Play Video Games, Help Deserving Kids

Though it may seem like I’m lobbying to be the next Miss Right Now for Mr. Romo, my heart really belongs to Rangers reliever C.J. Wilson. Because not only is he adorable, he’s a do-gooder, too. Remember the Guitar Hero charity challenge he hosted a few months’ back? He’s doing it again (this will be the third one, actually) to raise money for a video game lounge and entertainment room at Cook Children’s Hospital. Turns out, the radio station that was set to sponsor the event backed out a few weeks ago, but C.J.’s going ahead with it anyway. The event will be held tomorrow night at the Southwest Airlines Ballroom at Love Field. Doors open at 6:30 and entry is a $20 donation. Prizes will be given away including Stars tickets and autographed memorabilia. More info here.

Re: Highland Park Fountain Demolished

“Mrs. Goldberger, the bris did not go well.”

Barbara Vice-Staples Did Not Have a Nice Trip And She Won’t See You Next Fall

At a gas station owned by Dallas’ Vishal K. Enterprise, Barbara Vice-Staples was going about her business, presumably paying for her gas and perhaps a snack. When she turned to leave, she tripped on a hat rack. What next? Does she:

a. Turn red in the face and hurry out the store, vowing never to return again.
b. End up finding a hat that is the perfect gift for a distant relative.
c. Blame Scientology.
d. Sue.

The answer can be found here.

An Open Letter to Dr. Phil

Dear Dr. Phil,

Have you learned nothing from this whole mess? Please, shut up about Britney.

Love,

Us

Sneak Peeking at the Stoneleigh Hotel

Went to the newly renovated Stoneleigh Hotel last night for a “first glimpse” party. D Home’s Candy Evans was there too, and she gives her report over here. The party was benefiting the Dallas Museum of Art League, and we were told to dress in “glamorous attire” (murmur). People really took this seriously–we spotted more fur, feathers and up-dos than we had since the last Crystal Charity luncheon we were invited to. A few men were actually in tuxes. We were in jeans. Anyway. Bottom line here: It’s definitely not as finished as we were expecting.

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State Sen. John Carona Doesn’t Trust You With a Phone

There’s rarely a bad idea that comes along that Dallas Sen. John Carona won’t wrap both his beefy mitts around, but this one’s a doozy. Carona wants to kill the pre-paid cell phone business in Texas. Sure, pre-paid phones are invaluable for poor people, parents who want to limit kid’s cellphone use, people who value their anonymity from marketing lists, people who don’t like the idea of government snoops eavesdropping, and people who don’t like cellphone contracts. And sure, there’s that whole “freedom” and “free markets” mess in his way. Feh, Carona says. Because a few people use them nefariously, they pretty much need to be gone.

Plum Loco

Wylie Independent School District says Junior Lakia Watkin’s new hairdo violates the school’s dress code. Her hair is dyed a plum color. The school says students’ hair must be a color that can be grown naturally. But (cue technicality-pointing-out lawyer) are plums not “natural”? Ergo, would it not be the case that plums — and their color — are “natural”?

Collin County Bloodsuckers Will Be Out This Weekend

If you’re driving in Collin County this weekend, there’s a chance you could have a police officer jabbing a needle in your arm against your will. Yes sir, it’s another “no refusal” weekend where cops plan to use fill-in-the-blank affidavits (consider the implications of that) and rubber-stamp judges to circumvent Texas laws that say you can refuse a breath or blood test when you’re suspected of driving after a few libations. Good discussion here.

Highland Park Fountain Demolished

For the past couple days, on the way to work, I’ve been watching workmen tinker with the fountain in the middle of the road, where Oak Lawn turns into Preston. I figured they were just sprucing the thing up. But no. This morning they were jackhammering the fountain. WTF, mate? Surely that’s some sort of historical landmark.

Leading Off

1. Smirnoff Music Centre changes its name to SuperPages.com Center. I’ll keep calling it what I always do: the place where my friend Jeff got drunk off Thunderbird at a Metallica show and broke the windshield of my Escort … Amphitheater.

2. Heroin, steroids, suicides, now a federal investigation into a fake ID ring. Is there one teenager in Plano parents don’t have to worry about? Maybe that’s why Stacey apologizes all the time.

3. Amid scandal, Lynn Flint Shaw resigns as DART Board Chair. After the Trinity vote, Jim Schutze was probably due for a win.

GM’s Lutz On Hybrids, Global Warming And Cars As Art

Bob Lutz, General Motors’ vice chairman and chief car guru, says what really turns him on is “doing the unexpected”–acting “contrary to the conventional wisdom, forcing people to re-think their beliefs.” Maybe that’s why Lutz, who made his name developing behemoths like the V-10 Dodge Viper, is so sold on the fuel-efficient new Chevrolet Volt, which will run on a lithium-ion battery and could go on sale by 2010. “The Volt thrills me because it’s the last thing anybody expected from GM,” the ex-Marine said at a private lunch in Arlington today. If you’re into cars or the car business, jump to read more of Lutz’s contrarian beliefs. (more…)

Sarah Eveans Throws a Huckabee at Tom Brady

I don’t quite understand why Brady just showed up in our offices. But the girls seem happy.

Central Is a Wreck

Be advised, northward traveling FBvians: Adam just called from the field to say Central Expressway is a nightmare from downtown all the way to Mockingbird (at least). Go here to see more.

Columnist Prompts Lunchtime Navel-Gazing

Agree or not with what he types, Rod Dreher is a good writer. A scold? Sure. Talented, nonetheless. But this passage from his Sunday column (read the whole thing here) has been niggling at me since I read it three days ago, and I need to spout off to exorcise it from my brain.

Today’s child-men have been formed by a culture that has lost – or, rather, thrown away – a relatively fixed standard of manhood … That’s mostly gone, replaced by a therapeutic model in which the autonomous self is its own judge, and personal satisfaction is the measure of a life well lived.

I reckon I’m left wondering why I need to contract out my own judgment. If my judgment is fatally flawed, how can I use it to pick someone else to do my judging for me? What makes their judgment of my “autonomous self” superior? And how is achieving personal satisfaction not the “measure of a life well lived”? When did the pursuit of happiness become morally suspect? Isn’t a person’s life an end to itself, or are you saying a person’s life is only worthy if it’s the means to other people’s ends? If I don’t take care of pursuing my own happiness and satisfaction, who is supposed to? (Yes, I’m procrastinating from my duties to the print version of FrontBurner. And yes, I own a PlayStation 3.)

To Reiterate: Mark Cuban Will Appear in Anything Involving a Camera

Yahoo! has posted a new featurette promoting the forthcoming Will Ferrell vehicle, Semi-Pro. As I alluded to, Cubes is in it. And he’s actually pretty funny. Creepy, yes, but funny.

Re: Leading Off, DNA Business

Trey: We all want to see justice done, but I think you’ve succumbed to the Craig Watkins spin machine. First, the use of DNA testing in criminal trials is a fairly recent phenomenon, as I understand it. Second, to portray tough but effective former prosecutors (like Henry Wade) as renegades who were out for “conviction at all costs” is neither fair nor accurate. But it does burnish the current D.A.’s heroic storyline.

The Second Double Life of Lauren Baumann

Awhile back, we received a call from a woman named Faith Pyka in California. She’d found a story in our archives, “The Double Life of Lauren Baumann,” from November 1998, that confirmed her worst fears. Pyka had fallen victim to a real estate scam. A decade ago, in Plano, Baumann had created a Ponzi scheme, cheating 80 investors out of $2.7 million, spending it on extravagant parties and Neiman Marcus shopping sprees. Her husband, Ed, turned her in to the SEC, but she has re-emerged with another real estate and loan scheme.

Intern Alexandra Millard picks up the story from there:

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Bet Y’All Didn’t Know

This. That sound.

Kidd in Play (Part II)

Just ran a quick errand and heard Norm talking about the possible Jason Kidd trade (for Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse). It’s not news, but I was all excited to post that headline. Bummer that someone beat me to it. (But it’s in Canada, so does it count?)

Leading Off

1) Aren’t we all glad that previous Dallas County district attorneys didn’t bother with all that DNA business so they could say they were “tough on crime.” After all, justice is about conviction rates. And besides, the jury’s still out on that whole “science” thing.

2) Thanks, Highland Park, for getting the ball rolling on cell phone bans. Sure, you have existing traffic laws, but passing new ones makes it look like you’re doing something, right?

3) This doesn’t really fit with the “everybody panic!” economic news election-year script, but foreclosures are already slowing in Texas.

Another Reason Why I Love DFW’s Terminal D

I fly a lot therefore I spend tons of time at DFW. It’s always a treat when my flight leaves from Terminal D because it’s a great place to eat and shop. And drink. Like the night my flight to Italy was delayed and I was so happy to find La Bodega Winery open for business. Now comes word that the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Board of Directors agrees with me. They just named La Bodega Winery, located at Gate D14, “2007 Retail Concessionaire of the Year.” Take that Miami. And Chicago. And Atlanta.

Media, Pols Talking Us Into A Recession?

Media types–you know who you are–and certain politicos have such a vested interest in hyping the current economy as dogmeat, there’s a good chance we’re talking ourselves into a recession. Investment banker Mark Dufilho of Houlihan Lokey said much the same during a Dallas Capital Markets Update this morning at the Belo Mansion. Though it’s “a little shaky” the U.S. economy still has legs, Dufilho said, there’s still a ton of capital out there looking for a home, and business/finance deals are still getting done. However, he added, “USA Today runs a story every day on whether we’re headed into a recession. You try to tell them, if they keep running that story, there will be a recession!”

GodTubers (Heart) Huckabee

A very unscientific (intelligently designed?) poll on Plano-based GodTube.com has that smirking hick leading the pack. Not surprising their demographic would back the guy who believes the earth is 6,000 years old. But quite surprising is that the latter-day Second Coming — Barack Obama — is pulling second with Hillary in third.

Re: Video of Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo out on the Town

My apologies. An art-loving FrontBurnervian says this video of the couple is much more engaging, especially if you like Journey. Also don’t watch this one.

Cuban Courting Clippers Fan to Switch Teams

Darrell Bailey, better known to Staples Center regulars as Clipper Darrell, is apparently weighing an offer from the Mavericks to join the payroll and become Mavericks Darrell (or something like that — Mavs Darrell, maybe?). When reached for comment, I said, “Dude. Pay me. Or just give me free tickets in exchange for my award-winning blend of dance moves and prop comedy. I work cheap…ish.”