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Patrick MichelsAnthony Daniels and his little friend during our interview yesterday at Hotel ZaZa​Anthony Daniels was in Dallas yesterday to promote the Star Wars: In Concert megavent scheduled for October 23 at Cowboys Stadium, where two hours' worth of Star Wars clips will get a screening on Jerry Jones's high-def wall of voodoo. Patrick Michels recorded my lengthy chitchat with C-3PO's alter ego at Hotel ZaZa, which we'll run closer to the show (Daniels will narrate in person, accompanied by an 85-piece orchestra). But I will share this anecdote: Toward the end of our talk Tuesday morning, I casually mentioned that some folks 'round these parts refer to Cowboys Stadium as "the Death Star.""They do?" he asked. Daniels seemed rather amused by this. "Of course, I've been in the Death Star many times before. I'm sure I'll escape alive like I did the last time." The man's adorable.

​So, I was on SMU's Web site looking for something entirely unrelated this morning when I came across this event: Jim Schutze, columnist for the Dallas Observer, will speak on "Inside Dallas: A Muckraker's Paradise" on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at an event sponsored by SMU's Retired Faculty Association.His talk will be the second in a series of the RFA's "Distinguished Lecture" series, inaugurated last year with assistance from the provost's office as an effort to strengthen ties between retirees and active faculty and staff.SMU retired faculty, as well as active faculty and staff, are invited to this event. A reception will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Jones Great Hall of Meadows Museum. Schutze's talk will follow at 4 p.m. in the adjacent Smith Auditorium.Hunh. First I've heard of it.Oh, and speaking of, Sam just returned from the Trinity Trust announcement: $10 million to turn the Continental Avenue Bridge into a pedestrian walkway. He's up shortly with pics, renderings and other goodies. Oh, goody.Update: Speaking of the Continental Ave. Bridge ... Right after I posted this, City Hall sends word that the bridge is shutting down tomorrow morning at 9 for the $150-a-ticket Bridging the Trinity party. Says the advisory, "During the 19-hour closure, the bridge will be closed to east and west bound pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Travelers should use alternate routes such as I-30 or Commerce Street for access to I-35, Downtown, and West Dallas. The bridge will reopen to the public on Saturday, September 26 at 4:00 a.m."

​Here's a nice end-of-the-week send-off:I just came across this bootleg of a Bad Livers show in Oregon from July -- and, well, I had no idea Mark Rubin and Danny Barnes were back together, especially since Danny's playing with Dave Matthews these days. Rubin, who'll be at the Allgood on October 9 and who I've known since he was puttin' the kosher in Killbilly, says the gigs have been few and far between and will remain so, which is why he encourages you to download this sumbitch to your iPod's content."There was no rehearsal," Mark says. "It was total fuckin' sense memory. It was wild. It was just like falling off a bike." And it features more than a few of my favorite Livers songs, among 'em "Dallas, Texas," "Corn Liquor Made a Fool Out of Me" and the way-oldie-but-goodie "Shit Creek."Shit Creek? Speaking of. Have a kick-ass weekend.

Since the popular mind has been consumed by rising unemployment and the health-care debate, comprehensive immigration reform -- and any potential momentum to broker a bipartisan compromise on the explosive issue -- has been shoved to the wayside. Yet a network of faith-based groups that have advocated for immigrants is organizing to bring the issue back to the forefront as Washington prepares to address it early next year. Among the churches featured in a just-released Center for American Progress report, "Loving Thy Neighbor: Immigration Reform and Communities of Faith," is the First United Methodist Church in Stephenville. Six months ago, the Reverend Dean Reed joined forces with Dallas engineer and immigration-reform advocate Lori Stafford to start the Welcoming Immigrants Network, or WIN. With more than 100 members, the group -- like most of those featured in the report -- stresses Leviticus's exhortation to love the stranger "as thyself" and seeks to educate people about problems with the current immigration system. WIN has held prayer vigils and educational events that aim to prepare people to weigh in on reform options. "We seek to educate people about the problem, tell them how they can take action, and give them opportunities to connect with others of like heart and faith," Reed was quoted as saying in the report. We have a call into him -- if and when we have an update, we'll post it. Reed and WIN host "An Evening of Compassion" at the Polytechnic United Methodist Church in Fort Worth on Sunday at 7 p.m. The event will include a prayer vigil calling for reform, a screening of the documentary, Made in LA, about garment industry workers who endure sub-standard conditions, as well as comments from state Senator Lon Burnam and area pastors.

​First off, Brad Sham wanted me to wish you all a "G'mar Chatima Tova"; sorry I forgot this morning in my haste to make it to temple on time. But if you couldn't make it to services this morning, there's always the new Coen Brothers movie coming soon to a theater near you: A Serious Man, which makes Yentl look like A Christmas Carol. If nothing else, it's a Coen Brothers movie that comes with its own built-in cult followng: At a recent preview at the Angelika in Mockingbird Station, three women sitting behind me started singing along with the movie's cantor as he chanted the prayer recited before the Torah reading. It's a very Jewish Rocky Horror Picture Show.Ah, but speaking of the Coens and cults, here's a reminder to clear your schedule for Friday's Very Special Screening of director Eddie Chung's documentary The Achievers: The Story of the Lebowski Fans, which takes place at 8 p.m. at the Lakewood Theater. Dallas, of course, is one of the few major cities in the U.S. without a Lebowski Fest, where Chung spent several years bowling, drinking white Russians and hanging out with fans of The Big Lebowski. "Dallas was picked because, for some reason, there are a bunch of Lebowski lovers there, and, for whatever reason, the Lebowski Fest has not made it to Dallas yet," says Jean Sievers, who's doing PR for the movie -- and who's also Jeff Bridges's publicist. (The Dude's actually in the movie, as you can see in the trailer after the jump.) Austin's as close as the fest gets -- October 9 and 10, matter of fact -- but Sievers says, yes, there will be the chance to play dress-up. And, yes, Chung will be there to help judge the costume contest. And white Russians will be served. All they need is you to really help tie the event together.

Danny Hurley​Danny Hurley, who's never met a grown-up playing dress-up he didn't like to photograph, found himself amongst the living dead last night at the Zombieland sneak, held at the Studio Movie Grill on Royal Lane and N. Central Expressway. It's Halloween already? Apparently -- hence, the bloody slide show. And speaking of costumes and movies, don't forget: Tonight's that Big Lebowski doc screening and shindig at the Lakewood, so dress accordingly. And, yes, White Russians will be served.

William Kamkwamba will be at SMU tomorrow.​Perhaps you saw William Kamkwamba on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Wednesday night and thought the co-author and subject of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope just might be The Most Interesting 23-Year-Old in the World. And maybe you said to yourself, "I'd sure like to meet him some day." In which case, your some day is tomorrow: Kamkwamba is among those scheduled to speak on the SMU campus during the TEDxSMU event -- "TED" meaning, of course, "Technology, Entertainment, Design." Of course. Registration's closed for the shindig, but he'll be around campus most of the day speaking and signing his book, and he'll be joined by a roster of deep-thinkers that'll include the several musicians, among them Jill Sobule, Sara Hickman and the Polyphonic Spree. Not that I am advocating crashing the party. Not at all.

​Specifically, you'll want to stay away from the Chevrolet Main Stage at 10 a.m., when Oprah Winfrey will begin taping her State Fair of Texas special that'll also include a performance by Martina McBride. Winfrey's production company just sent the details for her appearance, if you have further questions:Join Oprah Winfrey as she tapes segments for an upcoming Oprah show at the State Fair of Texas' Chevrolet Main Stage on Monday, October 12, 2009. A crowd of approximately 4,000 is expected for a Texas-style celebration, which will include a special performance by country music superstar Martina McBride.Admission is open to all ages. Minors should be accompanied by an adult. Chevrolet Main Stage audience area opens at 7:00 a.m. CDT on Monday, October 12. Audience gate entrances are on the east and west sides of Nimitz Drive. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Overnight parking at the Fairgrounds is prohibited. The taping will begin promptly at 10:00am, rain or shine. Space is standing-room only for the approximately one-and-a-half-hour taping. No professional recording equipment is permitted. More information is available at www.oprah.com/statefair.

Danny Fulgencio​Under improvised lighting and despite thunderheads rolling in from the north, polo players on bicycles commenced to crashing into one another while smacking balls with badly beaten homemade mallets. One of the riders sported a football helmet, wise move. Such was the scene on Tuesday night at Good Space in Oak Cliff, where cyclists took part in one of the myriad Cyclesomatic events organized by Bike Friendly Oak Cliff. Construction of the bike polo teams was loose at best, as were boundaries and a few rules. While not without a couple nasty spills, a polo mallet proved the only casualty of the evening. Check out the slide show from Tuesday's bike polo extravaganza.By the way, at 6 p.m. tomorrow the Cube Creative and the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company will host the Tyler St. Block Party. Go check out the Tallbike Freakshow, bike art competition, communal bike rides and music by The Happy Bullets and The Boom Boom Box. Don't forget your bikes and Band-Aids.

Danny FulgencioNate Lightfoot placed third in the art competition and offered up his Sharpie so others could tag his ice cream bike's cooler.​In a dark alleyway beside the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company the crowd counts down in unison: "Three ... two ... one ... GO!" And they're off: two cyclists pedal with such fury their legs melt into a blur reminiscent of old Warner Bros. cartoons. The bikes shake; the crowd cheers. The projection screen clocks the bicycles in excess of 50 mph -- even though they remain stationary. Twelve seconds later the race is over. Amidst applause, one man climbs off his bike breathing heavily. "I think I'm going to throw up," he says.GoldSprint bike races drew a thick crowd when several hundred cyclists turned out for theTyler Street Block Party in Oak Cliff on Saturday. The brouhaha, slightly damp from a light drizzle and a visit from Dallas's finest, marked another milestone toward the finish line for Bike Friendly Oak Cliff's 10-day bicycle extravaganza, Cyclesomatic. And we've got the slide show to prove it.