FUN IN TOUGH TIMES: Theater Jones’ Elaine Liner puts on her Dallas Observer hat this week to review a trio of plays that deal with some heavy subjects: murder, mental illness and fatal diseases. She’s a fan of both Coppertone III at Ochre House and Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at Theatre Three. But she saves her highest praises for Pocket Sandwich Theatre’s Deathtrap, which she calls a, “stylish, sexy comic deconstruction of the thriller genre.” The good news for you: it runs through Sept. 26.

THE LITTLEST ATTRACTION: During Wednesday night’s Elvis Costello concert at Nokia Theatre, a 2-year-old spent some time in the spotlight, playing his tiny guitar alongside the headliner. Robert Philpot reviewed the show for dfw.com, and yesterday he caught up with the tiny tot’s mom, who says her son, Jaden, has been an Elvis fan for at least a year now. Elvis was nice enough to take a picture backstage with his youngest fan after the show.

QUOTABLE: “If somebody puts chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes on your plate and they touch each other, you will only notice it if you don’t like both of them. If you like them both, you just go ahead and eat them.”

– Anna artist and blogger Samax Randolph, on his decision to write about both hip-hop and comic books on his online magazine, Ghetto Manga. Read the full interview at quickdfw.com.

NOTE: The Morning Roundup will probably be taking Monday off because of that pesky Labor Day. But the Art&Seek blog will be as live as ever on Sunday night when Paul Slavens carries on his weekly musical conversation with you during 90.1 at Night. Since you don’t have to work on Monday, why not spend some time with us on Sunday night?