Articles for March, 2009
Us Weekly Says LeAnn Rimes Down with O.P.P.
A couple of years ago, I interviewed Garland native LeAnn Rimes for our Best of Big D issue. I spent a few hours around her at the photo shoot, and we did not become best friends. But one thing was for sure. She and her husband were in looooove. She mentioned their love numerous times in the interview. Hubby Dean was there, and he did things like a) grab her booty more than once while saying, “booty booty booty booty!’ b) lots of hugs and smooching c) gaze at his screensaver, a picture of LeAnn.
Needless to say I was shocked–shocked!–when I saw that Us Weekly has LeAnn on the cover this week, with the headline, “LeAnn Rimes Caught In An Affair.” Check it out here on perezhilton.com. He also has a grainy picture of LeAnn and her alleged paramour, Eddie Cibrian, kissing in a restaurant. She and Eddie know each other from Northern Lights (a Lifetime movie). You guessed it–Eddie is married too. Soon after she posted this on her website:
This is a difficult time for me and my loved ones, but I appreciate all your continued support.
I would like to assure all of you that this is a place for you to hear things directly from me and as you all know, not everything in our lives is always black and white.
Have faith,
Le
Hmm. Not exactly a denial. I just don’t believe she would have an affair. They seemed too happy. What say you?
Tom Leppert vs. Anne Raymond
Over on the DMN’s City Hall Blog, Dave Levinthal (”The Greatness”) is live-blogging the debate between the mayor and the bigwig from Crow Holdings about whether the city should own a planned convention center hotel. (Wick, you’ll recall, has said no on this issue.) Go watch it with your informed citizen eyes. And lemme know what you think about that live-blogging software. I’m thinking about using it for the NCAA tourney tomorrow on InsideCorner.
Let’s Continue This: The InsideCorner NCAA Tournament Bracket Fill It Out and Win Tournament Contest
I think we had about 200 people compete in last year’s D Empire tourney. We’re already up to 184 as of 9:46 this morning. Let’s try to top last year’s mark by noon.
Remember: The winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to any M Crowd restaurant: Taco Diner, Mi Cocina, The Mercury, or Mercury Chophouse.
Update: Turns out we only had about 120 or so last year. We’re already at 222 in this year’s group. Let’s keep ‘em coming.
Discover Free Third Thursdays at Trinity River Audubon Center
Last night, I spent three hours in a classroom listening to an intense herpetology lecture conducted by Rodger Sanderson from the Heard Museum in McKinney. I am studying to get my Master Naturalist certification and part of our lesson last night involved passing various snakes around the room. I was happy to learn that “snakes are stupid”.
If you like to learn about nature, or have kids home on break who need an activity, the Trinity River Audubon Center is full of opportunities. Tomorrow, they offer “Myths and Misunderstandings,” a program presented by the Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Society. The education director, Mark Pyle, will bring some live reptiles and amphibians that live in Dallas County. I believe they start around 6:30PM. Go early for the Chimney Swift Tower dedication at 6:15 pm. It’s all free. All day, every Thursday. (photo of my ex-husband courtesy of TRAC website.)
Re: Leading Off/Judge Lander Flap
As noted in the DMN story Eric linked to, Dallas city council member Mitchell Rasansky is so outraged by Judge C. Victor Lander’s remarks, he wants him off the bench. Get a grip, councilman. It’s called free speech. Lander might even be right and, besides, it’s past time to be so damned sensitive about race-related stuff. (Let’s hope the African-American community remembers that, next time somebody pops off with a similar remark aimed at blacks.)
April MetHome Features Dallas Eco-House
When a fire destroyed a portion of their home, Julie Cohn and David Rolston decided to re-build green. Here’s how they did it. My favorite part of the story is that Rolston, a landscape architect, decided to plant the roof:
“If done properly, the grass and soil create a layer of insulation that both moderates the temperature in the space below and protects the roof,” he says. “And, in our case, it made for a much more attractive view.” Rolston says proper installation of the sod is critical, with good drainage essential for preventing leaks. He had a roofing company install a waterproof continuous membrane covering over a sloped plywood frame; then he added a drainage mat (through Hanes Geo Components, HanesGeo.com) designed to channel water to metal scuppers and down to the garden. He topped the mat with six inches of lightweight soil, a custom mix for roofing uses, and then planted Zoysia ‘Emerald’ grass. “It has a beautiful, fine texture and is very drought and heat tolerant,” he says. “Plus, it grows only six to eight inches tall, so it doesn’t have to be mown.”
Saving Rick Perry From Himself: Tom Pauken Rides To Rescue
In rejecting an additional $555 million in Federal unemployment dollars, the governor said he didn’t want the state strapped with new regulations that would hurt Texas business. Star-Telegram business columnist Mitchell Schnurman pulled out his calculator and found that Perry got his math wrong: rejecting the money will cost Texas business more. Moreover, Perry’s appointee to the Texas Workforce Commission, Dallas conservative Tom Pauken, doesn’t believe the new regulations need to stay in place once the money is spent, so he’s working with the Legislature to get the money flowing.
It’s all classic Rick Perry: a good (but ill-considered) campaign line takes priority over (a) reality, (b) Texas workers, (c) Texas business, and (d) his own long-term interests, if the long-term includes 2010 when he’s up for re-election. Beautiful.
Leading Off (03/18/09)
1. A federal report expresses the same concerns over the Trinity River toll road that have been there for years: “How to pay for the multibillion-dollar road, and how to convince the [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] that it won’t pose a threat to property and people should the Trinity River flood,” as the Dallas Morning News puts it. “There are certainly challenges ahead,” says Trinity River Corridor project coordinator Rebecca Dugger, “but we all have our heads down and are moving forward.” She then noted that she was anxiously waiting the jimmy kick that Jim Schutze will deliver later today.
2. The U.S. Senate will vote about 1 p.m. today on Ron Kirk’s nomination as U.S. Trade Representative. Informed sources report his right-hand woman, Carol Reed, will be celebrating with martini in hand by 1:13.
3. Administrative Judge C. Victor Lander is in hot water for writing the following in his Dallas Weekly column about Dallas DA Craig Watkins:
“Black folks have been cleaning up white folks’ messes for hundreds of years, so why should we expect any different now?”
To which I say: duh.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, From the Monk
Zac Crain and a Spider Monkey, enjoying the holiday. See you tomorrow.
Programming Note: FrontBurner to Be Put On BackBurner
It’s Wick’s birthday today, otherwise known as St. Patrick’s Day, and we always get a half-day off to celebrate the two. So posting will be light, if it exists at all, for the rest of the day. We will be back Wednesday through Friday, without Tim (on vacation) or Zac (at South By Southwest). Let’s be careful out there.
Let’s Do This: It’s the InsideCorner NCAA Tournament Bracket Fill It Out and Win Tournament Contest
Go here, fill it out, and win. Now.
UPDATE: The winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to any M Crowd restaurant: Taco Diner, Mi Cocina, The Mercury, or Mercury Chophouse. Four words: Suh. Weet. Giddy. Up.
DISD Chief of Staff Makes Enemies Because He’s Good
I’ve kicked Kent Fischer in the jimmy a few times for his DISD worldview, so I should point out how good I thought this profile of “shadow superintendent” Arnold Viramontes is. It looks at how much power and influence Viramontes, 60, wields, and how that rubs some the wrong way. Two points about that: one, I’ve talked to him on the phone, and Viramontes clearly doesn’t suffer fools well. And two, I’ve got no problem with that. Keep crackin’ skulls, AV.
Leading Off (03/17/09)
1. Even though U.S. presidents have filled federal court vacancies with judges from their own party 80 to 90 percent of the time, Texas Republicans still want to control which judges from the state are eventually named. Texas Dems are none too pleased.
2. Six Flags is going to renovate and update the Texas Giant—and possibly declare bankruptcy soon. Wheeeeeeee!
3. Sales-tax revenue in January was down 22 percent in Southlake, causing city leaders to explore revamping the city’s budget and asking a witch doctor to rid the city of The Curse of Paul Kix.
Local Restaurateur Puts 63 McDonald’s Up For Sale
Some people are blessed with good timing, and Dallas restaurateur Ed Bailey seems to be among them. One of the nation’s biggest McDonald’s owners/operators–he’s got 63 stores in Dallas-Fort Worth–Bailey nonetheless took the fast-food giant to court, fighting for his right to open up some “white-tablecloth” restaurants on the side. The parties quietly settled that suit in November–”I’m extremely happy,” Bailey says of the outcome–and now he’s put all 63 DFW McDonald’s on the market, aiming to focus on his Patrizio and Bailey’s Prime Plus Steakhouse concepts.
Caption Contest: Former OU QB Rhett Bomar at St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Earlier today, these photos (of Rhett Bomar, the source is certain, but I should add “allegedly”) appeared in my neglected inbox. Sorry I’m just getting to them, but I’m hip-deep in print product duties (read: online Scrabble). Go for it in the comments, and keep it clean. Ish.
And no, these are not the work of Avi Adelman.
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