledge of nutrition and food preparation. In collaboration with local physician-assistant students, EatSmart SA presents this ongoing series of recipes to promote nutritious and tasty eating options. This recipe makes…
A case for Green
My family owes plenty to the Seventh-Day Adventists, those carne-forgoing believers who were cozying up to Jewish tradition way before it was considered cool among the rapidly splintering Protestant sects. It was the Saturday-as-Sabbath-honoring church that paid my newly immigrated great grandfather’s way through college in exchange for a few years of missionary work, enabling…
Critical Darling: Anne Hathaway STILL (mis)cast as Catwoman
Let me begin by saying thank you, readers, from the bottom of my heart, for making my last column the most-read article at sacurrent.com the week that it ran. What a lovely early Valentine’s Day present to me; really, you shouldn’t have. Oh wait — can you hold on a second? — sorry, I’m getting…
Chaplin and Keaton
Who was the greatest silent comedian of all time? The Texas Public Radio-sponsored screening of Buster Keaton’s The General and Charles Chaplin’s Modern Times reignites the controversy Saturday at the Bijou. By calling the bill “Chaplin vs. Keaton,” it urges you to take sides. I know it’s just a promotional hook, but they got me…
Texas Public Radio’s Black History Cinema: Malcolm X (1992)
Denzel Washington deservedly won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1989’s Glory, but he should’ve won the big one for his portrayal of the different facets of Malcolm X: the young hoodlum, the fiery Nation of Islam fanatic, and the ripe, righteous, deeply complex leader of his later years. The three-hour plus epic Malcolm X,…
On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour this weekend in San Antonio’s Deco District
This weekend brings the On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour — affectionately called “Fred” — to the Deco District again for the fourth year. Inspired by E.A.S.T., the East Austin Studio Tour, Fredericksburg Road’s jaunt differs from the Austin event, which depends on drawing out-of-town artists to display their work. Participation in On &…
San Antonio beer dinners, an update on HB 660, and what’s going on with San Antonio Beer Week
PALATE PLEASERS Two beer dinners will whet your appetite for beer and food from great San Antonio chefs in the coming weeks. First up is the Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling dinner at Lüke on the River Walk on February 28 with Chef Steve McHugh pairing courses with Ranger Creek beers. Expect the oatmeal pale…
Do Cheez Doodles decay?
Sandy Skoglund’s photograph and sculpture, both titled The Cocktail Party, each picture the same icon of 20th century suburbia. But something has gone horribly wrong. Covering every surface — floor, table, chairs, and people — are Cheez Doodles, filling the scene with screaming orange. Is it funny? Yes, funny like the fifth hour of a…
Studio 13: More than 31 flavors
I first learned about Studio 13, a new hookah bar and music venue, when the band Blackbird Sing sent out a Facebook invite for a gig they were playing there. While that was in early January, it wasn’t until earlier this month that I found time to venture out to the Castle Hills area to…
The heart of Woodlawn Theatre’s production of ‘The Cure’ saves vamp camp from the stake
The first five minutes of the Woodlawn’s new vampire musical The Cure are pretty much a disaster: a blood-sucking scene sunk by egregious overacting, off-tune singing, clumsy staging, and unhelpful costumes (are those medieval robes? are those contemporary shoes? what time period is this?). Resigned, I settled in for what promised to be a long…
Prisons for profit
On May 27, 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents caught Jesus Manuel Galindo as he swam across the Rio Grande to visit family in Anthony, New Mexico. Handed a 30-month sentence for illegal reentry at the Reeves County Detention Center in Pecos, Galindo, a resident of Juarez with a history of epilepsy, pleaded with…
On and Off Fred Road: Centro Cultural Aztlan offers mix of art, history, and culture
If any of you appreciate a good dose of art as much as I do, be sure to check out the event below. I’ve re-posted this release on behalf of Centro Cultural Aztlan and hope you can venture out this Saturday to take a peak at both the exhibit and the artisan market. See below…
Worth a trip: BLACK WATCH in Austin
OK, I know this isn’t the Austin “Current,” but, honestly, if you’ve any interest at all in some of the best theater seen in America in the last five years, head up to the capitol this week to catch the rare touring production of BLACK WATCH, Gregory Burke’s astonishing chronicle of the Scottish Guard’s involvement…
US 281 construction over Recharge Zone to start — in spite of judge’s bad poetry
By Michael Barajas mbarajas@sacurrent.com An unusually poetic statement from the local Chief U.S. District Judge was enough for developers to say they’ll go ahead with construction on the U.S. 281/Loop 1604 interchange within the next two weeks, despite the ongoing court battle over the project. In the case of a local environmental group’s lawsuit challenging…
Valentine’s Day in Bexar County divorce court (Part 2)
The day was finally here. We (my best friend and I) have been waiting for this since May. The anticipation was high, and our footsteps were graced with … rose petals and heart-shaped confetti. In hindsight, making citizens get divorced on Valentine’s Day is Bexar County’s way of making sure it’s a done deal. It’s…
Report: ‘American dream is distant’ in Texas
By Michael Barajas mbarajas@sacurrent.com A biennial study released today compares Texas’ performance with the rest of the country, and the results aren’t flattering. Texas has some of the worst superlatives, according to a report from the Texas Legislative Study Group, a left-leaning research caucus within the Texas House. Lawmakers who authored the report cited Texas’…
Girl Scout Cookies – Leadership training in a yummy disguise
Last week The San Antonio Social Media Club invited Bradyn and I to join them at a Girl Scout Cookie Tweet Up and a tour of the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center. This place was AMAZING! B and I will forever till the end of time refer to it as Girl Scout Central. We…
