[ July 30, 2010; ] The local, self-organized TEDxSMU event is back for it's second year and the application deadline to attend is this Friday, July 30th. The one-day conference will take place at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theater on October 16th, 2010. This year's theme is focused around "starting now."

[ July 22, 2010 to July 29, 2010. ] With 25 films making their Southwest, United States or North American premieres, the 2010 Asian Film Festival of Dallas gives viewers a rare opportunity to see movies covering the spectrum of cinema from ten countries. The festival runs July 23-29 at venues around Dallas. See the 2010 lineup.

[ July 13, 2010; July 14, 2010; ] Frenchmen, Francophiles and mimes around the world will come together on Wednesday, July 14th to celebrate that most sacred of French holidays, Bastille Day. Check out how the Bishop Arts District & businesses such as Meddlesome Moth, Smoke, Park, and Bolsa are celebrating.

[ June 30, 2010 8:00 pm to July 18, 2010 10:00 pm. ] Now, if you have read the theater section for any length of time, you probably know that, even when I am bestowing praise on a recent work, I try not to be overwhelming with how much I lavish it on the actors, cast, and crew. This will not be one of those times...dreamgirls was nothing short of amazing. From the opening number of "I'm Lookin' for Something," the cast of this long-running stage play had the audience captivated. Their energy, their ability to connect with each other and the audience, and their sheer talent were enough to make the hours of the show pass by in mere minutes.

[ April 12, 2010; 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. April 22, 2010; 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm. May 1, 2010; June 7, 2010; 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. July 3, 2010; 11:00 am to 10:00 pm. ] After the 2010 SXSW Music Festival, Next Big Sound, a tracking tool for monitoring fan interaction with music groups, released data on their website that was music to my ears. Personally, I can't resist hearing new music that might potentially takeover my iTunes playlist for the next few months. Last week I sampled all the artists on the list, bought a few albums, and then dug in a little deeper to check if any of them were coming to town. As of this posting, 6 bands have announced dates in Dallas. Check them out here.