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Monday, January 19, 2026

The Avenue

Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  ART AND THEATER

Local actors give new spin to classic playwright's work

Scot Davis and Shamrock McShane's rendition of David Mamet's play "American Buffalo" is not your conventional theater production.The dimming lights, heavy curtains and theatrical music are nowhere to be found.Instead, they opt to produce the play with what Davis calls "organic staging" - the stage is set up so the audience can be included in the dramatic action.The audience sits on and around the set in the intimate setting of the Civic Media Center stage, which can hold about 30 people at the most."They see it from every possible perspective," McShane said."American Buffalo" will be opening at the center, 1021 W University Ave., on Friday.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  LIFESTYLE

360 or PS3? You be the judge

It's a bloody war, and the air is filled with smoke and fire. Partisan fanboys catcall from the battlefield, where Microsoft and Sony haul their guns to bear. And big guns they are, my friends: Both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 finally hit their long-delayed strides come autumn, as wave after wave of triple-A titles stream to our poor, budget-restricted arms. BioShock, Mass Effect and the quintessential Halo 3 face off against Haze, Lair and Heavenly Sword; the financially average student is going to need to pick a side.


THE AVENUE  |  MOVIES AND TV

'Eastern Promises' delivers promised violence

There are probably some people who would confidently accuse David Cronenberg of selling out. Since 2002's "Spider," Cronenberg has seemed to purposefully avoid working in the horror and sci-fi genres in which he made some of his best films. Others would consider it as the director "maturing," as if his previous films were infantile (go rent the classic "Videodrome" and marvel "infantile" social commentary about our sick love affair with television).


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  SEX

To make fantasies a reality, open up

My boy has a consistent bedtime routine: He brushes his teeth, sets his alarm and logs on to ESPN.com to check his fantasy baseball ranking and the homepage of his beloved Astros. I quickly learned I could tease him about his OCD-esque nightly redundancy, but I could never slight his Houston heroes.


Florida Alligator
THE AVENUE  |  MOVIES AND TV

Mr. Woodcock: One Joke, 90 Minutes

"Mr. Woodcock" is a textbook example of the preview showing all the funny parts of a movie. After an hour and a half, I can safely say there was only one scene not revealed in the previews worthy of a laugh. That's it. Only one. The rest of the film plods along with all the enthusiasm of a mollusk.


THE AVENUE  |  FOOD

Top of the Tapas

With so many Latin restaurants in town, how do you know which ones are the real deal? Where can you get an authentic media noche? Who makes the best guava puff pastry? Which place can satisfy your Latin food addiction? Eight of the most popular places are reviewed here to let you know what's fabuloso and what's not.


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