By BILLY DENNIS This hasn’t been a great year for new comedies, with many failing to find an audience, or themselves. The one consistent bright spot has been “The Goldbergs.” Set in 1980-something, the show tells the story of the Goldbergs, a unique and lovable family from Pennsylvania. The show...

By BILLY DENNIS The real-life family that inspired the book and movie “Heaven is for Real” made an appearance on the red carpet at the Dallas International Film Festival last week. Et Cetera reporter Billy Dennis Jr. had a chance to interview them, along with the actors and director and the author...

By BILLY DENNIS The Dallas International Film Festival just concluded its best event in years with more than 175 outstanding feature-length, animated, documentary and short films. A ton of stellar films were available to choose from this year, and I saw many films that were as good as any big-budget...

By KARINA DUNN A ski resort in the Pyrenees Mountains in France offered solace for a young musician studying piano with her mother. The calming atmosphere gave Pierrette Mouledous a chance to relax and enjoy her surroundings outside of her rigorous studies. Mouledous, the head of Eastfield’s...

By DAVID RAMIREZ Casey McGuire and Lindsay Palmer enjoy gathering objects found in the street or from foreclosed homes to use in their artwork. It’s not only a creative way to use everyday objects for art, but it’s also useful when on a budget. What separates the artists from each other is the way that...

By COREY PAUL Dallas is a big place, and its most unique attractions can be overlooked by the eye of the untrained city slicker. Located in the heart of Deep Ellum, the Free Man Cajun Cafe & Lounge is an authentic cajun food experience. With lunch specials only $7.95, you can treat yourself to homemade...

By BILLY DENNIS Oscar-winning director Errol Morris attempts to put former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on trial for the Iraq War in the “The Unknown Known.” His mission is ultimately unsuccessful. There’s really no new information in this documentary that cannot be found on the History...

By KARINA DUNN Music blared from Rudy Gutierrez’s dorm room on a regular basis during his freshman year at the University of Texas in Austin. Gutierrez, who began dabbling in music at the age of 7, quickly earned a reputation as the dorm disc jockey. However, he had never considered producing his own music...

By BILLY DENNIS When I heard Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) was making a movie based on the classic racing video game series “Need for Speed,” I expected it to be terrible. Really, really terrible. I was wrong. Yes, the plot points are fairly obvious, and you know where the movie is going,...

By ROBERT BURNS Quirky, optimistic and energetic. These are all words that could describe the characters in the play “The Miss Firecracker Contest.” They also describe the Eastfield theater students who played them. But unlike the protagonist in the play, the students won their contest. On...

By Morgan Corley Dieting is something of an obsession for Americans. We cannot stop talking about the newest and best ways to shed pounds and keep them off. Three diets gaining popularity are the ketogenic diet, the paleolithic diet and juicing. They all have their own unique attributes, and all three...

By Robert Burns Justin Flores’ hands dance over the black and ivory keys as he plays the piano, filling the room with music. The mood is lighthearted as Flores and classmate Julia Chin settle in to practice for their juries — the equivalent of finals for most classes. The difference is they...

By Morgan Corley When you’re a student, your diet is one of the easiest things to ignore.  Grabbing a bag of chips and a soda between classes is way easier than packing your own snacks. Unfortunately, this is a poor dietary choice.  You need to take care of yourself during your college years,...

By Caitlin Piper ‘Two Brothers’ forced me to ask myself a lot of questions. What is the true nature of life and death? What is the meaning of color? How do we comprehend that which we cannot explain? Unfortunately, the questions didn’t stop there. Over the course of my 12-hour journey with...

By Emma Hahn Meet art professor David Willburn, a man of complex humor and an artist with an eye for beauty in the most common things, such as a coffee pot or a television remote. Willburn’s most recent work is currently on display in room F-219, the campus’ small art gallery. The art displayed...

By Michelle Bahena, Contributing Writer In “Homefront,” Jason Statham plays Phil Broker, a widower and ex-Drug Enforcement Administration agent from Minnesota who settles in small-town Rayville, La. with his daughter, Maddie. But things aren’t quiet for long. After Maddie wins a fight with...

By Keturah Jones Sense-Able Gym is a new sensory play space in Garland designed for children with special needs. Most of the gym’s patrons have autism or Asperger’s syndrome. Founder Shauna Mable has a background as a special education instructor and also has a son with Asperger’s. Curious...

By Justin David Tate, Life & Arts Editor Prayer, parties and parades filled the day for Rameez Sohail every Aug. 14 in his native Pakistan. That is the day of his country’s independence, a nationally recognized holiday complete with no school, extravagant celebrations and food such as biryani,...

With the Thanksgiving break behind us and Christmas right around the corner, being mindful of workout routines is a must. The following are a few places to burn off that turkey and stuffing and all those Christmas sweets. The North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center 1003 4th Ave, Carrollton, 75006 Located...

By Justin David Tate, Life & Arts Editor Onstage, 18-year-old Lo Goodson struggles to wrap four broken toes. The speech pathology and psychology double major enlists the help of her dance instructor, Danielle Georgiou, to apply her more-experienced technique. Goodson has to perform in a few days,...

By Karina Dunn, Staff Writer Does Bigfoot live among us? Ask a cryptozoologist, a person who specializes in the study of hidden animals, and he will say yes. Legend has it that Texas is home to famous creatures such as the Chupacabra and Bigfoot himself. Their stories have spawned a network called...

By Genesis Castillo When the Hispanic Heritage committee wanted to bring an event to Eastfield that would cater to the surrounding community, they chose Anita N. Martinez’s Ballet Folklorico. On Oct. 29, students from Martinez’s school performed classical Latin folk dances, including the Jarabe...

By Justin David Tate, Life & Arts Editor Lips. If you don’t like the curved indent of actress Adèle Exarchopoulos’ upper lip, or the small, permanent plump pucker of her bottom lip, this film is not for you. Director Abdel Kechiche takes every opportunity to make those lips the focus of the camera’s...

By Caitlin Piper, Opinion Editor Over the past few years, the “Call of Duty” franchise has become the unwitting poster child for the avalanche of unimaginative and high-budget, triple-A cash cows unleashed upon us every holiday season. Like fast food and summer blockbusters, these games tend to have...