Mark Cuban on Why Things Had to Change

His blog post just went up. Read it. Good for understanding what this team was and is thinking. My takeaway: He realized Avery could not coach Jason Kidd. What’s yours?

Ethics 2.0 And What The Law Says About New Media

(Alt. Hed: Where I Spent An Hour And A Half This Morning)

The media relations committee at the Dallas Bar Association put together a panel addressing “The Legal & Ethical Issues of ‘New Media.’” The panelists: Joe Chumlea (lawyer), Bill Murchison (columnist), Mike Raiff (lawyer), Dr. Randy Reddick (journalism professor) Paul Watler (lawyer), and Robert Wilonsky (Big Bob). If you’re keeping score, that’s three lawyer types and three journalism types. What did they talk about? Oh, all sorts of things but nothing particularly revelatory. But if you’re interested in some of my notes, let’s meet after the jump.

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Be Careful Out There, Friends

A helpful FBvian sends this scary email along:

            Just an fyi. A friend of mine was at Bodega [Bar] the other night and parked underground in the parking lot for Travis Walk.  Upon leaving Bodega, several guys dressed in chefs attire accosted his girlfriend, held him at gun point, and then beat him senseless.  Anyway, not trying to make anyone paranoid but be careful in that underground lot if you park their for the restaurants.

I love this bar and often park underneath, since it’s free. Guess I’ll be looking for a new parking place, or giving in to valet…

Ken Bethea of Old 97’s Tells His Famous Poop Story

Several years ago, my cousin told me one of the funniest stories I’d ever heard. It was about Ken Bethea, the guitarist for the Old 97’s, and it involved a romantic encounter interrupted by a bowel movement that went horribly, horribly awry. The story ended with Ken jumping through a bathroom window. My cousin had heard the story from Robert Jenkins, a known scalawag but a close friend of the band. The story was so funny, that I borrowed it and have been retelling it ever since, invariably with great effect.

So when I heard the band was having a listening party May 13 at the Granada for their new CD, Blame It on Gravity, I thought that was as good an excuse as any to ask Ken whether the story was really true — and, if it was true, if he’d stop by the FrontBurner Studios and tell it for posterity’s sake. As it turns out, by the time the story had found its way to me, a few fantastical details had been added. But not many.

As a public service, I bring you the full and accurate account from the man himself:

60 Minutes on Innocent Men in Jail

I just watched the 60 Minutes story that aired last night about the Innocence Project’s work in Dallas County. James Woodard, who served 27 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, is an amazing man. Warning: before you watch it, have a couple tissues ready.

Where You Should Be Thursday: We Shot JR’s Barack Obama Benefit

Stonedranger and the rest of the anonymity-craving gang at We Shot JR have organized a Barack Obama benefit, but the lineup works whether you’re an Obamaniac or just a local hip-hop head. Lil Wil, a Dallas rapper whose single “My Dougie” has topped 1.2 million views on YouTube, is the headliner. The rest of the bill is filled out by Hawatha and Johnny Moog, with Sober and Prince William spinning records between sets. Admission is $6, it’s BYOB, and it all goes down at 3612 Commerce, a gallery space down the street from Doublewide, on Thursday night. “I think it’s pretty great that these rappers, none of whom are very political, are coming together to donate their time to this,” Stonedranger says. (And yes, it’s weird calling someone that, but I play by the rules. Usually.)

Think and Talk About Street Food Tomorrow

If you haven’t read D contributor Rawlins Gilliland’s sassy piece on street food in Dallas in this month’s print edition, do so here. Then, tomorrow, you can listen to Rawlins wax poetic on his adventures in outdoor dining with Kris Boyd on Think from noon to 1 p.m. Inspired by editing Gilliland’s story, I hit the Dallas Farmers Market this weekend for a piece or two of corn slathered with mayonnaise and butter from Paul’s Sweet Roasted Corn stand. There I found Paul standing outside of Shed One, shouting, “Come on baby, and get your corn. D Magazine loves us.” Yes, Paul, we do.

Leading Off

1. The Stars beat the Sharks in four overtimes to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2000. I watched most of the fourth OT, the first 15 minutes of hockey I’ve watched all season. Don’t worry. I’m not looking for a seat on the bandwagon. There just isn’t much on at 1 a.m.

2. Think Schutze can get a column out of the 2 foot by 3 foot hole on a bridge near downtown that threw a monkey wrench into the Monday morning commute? I’d put the odds at 3-1, if only because lobbing grenades at TxDOT is what gets him up in the morning.

3. Here’s a thoroughly depressing story of the life and death struggle of Eritrean immigrants in North Dallas. That should stop your griping for a few days.