Five stories that have North Texas talking: Neil deGrasse Tyson makes a cameo in a Plano student’s film; meet a woman named “Texas”; the more Romos, the merrier; and more.
How do you get astrophysicist and public radio host Neil deGrasse Tyson in your first movie? Just email him. That’s what Plano Senior High School junior Evan Hara did, and he received a response three months later, The Dallas Morning News reports. Hara, 16, asked Tyson to make a cameo in his first movie, “The Boundary,” a space travel film inspired by the Oscar-winning movie, “Interstellar.”
According to the Morning News, Hara consulted with his film teacher, wrote a script, checked into local casting agencies and used Indiegogo for crowd-source funding. Hara wanted to secure a credible source for the film — either Tyson or Michio Kaku, another physicist. Tyson’s response was “The universe has kept me quite busy, but I’d love to do your project.”
Tyson makes the cameo via Skype, and it appears near the end of the film. The movie was shot in and around Dallas in just two weeks during school breaks. It screens tonight at 8 p.m. at the Angelika in Plano. [The Dallas Morning News]
- A Dallas attorney will make history as the first African-American star of “The Bachelorette.” Rachel Lindsay, a 31-year-old attorney at Cooper and Scully, is the second consecutive bachelorette from Dallas, following Jo Jo Fletcher, GuideLive reports. Lindsay will take the lead in “The Bachelor” spin-off show’s 13th season. She confirmed the news Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live! She said it wasn’t long after she was on “The Bachelor” that she was approached about being the bachelorette. ABC’s romance reality series has long been criticized for its lack of diversity. "The Bachelorette" begins airing on ABC in May. [The Associated Press, GuideLive]
- First, small businesses, then the NFL: Now, a new group has publicized its opposition to Texas’ so-called “bathroom bill.”More than 135 artists, musicians and actors signed and published an open letter Tuesday opposing Senate Bill 6 and House Bill 1362 currently under consideration in the state Legislature. In the letter, the community of artists focus on the proposed bathroom restriction, saying it would “criminalize and restrict the simple act of a transgender person using the restroom that aligns with their gender identity — a denial of basic human dignity." Here’s what you need to know about the “bathroom bill.” [KERA News]
- When people ask her to state her name, Texas June Smith, says “Yes, it is.” Smith, a resident of Sweeny, Texas, isn’t the first person to share her name with the Lone Star State. She keeps her driver’s license on hand for the skeptics, and the 73-year-old Texan can easily recount the origin story of her name: “Since it was June the 21st when I was born, my mother says, ‘Well, June is a pretty name. I think I’ll call her June.’ And old Dr. Locker, he just started laughing. And he said, ‘Well, hell, Stella, if you’re going to name her after the month, why don’t you call her Texas June?’ And my mother went with it.” Get to know Texas in a new way. [The New York Times]
- “We will be expecting our third little Romo offspring this August.” Candice Romo announced the forthcoming bundle Tuesday on The Ticket. The couple has two children, Hawkins,4, and Rivers, 2. SportsDay reports: “The timing of the announcement could get a bit interesting as Tony is likely looking for employment elsewhere if he wants to continue his NFL career as a starting quarterback. He lost his starting job to rookie Dak Prescott this season after suffering a preseason back injury. At this point, Tony Romo's future is rather unclear.” Candice Romo said isn’t sure what’s next for her husband, but she has some ideas. [SportsDay]