We’re honing our video skills here at Park Cities People, and we found the Art of Nature Mad Hatter’s Tea to be a great subject for film. While the trailer-style video gives the impression there might be more to come, we’re sticking to less-than-a-minute features — for now at least.
Want us to film your next event? Shoot me an email, claire@peoplenewspapers.com.

Marc Solomon performs with the Highlander Strings in 2010. (File photo: Christina Barany)

The Highland Park High School orchestra is planning a Beatles tribute concert for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Sitting in with the Highlander Strings will be Chris Holt and Marc Solomon, who both teach at Zounds Sounds.

Julian Barsotti is the owner of Carbone's (Staff photo: Alana Harrison)

In today’s edition of Park Cities People, Georgia Fisher writes about Carbone’s, the new restaurant opened by Julian Barsotti this month in The Shops at Highland Park. See that painting of the old man with the two dogs? I immediately recognized it as the work of Tommy DeVito’s mother in Goodfellas. (Skip ahead to the 2:50 mark to see the painting, or just watch the entire 3-minute-and-20-second clip, because it’s a scene from one of the greatest movies ever made.)

I’ve found two frugal calendar items upcoming on May 5. Granted, I have to wonder who’ll use ‘em both.

1. NorthPark Center is offering a free 10 a.m. barre class at Nordstrom. They’re calling it the Zella Day of Movement (Zella being a workout-gear brand) and you can RSVP for the hour-long lesson by calling 214- 231-3900.

2. Keith’s Comics is taking part in the annual Free Comic Book Day, which is exactly what it sounds like.

In the meantime, another freebie from Keith: passes to The Amazing Colossal Man, which screens 7 p.m. this Friday at the Magnolia. Drop by the Mockingbird Lane store for tickets.

Highland Park Middle School’s Playbill musical theater class debuted its production of Into the Woods Junior last night. Performances are also scheduled for 4 p.m. today, 7 p.m. tomorrow, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $5. They can be purchased 30 minutes before each show at the door.

The cast includes Keaton Calhoun as Rapunzel, Froy Gutierrez as Jack, Sarah Hatch as Cinderella, and Camille Schuh as Little Red Riding Hood.

Jayne Mansfield (right) apparently went to HPHS. And Sophia Loren looks annoyed, period.

Huh. Brad had this about Kathy Bates attending SMU, and here’s another random factoid about a celebrity tied to the Park Cities.

Jayne Mansfield — the 1950s/’60s sex symbol who mothered Law & Order lead Mariska Hargitay and died in an awful car wreck — reportedly attended Highland Park High School, then SMU.

Someone’s even trying to sell a 1949 Highlander yearbook with her picture in it.  I saw the photo at left at the Meddlesome Moth, by the way, and started reading about it (and Mansfield’s local roots) there.

Actor J.R. Nutt, whom we caught up with last year for our 30th anniversary series, is riding a wave of success, says his proud mom, Cyndi. She reports that he’ll be seen on tonight’s episode of 2 Broke Girls on CBS, with an appearance on ABC’s The Middle in the works. Not a television buff? Maybe you’d like to enjoy Nutt’s work in Queens of Country, which is being shown at the Texas Theatre on Sunday as part of the Dallas International Film Festival. Then there’s this DiGiorno pizza commercial, which Cyndi says is one of more than 40 that J.R. has booked domestically and internationally. You heard about him here first, folks.

Do you look beautiful in your wedding dress? So beautiful that you wish your wedding could last for months on end to justify prolonged exposure in your fashionable frock?

We hear you.

The deadline to enter in the drawing to star on the front cover of Park Cities People‘s debut issue of I Do, a quarterly wedding magazine, is rapidly approaching. If you haven’t yet submitted a photo, do so before April 16 to be eligible for the contest. The magazine (and your photos) will make a grand entrance on May 4.

The calm after the storm

Like Dan mentioned a bit ago, last night’s Dallas Country Club fireworks were a surprise to some. I’ve got a call out to Highland Park DPS to see how many calls the town took in regarding the ‘works, but while I waited I called Steve Mace in University Park as well.

His response, via e-mail:

I checked with dispatch.  They did not log any calls related to fireworks.  About 9 p.m. they did take a call from a resident on San Carlos complaining about loud music coming from the Dallas Country Club.  As I mentioned, I talked with a resident on Colgate this morning.  She was frightened by the noise (fireworks).  She asked that I forward her concerns to the Town and the Country Club.

I’ll update accordingly, but here’s a question: what should the Club have done? Sent out a flier? Called everyone? Nothing? I’m curious.

Got plans for tomorrow night? Cancel ‘em. This is probably way cooler.

Celebrate Uptown, a benefit for the Katy Trail and the McKinney Avenue Trolley, will offer “beverages, bites, and beats” starting at 6:30 p.m. at City Place in the West Village. The Spazmatics, an ’80s cover band, takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $5, and go up to $35 for VIPs who want beer, wine, dinner, and direct stage access.