Diamonds and Pearl

Last week, when news of an impending inclement weather warning started hitting our feeds, so did something else. Reminiscent of Texas winter 2021, #CancunTed was spotted boarding a plane to somewhere warmer. It made for some pretty funny memes.

“Ted Cruz fleeing the state before a disaster is the most consistent thing about him,” comedian George Lopez said. “He’s basically Texas’ groundhog. If he sees his shadow, y’all get six more weeks of chaos while he’s on a beach somewhere.”

In Sweaty Teddy’s defense — words I can’t believe I’m actually typing — the senator’s office confirmed that this latest trip to Laguna Beach was planned several weeks earlier, before news of the weather, and that he would be back in time to suffer with the rest of us.

Either way, the Weekly staff, including yours truly, worked from home. As my husband works at a concert venue and the weather caused shows to fall like dominoes, we were in it together. We made chili and hot cocoa and snuggled on “The Island” (our code for the couch), happily streaming all sorts of things while we were hunkered down. This got me thinking: What if we decide to never leave the house again? With that idea in mind, I decided to do a little digging. The result? This column is full of things you can watch at home (for practically free) with upcoming IRL experiences for those ready to get back out there.

Thursday, January 20, 2026

Now thru Sat, Feb 21, the regional premiere of A Night with Janis Joplin rocks the Velvet Lounge at Circle Theatre (230 W 4th St, Fort Worth, 817-877-3040). In this concert-style celebration of the legendary Texas rockstar, Janis (Brook Baker) shares the stage with the voices of the female artists who influenced her, including Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, and more. The show features hit songs like “Piece of My Heart,” “Summertime,” and “Mercedes Benz.” Tickets start at $35 at CircleTheatre.com.

And, yes, a filmed version of this stage musical does exist. Tony Award nominee Mary Bridget Davies played Janis a few years back, and a 2018 performance recorded in California was released to theaters and is available on BroadwayHD, Marquee TV, and Prime Video.

Friday – Saturday, January 30-31, 2026

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will perform the score to the Disney classic The Lion King at Bass Performance Hall (525 Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-212-4280) on Fri-Sat. Tickets start at $42.50 at FWSymphony.org. Staying home? You can always stream The Lion King as part of your Disney+ subscription.

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Marathon streaming isn’t just for your favorite TV series. Several movie franchises come to mind. The Harry Potter films and The Twilight Saga — for the record, I was always #TeamJacob — are great for watching on a gray weather day. One of my other favorites is The Matrix, which we might very well be living in right now. Neo and his team fight an army of agents while embedded in a mysterious meta-world, seeking the answer to a dangerous question: What is the Matrix? You can stream it at home with your subscriptions to apps like FubuTV, MGM+, or the Roku Channel, but if you’re venturing out, there’s also a very cool IRL event happening soon.

At 8:30pm on Tue, Feb 3, and Fri, Feb 13, then again at 9:30pm on Sat, Feb 14, immersive entertainment venue Cosm at Grandscape (5776 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, 469-689-6135) hosts The Matrix in Shared Reality. This cinematic event celebrates the 25th anniversary of the film on an 87-foot LED dome where visuals dynamically interact with the content, extending beyond the screen. The experience continues with curated food and drink options, including a tasting menu, in a lounge-style setting. The event contains adult material, may include flashing or strobing lights, and requires adult supervision for attendees under 17. Tickets are $39 at Cosm.com.

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Next Wednesday at 7pm, Arlington Music Hall (224 N Center St, Arlington, 817-226-4400) hosts Napoleon Dynamite Live. A stage show that reunites the cast of the 2004 cult classic — including Jon Heder (Napoleon), Jon Gries (Uncle Rico), and Efren Ramirez (Pedro) — for a live screening and Q&A features behind-the-scenes stories and comedy. Gosh, can you believe it?! Get some sweet flippin’ tickets starting at $74 at EdgeTix.us. Staying home? You can stream Napoleon Dynamite on Tubi for free (with ads) or as part of your subscriptions to Disney+, Hulu, or Netflix.

Wednesday, February 4, & Saturday, February 7, 2026

Last year in a film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, five-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown) appeared alongside her real-life daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton) for the first time, playing mother and daughter. Filmed live from the West End, the production reunites Staunton with director Dominic Cooke (Follies, Good) to explore the tension between tradition and progress. Presented by Amphibian Stage in partnership with the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the performance is part of National Theatre Live, the National Theatre of Great Britain’s program that broadcasts high-definition live stage productions to cinemas worldwide, shown live in Europe and select U.S. cities and time-delayed in other regions. A screening of the live production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession is at the Modern (3200 Darnell St, Fort Worth, 817-738-9215) on Wed, Feb 4, at 2pm or Sat, Feb 7, at 1pm. Tickets are $12-27 at AmphibianStage.com.

Not having it? Still staying home? While you can’t see this production anywhere but IRL at the Modern right now, the National Theatre offers a specialized streaming service called National Theatre at Home, where you can screen archive recordings, British theater classics, contemporary works, and many high-profile performances by well-known actors via subscription at NTatHome.com. For all of us #UglyAmericans, they also curate a Top 10 in the U.S. list that currently includes Present Laughter (a comedy about an actor whose life is spiraling out of control), Till the Stars Come Down (a family drama about a wedding day), and Vanya (a filmed production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya).

At Your Leisure

With funding for public programming cut, many feared that Sesame Street would be no more. Thankfully, as of this month, the beloved children’s TV program has significantly expanded its presence on YouTube through a partnership with Sesame Workshop, the show’s nonprofit dedicated to helping children worldwide grow “smarter, stronger, and kinder.” Now, the Sesame Street Official Channel — featuring more than 100 full episodes, recent adventures, and topic-based compilations of STEM themes, the ABCs, and more — is the largest digital library of the show’s content. That’s a lot of programming.

Sesame Street muppets, including Cookie Monster, Elmo, and Grover, visited Billy Bob’s Texas back in October as part of a Texas road trip. They took line-dancing lessons and toured the Stockyards. While I couldn’t find it on the official channel, I did find the footage as a reel on Facebook.com/SesameStreet. It’s pretty cute!

Do you want to get out there and do some boot-scootin’ yourself? Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117) has free lessons 7pm every Tue-Wed and noon Sat. For more information, go to BillyBobsTexas.com/events-and-activities.

Oil Futures

If you haven’t been watching Paramount+’s Landman, you’re totally missing out. The second season just started streaming, with the family’s daughter Ainsley starting at our beloved TCU. One controversial scene almost ruined it for me.

As she’s moving into the dorms, Ainsley discovers her assigned roommate is nonbinary and, in typical redneck-twit fashion, reacts by expressing confusion about they/them as a singular pronoun and more. The whole onscreen conversation is incredibly awkward. However (spoiler alert here), Ainsley redeems herself the next episode by standing up for them when faced with some high school-aged male bullies on campus to ogle the cheerleaders and their athletic trainers, one of whom is the aforementioned roommate. Anyhoo …

After Landman brought Hollywood crews to TCU, the TV buzz turned into a real classroom experiment. The Neeley School of Business launched an eight-week seminar, Land Management and Land Administration, that digs into what landmen actually do — negotiating mineral rights, leases, and land deals that power oil, gas, wind, and solar projects, minus the TV-style dramatics. Taught by energy finance professor Tom Seng, the course leans on guest speakers from the field, including TCU alumni, to separate pop-culture myth from professional reality. The seminar runs now thru early spring.

Given the high interest, it is highly likely that TCU will continue or expand the program, although specific schedules beyond spring 2026 are not yet available. With no hope of taking the course anytime soon, those seeking a Landman experience IRL have some other choices.

When star Billy Bob Thornton’s onscreen wife Angela says, “Diamonds are in Dallas,” it’s a dig against Midland, not us. Either way, Fort Worth has a lot to offer creator Taylor Sheridan fans in terms of shopping, including American Hat Company (2739 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-625-6650), M.L. Leddy’s Boot Shop (2455 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-624-3149), and Neiman Marcus (5200 Monahans Av, Fort Worth, 817-738-3581). Just try to tell me that Angela’s personal shopper at Neiman’s can’t find her the perfect diamond ring somewhere. #BitchPlease

Thornton became a huge fan of Studio 74 Vintage (5926 Curzon Av, Fort Worth, 817-238-3238) when the cast was in town filming last year, so maybe you should, too. I’ve purchased some epic items there myself. Along with their storefront location, the shop has a big booth at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, which they share with Simmons Estate Jewelry (5800 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ste 116, Fort Worth, 817-882-9085). They’re open 10am-7pm daily thru Sat, Feb 7, in the Amon G. Carter Exhibit Hall (3401 W Lancaster Av, Fort Worth, 817-392-7469).

Showrunner Sheridan also did some shopping here last year. He purchased Cattlemen’s Fort Worth Steak House (2458 N Main St, Fort Worth, 817-624-3945). Read more about that and other restaurants in Landman in Ate Days a Week a few pages farther back.