Five stories that have North Texas talking: A free ride for the Dallas Museum of Art, Davy Rothbart finds love on Think at noon, extra days to shop and more.
It's a pretty solid day for North Texas arts. The Dallas Museum of Art says it will offer free admission beginning in late January, Art&Seek's Jerome Weeks reports. And orgs in the area netted more than $230,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. (Jerome has the scoop on that, too.). Three projects stand out:
- Gadgets will take over the Winspear Opera House in February 2014 when the Dallas Opera stages Tod Machover Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera.
- Across the street, hip-hop playwright/performer Will Power is creating a musical, Stagger Lee, for the Dallas Theater Center.
- And just down the street, the Dallas Symphony is commissioning a new piece to mark the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination next fall: “The World Is Very Different Now,” by Conrad Tao, an 18-year-old American composer. (The New York Times published a Texas Monthly piece on North Texas' Kennedy plans over the weekend.)
-- Lyndsay Knecht
Third Accuser Files Suit Against Former Elmo Puppeteer
Another lawsuit has been filed against Kevin Clash, the Sesame Street puppeteer who stepped down last week after two other accusations of sexual relationships with underage men.
Reuters reports that the suit was filed in Manhattan by a man identified only as John who says that as a 16-year-old, he had a sexual relationship with Clash.
"Mr. Clash believes the lawsuit has no merit," the former puppeteer's publicist said in an emailed statement.
-- Rick Holter
Stars Align For Perfectionists, Retailers This Gifting Season
Watch Black Friday and Cyber Monday blow by? Fret not. It’s all about Giving Tuesday anyway. (And tomorrow is Woebegone Wednesday, according to our own Jeff Whittington.) What’s more, though: We have one delicious extra weekend before Christmas to hunt and gather. Monday, Dec. 24 can actually be the day you wrap presents (before midnight, of course). Won’t even have to fidget in line at Barnes & Noble before doing so.
NPR’s Marilyn Geewax has more on the benevolent calendar, and explains how the fiscal cliff’s proximity to Christmas could actually be a good thing.
-- Lyndsay Knecht
Davy Rothbart Serendipitously Lands On ‘Think’ Today
Found Magazine founder Davy Rothbart is on Krys Boyd's talk show at noon today, talking about his new book My Heart is an Idiot: Essays. Rothbart is known for rescuing castoff notes passed in class found on highways, mind you, so to hear him validate the adorably inane lengths he’s gone to out of pure, shortsighted longing for the people he’s loved with empathy -- for them and for himself -- should be a delight. He'll speak at Texas Theatre tonight as part of Found's 10th Anniversary Tour.
-- Lyndsay Knecht
Gwen Ifill Answers Reporters’ Questions at TCU Wednesday
PBS news maven Gwen Ifill will break that fourth wall and switch roles from moderator to moderated Wednesday evening at a free KERA event at TCU in Fort Worth. Here's a look at how the Washington Week moderator/managing editor and PBS NewsHour correspondent performs in the hot seat, after moderating the difficult Sarah Palin-Joe Biden VP debate of 2008:
Another item of intrigue: Bob Ray Sanders of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram will share moderating duties with Lexy Cruz, executive editor of the student-run TCU 360. Talk about a highlight of the undergrad experience.
The event is free; all you have to do is RSVP here.
-- Lyndsay Knecht
