Articles for February, 2009
Wes Anderson Talks Bottle Rocket
Fans of him and it will want to read this. Those who aren’t, move along.
Live on WRR: Bumped for a Bigwig
When an important man like CVB head Phillip Jones comes in, they ask a scrub like me to get the heck out of the way.
N9NE Closes: Is Dining in Victory Park Dead?
Mario Batali was in Dallas a few months ago. SideDish asked him if he planned to open a restaurant in Dallas. I don’t have the exact quote in front of me, but his message was clear. He said Dallas has a reputation for “spanking” out-of-town restaurants that open locations in Big D. He intimated that Dallas was a mean restaurant town and we didn’t like big dogs coming in from larger markets and doing business here.
I’m sure the folks at N9NE, Bice, Il Mulino, Nove, and countless others agree with him.
The downside of our bravado is that the whole Dallas dining scene gets a bad rap. Our super star chefs have a tough time winning national awards. Why? Because the judging panels are filled with folks from New York, L.A., and Las Vegas.
The death of N9NE brings up a lot of emotion. It hurts to see any restaurant fail, but N9NE, in particular, was doomed from the start. Rumors of its closing started the day it opened. I spent most of my time yesterday on the phone talking with restaurant folks. Most were saddened and scared by the high-profile loss. The comments below yesterday’s post on N9NE’s demise ranged from happy to helpful. One wrote:
The solution is so easy: beer. People want to drink and hang out down there. Screw these restaurants and stores. I don’t want a $60 steak dinner or a new pair of jeans before a Mavs game. I want beer. And lots of it. Put in bars. Fun bars. Sports bars. Casual bars.
That remark reminded me of this article that ran last spring in the Dallas Business Journal. Nobody deep in the corporate hills and woods will go on the record, but I understand that there are “perhaps five” less expensive, locally owned restaurants either under or readying for construction at the south end of Victory Park. Perhaps there will be plenty of beer, and bars, and cheeseburgers. And pedestrians. I see a little light. I just can’t tell if it’s Millers or Coors.
Jessica Simpson: Michigan Meltdown
Appears Tony Romo’s girl Jessica Simpson is really having some hard times lately. She really can’t catch a break. I’m not talking about her “weight gain,” which probably means she went from 99 pounds to 110. Seriously people. Apparently, J. Simp had some issues in Grand Rapids last night while opening for Rascal Flatts. Here it is (from Perez Hilton):
During her “hit” With You, she stopped singing during the middle of her song! Apparently she needed a sip of water, so her backup singers took over the lead vocals for a bit. After the song, she “seemed a little embarrassed and said it’s difficult to be on stage and be so vulnerable.”
During another song she began having issues with her ear monitors and seemed to have lost her place in several of her other songs. She also had to make her band start over again on one of them. And as for her [deleted] tune Come on Over, she even started to forget the lyrics!!!
The final blow came when she started crying during her final song. Perez says this is because Tony was supposed to meet her in Michigan but missed his flight. Murmur.
Re: Dallas Art Fair: Extraordinary!
Stacey and I were also at the Dallas Art Fair last night, and I agree with Wick on the extraordinary-ness of the event. I recognized a few locals (Nancy Dedman, John Reoch, Jeanne Marie Clossey) but the crowd seemed to be filled with mostly out-of-towners, and several Olsen twin lookalikes. There are exhibits from galleries in New York, San Francisco, Baltimore, Santa Fe, and more on display, but there are only five local galleries included (and that’s including Fort Worth). I’ve been told that the Fair is ultra-exclusive and they wanted to keep a certain aesthetic, but I can imagine there are a few galleries around town who aren’t happy they aren’t included. Anyway…
I really enjoyed the black and white photographs in the Peter Fetterman gallery (Santa Monica, CA) on the second floor, and Peter himself was very cool too. He tried to sell us on his book, Woman: A Celebration, and he said he would sign it so we could re-sell it on eBay for lots of cash. Tempting, but we didn’t do it.
On the first floor, the Scott Richards Contemporary Art booth was also a favorite of mine. It had a few racy Mel Ramos paintings that are definitely NSFW (naked ladies) and a trippy hand-painted works from Patrick Hughes that I liked. Also on the first floor, check out Artspace 111, a Fort Worth-based gallery with works from my friend J.C. Pace. There were so many great pieces. If you can afford to buy art and like modern and contemporary works, you shouldn’t miss this.
Phil Ritter Retires From TI
Just got a message via Facebook from Phil Ritter, saying he is retiring today after 20 years at Texas Instruments. I can’t say I’ve ever met him in person, but all my e-dealings and phone conversations with him have been great. He’s led the company’s public and community affairs department since 2001 and before that, he worked as a lawyer at TI. From most appearances, he seems to have kept the company out of a lot of hot water.
Classic Café: Eric Celeste Edition
Timmy signed us up to do segments on “Classic Café,” a music, entertainment, and lifestyle show on WRR 101.1fm. Then Timmy bailed. First, his son was sick; now he is sick. He did manage to show up one day long enough to get his photo snapped with the real host, Adriana Bate.
Today from 11am to 1pm, “Classic Café” will broadcast live from One Arts Plaza. Our own Eric Celeste will bat for Timmy. Head down for a visual and listen to the cultured guests on the show—the Dallas Wind Symphony, Arts District Chorale, and the Arts District Friends.
Tei-An is the One Art’s Plaza restaurant featured on today’s program. I spoke with owner/chef Teiichi Sakurai. You can listen to the interview live and watch the video later today on FrontBurner. Teiichi and I discuss the exclusive soba school he attended in Tokyo and the intricate process of making buckwheat flour noodles. Good stuff.
Friday Fun: Girl’s Edition
Okay, here is your chance to be a wicked nurse. The game is called The Nurse. You get a giant syringe and shoot falling blobs. Warning: the music is awful.
Dallas Art Fair: Extraordinary!
Do not waste a minute: go to the Dallas Art Fair at FIG as soon as you can get there. I went to the opening last night and, because it was so crowded, will be going back today to spend the two hours or so that it will take to look at the incredible art available. It is a real gift to Dallas, and you can not miss it.
The Job Offers Are Already Pouring In For W
This one from Elliott’s Hardware. I’m not sure what I would do if I walked into Elliott’s and saw George W. Bush wearing a polyester vest and offering me a shopping cart. Would Colin Powell be in few steps back, admonishing everyone: “You break it, you bought it”?
Friday Fun: Every Second Counts
Some Friday Fun before the ladies take over: Here’s Every Second Counts. The game is the simplest yet most frustrating game ever: Click the mouse for .2 seconds (+/- .1 seconds). Then for .4 seconds (+/- .1 seconds). Then .6, etc. etc. It starts out super easy, then gets mouse-throwingly difficult. Have fun.
Leading Off—The Sick Men Edition
I just opened my inbox and clicked through the usual morning mail—announcements of the ultra acai berry cleanse, great deals on Cialis and Viagra, and the daily dear-Sir-or Madame-I-am-the-cousin-to-the-daughter-of-the-former-president-of-a-country-you’ve-never-heard-of-but-I’ve-got-a-million-dollars-waiting-for-you-in-a-Nigerian-bank notice.
Buried deep in the thicket was a note from Eric Celeste. “Help. Men are sick. Can you pull together a Ladies Day on FrontBurner?
So, a guy gets a sniffle and what do they do? They call a woman. Or in this case women. Why? Because we know how to work through pain.
Men are babies. Not the cute cuddly kind, the miserable and weak variety who cannot do one thing for themselves when they have a headache or the flu.
Oh, poor baby got an eye infection? Sorry boys, you’d never make it through our blessing—six or seven days a month of cramping and bleeding. We brave those special time by scrunching our tender bellies into a body Spanx and strolling around in high heels.
Your throat is scratchy and your little head aches? Dude, try writing 3,500 words the day after a night spent tossing, turning, and sweating. Women don’t let a little malady like menopause keep them from work.
So girls, pass the hormones. As champions, we will adjust. Rock it.
Leading Off (02/06/09)
1. The funding gap for the Trinity toll road (the amount above what the NTTA will pay) could reach $1 billion. The DMN says the NTTA won’t cover it, Tom Leppert says there are lots of other funding sources, and Jim Schutze is cackling as he raises two middle fingers in the air.
2. Dan Reeves won’t be on the Cowboys staff because Jerry Jones insisted on an hours clause, an insult so amazing it makes me admire Jones even more. In the same way I admire, say, Rod Blagojevich, or Napoleon.
3. In the wake of more horrible job-loss news, people in the office are eyeing each other warily, trying to gain Wick’s favor as they hold on to their effin hats. Oh, and Tim and Zac are out sick today. I will be on WRR today between 11 and 1, but then out most of the rest of the day. This seems like poor timing, no?
Why I Love Pete Sessions
In a conversation with Hotline, the Dallas Republican said that the Republicans need to act like an insurgency. Then he entered into a comparison that got the better of him:
“Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban,” Sessions said during a meeting yesterday with Hotline editors. “And that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person’s entire processes. And these Taliban — I’m not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban. No, that’s not what we’re saying. I’m saying an example of how you go about [sic] is to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with.”
When asked to clarify:
“I simply said one can see that there’s a model out there for insurgency,” Sessions said before being interrupted by an aide. The staffer said Sessions was trying to convey that the Republicans need to start thinking about how to act strategically from their perch in the minority.
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