Arts Bully for America
As Clooney’s film reminds us, Joe McCarthy took jingoism to new lows Joe McCarthy earned his place in the Hall of Fame by managing the New York Yankees to eight pennants and four World Series championships. But another Joe McCarthy, the demagogue from Wisconsin who disdained the Bill of Rights, sullied the fine Irish name…
Arts The green lady is back
Laura Molina finds a heroine in the kitsch of calendar paintings and ’60s sci-fi Los Angeles artist Laura Molina uses outer space, the backdrop for a new series of paintings starring her “Green Lady” alter ego, as a metaphor for imperialism. “There are whole worlds to exploit out there,” she says. Molina is best known…
Music Sugar, they’re goin’ up
In six short months, Fall Out Boy has gone from anonymity to hanging with Jay-Z He’s the guy who accepted the MTV2 Award at this year’s VMAs dressed in a Southern gentleman’s white, Sunday-best suit. Of course, his black dress shirt stuck out along with that crazy, heavily teased hairdo. So did the rest of…
Arts The thin yellow line
Fans of minimalism will love the inaugural show at Lawrence Markey’s gallery Exhibitions come and go, quietly hanging around for a month or two, but there have been some blink-and-you-miss-it events on the art scene lately, and since I’m sure some of you blinked, I’ll recount a few. Gordy Grundy awarded Linda Pace his “Paragon…
Music Turntable manners
New record store 180 Grams is worth its weight in vinyl Even if you’re looking for 180 Grams, it’s easy to drive right past it. Discreetly tucked away in a small corner space at San Pedro and Magnolia next to Monte Vista Tile & Floor, it feels like a secret haven for earnest music connoisseurs.…
Arts Beyond reason
Texan Diane Wilson vs. the chemical industry When I first met Diane Wilson, she was sitting barefoot in the bed of her Chevy truck, which was parked by the side of a highway near Seadrift, with the Dow chemical plant looming behind her. Her hunger strike against Dow, then in its 29th day, had distilled…
Arts Artifacts
News and notes from the San Antonio art scene TheFund, the fundraising campaign that works like a United Way for the arts `see “TheFund begins its first campaign,” June 2-8, 2005`, closed its inaugural season with a total of $215,121, which will be divided among the 24 arts organizations that qualified for funding in this…
Music CD Spotlight
Burgeoning burgess Blessed is the musician who can cure an ophthalmic migraine with a little levity, Texas twang and sweet steel guitar. Sonny Burgess’ style of vintage honky tonk brings sounds that soothe. With the opening track of his sophomore album, Stronger, this singing cowboy from Cleburne gets caught up in a conundrum called “What…
Screens First in, first out
The legal vanguard is lonely and soon forgotten, but North Country reminds us why it matters Many people most, perhaps would find it perverse to celebrate a new kind of lawsuit. That’s particularly true when the litigation in question has led to new strata of expenses and concerns for the innocent as well as the…
Music Current Choice
Peachy Keen Robert Earl Keen’s “The Road Goes on Forever” might just be the best country song of the last two decades. The story of a waitress named Sherry, a loner named Sonny, and their life of crime after he rescues her from a grabby customer, it’s also classic Keen lyrics wound tighter than a…
Screens It’s all so familiar
Viewers will recognize the Patriot Act era in Good Night, and Good Luck With slicked-down hair and a cigarette dangling from pursed lips, David Strathairn bears a canny resemblance to Edward R. Murrow, the first genuine star of TV news. “Good night, and good luck” was the signature valediction with which Murrow ended each broadcast…
Music Sound and the fury
A week on the scene Never stop remembering bill The Ron Wilkins 4-Tet’s October 13 tribute to the music of Billy Strayhorn was a celebratory gathering, with a capacity crowd at Luna exulting in sizzling workouts such as “Satin Doll” and “Chelsea Bridge” (featuring Wilkins in a not-to-be-believed scat throwdown). Adding immeasurably to the festivities…
Screens Fresh Face Time
Films making their regional or national premiere at the Austin Film Festival include, from top, Halfway Decent, Shopgirl, and Ice Harvest. The Austin Film Festival knows a foot in the door beats a seat in the front row The Austin Film Festival has long been oriented toward the appreciation of screenwriting, both in its choice…
Screens Special screenings
Texas Independent Filmmakers International Film Festival A mere $7 will buy you a pass to the 13-hour second annual Texas Independent Filmmakers festival, which will screen more than 20 shorts, documentaries, and features, including Perils in Nude Modeling, The Day Laborers, and False River., Saturday, October 22. All screenings will be held at the Santikos…
Arts Social intercourse
Mrs. San Antonio steps into the white (hot) shoe debate I had to pinch myself: The center of Saks Fifth Avenue had morphed into a quasi-nightclub complete with thumping music, free-flowing Grey Goose and a dancing general manager. It was the closing scene of the venerable store’s 20th-anniversary gala last Friday. General Manager Bobby Dees…
Screens That’s a wrap
The low-down on this week’s premieres Based on the book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jensen and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law, North Country is a “fictional account” of the court case that broke gender barriers in 1984. Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron (Monster) plays Josey Aimes, the woman who sues the…
Food & Drink New world food & wine festival
Foodies not content to wait for Thanksgiving have a grand excuse to celebrate at the beginning of the month with The New World Food & Wine Festival, which runs from Tuesday, November 1, to Sunday, November 6. Loosen your belts, this year the Festival’s planners have added three days to accommodate the growing number of…
News A religious litmus test
No atheists or agnostics need apply for the Supreme Court Can you imagine if George W. Bush were asked about a Supreme Court justice nominee and said, “She’s a good pick for the job because she interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ to mean that abortion should be criminalized and homosexual relationships are sinful and…
Food & Drink All you can eat
Current Online news politics culture News and notes from the San Antonio food scene Give a man a fishing rod … On Sunday, November 6, La Villita Historic Arts Village will host the New Orleans Market Day & Festival, featuring art, crafts, music, and food created by displaced Gulf Coast artisans. The brain-child of Planet…
News Party lines
Animal control? Swing a dead cat over your head Back when Phil Hardberger was campaigning for mayor, he filled out a questionnaire provided to him by local Voice for Animals representatives. “As mayor, will you be in favor of appointing a committee to reevaluate the purpose, design, and location of the new facility to produce…
Screens Armchair cinephile
Sweet dreams and Last Days Bob Dylan has been stalking me lately. After having a long conversation over dinner the other night with a young friend who had never appreciated the songwriter until seeing Martin Scorsese’s new No Direction Home (Paramount) on PBS, I sat down the next night at a restaurant where people at…
News Briefs
Courage asks Smith to step down District 21 challenger John Courage has asked opponent U.S. Representative Lamar Smith to resign from the House Ethics Committee in light of contributions Smith made to Tom DeLay’s Legal Defense Fund. Courage is seeking the U.S. House seat in the 2006 election. According to federal election documents, the campaign…
Food & Drink A dilly of a pikul
Savor Thai Pikul’s soups and curries, but don’t bother leaving room for dessert Let’s start with dessert. Not because life’s too short to do otherwise, but because it was the least of the lot at Thai Pikul, an appealing new place on Fredericksburg Road run by a Thai family from Chicago with no previous restaurant…
News Speed reads
CPS’ barrier method A contested-case hearing on City Public Service Energy’s proposed coal-fired power plant could happen as early as December, but as plant opponents have learned, accessing CPS documents has been nearly impossible. The court has certified eight parties to represent the opposition in the hearing: Smart Growth, Jefferson Heights Neighborhood Association, Dr. Vince…
Food & Drink The no-pressure cook
In Perfect Recipes, the host with the most is the one who can relax and enjoy the guests At a particularly tedious point in the preparations for our last dinner party — I was tearing around with the dust mop and my husband was meticulously scrubbing the bathroom sink — my better half pointed out…
Feature Special ballot election
What’s marriage got to do with it? Prop 2 does little to support marriage, and may even dissolve common-law unions By Susan Pagani Supporters say it will protect the institution of marriage. Opponents say it will write bigotry into the Texas constitution. But, if Proposition 2 passes, it’s unclear what consequences the sweeping state Bill…
Food & Drink Fruity youth
Value Vino – Great wines for under $15 There are more than 700,000 acres of grapevines under cultivation in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Southwestern France, making it possibly the world’s largest wine-producing area. Most of us have never heard of it, and for good reason: Until recently, the Languedoc has been producing plonk, or to…
