This past year in the visual arts, there was much to be thankful for; we also have a few wishes that we hope come true in the next.

Thanks For individual collectors. From the Gardner, Frick, and Barnes collections on the East Coast to the Rachofsky House in Preston Hollow, houses showcasing the tastes and interests of a single patron are invariably distinctive in a way that larger, encyclopedic collections can’t be. In the best case (e.g. the Barnes Foundation) the founder’s ..read more

Ten years ago when I saw Les Misérables in London, I jokingly vowed that it would be for the last time. No offense meant to the cast, but I had already seen the adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel in two national tours and through countless screenings of the 10th anniversary “dream cast” and recent 25th anniversary “all-star” concerts. My rear end, numbed by the show’s three-hour running time, just couldn’t take it anymore, mainly because I felt that Les ..read more

It’s all Granada giveaway greatness this week. Gah! But seriously. We’ve got a good grab bag today: two tickets to the Granada’s New Years Eve Bash featuring Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, Ishi, and Kirby Brown. To get your hands on these pups just answer the question in the form below: What band member joined in 2007 that could bring a tear to your eye? We’ll pick a winner after 3pm.

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We get a double dose of Steven Spielberg this week, beginning with his boy adventure, The Adventures of Tintin, and culminating with his adventurous boyishness, War Horse. If you pick one, go with Tintin, which shows off all the pure talent and visual style that drove the director into the limelight with a string of action thrillers in the 1970s. The Adventures of Tintin is a movie adaption of the classic comic strip reconstructed with Indian Jones-style segments. There are ..read more

David Fincher’s much-anticipated adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the hit novel by Swedish author Stieg Larsson, is the third time the book has been brought to the screen, and it is hard to think of any other director who could infuse the franchise with this much new excitement. Fincher is coming off of The Social Network, but it is Fincher’s handling of Fight Club and Se7en that promises a Dragon Tattoo marked with the director’s particular brand ..read more

At age 14 in 1991, my record-buying budget was somewhat limited. Aside from shelling out dollar bills for used tapes at the local thrift store, I got most of my current pop albums from the good ol’ BMG Music Service. The more affordable alternative to Columbia House (which finally called it quits this year), BMG allowed me to pick out 10 CDs free, pay for one, get another free and then cancel.

So, at some point in ’91, I licked the ..read more

There are several treacherously obvious ways to describe the release of iconic Oak Cliff duo Akkolyte’s new record, Clues in the Chaos Pile: Delayed. Long-awaited. Anticipated. They are all suitable. After all, in an interview all the way back in February of this year, Akkolyte’s Aaron Gonzalez already seemed a little fatigued by the process at that point, after I inquired about the recording process and status of the record:

We did have a major problem in that department.  In fact, ..read more

I think worst lists are more difficult to pull together than bests. First off, while I see a ridiculous number of movies every year, many of them terrible, when we hit December, I’m not exactly going out of my way to catch the bad ones I missed, like, say, The Green Lantern. So, if there are any glaring bombs missing from my wrap up of the worst, feel free to add them in the comments.

The other difficulty with making this ..read more

A handful of superstars brought me to the breaking point in 2011. I’ll address each offender directly.

Taylor Swift: Your stadium tour and nation of adoring child fans helped you dominate every major awards show. Yet you acted completely surprised at being given each successive accolade. The “What, little ol’ me?!?” thing has to go.  I know you often sing/whine about how mean everyone else is, so I won’t get too nasty. But there’ve been moments during your overexposed year in ..read more

To look back at the year in theater, we asked our three theater writers to tell us the plays and performances that stood out for them in 2011. Here are their picks.

Image: Cabaret at the Dallas Theater Center (Karen Almond)