This Week's Hot Headlines

State Fair food finalists loop in this week's 5 most popular Dallas stories

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines.

1. Here are the 10 finalists for 2017 State Fair of Texas fried food awards. It's good news for the Froot Loops. The 10 finalists have been named for the 13th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards food competition, aka the State Fair of Texas' fried food awards, and the fried Froot Loops — which we rooted for in our semifinalist story — made the cut.

2. Deep Ellum restaurant Filament closes with a family-style bang. If you loved the brunch at Filament Dallas, you've missed your last chance to have it: The Deep Ellum restaurant closed for good on August 13.

3. Real Housewives of Dallas season 2 premieres with new socialites and less charity. If you caught season one of the awkwardly contrived reality show, you’ll recall that much of the drama revolved around the charity world and proper decorum at charity events and who among the housewives is actually charitable. Based on the previews, it looks like round two will focus much less on charity work and much more on interpersonal drama.

4. Another inner Dallas neighborhood will get its 24-hour breakfast fix. In the biggest Waffle House news since the opening of the Waffle House on Ross Avenue, there's another Waffle House opening within Dallas proper — although this one falls just barely inside the Loop. The branch will open at 9777 Greenville Ave., at the southwest corner of Forest Lane.

5. Bullet train from Dallas to Houston takes big step with design hire. The Texas Bullet Train moves one giant step forward with the hiring of a firm to work on the project's design and engineering. Texas Central, developer of the high-speed train project, has forged an agreement with Fluor Enterprises Inc., based in Irving.

North Dallas gets 24-hour breakfast.

Photo courtesy of Waffle House

North Dallas gets 24-hour breakfast.

celebrities tv state-fair closings openings hot-headlines

Rivers wild

Ethan Hawke narrates new documentary that deep-dives into Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Texas film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born in Austin and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

animals documentaries ecology ethan hawke film matthew mcconaughey movies nature texas wildlife