HOW FAR BACK DO THESE PRESS CLUB SHENANIGANS GO?

By the way, I don’t see that anyone has noted that Elizabeth Albanese, who won four awards for her PR tripe (thanks to Josh Benton at the DMN for proof of how awful those non-stories were) at the 2006 Katie Awards, also won two awards in 2005. I nabbed myself a two-week free subscription to The Bond Buyer and read those stories (you can’t copy them and they threaten the heck out of anyone who posts full stories), and, trust me, they’d make an intern blush from shame. I don’t think this was a one-year problem. To those board members investigating this, while you’re trying to find out who judged the 2006 awards, please check into those 2005 awards as well. Because if those were legit, I want to make sure the judges are properly mocked.

PROGRAMMING NOTE

I will be on a breakfast date with our Fearless Leader in the morning, so there will be no Leading Off, unless Rod or Trey reads this and decide they want to fill the gap. Do not be alarmed. Together, we will get through this.

MY NEIGHBORHOOD GETS A NAME

Yippee! Thanks to all the developers invading my home space, a band of my neighbors have created a grass roots organization called “The Neighbors of Midway Hollow.” (I want to add Sleepy cuz “Sleepy Midway Hollow” would so sell, sell, sell.) You see, while the rest of Dallas real estate is somewhat sluggish, my hood is booming. Bordered by Walnut Hill, Midway, Marsh, and Northwest Highway, our little 50-year-old houses sitting on big lots are the perfect prey for predatory builders. Every couple of days, I come home to find a flier urging me to get involved with a roaring neighborhood conservation drive. Hmm. WWWAD? This. Which perhaps could lead to Midway Hollow People, a sassy newspaper for a sassy neighborhood.

RE: SAM COATS

How does Sam Coats continue to get a free pass in media that is not related to FrontBurner on his steadfast allegiance to the board of TXI, the toxic waste-burning polluter of Dallas and Fort Worth? If he wants to win the hearts and minds and votes of the citizens of Dallas, it would be better to quit the TXI board–now, in solidarity with the citizens of the city–rather than promise to reinstate Angela Hunt to the convention board if (murmur) he becomes mayor.

Sticking up for the people also means sticking up for the air we breathe.

RE: SAM COATS GRABS FOR THE NAYSAYER VOTE

Had several conversations with Best Lawyers last night as we tried to answer the question that everyone is asking me these days: Who’s gonna make the run-off? Top three candidates, as determined by last night’s discussions, seem to be Don Hill (most dynamic speaker in the race), Ed Oakley (solid base), and Tom Leppert (hello, money). So who’s the fourth? We argued between Wells, Coats, and Griffith. (No one mentioned Jordan, that I can recall. Ouch.) No consensus. And, not to be too pro-anti (it’s not good for my sense of financial security), but I think Coats’ efforts to distinguish himself by siding with the naysayers is a good way to stand out. Harumph.

THIS CENTRE’S NO SQUARE

Unless square is cool and highly-styled these days, which it very well might be for all we know. Following the D Magazine Best Lawyer’s party last night at Truluck’s (consensus: lawyers can drink) Steph and I grabbed umbrellas and made our way to Mockingbird Station. Recent SMU grads and club kids spilled out of Centre, a 875-square-foot store featuring men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, and more, just down from Coldstone Creamery and Counter Culture, and we elbowed our way in as well. I was excited to see Centre, having discussed it at length with its owner, 24-year-old SMU grad Philip Sterling, at my Other Job. He was being grabbed from all directions last night, but we chatted long enough for him to tell me about the afternoon’s scare. “The power went out earlier today, so that was pretty stressful,” he admitted. But what’s a store opening without a little power outage these days?

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SAM COATS GRABS FOR THE NAYSAYER VOTE

With Laura Miller sitting as mayor and with Mitchell Rasansky backing the Trinity project, there’s nobody to claim the title of Chief Anti-Everything. Angela Hunt is making a bid, but she’s not running for mayor, so Sam Coats today stepped up to the plate. Sam is a very nice guy. I doubt he is mean enough to take the title. But give him credit for trying. As for me–pro-Trinity, keep-the-dirt-flyin’ guy that I am–I couldn’t be more delighted. Sam, make your opposition the centerpiece of your campaign! Let’s turn the mayor’s race into Angela Hunt’s referendum! All you anti’s out there, vote for Sam! (Now, let’s sit back and see if he even makes the runoff.)

RE: 2006 KATIES: A CALL FOR RESUBMISSION

Let’s kick this up another notch. The Katie entries aren’t free. Every entrant, whether an individual or organization, paid at least $40 per entry. For some larger news organizations, that added up many hundreds of dollars. It’s clear now that there was no independent judging of the 2006 contest as proclaimed by the Press Club. Not only do none of the awards mean anything, but everyone who entered was effectively defrauded of the entry fee.

On top of the other fiscal problems the Press Club has visited upon itself, add that one. Pay back the entrants and/or face prosecution for fraud.

RE: HO HO HOLY COW IT’S VICE

Ouch. A hospital-working FBvian asks:

When are they going to raid the classifieds office at the Dallas Observer? Oh yeah, you know what I’m talking about….

RE: 2006 KATIES: A CALL FOR RESUBMISSION

A Dallas Press Club board member sends this defense of the organization. The member, Michael Patterson, is not a journalist, but does PR for a law firm. Tom Stewart is the person described in Tim’s earlier post re his conversation with Paul Kix. I’d say the damage is way past the time for spin.

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RE: DALLAS RANKS #3 FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS

Except we didn’t. We ranked No. 6. We ranked No. 3 in 2004. Carry on.

SERENITY NOW! (WELL, JUNE REALLY)

Serenity was arguably one of the best sci-fi flicks ever, based on what was inarguably the best cult sci-fi TV show ever, cruelly cut down in its prime. Damn you, Fox Television. But Serenity flies once more when it hits the big screen again in Dallas on June 23 for a special screening to help raise funds for Equality Now, which works to end violence against women and girls around the world. Click for details.