D

Art In Bloom

This morning I attended the Dallas Museum of Art’s annual Art In Bloom fundraiser and luncheon where renowned interior designer Bunny Williams gave a thorough and informative lecture and fashion designer, Peter Som (one of my favorites at the moment) was in town to present his Fall 2008 collection (which you can find at Forty Five Ten during the trunk show today until 6 PM).  (more…)

FrontBurner Technical Difficulties

Hello, patient FrontBurnervians. If posting seems particularly sparse this afternoon, that’s because it is. And while we bloggers have a bucketful of the usual excuses (print versions shipping, laziness, etc.), today’s slowdown can be blamed on technical difficulties and porn. Seriously. Our internal routers or ISP or DNS or Internetty-Internets are bouncing from one server to another to another, except one stop on that bandwidth tour is apparently notorious for hosting scads of porn. The other servers no likey, so we bloggers are firewalled away from our own site. Sad. Tragic, even. And, let’s hope, temporary. (How, then, am I able to post this post explaining the unpostableness of FB? Thank you, iPhone.)

AFI Review: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson

On Friday, People Newspaper Staff Writer Cassie Clark went to see the Hunter S. Thompson documentary. Her well-organized review of it and the film is after the jump.

(more…)

There Ain’t No Party Like an AFI Party, Because an AFI Party Don’t Stop

Yrs trly girded his loins Saturday night and ventured out to the W Hotel for some AFI action. I brought back two really bad photos.

(more…)

Immigration Got My Head A-Spinnin’

Follow if you can. A Dallas conservative think-tank backs cutting sentences for illegal immigrants in jail for non-violent crimes as much as half. The idea is it saves money on incarceration and speeds deportation. Think hard on that one. Plenty of conservative factions aren’t nativist; they see the economic boon open immigration brings and they don’t see immigrants as a threat to American culture like the Pat Buchanans and Tom Tancredos on the right. Fine and good. That’s not what’s confusing.

The bottom line of the NCPA approach, as Scott Henson points out, is that illegal immigrants get more leniency than red-blooded American convicted criminals. Which hardly seems right. But then, the primary worry about early release of non-violent offenders (which include burglars and thieves) is they go back to their old ways in their communities as soon as they’re released. Even in Dallas, where it’s “safe.” But since any illegal immigrants who might get their sentences cut would be deported, it’s not like they’re going to be going back to their old ways here in los Estados Unidos de América. Because crossing the border without authorization is nigh impossible.

Meanwhile, the feds and Dallas authorities are spending time and money arresting 49 illegal immigrants working hard at jobs where they try to prevent crime on private property.

Fire on Forest Lane

A curious FrontBurnervian says he sees smoke around the vicinity of Forest Lane and Greenville Avenue. Dallas Fire-Rescue says there’s a structure fire and sent three trucks. Also, there’s report of at least one injured person. From what I can gather (thanks, Google), 9170 Forest is an apartment building. Developing.

AFI Review: Before the Rains

Doug Mankoff — a St. Mark’s graduate — is in town for the screening tonight at the Magnolia (7:30 p.m.) for Before the Rains, for which he’s one of the producers. Sorry about Tracing Cowboys, alter-Glenn. It might be one of those cases when sentiment overwhelmed judgment. But this one won’t be a disappointment. Linus Roache plays an Englishman in 1930s India, when opposition to the Raj was growing. He has big plans to build a road over the mountain using hordes of native labor before monsoon season, but his affair with his housekeeper — casual to him but not to her — leads to tragedy when he rejects her after his wife and son arrive.

This one sticks with you for its fine performances and moral complexities. It’s definitely one to see — if you can get in.

Go, Barnett Shale!

A new study shows that money is shooting up out of the ground like crazy. Last year $8.2 billion spilled into the local economy. I’m feeling better already.

TSA’s New Nipple Ring Policy

In light of the Dallas woman whose nipple rings were removed with pliers prior to boarding a Lubbock-Dallas flight, the TSA has changed their policy. Here’s an excerpt of the agency’s statement on “the alleged improper screening”:

TSA has reviewed the procedures themselves and agrees that they need to be changed. In the future TSA will inform passengers that they have the option to resolve the alarm through a visual inspection of the article in lieu of removing the item in question.

A “visual inspection”? Something tells me job applications at TSA just went up about 250 percent.

A Tenderfoot Cowboys At The Angelika

Everywhere you turn they’re saying how bad the economy is. But you couldn’t tell it by the crowds this weekend at Mockingbird Station, where the shops were jammed and, in the DART lot across from the Angelika theater complex, there wasn’t a single parking space. Give at least some credit to the 2008 AFI Dallas International Film Festival, which screened the much-touted Tracing Cowboys there Saturday afternoon. Jump to find out why, unfortunately, it’s got to be one of the most overrated flicks in the festival.

(more…)

FrontBurner Madness Update

Your leaders in the contest for a $200 gift certificate to Texas de Brazil:

1. Old East Dallas
1. heelSpurs
3. Whoopi Goldberg
4. John Galt
5. Throat Yogurt [ed: murmur]
5. Where’s Greggo?
7. IDGAF
7. Liberally Lean
9. Steve Holt!
9. Spitzer?! I hardly knew her!

Leading Off

1. Amid ethical questions, Alphonso Jackson will step down as HUD boss, a move that feels like it’s been coming for two years.

2. A Southwest plane returns to Love Field with engine trouble. Someone’s gonna need a few stiff drinks at The Cockpit.

3. Obama came out ahead in the weekend caucuses. Probably. Is there any question the real loser in all of this is Texas?