Five stories that have North Texas talking: A bedtime story from Ted Cruz, classical music groups love the Dallas City Performance Hall, should Big Tex be burned down every year?, and more.
Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican, took the floor of the U.S. Senate Tuesday to filibuster as he spoke against Obamacare. (Technically, it's not a filibuster. Some call it a faux filibuster.) As of 7 a.m., he had passed the 17-hour mark. It's the fifth-longest address in Senate history, The Atlantic reports. But Cruz frequently went off topic, which is allowed. He read “Green Eggs and Ham,” the Dr. Seuss classic, to his two young daughters, who were watching him on C-SPAN2. He also read them some Bible verses. Throughout the evening, he mentioned Ashton Kutcher and White Castle. “Most Americans could not give a flying flip about a bunch of politicians in Washington,” Cruz declared. “Who cares? You know most all of us are in cheap suits and bad haircuts.” NPR's It's All Politics blog wrote about how Cruz's Republican allies may be turning on him. [Washington Post]
Watch Cruz read his bedtime story:
- Dallas City Performance Hall earns rave reviews: Classical music groups are in love with the building in the Dallas Arts District. Russell Dyer, the hall’s general manager, says that 88 of 184 dates reserved through Aug. 31, 2014, are for classical-music performances or rehearsals, The Dallas Morning News reports. Chamber Music International opens its 2013-2014 season at the Performance Hall on Friday. On Sunday, Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Symphony Orchestra performs. The building, at Routh and Flora streets and across from Booker T. Washington High School, opened in September 2012. Chamber Music International has moved all four of its Dallas programs to the Performance Hall this season. “I think the acoustics are superb,” says artistic director Philip Lewis, “both from an audience perspective and hearing clearly and well on the stage.”
- Lone Star Film Festival offers sneak preview: The annual Fort Worth festival has announced the first nine titles that will be featured Nov. 7-10 at the AMC Palace Theater and other locations around Sundance Square. The lineup includes “Nebraska,” directed by two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne; “Tim’s Vermeer,” a documentary about the techniques of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and “Philomena,” which stars Judi Dench. Lone Star Film Society officials say that the number of films submitted has tripled over the past three years. Other films include “August: Osage County,” “One Chance” and “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”
- Do you have Big Tex fever? The State Fair of Texas icon returns Friday afternoon after the tragic fire last October. (This year’s fair features ostrich races, by the way.) Over at D Magazine’s Frontburner blog, Zac Crain argues that Big Tex should be burned down every year! One reason why: “I, for one, will sleep easier for the other 11 months of the year knowing there is absolutely zero chance that lightning will strike Big Tex or there will be some weird chemical mishap or whatever that will turn Big Tex sentient and into an almost unstoppable killing machine.” KERA has been offering a daily online look at All Things Big Tex.
- Raise a pint to your prostate: A bunch of craft beer lovers are cycling from Austin to Denver – and they’re making a stop Thursday at Community Beer Company in Dallas. They’ll be drinking, of course. But it’s for a worthy cause. The effort, called 1400 Miles, is raising awareness for prostate cancer. Thursday’s benefit, which starts at 5 p.m., will raise money for Pints for Prostates. The group says it’s using a beer and a bike to spark a conversation about prostate cancer. Kickoff was Tuesday in Austin. They’ll reach Denver on Oct. 8. A film crew is tagging along to produce a documentary.
