Also, Both Teams Were Extremely Punctual

I just got my copy of Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine, the weekly Valley Ranch-endorsed publication that is unabashedly rah-rah for the home team. I half-wondered how they’d cover Sunday’s loss on the cover. I need not wonder no more. But somehow “Barber Starts: Rushes for 129 Yards” fails to capture the, uh, essence of the game. To be fair, the inside story is headlined “Stunning Setback!”

Jessica Simpson Sighting

Sarah and I just made a trip to LFT to pick up some things for a photo shoot and apparently we just missed the pop-star/actress/Romoette. She got a blow-out at Avalon (which is upstairs in LFT) and went on a shopping spree for Tony and herself. Our source says she bought tons of things for Tony (we expect to see him looking a little more fashionable any day now) and some Cynthia Vincent for herself. We know she loves to shop and if she’s still in the area, most likely popping into V.O.D. and other stores in Victory Park.

Garrett Not Yet a Raven

And I’m still a long way from caring. (Link props DMN Cowboys blog.)

Blockbuster, You Might Want to See This

Shares of the movie-rental retailer dropped a skosh today as Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s movie-rental program during today’s keynote speech at Macworld. By “skosh,” I mean 17 percent, as of the posting of that story. (You know what else Jobs unveiled? The MacBook Air. Yes, please.)

Texan Finalist for S.I. Newhouse Dean

UT’s j-school dean Lorraine Branham is one of two folks still being considered to take over at the Syracuse University S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. What does this have to do with North Texas? Well:

1. I’ve had lunch with Branham, and she’s way cool. And I live in Dallas.
2. Branham’s husband used to (still does? li’l help?) work for the Star-Telegram. That paper is based in Fort Worth.
3. Former American Way editor and fabulous Dallasite Melisa Chessher is chair of that school’s magazine division.

“He is not a citizen. He is a police officer.”

Nice follow-up on one of our favorite badge-wearing thugs still on the DPD payroll. That titular quote from another officer goes to the heart of what’s wrong with the mentality of some cops — that is, when they forget they, too, are citizens with no more rights than anyone else. A lot of people say that you shouldn’t judge cops so harshly. But it’s precisely because of the position they hold they need to be held to higher standards.

“The Most Successful Philanthropic Fund-Raising in Dallas History”

Harold Simmons just gave another $50 million to UTSouthwestern’s “Innovations in Medicine” Center, bringing the total to $741 million. What a nice sendoff to retiring president (and all-around Dallas hero) Kern Wildenthal.

Garrett About to Fly Like a Raven

Ed Werder says the Cowboys offensive coordinator has been offered the Baltimore head coaching job.

Tom Hicks Surprisingly Out of Touch with His Team’s Fanbase

A futbol-following FrontBurnervian and I have been trading emails about how asinine Tom Hicks has been as a club (co-)owner. It’s one thing to interview a potential new hire as head coach. It’s quite another to make those discussions public, undermining your current coach and ticking off every supporter. Of course, unless some financial wizardry happens right quick, Hicks might not be around for the aftermath.

Wanna See Inside Mark Teixeira’s House?

Before someone else buys it, that is. Then you gotta getchyerself over to DallasDirt.

Update: Plus, you’ve got to see Candy’s post about RotoRooter, pink bathrooms, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Seriously.

DMN’s Newest Blog: DISD

Just added this to my Google Reader, where Kent Fischer and Tawnell Hobbs will discuss all things about the Dallas school district. Already interested in the post about how Hinojosa wants to create some sort of “Career Academy” at every high school. We (and about half of Dallas, it seemed) toured Townview last week and talked to students, and if the academy idea is similar to the real-world experience the kids there receive, I’m all for it. (Shout out to the young woman who asked, “Are you Chris Daughtry?”)

Moby Dick!

I know it’s day-old news that the Dallas Opera will host the premiere of Moby Dick by Jake Heggie at the Winspear in 2009, but I’m excited. This guy Jake is good. I can’t wait.

D Beauties Have Something to “Yawp” About

If MySpace and Facebook aren’t touchy-feely enough for you, maybe Yawp Box is your ideal virtual pulpit. The Dallas-based website aims to connect people through shared life experiences using video, photos, and journal entries. (Topics up for discussion right now include “Have you ever pimped your ride?”, “Share what it’s like to be stranded,” and “Tell us about the day your life went wrong.” Um, ouch.) If you’d prefer to restrict your experience sharing to attractive people, Yawp Box is hosting a launch reception tomorrow at LIFT Lounge featuring admissions—Worst Breakup, Most Embarrassing Moment, Worst Habit—from D Beauty’s 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas. (See just-edited, behind-the-scenes video from the 10 Most Beautiful shoot here.) Proceeds benefit Genesis Women’s Shelter. Jump for the full rundown.

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Adventures in Blogrolling: We Shot JR

The anonymity-craving fellas who run We Shot JR recently revamped their site, giving me an excuse to point you in the direction of what I would consider to be the best music site in town. (I could have also used their latest post about the new Red Monroe remix album. That’s newsy, right?) Is WSJR comprehensive? No. Is it, at times, ill-tempered? Yes. Will you agree with all their picks and recommendations? Probably not. But that’s what I like about it; they have a point of view. And also, the battles in the comments section are entertaining, though rarely on topic and more often than not ridiculously profane. It’s not on our blog roll by accident.

How Long For Quick?

Metro Boston, Metro Philadelphia, and Metro New York are up for sale. These, of course, were the inspirations for the short-lived AM Journal Express–which is what spurred the DMN to quickly produce Quick. How’s Quick doing? All we know is that the three Metro titles lost $10.6 million last year. Not good. Not good at all.

UT Southwestern Finds Anti-HIV Drug

This really has me worried. The headline: “UT Southwestern Finds Drug to Prevents HIV’s Spread in Mice.” Am I the only one who thinks this will lead to increased promiscuity among mice no longer worried about getting infected?

Patrick Crayton: Before the Drops

As Cowboy fans enter Day Two of Mourning, they still look for the appropriate person, place, or thing to blame. Richie did an excellent job of spreading out the scorn. But as I watched on Sunday, it was obvious that at least one FOX telecast producer thought the largest chunk of responsibility fell on the shoulders (and slipped through the hands) of Patrick Crayton. Seems like there was a cutaway shot of Crayton on the bench after every single play in the fourth quarter.

Years ago, back in the summer of 2005, I had an idea for D to do a “What It Feels Like Feature.” If it sounds like it’s stolen from the pages of Esquire, it is. (I like to think of it more as an “homage” than outright theft.) In it, we would talk to Andrew Litton for What It Feels Like to Conduct a Symphony, Sai Gunturi for What It Feels Like to Win a Spelling Bee — stuff like that. I also wanted to know what it feels like to score an NFL touchdown. DeSoto-native Patrick Crayton seemed like a good guy to ask. At the time, he’d only scored one — a game-winning, last-minute catch against the rival Redskins in his rookie season. The piece never ran. But I offer Crayton’s retelling of his first touchdown here, for all to reminisce.

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Leading Off (Creepy Edition)

1) The local version of the story about MySpace’s agreement with dozens of attorneys general (excluded Texas’) on “protecting children” mentions the word “parent” three times and the word “responsibility” not at all. IJS.

2) And speaking of online shenanigans, it’s real clear from this story that none of Dallas’ city “top city officials” have ever set foot in Dallas public libraries. Way back in the old days (2006) I used to go to the main library across from city hall once a week to upload blog reports on city council meetings.  I was only there a matter of minutes each time, but aside from homeless guys taking hillbilly baths in the restrooms, one of the biggest nuisances was all the Internet users accessing stroke sites. Interesting offshoot of the tragedy of the commons — that’s what you get for providing for free what people should be paying for out of their own pockets.

3) Good lord.