WHAT TO WATCH TONIGHT IF YOU’RE NOT WATCHING IDOL

From a FrontBurnervian on the Hilltop:

Tonight’s the first program in a series on the Supreme Court (KERA at 8 p.m.). SMU’s Prof. Joe Kobylka is one of the experts, and he’s getting high marks for his performance (see here. And here’s his SMU page. Forget Simon Cowell ripping apart some 17-year-old singer from Birmingham. Watch Joe Kobylka rip apart John Marshall. Scintillating.

HARK! A WINTRY MIX!

Sing “Hey nonny no!”

RE: RICHIE WHITT, BARBARO

Beating a dead horse, indeed. I’ll go with Jane Smiley’s take.

DONALD TRUMP AND WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT = PERFECT FIT

A news release-scanning FrontBurnervian passes this one along: Donald Trump was in town as part of WWE fan appreciation night. He dropped thousands of dollars of cash onto the audience.

Which proves what I’ve always said: They couldn’t pay me to go to one of those.

MORE JFK JUNK FOR SALE

For anyone with a few spare million sitting around and a morbid interest in overhyped presidents, this one’s all yours, Bubba.

What, too soon?

RE: DOWNTOWN DOINGS

(I really wish I’d come up with a better headline, seeing how I’ve had to repeat it so much). A talented FrontBurnervian has figured out the truth behind the fireworks last night:

Well, anyone who lives downtown will tell you the place is crawling with hung over Americans celebrating the opportunity to work for the Japanese and their exciting air conditioning products. Also seen last night, much drunken stumbling, a busload of Cowboys cheerleaders (presumably Emma, Megan, Elizabeth, Leah W, Becca, Sarah, Justine, Andrea, Nicole, Christina, Erica, Yoshiko, Deryn, Jen - don’t ask) in and out of City Club / Fuse and several homeless people defecating in the Browder Street Mall. Of course, not a cop in sight. Pretty much your average night in downtown Dallas.

True. True.

RE: DOWNTOWN DOINGS

Still nothing definitive about the phantom fireworks last night. But we do have one of the better reports from the field:

I saw your post about the fireworks. I live in East Kessler about three blocks northwest of Methodist Hospital. I heard the first boom at 10:00pm and thought it might be a shotgun (I usually report gunshots by calling 911). After I heard another few booms, I knew it was fireworks. I couldn’t imagine starting fireworks that late (especially when it gets dark early these days), but there you are. I love fireworks but didn’t bother getting up to see if I could see them from our front window. Our front window faces east towards downtown, but we are a little to low to have a downtown skyline view.

My wife came to the front room and asked if I heard the booms. I said it was fireworks. She actually looked out the window. She says the fireworks appeared to be between us and Reunion Tower—her assumption was that they were between the levies.

My summary:
Fireworks started at 10:00pm and lasted about ten to fifteen minutes.
Fireworks were launched between the levies somewhere near the I-30 bridge.

I had already placed a call to Councilman Ed Oakley, whose district includes the area thought to be the source of the fireworks. His assistant said they’d received a couple of phone calls about them, but they didn’t know anything. She’s waiting to hear back from people “at the Trinity” to see if there was an event or something she didn’t know about.

Developing. Still.

YET ANOTHER BLOG FOR LOCAL BLOG SEEKERS

Our good friend Sam Machkovech sheds light on the latest addition to the local (irony alert:) blogosphere. NBC5’s web component will soon have DFW Scene up and running. It’s already up and sort of running, but will be up for reals on February 5. Check out Sam’s take on it. I happen to agree.

RICHIE WHITT IS MY HERO

Here’s the first sentence of Whitt’s post about the passing of Barbaro:

Cue the twinkling piano, usher in Jim Nantz’s hushed, reverent tones and get PETA on speed dial, because I’m about to beat a dead horse.

I’d been feeling the same way and was glad Barbaro wasn’t from Dallas, because I don’t think I would have had the stomach to post those thoughts. Read the whole thing. Genius. [standing, clapping]

SWANKY

Just what Uptown needs — more condos on the way. Okay, it’s only 15 of them, out of a whole new 20-story, $120 million mixed-use trophy project at 2000 McKinney that broke ground this morning and that looks to be benefitting from the commercial market’s ongoing momentum. Property geeks can click here for the details.

WE CAN’T EVEN GET SMOKING OUT OF THE OLD MONK

Good idea, Europe. And good luck with all that.

SAM WYLY LIKES BOOKS

A literary FrontBurnervian points browsers here: Sam Wyly bought an independent Aspen bookstore called Explore Booksellers.

Hmm. Still looking for the tax advantages for doing so. Gotta be there somewhere.

RE: HARD ROCK

A conjecturing FrontBurnervian writes:

It might have something to so with the recent sale of Hard Rock to the Seminole Indian tribe of Florida. Sorry, too lazy to find a link.

I know exactly how you feel.

RE: TROUBLE ON TURTLE CREEK

An immensely helpful FrontBurnervian writes:

DPD responded on call and found a male, unknown age, deceased in park. No cause of death yet and no obvious signs of trauma to the body.

RUMORMONGERING: HARD ROCK’S HARD TIME?

An unsubstantiated FrontBurner tip just came in over the transom:

Any of you Front Burner types hear anything about the Hard Rock Cafe folding and the site being sold to CVS for a drugstore?

Again, I hope to resolve this matter completely without having to a) pick up the phone, or b) do any real research.

SOMEBODY HELP THIS POOR MAN

A FrontBurnervian Foodie writes:

At my age one doesn’t need a libido suppressant, but boarding school legend aside, I need to buy some saltpeter and can’t find it anywhere. After years of bemoaning the local corned beef situation, I’ve decided to make my own. This requires curing the beef for three weeks, so the preservative properties of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) are necessary. It’s also the stuff that makes corned beef reddish in color.

I love food nerds.

RE: DOWNTOWN DOINGS

Another perplexed FrontBurnervian:

They were indeed fireworks — from my window in Deep Ellum, they were behind — west of — Reunion Tower. They lasted about 15 minutes (and I have to say, they were as good or better than the Dallas Fourth of July pyrotechnics show).

Figure this one out, FrontBurnervians, or my brain will explode like as many pounds of gunpowder!

C’mon, FrontBurnervians. Help us all out. Don’t make me pick up the phone and start, you know, reporting.

RE: DOWNTOWN DOINGS

Still no word on the fireworks/explosion/loud noises from downtown last night. I’m getting multiple reports. Seems just about everyone can agree they heard something around 10 or 10:30 last night. (Except for the FrontBurnervian who heard a gunshot around 6:30.) One thought it emanated from Fair Park. Most seem to think it came from downtown, close to the W Hotel. One said he even “saw ‘em out [his] window,” but the PR person for the W said it wasn’t them. She saw them in Oak Cliff.

Still developing.

RE: CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR

A FBvian who works in the movie biz tells us:

from what I’ve heard, it was shot in Los Angeles, Morocco and somewhere in Mexico.

RE: DOWNTOWN DOINGS

My roommate and I, too, heard the same loud booming sounds last night. After ruling out gunshots (hey, we do have the highest crime rate in America), I went to the window to figure out what was up. From my apartment in the State Thomas neighborhood, we could see fireworks coming from somewhere downtown, possibly near the W. It started sometime around 10:00 p.m. and lasted probably 10 or 15 minutes. Not sure the occasion. Seems very random.

RE: TROUBLE ON TURTLE CREEK

Another FrontBurnervian in the Field reports:

I just drove by that as well. Also a lump under a blue tarp and a guy with a camera tripod.

Creepy.

One assumes somebody drowned. But did s/he fall or jump? Mystery remains.

CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR SHOT ‘ROUND HERE?

Given the recent casualty on the set of this movie about the Texas congressman, a FBvian wonders if any of it was shot in Dallas. Li’l help, please.

DOWNTOWN DOINGS

A curious FrontBurnervian wants to know:

Did I hear fireworks somewhere near downtown last night? I peered out the window, but never saw anything. And I hate missing fireworks…

I didn’t hear anything, but then, I don’t live downtown anymore. Anyone else?

RE: LONE STAR PARK

“Historical racing” sounds like an odd concept to me. Surely there’s a Rain Man out there who could, with some effort, memorize enough historical race results to kill one of those machines. Adam? You’re good with the horses and the numbers. Take a month off, start hitting the books?

TROUBLE ON TURTLE CREEK

A FrontBurner informant informs us of trouble she saw on her way into work. On Turtle Creek, just south of Blackburn, there were about 10 cop cars with yellow lights flashing, a couple of medical examiner cars, and several men in overcoats peering over the ditch. Yellow police tape all over the place. “Very S.V.U.,” she says.

Developing.