ALL DRESSED UP WITH SOME PLACE TO GO: Hollywood costume designer Deborah Landis is the featured speaker tonight at Arts & Letters Live. Her program, “Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design,” will focus on the role clothes play in creating a character. Ahead of her visit, Landis had an e-mail exchange with nbcdfw.com about the importance of costumes and the huge impact she’s personally had on Hollywood. Her husband, director John Landis, may be more well-known, but Deborah is responsible for dressing everyone from Indiana Jones to Michael Jackson in his “Thriller” video. So she knows a thing or two about how icons are created.

SNEAK PREVIEW: Modern Cinema 2009 has released its schedule for this year’s festival, scheduled for Oct. 1-4. The festival is programmed by Fort Worth Star-Telegram film critic Chris Kelly, who scored a number of buzzy films. Among the highlights are The Boys are Back, starring Clive Owen; Precious, already generating Oscar talk for Mo’Nique; and An Education, the story of a teen who falls in love with an older man that was all the rage at Sundance in January.

SINGING FOR HIS SUPPER: Making a living playing gigs is the dream for most musicians, but it’s easier said than done. When the breakthrough finally happens, though, it’s normally the result of years of hard work and hustling. Fort Worth Weekly talks to Kurt South about the long path his career has taken – from barely scraping by to actually being able to provide for his family. It’s a story that could either inspire or caution anyone considering a career in music.