Sending "Shockwaves" Through DFW

We’re not quick to panic, but when the chopper caught pieces of Six Flag’s Over Texas’ “Shockwave” on the ground, we wondered if the venerable coaster was going to get dismantled for prime real estate in the rear of the park.

Turns out, it’s only maintenance, but it’s still shocking to see sections of the track lying around like giant Tinker Toys.

Folks around the newsroom know that there is an affinity for theme parks in the DFW Scene…uh…cubicle…so whenever Six Flags blows up a ride or leaves pieces of others on the ground, or tries to sell beer inside the park, we get interested.

The hopeful among us though they were finally retiring “Shockwave,” which, honestly, has lost it’s luster at the back of the park — away from the crowds of Titan, the duo of Batman/Freeze, or even the classics like the Texas Giant. There’s a big part of space that could be claimed from a “Shockwave” shutdown, plus it’d be close to I-30’s draw — reminding folks that Over Texas is still the best theme park in the Southwest by offering a new, more visual, ride.

Maybe a future permanent dismantle is on the books in the future, especially with the Tony Hawk ride already planned out for this upcoming season, but we’ve got our fingers over the archive button for these snaps…just in case we need them in 3 years…

Check out the photos of the dismantle, plus photos of the “Wildcatter” demolition at this link: Six Flags Dismantles “Shockwave”

Here comes December…

…even though it’s 70 degrees outside.

We think that means it’s a good idea to set up your Christmas decorations this weekend instead of waiting for the cold snap. For more good ideas and some very very bad ones, check out our Flight Plan for this weekend.

The holidays are, in fact, right around the corner, so you’re sure to see us have lots of holiday themed stuff in the Scene — including our Holiday Special Section, which is already preparing people for the coming festivities.

If you didn’t get out to see Paul Oakenfold a few weeks ago, don’t fret, we’ve got an interview with the world-famous DJ as he delves deep into his inspirations, working with Hollywood and video games, and about the club scene in general.

Feeling a little too plump after Thanksgiving? You need to Ask The Cook the “Fat Facts About Frying” before you think your fried turkey is the reason you can’t fit into your jeans. Hint: It’s most likely the Guiness and chips from the Cowboys victory parties…

And a Bad Acting Hall of Fame without Shatner? Surely….you..jest. Nope. Check out our neat slideshow of the worst performances ever.

Next time you’re out and about, snap a photo and send it our way for our Party Pictures slideshow. You’ll be the talk of the town and show off you hot dancing skills and be part of a slideshow lots of people will look at.

Like reading the DFW Scene? You might like writing for the Scene, too! If you’re in college and need an internship, the Scene would love to check out your resume. E-mail us at dfwscene@nbc5i.com and we’ll give you all the details.

Plus, by now, you should just subscribe to the Scene with our Newsletter, RSS feed, or super swank Widget. (As Seen Below) You’ll get all the updates much faster instead of much slower and more regular than less regular.

The DFW Scene Is Not On Strike

Unlike the WGA,the DFW Scene is definitely not on strike.

In fact, we just had a positively smashing weekend at the Blue October and Shout Out Louds shows.

We covered ZZ Top while they were in town to film their concert DVD, too, and rubbed in Brtiney’s defeat in album sales at the hands of Henley and crew.

Like every Thursday, we have a Flight Plan, but this weekend we’re telling you what NOT to do so you have the best time.

Plus, we’ve got a couple of best of lists…well, the best soundtrack albums and then the worst movies…so maybe best of isn’t the correct term, but they’re still cool.

So until the writers stop striking, check out the DFW Scene for updated entertainment and local goings on every day….or just sign up for the newsletters and RSS feeds.

What’s Hypercool This Halloween?

DFW Scene has that answer, plus ten things to do for the big pumpkin day.

Oh, and we’ve got the ten best scary movies picks and updated listings for places to be scared in the Metroplex.

We would like to know how you intend to spend Halloween night, but since only %10 of the current vote is going to be performing eerie rituals in their backyards, we’re not expecting too much strange activity on the 31st.

Did you know Peanut M&Ms were the 3rd most popular vending machine snack? We’ve got all ten top treats from the vending racks in this slideshow.

If you’re a Steve Carrell fan, you’ll like the interview we’ve got about his new film “Dan In Real Life.”

And 80s music fans, take note: We have the top 50 songs from the decade in a terrific slideshow. Did you favorite make the cut?

Honestly, though, if you didn’t know about all this awesome sitting on the site, sign up for the newsletter or grab the RSS feed, wontcha?

DFW Scene "All Week Long"

We decked out our site to cover this week the best way we could think of. Doing something different each day.

That’s right, Monday, we showed you the “Heroes” stars before they were in the show.

Tuesday, we celebrated the release of Halo 3 by dipping into it’s history.

Wednesday, we’ve got Wine Wisdom ready to be uncorked.

We put out our Flight Plan early for Thursday.

Friday has photos of Big Tex in celebration of the state fair kickoff.

Saturday we plan to ROCK with some music selections for the weekend.

And Sunday, the Cos comes to town for a special performance.

With all that stuff going on, you really should subscribe to our newsletter or RSS.

If that’s not pretty enough for you, grab this widget!!

"Heroes" Returns, Event is awesome

Last night we headed out to the Angelika Film Center to check out the “Heroes of Monday Night” premiere event. Though we had to fight through traffic, we made it in time to take plenty of photos — which you can see right here — of the preparation and the event itself.

Lots of “Heroes” fans showed up for the season premiere, and, of course, loved the heck out of it. (Be sure to check out our “Heroes” postings about the show itself, we’ll be blogging about each episode! NBC and Keith’s Comics partnered up to give out LOADS of free stuff, including shirts, hats, posters, and really kicking graphic novels plus a $150 Superman statue. You could tell that everyone in the audience was interested in comics and comic related bits, simply by the t-shirts. Batman, Superman, and, of course, Heroes shirts were all over the crowd, and after the giveaways even more left with Super-”Hiros” on their chests.

Everyone seemed to love “Chuck,” too. I talked to a couple of folks after the event, and they were adamant that “Chuck” would be added to their TIVO season passes!

Still, “Heroes” was the draw of the night. “I love the characters,” Dan Cardines told me. Pam Alam agreed, “The characters really drive the show.” Another big hit was the fact “Heroes” was presented with little commercial interruptions thanks to Nissan. Nissan was also on site at the event to show off their new Rogue, parked outside the theater. The biggest cheer was when Nissan announced, at the final commercial break, that the rest of the conclusion would be commercial free. Both Chuck and Journeyman were completely commercial free, as NBC provided them on DVD. Heroes was live in HD on the big screen and looked pretty great.

The Angelika has been showing Heroes on the big screen live at 8 p.m. on Mondays since last season and will continue to do so throughout this season…thanks to Sally with Lone Star Comics for pointing that out to me!

Overall, the event was tons of fun, and a great way to watch the new season premieres! Did you make it out to the event? Leave your comments in the comments section.

Guess who’s back?

The DFW Scene is the answer to that, any many other questions.

Questions like “What should I do this weekend?” We answer that one in our Flight Plan.

Or maybe, “I wonder what’s going to happen on the next season of ‘Heroes’?” Yeah, we have a video interview with the stars, too.

Plus, we’ve got the best web video and Hollywood happenings everyday with The Download. Clicky clicky.

Still not satisfied? How about a preview of “Chuck,” news about a Sex Pistols reunion, contests to win “Knocked Up” DVDs and other movies prizes, and an interview with Viggo Mortensen?

And hey, when you get to the site, you should sign up for the e-mail newsletter and RSS feeds to help stay on the stop of what’s happening on DFW Scene.

Plus, keep your eyes peeled for next week’s big feature, weekly Flight Plans, exclusive video and oh so much more…

Hit here to get to the front page.

March Movies, Malls, Menus, and More!

Other the alliteration, you’ll understand why we’re so giddy about March when you visit the Scene.

Our Flight Plan for the weekend is all about the great American playground, the mall. It’s almost Spring, and fashion dictates that you need some new threads. So grab the Plan and head Out To DFW’s Best Malls.

Got the blues? We will. Dallas is getting it’s own House of Blues, and an original Blues Brother, Dan Akroyd showed up to see the site. Who was there? We were.

March roars into the Multiplex like a lion, but some films are going to be all roar. We predict which are any good in our article: Major March Movies.

And what’s not on the menu at your local eatery? The Metroplexpert found out a cool new dish at his local Chipotle, and inspired us to go searching for more.

Speaking of The Metroplexpert…he’s one of the DFW Scene’s contributors, and you should be too! E-mail us here to find out more.

What’s up with DFW Scene?

Hey there,

If you’re headed to the movies this weekend (and you should be after you read tomorrow’s Flight Plan), you’ll need to head to the DFW Scene. Not only can you find five ideas for the next time you head to the multiplex, you can find out what to see in another of our articles, save a bundle with our Scene Stealers deal for the weekend, plus see the totals from last weekends box office, if you like that kind of thing.

Oooh, and do you like game shows? Then you have to go try out for NBC’s “Identity” in Dallas this weekend. We’ve got all the information on how to do that on the Scene.

And if you hate waiting at restaurants, you should check out our video report on how to get a table quite a bit quicker.

So what are you waiting for, check back in with the DFW Scene!

Oh, and if you like what we’re doing, or think we’re completely off, tell us!