Photo by Buddy Myers

Georgia Clinton brings our favorite fiery author to life in Red Hot Patriot.

At Fort Worth's Stage West, Texas' brashest political commentator lives again in the one-woman play Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. Actress Georgia Clinton portrays Ivins in the production directed by Dana Schultes.

The 70-minute performance, written by twin journalists Allison and Margaret Engel, is built around the dilemma of Ivins having to write a column about her father's suicide. Conservative and authoritarian, Ivins' dad cast a large shadow over her life. Her reaction to his death is as unvarnished and critical as anything she ever wrote about politicians.

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jeffwestconsulting.com

The outpouring of sadness is immense. As soon as the report of Jeff West's death broke on Monday, comment sections online began rapidly filling with those who'd known and loved his work with the Dallas arts community, a passion that had spanned more than 30 years. You will be hard-pressed to find a single unkind or even indifferent word - West was without a doubt one of Dallas' finest and most beloved.

Among the many projects graced by his hand, West is perhaps best remembered in the arts community for his tireless work, including service as the managing director of the Dallas Theater Center, executive director of the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, executive director of the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, the Dallas International Film Festival. At the time of his passing at 54, West was involved in the coordination of the creative and physical development of the South Side Quarter District, including the Omni Hotel. He was also serving as Treasurer for the Texas Association of Museums and as Secretary of the National Historic Landmark Stewards Association.

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Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are gonna make you sh-sh-shake it at Homegrown!

Just because you have to work through Friday, doesn't mean that A.) you can't get an early start on fun tonight, and B.) you can't strategically scope out your three-day party plan now. There's so much great stuff going on: Somebody left festivals scattered all over town (don't trip), there are free outdoor movies, fireworks, karaoke bashes, a party boat and a margarita celebration. So make a plan, share this list with your friends and click the event titles for more information. And if you see a girl cannonballing off the side of a party barge, make sure and say hi. We should be friends. Now let's do this!

Thursday 5.24
Stiletto Stampede -- Remember that time you dashed a quarter mile in your favorite pumps to reach the taco trailer before he sealed up the queso vat? This is like that, but instead of late night snack shame you'll be sprinting to battle breast cancer. As we all know, cancer sucks. It's the worst. If running in high heels will help make it go away then I say we do it. All of us. Even the dudes.

Kristen Chenoweth -- Unless that petition goes through, GCB is cancelled. You can still spend this evening with she show's sprightliest cast member, the always charming Kristen Chenoweth, as she reminds you how much power can emote from a tiny package.

Erica Felicella speaks at Kettle Art -- This girl made my brain explode two weekends ago when she spent 48 hours in a plexiglass box in Oak Cliff. She didn't sleep. She wore a catheter. She scribbled a mantra. And she did all of this to explore her full range of human emotions. Tonight she speaks at Kettle Art, so go and learn about a complex experience that few of us will ever know first hand.

Hard Luck Karaoke at the Double Wide -- I get nervous recommending this event because it's almost too much fun, but hell, it's a disco tribute night. How can you go to bed early when Oliver Peck and Josh Hammertimez want to honor Donna Summer and Robin Gibb? You can't. Suck it up and pound black coffee and Emergen-C tomorrow.

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Gamers, if we learned one thing this year it is this: When the Dallas Symphony Orchestra plays the score of a popular video game, it is glorious. Also, it'll sell out. Like, fast.
For one geektastic night DSO will perform "Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy" and you will embrace your inner 10-year old, make-out with your original Nintendo console and scoff about how mediocre King's Quest was, comparatively. You will apologize to nobody for this state of regression. That's the great thing about getting older: You've earned the right love harder, rather than outgrow, portions of your youth.

Über fans who wish to take their quest beyond the initial battle (standard seating) can drop extra gold for VIP. They'll run from $150 to $200 bucks each, but you'll sit in a box or center front orchestra and --- wait for it! --- you'll get a meet-and-greet with Final Fantasy conductor Arnie Roth and composer Masashi Hamauzu! Yep, Hamauzu is flying in from Japan specifically to watch the performance, so you can thank him for composing the song you used as the first dance at your wedding while your wife blushes and hangs her head in shame.

Get your tickets to the June 15 performance now; worry about who you'll take later. This thing is too good to pass up.

Is any group more loved than the Harlem Globetrotters? I don't think so. These guys have double-dribbled joy to all over the world, and today team member Special K Daley is in town enchanting lucky kids at a couple of Dallas schools. Teachers, look out: your personal belongings will likely be subject to an inspired game of keep away by afternoon. Since we, the over-worked adults of Dallas cannot skip math class to see a Globetrotter perform in a gymnasium, let's watch a few clips of the team's best hijinx. Here's an amazing kick shot by Curly Boo Johnson.

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An example of Jeff Joiner's eye for design: photos created by and for Rocketlab

Branding has been a business tool since the earliest labels were printed, but in recent years it's become impossibly pervasive. The days of an elite few sloshing scotch in an advertising office, allowing their genius to define a brand are over. Now, it's collaborative. Also, branding involves everything from visual arts, print making, font selection, wit, design, social media and most importantly: the logo, to properly make its impact.

Tonight you can join three of the area's sharpest dudes as they wax logo creation and effectiveness at "Visual Distillation: The Art of the Logo" at the Frisco Discovery Center's Black Box Theater. Don't allow their MFA student status to fool you, these guys are pros and all of them currently have work showing in the center's show "Pieces of Eight." Jeff Joiner has done all things marketing over the course of his career, but most recently he's known for founding the Austin-based company Rocketlab, a marketing think tank with a strong eye for branding and design. Printmaker Adam Rawlett will drop pigmented science bombs as he educates the audience on how physics and religion inspire his creation of visual art. Completing the cycle of logo ingredients will be photographer Ben Davis, who'll explain what it takes to snap something truly memorable.

The whole thing is free, educational and a chance to meet a few peers who share your appreciation for good design and branding. It runs from 5 to 6 p.m. this evening.

Man, I've got a thing for cowboys, so it's unfortunate that I don't happen to have the right thing when it comes to wrangling one of the fellas-in-tight-jeans at the Round-Up Saloon. But, a girl can still enjoy the scenery on what is one of the city's most eclectic and exciting dance floors, and that's just one of the reasons why the Round-Up remains one of this Oak Lawn denizen's neighborhood favs.

On top of the bodacious boot-scooters, the honky-tonk also boasts reliably boss happy hour specials mid-week, so you can imagine my excitement when I popped over to the website for a little Wednesday night game-planning and realized we are smack in the middle of the preliminary rounds in the Miss Gay USofA Pageant. So, in honor of one of the city's legendary institutions, some in/famous Dallasites are getting Dragulated, courtesy of that bad babe, RuPaul. More >>

We talk constantly about what's missing in education, areas where we fall short, and a persistent lack of community involvement, specifically regarding youth and the arts. Today, two organizations give us cause to do the opposite. Let's celebrate that and take a look at what our neighbors are doing to bolster youth creativity. Also, let's lend a hand.

This Saturday your kids can participate in Art Love Magic's outreach program for local youth. Children ages 6 to 16 are invited to spend the afternoon with Dallas' best and kindest-hearted artists. Together, they'll create. What will they make? Masterpieces, exclusively. They can collaborate on mural production or allow themselves time for introspection by composing their art solo; it's totally up to the kids. The space is designed to inspire: by allowing an "open studio environment" Art Love Magic draws children away from rigid structure and other confinements associated to classwork. Here, they are in charge.

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Even Tammy had to get her start somewhere.

Sometimes it doesn't matter how you break into a trade, just that you took the initiative to do it. Maxima Visions Productions would like to save souls via feature films; the Christian movie company is seeking talent, and well, they don't look all that picky.

Since Maxima Visions is relatively unknown to any distributor that doesn't use Jesus in its logo, they don't require too much time for polishing up a finished product. In fact, the company is slated to release two films a year for the next five years. Theoretically if cast, you could play 10 of 12 apostles. (If you're able to be picky in your Chosen Role, just go for whichever one has a book named after him.) Don't worry ladies, there are parts for you too.

Currently in the works is a film called Sister Surrendered, and in it two twins who leave the military try to reestablish their place in the world. Only problem? One develops a terrifying pain killer addiction. Here's a thought: sell yourself big time. Tell them you can be both parts, rather than forcing Maxima's casting department to find a couple gals who look kind of alike. Double pay. Double fame. And maybe a shot at recreating that scene from the Helen Hunt PSA where she blasts out the window, high on angel dust.

Headshots are encouraged. If you have one, bring it. If you don't, that's okay too. There will be a photographer on hand snapping pics of potential stars. Also requested: a page telling them a little about yourself. (Translation: that's where you talk about God.) Auditions are held on Thursday, May 31 and Friday, June 1 at the Texas Opry Theatre in Weatherford Texas, 319 York Avenue 3 blocks off the square.

Estrada has a direct line to the big guy/girl, in The Divine Enforcer.

The early '90s brought us so many important milestones: fly girls droppin' mad booty shake beats, the tragic ending to the VHS vs. Beta battle, and a washed-up Erik Estrada, post CHiPs. If only we could remember where we buried all of those time capsules...

Oh, hell. What if I told you that you don't need to dig around your Junior High's track and field regions for a shot at reliving that era? Tonight's installment of Tuesday Night Trash at Texas Theatre celebrates it better than Tribe, black stockings with Doc Martins and Hypercolor, combined. This week's pick is the best priest-turned-vigilante flick of 1992: The Divine Enforcer. Staring a puffy Estrada as monsignor of an LA parish, TDE has got enough trashy early '90s juice to leave you gleefully chugging Zima seasoned with Jolly Ranchers. You'll see fly girls, overly choreographed fighting sequences and lots of second string bad guys with pony tails. This movie never made it to the theater, it also wasn't soiled by conversion to dvd, so you'll watch it the way god and Erik Estrada intended: the VHS tape.

It's the best of the worst, and it's all yours for the low low price of absolutely free. Because Avengers fever is still in full effect on Texas Theatre's big screen, tonight's Tuesday Night Trash will take place upstairs in the lounge. Don't worry, you can bring your bar cocktails with you, but due to its decade-plus discontinuation, you won't be able to bring Crystal Clear Pepsi. It all starts at 9ish.