Sept. 9-15
Kelly Willis
Texas country singer Willis has never gotten the mainstream attention she deserves, and we're fine with that. It means we get to see her in intimate venues like the Levitt Pavilion in Arlington and enjoy her way with crafting a hook-laden country tune and delivering it with a honey-mixed-with-salt voice.
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Levitt Pavilion, 100 W. Abram St.
Cost: Free
Info: www.levittpavilionarlington.org
'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'
Tennessee Williams has so many great plays that it's hard to name a masterpiece, although this one is almost up there with Streetcar. Artes de la Rosa has set its version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in modern-day South Florida, with Latino actors. It should be as hot as, well, a hot tin roof.
When: Through Sept. 18
Where: Rose Marine Theater, 1440 N. Main St., Fort Worth
Cost: $10-$15
Info: www.rosemarinetheater.com
Art in the Garden
Make a day of checking out the beautiful flora at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, and this weekend, you can also find mixed-media artworks in the gallery space. Makes sense, considering it is Gallery Night weekend (see No. 11). But no matter how good these works are, they'll be nothing compared to what nature has to offer in the garden.
When: Friday-Sunday
Where: Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth
Cost: Free (admission to Japanese Garden, if you visit that)
Info: www.fwbg.org
Margaret Cho
Ms. Cho always finds plenty of material to talk about in her comedy tours, but on this one, "Cho Dependent," expect her to offer preview insights into the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars (premiering Sept. 20), on which she'll be a celebrity dancer. Her fellow con-dance-stants include The Hoff, Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Bristol Palin. Gee, there's nothing at all to discuss with that group, is there? And in case you've only seen her in the cable TV show Drop Dead Diva, be warned that Margaret has a foul mouth (which should be a fun challenge for ABC censors when she screws up on the dancing).
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie
Cost: $39-$55
Info: www.ticketmaster.com
Blue Man Group
There are so many great things happening at the AT&T Performing Arts Center this week, including the opening of TITAS' dance season (with the acclaimed MOMIX), and a lecture/performance by legendary Texas record producer T Bone Burnett. But the biggie is the tour of the popular paint-loving percussionists Blue Man Group. Prepare to be splattered.
When: Tuesday through Sept. 26
Where: Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, 2100 Ross Ave., Dallas
Cost: $25-$120
Info: www.attpac.org
Leonard Cohen - Songs From the Road
Let us count the ways that we worship this barrel-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter. OK, it's a lot. This CD and DVD set, documenting his most recent tour (which brought him to North Texas) comes out this week, with live recordings and film footage. Also available in Blu-Ray. It's a no-brainer for any music fan.
When: Available Tuesday
Where: Online and in book/record/video stores
Cost: $12.99 on Amazon.com
Info: www.leonardcohen.com
Honda Civic Tour
Rock band Paramore is the headliner on this cool foursome bill, which also includes neo-punkers New Found Glory, and Kadawatha. But honestly, it's the duo of Tegan and Sara that we're most eager to see. Quirky, with odd-but-lovely voices, T&S rocks our socks off. And before you bemoan the sellout name of the tour, be honest. If Honda offered to sponsor your tour, you'd jump on it.
When: 6:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Verizon Theatre, Grand Prairie
Cost: $36.50-$39.50
Info: www.ticketmaster.com
'Survivor: Nicaragua'
It's young versus old in the 20th season of the granddaddy of reality shows, and everyone in North Texas is going to be tuning in to see a certain former coach of the Dallas Cowboys. We expect Jimmy Johnson to draw some plays in the sand, chew out some of the underperforming players and smuggle in his own hair product.
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: KTVT/Channel 11
Cost: Free
Info: www.cbs.com
Gallery Night
It might still be sweatin' weather, but Gallery Night means you can break out your new fall outfits. (Being fashionable is always worth a little perspiration.) Besides, you don't want to be seen making the gallery rounds in last year's duds, huh? That'd come off like a watercolor of Newt Gingrich. There are plenty of new exhibits to choose from, and we definitely recommend the Richard Thompson show at William Campbell Contemporary Art -- the painter, who uses trout imagery in his work, that is. Not the singer-songwriter.
When: 2-9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Galleries throughout Tarrant County
Cost: Free
Info: Find a map of all the participating galleries at www.fwada.com
'Xanadu'
This campy 1970s movie falls into the so-incredibly-bad-it's-kinda-fun category, and that doesn't happen very often. A disastrous vehicle for Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John, the "place where nobody dared to go" screens at midnight showings this weekend at the Inwood Theater.
When: Midnight Friday and Saturday
Where: Inwood Theatre, 5458 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas
Cost: $10
Info: www.landmarktheatres.com
Texas Camerata
This longtime early-music outfit, which plays on original instruments (as in baroque), kicks off its new season at the Modern this weekend. Antiquities in an über-modern setting always give us the chills.
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St.
Cost: $15-$20
Info: www.texascamerata.org
Zambrano Wine benefit auction
You don't have to ask us twice to share a bottle of wine on a Tuesday. And that's just what you can do at Zambrano Wine Cellar in downtown Fort Worth this week at a benefit wine auction for the Tarrant Area Food Bank's Backpack for Kids Program. Owner Cef Zambrano will be donating 15 bottles of fine wine, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the program that fills backpacks with nutritious food for hungry children. Good cause, good wine. See ya at Zambranos.
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: 910 Houston St., Fort Worth
Cost: Whatever your generous bids will be.
Info: www.zambranowines.com, www.tafb.org/Volunteers-BackpacksforKidsQualityControl.html
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