Articles for April 17th, 2007
KEVEN ANN EXPLAINS IT ALL ON “THINK”
The DMN editorial director talks about how the paper’s editorial board came to change its long-standing love affair with the death penalty. Weigh in pro or con by calling KERA’s “Think,” not me, starting at noon.
Also on what appears to be a very heavy show today, a discussion on the psychological impact of the shootings yesterday at Virginia Tech.
FRIDAY’S STORM WAS COSTLY
How costly? Hail and wind and rain caused about $25 million in damage, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.
ARE YOU ON CHEESE YOUNG MAN?! ANSWER ME! I’M YOUR MOTHER!
Some good stills from Edgefest over at Pegasus. Personally, I’m a fan of My Chemical Romance. Of crowds, not so much. But it’s good to see that the kids, they still like to rawk.
TIME TO GET WORKING ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
No kidding. A lit-up (and longtime) FrontBurnervian is involved with something called Texas Christmas Lights. They’re holding a Christmas lights workshop May 5 and 6. According to the site, “There will also be classes on such advanced topics as adding video to your display and incorporating DMX theatrical lighting into your Christmas display.” One presumes the citizens of Highland Park are scrambling to reserve spots for their yard men.
KKR AND TPG SHOULD BUY JAMES BAKER A COOKIE BOUQUET OR SOMETHING
WSJ’s Deal Journal helps to break down just how much James Baker has done for the private-equity groups angling to buy TXU. For one thing, he’s helped keep Joe Barton’s political ploy at bay. He also walked through the deal with the DMN editorial board. Now that the deadline for other bids has come and gone, and with Baker on their side, seems TXU will have new owners before too long.
THERE ARE 5,163 HOMELESS PEOPLE IN DALLAS
And that’s down about 9 percent. In January, the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, along with the city, conducted the annual count and census of the homeless population in Dallas. Here’s the report.
RE: MAVS FANS APPRECIATING
A first-time FrontBurnervian writes:
Not sure how this ‘blog site’ works, but a family member in Dallas was kind enough to forward to us the ‘blog’ from a Mavs fan to D Magazine regarding Sunday’s “Fan Appreciation Day” at the Mavs v. Spurs game. And in his blog, the fan very kindly referenced “an unbelievable national anthem sung by a 10-yr old”. For the record, that “10-yr old” is our daughter, Ellie Smith.
We live in Henderson, NV (next to Las Vegas), and this is the second time we have had the honor of singing for the Mav’s. Actually, it is the third time: March 3 v. Orlando, April 14 for the Mavericks Foundation Celebrity Game at SMU and, of course, Sunday’s great win over the Spurs.
Ellie is a fifth grade honors student and is active in local and regional theater, along with frequent singing performances. Known as “The Star Spangled Girl”, she has also sung for the Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks. Sacramento Kings, the NBA Summer League, and many other professional and collegiate sporting events. She has also performed on CBS national “Morning Show”. Having grown up in Texas, it is always a pleasure for me to return to Texas for any reason, and Ellie’s anthems and the Mav organization and fans have made it all the more special for us. For anyone interested, you can catch Ellie later this summer, singing for the Rangers on August 14. Hope to see ya’ll there! In the meantime, you can catch Ellie at www.hearelliesing.com.
WHY DEION SANDERS IS WEARING THIS ORANGE SUIT
I need someone to explain to me what’s going on. Awhile back, Deion showed up on my television pitching something called Drivers Select. Deion stated in the commercial that he was rolling with Drivers Select, and he promised to take my credit from sub prime to prime time in no time. I thought it was a little sad that Deion, with whom I often play basketball, had sunk so low that he was having to wear an orange suit on TV and sell cars to people who couldn’t afford them. But the rent don’t pay itself. Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. And so forth.
But then this Sunday I was watching my favorite urban dance TV show, Dance Club 21, and I was a bit stunned to learn that it has been renamed Drivers Select Dance Club 21. And then, last night, I saw another Drivers Select commercial, this one featuring not only Deion but Jason Terry and most of the Mavericks, including, if I’m not mistaken, Jose Barea and Pops Mensah-Bonsu. (I guess this is what happens when you don’t have cable.)
So seems to me this Drivers Select outfit is not to be taken lightly. Here’s what I need to know: 1) Should I upgrade to a Hummer? 2) Where can I buy an orange suit? 3) Why do they keep returning the audition tapes I send to Drivers Select Dance Club 21?
MORNING NEWS SAYS YAHOO!
If you want to read a press release regarding the announcement that a newspaper consortium (led by Robert Decherd of the DMN) has partnered with Yahoo to use local content (and sell local ads) on Yahoo’s online network, check out the DMN article itself. If you want to read a great analysis of the deal, including the challenges for both parties moving ahead, read this post at the Content Bridges blog, run by a former Knight Ridder VP of Internet Stuff. (Yet more evidence that newspapers have content problems, not just delivery woes.) His summation of why this is happening:
This is an acknowledgment that the first war is OVER. The Audience War,
which newspaper companies thought was theirs to win 10 years ago, has
been lost. Yahoo, with its 150 million uniques and preeminent position
in, of all things, News, is one of the winners. And when one war is
over, you make peace on the best terms you can and gird yourself for
the next battles.
LEADING OFF
1. Rudy G. has raised the most money from Texas of any of the presidential candidates at $2.2 million. Roy W. Bailey is paying off for him, literally.
2. Say this for real-estate investors: it’s going to take more than months of bad news to get them to stop erecting luxury condos and apartments. I like that can-do attitude!
3. Fort Worth native/jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman won a Pulitzer yesterday, unlike every newspaper in Texas.
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